Kingdom Life II Review

Swords, shields, bows, and blood is what you would expect from a game set in the medieval times. Yet, Kingdom Life II does not deliver on the intense combat, instead, it dips into a unique roleplaying experience.

The world which Kingdom Life II creates is filled with guards, elves, dwarfs, dragons, and much more, all of the creatures and races you learned from myths and legends are included for players to play, including variations on each species. Whether you want to be a guard defending the castle walls from invading elves, or a wizard up in a tower crafting a cacophony of potions and poisons, there is always something to do.

Because humans are social animals, the game takes that and makes it the core gameplay. This lets the players in the game decide their own fate and interactions with others, creating endless possibilities of secret pacts and mass collaborative genocide. However, this also means that if you don't like to roleplay and interact with the people around you to create interesting situations, there is little for you to do.

The style and quality of buildings contribute to the atmosphere of the setting and bring out the roleplay better. The buildings in this game are of quality and actually quite pretty. Most also have some sort of "gimmick" to them, such as the castle wall having a tunnel only accessible by dwarfs, or portals in the wizard tower. The attention to details in the builds gave me lots of fun exploring them.

On the flipside, the terrain of the level in Kingdom Life II is really, REALLY flat and boring. There are no trees to look at, no difference in elevation, no boulders, nothing. Although the outsides are lackluster, it will not affect the atmosphere established by the intricate buildings, due to most of the action happening inside structures.

Alchemy is one of the few interesting things to do which does not involve talking. Mix and match different ingredients into a boiling cauldron of hot water and bottle it up to create different potions with varying effects from speed buffs to deadly poisons. With many different combinations, this system will keep you busy for a while while you figure out all the different combinations. While the system is not too complicated – different potion power levels do not exist and combining effects is not allowed – it is still fun to dabble into and is something I would like to see in other games.

There is much to do though if you are willing to socialize with others and roleplay. The detailed models for each one of the classes brings out you inner roleplaying powers just by looking at it. I personally had some great fun while in this game. However, if you don't want to roleplay, you will find your time there quite boring and stale.

Rating:

8/10

The Bottom Line:

Great buildings and character models establish environment well. Although a roleplaying mind is required.