Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Review – Fortune Favors the Brave
[summaraize]
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 takes everything fans loved about the first game and pushes it further, promising a more refined and immersive medieval experience. With tweaks to combat, story, and world-building, it’s clear the developers at Warhorse Studios listened to player feedback to craft what might be their greatest masterpiece yet. ‘
With expectations at an all-time high for the sequel, Warhorse Studios puts everything they have to deliver perhaps one of this year’s best games.
Besides the mentioning of the first game’s ending and how that ties into the sequel, this review is SPOILER-FREE
An Adventure Life Is a Life for Me
Our tale begins right where the original Kingdom Come Deliverance ended, with our protagonist, Henry of Skalitz, traveling and acting as a bodyguard to his newfound friend and heir to the town of Rattay, Sir Hans Capon. As we learned from both the ending of the original and the opening of the sequel, Sir Hans Capon has been tasked with delivering a letter to Lord Otto Von Bergow, a powerful and wealthy nobleman who presides over Trosky Castle.
But the letter that Hans, Henry, and a band of misfits accompanying them have been sent to deliver isn’t just some letter. No, it’s one right from a rebellious alliance that has sworn to take back Bohemia from the clutches of King Sigismund, a treacherous king who started an invasion of the country, which saw Henry’s hometown of Skalitz burned down, along with the brutal murders of all his love ones. The letter seeks to enlist Bergow’s aid to take back the country and rescue and restore power to the rightful king of Bohemia.
With this being an RPG set during medieval times, you can probably put the two together and assume things don’t go as smoothly as Hans and Henry had hoped. Saying things go bad would be an understatement, as it’s more of a catastrophic fuck up that leads the pair to have to fight for their survival.
That’s about as far as I’ll go with any story details, as I firmly believe it’s best to go in as blind as possible. But I will say that in my 50-hour-plus playthrough that was purely the story quest, I was left utterly floored by what Warhorse Studios has achieved in the sequel.
From a story perspective, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is far bigger, better, and bolder than the original in nearly every way.
It helps that the sequel has a much bigger budget to tap into, meaning it has more resources, such as better motion technology, scanning equipment, and all that fancy stuff, all of which Warhorse Studios puts to great use. The opening alone demonstrates how far the game has come in technology, as characters are better at portraying emotions and the likes than in the first game, thanks to its improved motion-capturing technology.
While I enjoyed the first game’s story, there’s no denying that it lacked depth regarding how characters showed emotions. Henry especially always looked like he never gave a fuck, as he looked at you through the screen with a cold thousand-yard stare. Sure, he’d crack a smile occasionally, but you could never honestly tell what was happening in his head as he sometimes came off completely emotionless. Most of us chalked it up to PTSD from having seen his parents killed in front of him. Either way, I found it rather distracting to the experience. There was some serious heavy lifting from the voice acting department when portraying emotions in the first game.
That’s not an issue here, as all the characters bolster a wide range of emotions with improved visuals and better motion capturing, each perfectly matched for whatever the scene calls for. Coming off a fresh run of the first game, it’s easy to see how far that can help push a game’s narrative. Plenty of times in the story, characters look at each other, conveying their words solely with their facial expression. It’s being able to tell a story without any actual words that Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 manages to perfect, and as the old saying goes, a picture can be worth a thousand words. One of my favorite moments in the game is when the music plays dramatically, and you can see a thousand things racing through the character’s mind, all because of how expressive their face can become. You can tell when a character does or doesn’t like something you say a lot better, which is pretty crucial given how decision-driven the game is.
I have to hand it to the stellar cast and their performances here, too. Like in the first game, the English voice acting is excellent on most, if not all, of the main story characters. That’s not to say I didn’t notice some bad ones because there definitely are some, but the characters you’ll spend most of your time with all knock it out of the park in both their vocal and motion performances. They’ve really brought life to their characters, making each one of them feel believable. That’s not to say they weren’t in the first game, because they were. Still, Warhorse clearly realized how much improvement they could bring to their characters with better tools early on in the sequel’s development and capitalized on it when building their world of characters and the stories that revolve around them.
This is reflected in the game’s writing, which is superb if you’re a fan of classic medieval-setting books, movies, and shows with deep character development. Heck, I would even go as making a Game of Thrones comparison. While that show has dragons, White Walkers, and other mythical and magical entities that are always fun to see on the screen, the show has always been more of a grimdark fantasy rather than a high fantasy. It’s grounded in most aspects, and wow, some of the writing and character interactions we’ve seen played out on the show are right up there with the best (putting that final season aside). You get so absorbed in this made-up universe, which is precisely how I felt with Kingdom Come Deliverance 2’s story. From the very start, all the way to the end, I was fully invested, determined to see how every plotline unfolded in the main quest, and where the fate if our characters ended.
