Konung 2: Blood of Titans Retrospective
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Calling 2004's Konung 2: Blood of Titans a "hidden RPG gem", RPGWatch has conjured up a retrospective feature for 1C Company's strategy/RPG sequel that just might have you scouring the Internet for a cheap copy. I never did spend any real time with the Konung series, but I think I'll wait for its appearance on GOG.com before diving in myself:
The story of Konung 2 takes place after the events of the first Konung game. A cursed bracelet now controls the mind of the villain known as the Ruler of the Woodland, and he seeks to become immortal and terrorize the land further. Only the 6 descendants of the mighty Titans can stop him. To be honest, the story is not really the focal point of the game, or it's strongest aspect. There isn't a lot of story dialog to be found here, and most people you encounter will just talk about their local, uneventful lives, rather than exposing on the main story of the game. The good thing about the story, is that, in order to figure out what to do next, you have to piece together clues and figure it out for yourself. No, you won't find any magical compass markers or flashing exclamation points here, but you will find a well-thought out adventure that gives you enough of a direction to get by, but not too much that you feel constrained. When it all comes together and you figure out exactly what to do, it's quite rewarding.
Character customization is a strong aspect of Konung 2, and one of the features that will keep you coming back for more. There are a large amount of inventory items that can affect your character in different ways. There are the usual armor/weapon/accessory slots, and all weapons and armor have certain stat requirements to use them. A big part of the addictive gameplay in Konung 2 is playing enough to finally reach the prerequisite stat level suitable to wield that double-handed axe, or that helmet of supreme protection. In fact, a large part of the enjoy-ability of the gameplay lies in the fact that the inventory management is great, addictive fun, as you create and grow your traveling band of warriors-for-hire. Some items can be used to grant you magical bonuses, others can be combined in alchemical potions, if you have the recipe. Magic runes can be inserted into virtually any piece of gear, as long as you have a sufficient Magic skill.
Speaking of magic, there is no real magic in the game. There are magically enchanted items, a bit of foul sorcery here and there, but you won't be flinging fireballs and casting curses of doom upon your enemies. You can curse enemies, but it's done with a curse doll, not a spell. There are no real spells to speak of that are useable by your group, and while this might be seen as a negative, I can honestly say that I didn't mind not having magic at my disposal too much, as it really doesn't diminish the fantasy aspect much, if at all. It still felt like a fantasy world, and as I said, you will find magical "Singing Items" along your journey, which have special stat bonuses on them, and you will encounter wise magi who can identify magical items for you and sell you goods of a more arcane nature. There are also wild magical enemies and beasts to encounter, such as sea monsters, firebirds, zombies, and everyone's favorite - poisonous spiders.
You can have up to 8 party members join you at any time, and your main character is chosen from one of 6 unique heroes, each with their own starting location, stats, back-story and skills. Once you choose your lead character, you will be set loose in a world where you will have to find companions to survive. Alas, don't even try killing that group of monsters in the starting area alone, you will die. No, you must build up a strong group of mercenaries in order to overcome your enemies and win the day. There are a large number of characters that can join your cause, and while you won't find much in the way of party banter as you would in a game like Baldur's Gate, each character comes with their own skills and stats, both of which can be customized to your heart's content.
