Knights of Honor II: Sovereign is a continuation of the strategy of 2004 from a popular online games provider Friv2Online Studio website, which, having strong advantages, could not move competitors in the face of Europa Universalis, Lords of the Realm and Heroes of Might & Magic due to its technical condition. Perhaps the sequel, which arrived 18 years after the release of the original, will be able to do this - in the review I answer this question and talk about my impressions.
Knights of Honor offers what fans of global strategies would surely want - here all the action takes place in real time, the scale of the kingdom is commensurate with the same Europa Universalis, and RTS -style battles are reminiscent of Total War. It is worth dwelling on each of these terms in more detail.
MEDIEVAL OLD WORLD
In Knights of Honor II: Sovereign we find the period of the medieval Old World and we can choose the countries of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The setting is not new, but there is a choice of starting point between 1110, 1224 and 1360 AD, which determines the powers and their borders on the global map.
In total, over 200 countries are available to choose from - there are well-known Germany, Poland, England, and less recognizable countries such as the Mamluks, Hafaids, Gadamei and others. Although these are not even countries, but associations, and under their control there can be either one or several provinces.
Part of Russia is also displayed on the map, so it will certainly be interesting for domestic players to play for the Golden Horde, Kiev and other factions.
Already at the selection stage, Knights of Honor II: Sovereign impresses with the number of mechanics - together with the country, the player can still set up the victory rules (with an emphasis on war, trade, diplomacy or religion), as well as change the size of the state, religious status, starting gold supply... You can even tweak the "aging of kings" option.
Hardened fans of global strategies should think about this, while beginners can use the standard settings, and at the same time they will not lose anything.
GLOBAL REAL TIME STRATEGY
Having decided on the power, the player enters the global map, undergoes a short training and is left alone with the whole world and his ambitions. That being said, I would not call Knights of Honor II: Sovereign a difficult game, as its mechanics and rules are clear, and it is equally friendly to both veterans of the genre and those players who decide to try something new.
The key difference between this strategy and, for example, Paradox strategies lies in real-time mode - all actions here take place independently of yours and are not divided into moves. In order for the players to understand this better, the developers animated caravans and people that constantly move between cities.
For me, this is a plus - games do not drag out for months of real time, and decisions have to be made quickly. The reaction to unexpected events must be immediate - for example, I watched with horror how reinforcements were sent to the enemy army that was besieging my city from afar, and I decided to go into the field and fight the invader. If you're worried about tactical depth, you can always pause the game and think about strategies as much as you like.
If we describe in detail the mechanics of the global strategy, then the review will take too long, so I will briefly go over the features of Knights of Honor II: Sovereign. The friv game can traditionally be won in several ways - military, diplomatic, religious, trade. At the same time, it will not work to develop one direction, abandoning others - I succeeded in trade and religion, but in a couple of minutes my state was razed to the ground by an enemy army, against which I could not do anything.
To work in these areas, you can hire a marshal, merchant, diplomat, cleric and spy. Courtiers can be appointed rulers of cities, sent on missions, and even upgraded their skills, just like in an RPG. The system is transparent and elementary, which I also consider a plus. By the way, the king is also pumped.
The construction system turned out to be just as simple - in the province, with one click, you can build farms, mines and other buildings, and in the capital city a number of buildings. In the Knights of Honor II: Sovereign encyclopedia, it is advised to build provinces according to directions - for example, one can be turned into a military one and another into a trade one.
Not the last place is occupied by royal affairs - the nobility grows up, plays weddings, ages and dies, and successors come in its place. Moreover, it is not necessary to follow this - if you are carried away by other things, then the prince will find a mate for himself and conclude an alliance that can be a salvation for the state.
The outer world of Knights of Honor II: Sovereign is not stable - various events such as the Crusade, plague and wars of neighbors can not only affect the kingdom, but also decide its fate. And still it is necessary to follow the authority of the crown and satisfy the requirements of the nobility, the army, the merchants, the clergy and the mob. Reduced authority will give tangible negative effects, and increased - vice versa.
FIGHTS ARE ALSO IN REAL TIME
When it comes to a fight, Knights of Honor II: Sovereign will offer to calculate the result automatically, or take personal control of the units on the battlefield and lead them, as in Total War. At the same time, the world freezes, unless reinforcements can arrive in time.
There are three types of battles - battle in the open field, assault and breaking the siege. There are three ways to win: destroy the enemy army, defeat the commanders, or capture the camp. During the battle, the player controls the units, changes the alignment of troops and can give different orders - all in the best traditions, although not as deep as in the same Total War.
I especially liked the sieges and attacks on cities. The strength of the walls depends on the protection of the kingdoms and how long the parties are in a state of siege. That is, you can not immediately initiate a battle, but after a while of siege, and you will find that the walls are no longer so strong, the morale of the troops is suppressed or increased because of this, and a couple of hundred units can be missing in the army.
Such battles once again emphasize how alive the world is in Knights of Honor II: Sovereign, and it will not wait for the player.
VERDICT
I am not a fan of global historical strategies - I was scared off by their complex mechanics, turn-based mode and the fact that games can be very long. And I see Knights of Honor II: Sovereign much more friendly to ordinary players.
This friv game will seem complicated at first, but you can figure it out in just an hour - there are a lot of mechanics, they are deep, but at the same time simplified for quick development. You can start a serious game after 2 hours of passage - with intrigues, wars, trade and other serious matters.
Real-time battles are also simplified, but they are interesting - there are several ways to win and types of battles, while the player can win even a hopeless fight with cunning and tactics. For some, tactical depth is not enough, and over time, battles become boring, but it cannot be denied that the developers have worked on this mechanic, which is not mandatory for a global strategy.
Of the minuses, I will only note bugs - sometimes the buttons were not pressed, the friv game would freeze. However, these problems are solvable, and the optimization is good - Knights of Honor II: Sovereign launched on an average non-gaming laptop with a GeForce MX150 on board.
As a result, Knights of Honor II: Sovereign is a worthy competitor to Paradox strategies. The games are similar in setting and idea, but their implementation is very different. This friv game is more beginner friendly and has a number of strong points, so I'm sure it will become a prominent representative of its genre.