Now, because the series is based on real-life history, there are some things they can’t deviate from despite being able to tell some aspects of history a little differently. That means that while I loved the main story told here, some things can feel a little unresolved, with the pacing being off and some segments going longer than they should have. It’s more of a warning to those hoping we would see the story differently than how real history played out, though the game does have non-historic characters that, too, have unresolved lines that felt to pave the road for DLC or a possible sequel. Take that as you will. I prefer it when games tie up all loose ends, but even then, I’ll say the story of Kingdome Come Deliverance 2 doesn’t disappoint with its unwavering tale.
When you aren’t playing the main story, the world, Bohemia, offers what feels like an endless supply of side quests and activities. I’ll talk about the activities in the gameplay section, but Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 has you covered with some of the best sidequests I’ve seen in an RPG for those who love doing side questing. Yes, I say this, knowing that games like The Witcher 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, and many others exist, are amongst my favorites.
Usually, I dread playing yet another open-world title because, more often than not, the side content consists of cookie-cutter missions. Play a few, and you’ve likely seen all the game has to offer. It’s why I push so many open-world games out or invest so little time because I hate knowing that outside of the main story, there’s really nothing to do. Well, that’s not the case here, as Warhorse has loaded the world with sidequests that all feel unique with a standalone story. Mind you, some of them are really short, and not all of them are good, but more times than not, I was completely surprised by where the story of a side quest was going.
I remember one particular mission where I had to explore a network of underground tunnels because the locals reported something strange. What seemed like an innocent exploration quest soon turned into a horror experience. In another quest, I was tasked with helping with the opening of a new bathhouse in town. It ended up being a much longer quest than I anticipated, but it gave me a full-featured cutscene that had easily one of the most hilarious moments in the game. Oh, and for those 80s action movie lovers out there, there’s something really special waiting for you in one of the side quests that I’m sure will produce a million different online GIFs.
That’s not to say that the story doesn’t have humor or anything crazy in it. There’s plenty of clearly inspired Monty Python and the Holy Grail kind of humor sprinkled throughout it, but the side quests really let Warhorse get all kinds of creative, giving us some of the best laughs and some of the most serious and heartfelt moments in the game. The content is well worth playing through, and you could easily get sidetracked by it.
Random encounters are also back for the sequel, and in a much better way. Mind you, you’ll still come across your everyday beggar, trader, thief, crazed wolf, and other dangers. But now you’ll find some unique NPCs while traveling and using fast-travel. Some will offer world lore and want to camp out with you, while others even give you a quest to take. If you’re lucky (or maybe unfortunate?), you may even bump into a mysterious NPC who offers nothing but a short conversation that leaves a massive chill down your spine. If you’re a fan of how Red Dead Redemption 2 handled its random encounters, with you just exploring and running into things that had no quest markers or anything, you’re going to love the random encounters here.
I think my favorite part about Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is how it manages to surprise me by hiding things from the player. There are actually a lot of hidden stories in the game, things that don’t have a clear quest or objective point. Though the story has a set path to follow, there are entire parts in the campaign that you can miss out on if you don’t pay attention to the dialogue and hints offered and ignore the alternatives. I was surprised when I went to rescue a character who was being held captive. I saved them by sneaking up and stealth killing their captors. I ended up failing the mission a few minutes later for other reasons, which checkpointed me before the encounter, and it turned out the character I killed actually had a whole set of branching dialogue that I could interact with, which further revealed a side objective that led to easily one of the best story moments that I almost missed.
I had another instance where I was interacting with a character that seemed perfectly normal. With a little bit of investigation, I found out they weren’t who they were claiming to be, which surprisingly gave me even more new dialogue choices later in the game for another section. Again, there wasn’t a quest marker or an objective to tell me that the mechanics were just there to figure it out and play around with. The game is not a sandbox, but it has a bunch of mechanics that make certain aspects sandbox, and they’re done so brilliantly and in the most unexpected ways.
War Is a Nasty Business
When the first Kingdom Come Deliverance was released in 2018, there were many mixed opinions about it. The general consensus was more favorable than negative, but plenty of criticism still existed, mostly stemming from how buggy and unoptimized the experience was. Even today, after all the patches it’s received, it’s still fairly buggy.
Going into the sequel, I was very worried about how much more ambitious the team was aiming for this time and what that meant for polishing. But to my surprise, after over 100 hours of playtime, I can honestly say that Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is not only a stunning game in terms of visuals but also, for the most part, a very polished and well-optimized experience.
