Seven Knights 2 preview – Genshin Impact meets Final Fantasy with a whole new flavour

As an avid RPG fan, I was naturally excited to get into Seven Knights 2, and I can honestly say it blew my expectations out of the water. I’ve not stepped into the world of Seven Knights before, but with the success of Genshin Impact, it’s hard not to compare any upcoming mobile RPGs to that phenomenon. How does it size up? Well, I left all my judgments at the door as soon as I dove into this brilliant gem.

The first thing to note about Seven Knights 2 is just how gorgeous it looks. Cutscenes and gameplay flow fluidly into each other with little difference in graphical appearance, and it runs with no issues on my HUAWEI P20 pro. The world is absolutely beautiful, and the characters look great, with unique yet endearingly JRPG-esque designs. The game is also fully voice acted, with your teammates exchanging banter and short lines of encouragement in battle as well as cinematics, offering a great level of immersion straight out of the gate.

The game follows the story of Lene, daughter of the commander, and her group of friends as they attempt to save their home from the Power of Destruction that threatens to tear their world apart. Along the way, you meet plenty of intriguing characters, from the ethereal Yeonhee to the mysterious and powerful child Phiné.

The story dangles just enough tantalising information in front of you, while withholding major details, consistently drawing you into a world of chaos and wonder.

Lene is your typical hero with a chip on her shoulder, but she has a kind heart and a fierce moral compass. She’s joined by Cheng Chen, a powerful martial artist with a serious temperament, Kade, the brotherly mercenary tank who acts as Lene’s shield, and Lukey, the fast-talking and flirtatious ranged card magician. Though you meet other companions along the way, this core group quickly begins to feel like family, as you fight alongside them and watch them comfort each other in times of distress.

Seven Knights 2 offers gacha elements, in the form of a fortune-teller who summons characters, pets, and equipment in exchange for gems. There’s also a shop where you can purchase gems for real money, and a stall where an adorable critter sells you helpful wares for in-game currency. The store is easily accessed, but rather than a simple UI, is populated with vibrant shopkeepers who chat with you as though you’re an old friend. While I can’t comment on the overall shop yet (it’s not finalised as of this preview), I can say that I didn’t feel pushed into purchasing any new characters, or even summoning any free ones – the free group at the beginning of the game is a strong lineup that fills all required roles and offers some great personality.

The gameplay in Seven Knights 2 is accessible and fun, while not starving you of challenge. I’m yet to try hooking up a controller, but the on-screen controls are comfortable and easy to use, with the addition of an auto mode that has the characters both seek out their next destination and automatically launch into battle upon encountering enemies. You can edit your group lineup and formation, and the game even shows you how changing these affects your stats, making for an extremely player-friendly experience.

You can’t leave the game entirely to its own devices though, as when you enter a boss battle, you need to keep on your toes to ensure your team dodges attacks and positions themselves correctly. Luckily, you can easily switch between characters and toggle whether they automatically use their abilities from the side of the screen, and there’s an extremely handy rally button that allows you to move your teammates as a unit to avoid incoming threats.

Combat feels a lot like Final Fantasy 15, where you have blue arcs showing you who each of your teammates is targeting, and red arcs showing who the enemy is targeting. It also has the same fast-paced fluidity of FF15, sans the warping, which makes for a satisfying but accessible experience. There’s great importance placed on upgrading your armour and weapons and equipping a decent pet, as you’ll find your heroes struggling to keep their HP up otherwise, but all of this is explained in easy-to-follow tutorials, and handled by a refreshingly straightforward UI.

The music in Seven Knights 2 is beautiful, and really helps elevate the atmosphere of the game. I often found myself reminded of sunny mornings spent playing Monster Hunter World as I traversed the town, with the pretty orchestral score backing me. The sound design during fights and cutscenes is also well done, making the world feel rich and alive.

The attention to detail in the game is brilliant, from the pet system to the way upgrades and obtaining new heroes is handled. It holds your hand just enough to let you feel comfortable, while still allowing room for you to find your own feet. Plus, there’s even an adorable mini-game when you’re waiting for a patch or update, where you control a cute critter and grab gacha-esque capsules with a claw machine mechanic. You don’t win anything for this game at the moment, it’s just for fun, but it showcases how thoughtful and thorough the overall experience of Seven Knights 2 truly is.

So, if you couldn’t tell from all of my gushing, I’m truly enjoying my time with Seven Knights 2. It holds a lot of promise, and could easily stand up to a lot of the big-name AAA console games on the market today. Weaving in elements of other popular RPGs, while still managing to be something unique and refreshing, I’m thoroughly impressed and hope to see this title get the recognition it deserves.

Be sure to check back soon for our full review when the game is released. In the meantime, you can head to the Seven Knights 2 Netmarble page to pre-register and snag some great pre-release goodies.

Source: https://www.pockettactics.com/seven-knights-2/review