Kingdom Come: Deliverance was one of the most unique action role-playing games that was released in 2018. Its unique playstyle, combat, and immersive storytelling of a blacksmith’s son captivated a lot of RPG lovers. A year after the KCD launch, Warhouse Studios (developers of KCD) began developing its successor which is now a few days from release. With the courtesy of Deep Silver (publishers), we got the review code and played Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Our first impression of the game was, that it is everything and more that we always wanted from the original game, and this is our review of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
Story and Setting
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is set in the early 15th century around 1403, during the war between two half-brothers, King Wenceslaus IV and King Sigismund. The story of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 begins right after where the original game ends. As Henry becomes the Knight at the end of the first game, he is now a bodyguard and protector of Hans Capon.
The game begins with a short prologue showing a siege that takes place later in the game and then switches back when Henry and Hans come to Trosky. Hans has to deliver a letter to Lord Otto von Bergow so that he can help against Sigismund. However, things do not go as planned and make Henry and Hans survive for their life. As they both gain back strength, they find a way to reach Lord Otto von Bergow. However, there are a lot of bigger pieces in the play and some resembling faces come to light as well.
Moreover, the direction of the story and overall storytelling in KCD2 is very thoughtful and done to perfection. There are a lot of twists and turns in the story which will amaze you.
World in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 takes place in the Kingdom of Bohemia and includes two main regions. The initial phase of the game takes place in Trosky where Henry and Hans will come seeking a word of help from Lord Otto von Bergow. After the journey of Henry and Hans, and a series of events in Trosky, players will then move to Kuttenberg. Kuttenberg is a much larger region than Trosky and includes more playtime in the story than in the previous region.
Both of the regions in the game are heavily inspired by the era in which the game takes place. Exploring each region will give you a Middle Ages vibe of NPCs and characters as they go on their daily lives. The world certainly feels alive and interaction with NPCs is more lively. Every day you will see the NPCs doing their daily lives work and coming home at night to rest.
Gameplay in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a first-person action role-playing game with various unique mechanics that enhance the overall experience. The world with two large regions to explore includes a variety of content including side quests, hunting, laundry, cooking, alchemy, blacksmithing, crafting, dice games, traders, and much more. From the moment when you get access to the open world, you will be free to pursue the journey at your own pace. You can explore your options in the open world and complete the side quests to gain experience which can help you in the main quests. Moreover, playing dice games with locals can also help you earn money.
Unlike regular role-playing games where a character’s wrongdoings can be overlooked easily by NPCs, KCD2 does not allow that easily. You have to be very cautious in every step to not raise any suspicion about your acts. For instance, stealing which is very common in RPGs can be devastating for your character in KCD2. If you caught stealing, or an NPC reported you of theft to the guards, or a guard or an NPC found you wearing a recently stolen item, they will run to catch you. You will get the option to run away or surrender.
Running away will turn out like fighting and surrendering can help you negotiate, pay the fine, or accept the punishment. Although punishment removes the charges and the stolen items from you, doing it often will mark your character which can end as a hanging punishment. However, it does not mean that there are not any ways to perform theft or stealing mechanics. The game offers mechanics like pickpocketing, lockpicking, and stealth takedowns to lower the chances of getting caught. However, you must first learn these mechanics and use them cautiously.
Skills and Persuasion
Like most of the recent RPGs, KCD2 inspires players to make use of their skills and persuasion. Almost every action that you do in the game will earn you experience in a corresponding skill. Upon gaining enough experience, you can then spend points to unlock the perks of that skill. Unlocking and acquiring the perks make your overall gameplay a bit easier. It is recommended that you acquire the early perks straight away so that you do not find yourself in trouble all the time. Moreover, during the early hour, the game will also ask your preference of playstyle. There are three main playstyles available, Soldier, Adviser, and Scout, so whichever playstyle you pick, make sure to acquire perks in their corresponding skills.
Persuasion also plays a crucial role in role-playing and getting things done more professionally rather than showing aggression or thieving. There are six different methods through which you can perform persuasion and each method is influenced by their corresponding stats and skills. So, enhancing a certain skill or stat will increase your points in that persuasion method. However, the points alone do not have much effect on persuasion as it also depends on the type of person you are trying to persuade. Another great factor that can help you persuade people easily is getting more information. Whenever you are trying to persuade a person regarding something, it is better to have more information about it. Asking around the locals and NPCs in the area can help you in that matter.
Combat
Combat is one of the crucial aspects of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and I am glad to say that it is both polished and improved than its predecessor. It also feels a bit more responsive and impactful. The majority of combat playstyle is focused on hand-to-hand combat including basic maneuvers like blocking, parrying, counterattacking, and dodging. However, all of these maneuvers can be done perfectly with a cost of a certain amount of Stamina. Stamina plays a crucial role during combat and in sprinting in general. Running out of stamina turns the screen cold, indicating that you are out of Stamina. Running out of stamina during combat makes you vulnerable to all attacks as you will not be able to block or dodge.
In addition to these basic mechanics, players can now also learn new weapon combos and techniques. These combos and techniques will help you greatly in fighting against difficult and armoured targets. There are various NPCs both in Troksy and Kuttengerg who can teach you different weapon combos and techniques for different weapons. Moreover, there are now ranged weapons introduced in KCD2, allowing players to engage in combat from a safe distance. The ranged weapons include bows, crossbows, and pistols. However, you have to practice and acquire perks in the Marksmanship skill to improve the range rating of the weapons.
Sound and Visual Effects
The sound design of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is top-notch and feels very authentic at every moment. During your exploration and in combat, the music changes accordingly and enhances the experiences. Moreover, the voice acting of all characters and NPCs feels lively. All the voice actors have done an amazing job of showing expressions in the characters’ voices. With such great voice acting, the overall facial expressions of the characters match the voice, greatly enhancing the livelihood of NPCs. All NPCs react according to the situation and you can feel the nature of the moment on their faces. Moreover, the overall visual effects and graphics of KCD2 feel and look astonishing.
Verdict – Score 10/10
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is definitely the best and very strong game that came out in the first quarter of 2025. Beating this level of detail, storytelling, exploration, and world design will be very hard for the upcoming games this year. If you love the original KCD, then I can confidently say to you that you are absolutely going to fall in love with this one. For new players, who have not known the previous game, then I recommend you to either try the first one or at least read the story of the first one and then join this sequel for the exciting adventure and story of Henry.
Overall, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a must-try game and for any player who wants to play a unique action role-playing video game, this game is for you. Initially, you might find it a bit hard and difficult because there is no difficulty option in this game, but its mechanics and overall feeling will grow on you. For those who are concerned about being new, worry not, the game does an amazing job of explaining all the details of each mechanic so that you can learn and practice them.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is releasing on February 4, 2025, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
The post Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Review – A One of A Kind Experience to Late Middle Ages appeared first on Nintendo Smash: Video Games News, Reviews & Guides.
No responses yet