Don’t get that mixed up with me saying there are no bugs. There are some that the studio told us would be fixed by launch. However, none of the bugs I encountered were detrimental to the experience.
The performance on various tested PC builds was impressive to see, though. I ran it through a 3060, 3080, 4070, and 4090 PC builds, with framerate aiming between 60 FPS and 120 FPS. Resolution scaled from 1080P to 4K, and though the higher setting did struggle a bit at 120 FPS plus, it was without any upscalers such as DLSS or FSR. That’s actually great news to hear because it means Warhorse took time to optimize the game rather than rely on an upscaler as a clutch.
Of course, everyone’s experience is going to be different than mine, but so far, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is looking to be an exceptional experience when it comes to performance, visuals, and level of polishing. Granted, you’ll still encounter some bugs, as is the nature of open-world games, but it’s far from being a mess.
Now, with that out of the way, let’s shift focus over to the other big criticism that many had about the game: the gameplay.
I’ll be pretty upfront about this. If you didn’t like the combat and other gameplay mechanics (lockpicking, pickpocketing, etc) of the first game, well, you probably won’t be too fond of it here. That’s not to say that Warhorse Studios didn’t see the complaints, as they’ve certainly improved many aspects of it, making it much more accessible than the first game. But those improvements feel more like a refinement that streamlines the experience better. Compared to the first game, the sequel is much easier to get into. Weapons, for example, have been revamped in many areas, the most notable being combos. Each weapon type now has an exclusive combo list. That means that how you use these weapons now has a better flow to them, as you aren’t awkwardly swinging one around because it shares a combo with another weapon type like in the first.
The directional input is still here, but there are four directions instead of five. It’s a small change, but just enough to make it more fluid. Dodging and parrying are also easier to do during combat. As I said, it’s more accessible to the point where fights feel more manageable than the first game.
You’ll still get your shit wrecked if you aren’t careful, but this time around, you’ll be forgiven for accidentally hitting the wrong direction. Don’t mistake accessibility for making it easier than the first, though, as combat can be challenging. Those wanting a challenge won’t have to worry, as the game proved to me many times throughout my playthrough that it can be pretty hard If you’re ill-equipped.
But this time around, you won’t have the jankyness of the first game to blame. Well, mostly, the physics-based combat can still be janky if you aren’t paying attention to how you’re swinging a weapon. But when it flows right, and you’re hitting those combos, blocking attacks, and pulling parry, that feeling is just perfection. It’s like being a little kid and playing with friends with make-believe swords and swinging them at each other. You felt like a badass knight, even though you can look back now and realize how dumb you look. At least in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, you not only have that same feeling, but now you can also look the part in the game.
Speaking of looking the part, the sequel introduces a significant quality-of-life improvement: the ability to store three outfits. This is massive, as it allows you to make builds for specific situations without unequipping and equipping new gear each time. Know you’re going into the big city and want to be able to barter with shopkeepers and want to look the part (for higher stats) to have a better chance? Well, you can make an outfit for that. What about a build that is purely used for sneaking around at night? You can do that, too, along with an armored set for whoever you go off to fight enemies. It’s such a simple addition that adds a ton to the experience.
Now, let’s move on to what I think everyone thought were the most tedious parts of the original: the “mini-games.” They’re all back, plus a new smithing one that lets you craft weapons, something oddly missing from the first game despite Henry being a Blacksmith.
I won’t lie, these still sort of suck, but I suppose they remain in the theme of the “sim-like” nature of the game.
The new smithing one is pretty straightforward, at least, and not too complicated or challenging to do. You can only craft weapons, so armors are still things you need to steal or buy. Smithing is probably the most relaxing of the mini-games, and it does add a level of immersion that fits nicely with everything else.
Pickpocketing and lockpicking are still as annoying as they were in the first game. Yes, you can level them up to make them super easy, like in the original, but it feels like such a chore to do when you’d be better off just knocking people out and robbing from them to skip the minigames. It’s what I ended up doing for the most part until I had my thievery level high enough, but I was hoping both of these mechanics would have been better improved. They did improve the controller support for these minigames, so they function better, but I can’t say I’m a big fan of doing any of these actions. There’s a reason why lockpicking mods are so popular for the first game, and that’ll probably still be the case here, along with pickpocketing, despite becoming easier as you level up.
There are other “mini-games” in the game, but overall, I found these to be the weakest part of the game. Thankfully, you can cruise through practically the entire story without ever really needing to use any of those mechanics outside of a few missions here and there. Most of it is optional, and yes, it will make the game easier to play if you actually master them, but you don’t have to. My lockpicking skill was basically the same level from the start up until the end of the game, and I had no troubles as there are so many other mechanics to substitute most things.
