In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, two guys, Henry and Hans, arrive at a Bohemian castle with urgent news. They were dressed like serfs and were treated appropriately when two guards emptied a bucket of excrement onto the pair through the front door. The two brats retreated into town and tried to buy food, but were too poor and smelly to do so. After cleaning themselves in a nearby sink and slowly carrying bags of flour, the pair were beaten by soldiers and then placed in stock. The adventure seemed to be going well.
This is just a small fragment Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – An RPG as dedicated to an authentic medieval experience as Doom was to bloody first-person shooting. The game is almost entirely dedicated to bringing 15th century Europe to life, only scaled back for the player’s entertainment and patience. Through this balance, the developers at Warhorse Studios have now made a solitary home for themselves in the broader RPG landscape. A lone tower’s blend of old-world charm and new-world conveniences proves frankly alluring.
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For those who played the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance, this will sound familiar, as you’d expect from a direct sequel. However, it’s worth noting that some of the improvements made here go beyond the typical ones. Not only does the game look and perform much better than its predecessor, but it also has an animation overhaul, updated combat, larger and more densely populated settlements, a more comprehensive crime system, enticing rewards, and huge risks. The leap from that first game to now is an incredible achievement.
Sure, games can become overly complex for the sake of depth (I’m sure you can think of two games that beat themselves up for the sake of complexity), but Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 manages to land perfectly among the best The location, right, is on the edge of being over the top.
The game isn’t an all-encompassing medieval sim, though. There are gaps in what it allows you to do, use and view. But what it does, it does well. Every playstyle—whether combat, armor, conversation, drunkenness, or pickpocketing—has layered systems you can dive into. Each has its own dedicated level, offering various benefits and boons to those willing to commit to a specific playstyle. If you want to be a stealth archer in Far Cry, you can. If you want to be a witty drunkard, congratulations, man, there are benefits to that too.
This naturally presents a sense of openness to the game, rather than just vast fields and city streets to run around. It extends to the mission and Henry’s own character. Here’s an example; during the preview, we were tasked with creating a challenge between a German duo and the town’s local guild of sword masters. To do this, you must steal a sword, but you do so in a way that goes beyond being sneaky and combative. Whether or not you kill the guards in the Kenzong’s mansion will have an impact on the outcome, as will whether or not you poison the wine after steeling your sword in the competition. You can even get struck by lightning, causing you to get caught in a melee, and the blurry camera makes combat very difficult.
It offers characters from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 in spades. The game is radically different and richer than its contemporaries. While the trailer is fairly linear, the temptation to go out and fight strangers, sneak into their houses to steal items, and break into the local tavern for a bit of fun is hard to ignore. To me, that’s the mark of a truly fun RPG. The first game had this as well, which was probably a major factor in its success. But to find that it’s here and expanded and improved is really, really encouraging.
However, similar to the first game, there are some elements here that people may not like. The humor that drives much of the exploration and even the main narrative is plentiful, but will inevitably turn some people off. Early on, you and your comrade Hans Capen are lured away from the camp after he hears women washing clothes nearby, leading to a horny rough During the stealth section, you have to throw rocks to distract a woman to get closer to your ending.
I personally didn’t mind this (in fact, I found the relationship between Henry and Hans really interesting), but if you’re a sensitive person, it’s worth keeping in mind. If you think your constitution might be a little too fragile for this kind of laddie banter, play a little bit of the first game and try out its jokes – you’ll find a lot of the same stuff here.
Then, another obstacle may appear in the road. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has authenticity and realism at its core, with the balance between historical accuracy and fun being the main focus of the game. I think the development team did a great job and this dedication to an authentic depiction of medieval Europe only makes the game richer and unique. However, it is a double-edged sword; the singularity of authenticity is a problem that players must face. This is a sword that is sharp at both ends, just right.
For example, the game has a very detailed weapon and armor system. There is light armor and there is heavy plate armor. But wearing heavy armor requires you to equip protective clothing underneath it, and only certain weapons work well against certain armors. This adds the depth I talked about earlier, but for some it might be a bit too taxing, having to manage several individual weapons and armor sets to cover all the bases. Besides, this isn’t a game where Henry can fend off 15 people at once. Lu Bu is not, so a slower, more realistic approach must be taken. You can’t kill hordes of guards, you can’t pickpocket without careful planning, and you can’t make potions and beer without going through a lengthy alchemy mini-game. Like, uh, real life.
To some of you, this may sound great. Just what you’ve been looking for. Me too, record it. I love that Warhorse Studios is committed to keeping things realistic. However, as we all know, this level of detail will act as a brick wall to fun rather than a ladder to it. I could easily foresee the act of having to carry heavy bags of grain from the wheelbarrow to the pantry being a prerequisite to the fun, rather than an integral part of it. The Warhorse can only add so many quality-of-life improvements without compromising its core value, and if you’re reading this you probably already know which side of the fence you’re on.
And, no matter how you feel, I think that’s what’s really needed right now. We’re now in the midst of a renaissance in role-playing games, both first-person and third-person and computer role-playing games. There’s never been a better time to release an RPG, and dare I say it, now is the perfect time to release Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. That’s what people really want from RPGs, and it’s not very easy to get through, and that creates some friction.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 offers something completely different than those games, but the same friction exists. Games offer something no other big game studio can, at a time when people are more willing than ever to try new and fun experiences.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance has proven its worth, selling over 6 million copies during its release, and I strongly feel that given the current environment, the sequel will perform even better. It’s very similar to the first game, but of higher quality. Less lag, less unnecessary frustration. It looks better, plays better, there’s more to do and more ways to do it. Having only played the game for a few hours, I can’t see the home run here, but I can see the pitch going directly toward the charged bat, the swing looks good, and from where I am the ball is almost certainly The crackling sound sat.
What makes me most happy is the existence of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. I’m glad the studio didn’t polish the edges of authenticity to appeal to more people, and I’m glad it was given more staff, money, and time to make this sequel. After the preview I wanted to play more, I came home wanting to play more, and I’ve been wanting to play more ever since. This is definitely a game worth keeping an eye on.
Kingdom Come 2 will be released for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC on February 11, 2025. This preview is based on a demo of the game taking place in the Czech Republic, with transportation and accommodation provided by the publisher.