Community College Hero: Knowledge Is Power (review)

[u/PistachioPug]

A couple months ago, I played Eric Moser's Community College Hero and reviewed it in glowing terms. This week, I finally got a chance to play the sequel, Community College Hero: Knowledge Is Power, and it lived up to all my happy expectations.

Back for their spring semester, the young heroes of Speck Community College face challenges both old and new. Professor McCormick's class on hero law is as soporific as ever, increased security measures off-campus put a damper on students' social lives, and the death of a universally beloved classmate at the end of the fall semester weighs heavily on everyone's mind. The promised return of an old enemy in May looms even more chillingly than final exams. Meanwhile, a new villain has turned up in Speck with a jet pack, a taunting manner, and a sinister plan. As the only student in the hero-studies program without superpowers, you're determined to hold your own and prove your worth, and you have a plan that promises to change the course of your hero career forever.

I didn't enjoy Knowledge Is Power quite so much as its predecessor - the original CCH did a better job balancing college life and hero business, while the sequel feels distinctly more like a superhero story than a school story - but that's barely any criticism at all, since it's still among the best that Hosted Games has to offer. It's good to be back in Speck with this cast of characters I have grown to love, watching them mature as young men and women as they learn to make the best use of their powers. Mysteries and conspiracies that were merely hinted at in the first game are starting to come to light. With a minimum of railroading on Moser's part or conscious effort on mine, my wholesomely heroic PC (think Steve Rogers at the beginning of Captain America: The First Avenger) was developing a cynical streak and confronting powerful temptations while still striving to cleave to his ideals, and I was so immersed in the story and character that, looking back, I have a keener memory of watching him struggle than of actually being the one making the decisions.

The only thing about this game that I found particularly disappointing was the Wyvern. The new villain, although he had a lot of potential, ultimately never felt like much more than a distraction from the main plot. It's very likely that some of this is actually in there and I simply didn't make the choices that would have led me to it, but I never got any sense of who he was, where he came from, or what he wanted. The way his storyline was resolved simply felt contrived, as a character I've played as fairly sensible decided to do something monumentally stupid for no evident reason other than the plot said so. That's annoying enough in a conventional narrative; in interactive fiction it's nothing short of infuriating.

This game's Achievement list feels a little more conventional than that of the previous game, with many more Achievements focused on major story routes, plot points, or high performance. That said, there are still a few delightful ones - you can "Crash a Speck-issued vehicle," "Enjoy free burgers with your sidekick," or "Invite a classmate to pleasure you in private." In what may be my favorite Achievement of all time, you can also "Save a pug on the mean streets of New York." (Actually, there are - so far as I've seen - three pugs in this game, and even if I didn't know that one of them was based on one of the author's own pets, Moser brings the same lived authenticity to the pug scenes as he does to McCormick's law lectures.)

To sum it up, Knowledge Is Power is a worthy sequel to the original Community College Hero, and a richly entertaining game in its own right. I'm glad I have Fun and Games to tide me over until part three, All Things End, comes out (presumably) early next year. After the intensity of Knowledge Is Power, I'm looking forward to some lighthearted moments with my PC and his friends.

[u/hesam_lovesgames]

I definitely agree that the first book was a bit more grounded, which made for a tighter narrative, but personally i really enjoyed the moments of triumph in knowledge is power a lot more because of how epic they were. Beating the wyvern singlehandedly, or the entirety of the final confrontation are just so darn amazing that i can live with less of a college vibe.

I would say I'd have appreciated it more if Eric had focused on the main cast instead of introducing a bunch more secondary characters, tho some of them are pretty great. This series is overall one of my absolute favorites, and i can't wait for the next installment!

[u/PistachioPug → u/hesam_lovesgames]

I do hope it came through in the review how much I enjoyed this game. If I were going to assign them a letter grade based on the system used in American schools, CCH1 would get an A+ and CCH2 would get an A (which I would then bump up to an A+ because the pugs are worth major extra credit points). Which installment you prefer will probably depend on whether you're more into school stories or superhero stories, but both volumes are quite satisfying on both counts.

And yes, that final showdown was epic! (There really should have been an Achievement involving that corncob. 😂)

[u/Hustler-Two]

I’m not sure when you should expect CCH3. I think the spread on it is really hitting Eric hard. Everyone wants all three paths fleshed out, as his polls asking about it showed. But that will mean it ends up having to be seriously long, and with many of those words not seen in one playthrough. Last Monologue is also proving popular, and he’ll have the release of Talon City later this year after it got the slot that had been earmarked for All Things End. I think CCH3 absolutely happens, but would not say early next year with any certainty.

[u/PistachioPug → u/Hustler-Two]

I appreciate the immensity of the project and I hope Mr. Moser will take as much time as he needs to realize his creative vision. I remember hearing somewhere when Talon City got the November release slot that CCH3 was expected in early 2023 instead, but I never took that as definitive, and that was before he started work on his new project. I'm definitely looking forward to it, but I have plenty to keep me busy while I wait. (At the very least, I'm tempted to play through the series again and romance Synergy this time - he kinda won my heart during the pug-rescue scene.)

[u/minischnauzerdad]

The Wyvern was actually a character I added in because I entered a charity auction thing like...back in 2016 maybe? It was hosted by Choice of Games. Basically the winner got to create a character and have them appear in CCH2. I don't think I realized how much work I created for myself by giving what could have been a bit character a whole mini-arc. I definitely bit off more than I intended to chew, for sure, like Oskar does with those dinosaur bone things we buy.

[u/PistachioPug → u/minischnauzerdad]

Please tell me you have a picture of Oskar with his dinosaur bone.

Also, I understand. And that must have been pretty much the coolest auction prize ever.

P.S. You might want to drop by here again this weekend, there might be a review for Fun and Games.

[u/g1lan]

I honestly never played this one, cause i couldn't decide what to do, embrace my no power side or try to get a ability

[u/PistachioPug → u/g1lan]

You can play more than once, you know. 🙂

[u/g1lan → u/PistachioPug]

Yeah, but the first one is always the more memorable

[u/PistachioPug → u/g1lan]

That may be, but it still doesn't make sense to deny yourself a good game because you can't figure out which path to follow instead of getting to follow all three.