One such mechanic is knocking people out entirely and then robbing them. That lets you skip the pickpocketing minigame. Sometimes, you’ll get lucky and find a key to one of those high-level chests, bypassing the need to lockpick it. That does open you up to another system, which is the crime system.
Much like the first game, a wanted and reputation system folds under the crime system. It’s far more improved this time and easily one of the game’s biggest highlights. The more good you do, the more respected you are, while the more bad you do, the higher the consequences will be. All the NPCs in the game have the ability to improve your reputation, but they also can ruin it and report you for any serious crime.
If people catch you sneaking around, they’ll remember that and relay it around, and before you know it, you’ll become known as the town’s thief or the guy who likes to sneak around people’s homes at night and do weird stuff to them. If you refuse to bathe, people will call you out on your stench, making the rudest remarks. Your stench will even alert people you’re trying to sneak by. On the other hand, if you’re known for helping people and being a good samaritan, people will also notice that. Maybe you want to be known as a rich nobleman who goes on a spending spree every time you’re in town, or maybe you want to go around and save people from bandits and the like, becoming their knight in shining armor.
I started my game by trying to be a master thief, eventually succeeding. I’d go around town, robbing people without noticing and then selling their goods. Sometimes, I would even sell the goods back to them, hoping they wouldn’t notice (and they could) that it was their stolen item. I eventually decided to create a character who was simply a blacksmith, living up to Henry’s family reputation. I worked hours upon hours smithing new weapons, going into town, and selling them, which earned me a good amount of coins for some honest work.
Eventually, I decided I wanted to continue through the story, which meant I’d be going up against many enemies, so I decided to level up some of my swordsmanship skills, learning the art of swinging a blade and other weapons. Once I did that, I went out, found high-level armor that made me look like a badass knight, and ventured on with the campaign. I felt like I was the best swordsman in Bohemia with how decked out my character was, and it showed in combat as I swung my steel through the flesh of my enemies.
I love how much freedom Warhorse Studios gave us in this game to do as we please and play how we want to play. As I said, it’s not a true sandbox, but it’s pretty darn close regarding things you can do in the world and the gameplay around it. I can’t tell you how many times I got so lost, so absorbed in what I was doing, that when I stopped to check the time, hours upon hours had already passed. I would tell myself, alright, just a few more minutes, and I’m going to bed, only to see it was already 2:00 in the morning when it felt like midday moments ago.
Yeah, some stuff goes on longer than it should, but at the same time, that’s the charm the first game brought. It is a sim-like experience that puts us in the shoes of someone living during the medieval period, and Warhorse Studios captures that feeling perfectly, with an epic cinematic tale to go alongside it.
Jesus Christ, Be Praised!
There’s so much more I want to say about Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, but at the end of the day, you only need to know that it stands as one of the best RPGs to come out in recent years. As a follow-up to an already incredible game, Warhorse Studios’ commitment to crafting an unparalleled medieval RPG experience is a testament to their dedication and passion for authenticity.
From the detailed world-building to the immersive combat system, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 builds on the foundations of its predecessor, refining what was already impressive and introducing new elements that keep the gameplay fresh and engaging. The meticulous attention to historical accuracy creates a world that feels alive, where every choice you make has meaningful consequences.
Warhorse Studios has delivered a worthy sequel and set a new benchmark for what medieval RPGs can achieve. It’s clear that they’re not just creating a game—they’re crafting an experience that invites players to lose themselves in a rich, detailed world that never feels like anything less than a living, breathing testament to the past. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 kicks off the year as a top contender for Game of the Year, and regardless of its ultimate victory, its impact on the RPG genre will be felt for years to come.
Score: 9.5/10
Pros
- Bohemia is gorgeous and incredibly detailed. The amount of lore and story it contains makes for fun exploration. It truly feels alive.
- Sandbox gameplay mechanics leave plenty to experiment with, giving you control over how you play.
- Decisions feel like they matter. The world reacts to those very choices you make.
- Combat is fantastic once you can overcome the skill hurdle. It’s much more refined and easy to learn but hard to master.
- It was a compelling and gripping story that had me invested from start to finish.
- Excellent voice acting brought further to life with improved motion capturing.
- The game performance is stellar, and the bugs are minimal—a huge improvement from the first game.
- Loads of content that will keep players busy for a long time.
Cons
- Mini-games such as lockpicking, pickpocketing, etc, are still overcomplicated and annoying.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review code was provided by the publisher for preview and review purposes. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.
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One of the best open world games i’ve played.