The defining RPG of our generation
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is better than its predecessor in every way. While Warhorse Studios needed to use Kickstarter and the backing of interested parties (and potential players) to create and launch the first title seven years ago, KCD 2 arrives with a bigger budget, grander ideas and fine-tuned quality in every mechanic. Combining survival and realism with historic role-playing, the darkness of war with low-brow humour, and a memorable lead within a soaring score, KCD 2 delivers on its passionate promise to all who cheered for its success so many years ago. The first big release of 2025 is here, and it will end the year as one of the finest gaming experiences available on the market. Though it may not be every playerās cup of mead without patience.Ā
Lifting off where the first game ended, players are back on Pebbles the horse with a more confident version of Henry (voiced and acted superbly by Tom McKay). Henryās character is detailed with updated tech, but his personality and wit remain endearing and sharp. Riding with the extravagant knight Sir Hans Capon (Luke Dale) on a mission with a king-deciding backdrop, all seems well on delivery of a letter to a Lord of the other side of the country. Starting the first game was like transporting your contemporary self into a medieval setting. We couldnāt swing a sword or do much else to save ourselves. After spending time with the gameās mechanics, we grow and improve with Henry thanks to a Skyrim-inspired skills-based system. But part 2 is not about to remove that growth. Henry is soon stripped naked, beaten and chased ā resetting our skills to āuseless peasantā once more, making the first few hours a challenge for even the most seasoned gamer.a
Despite being proficient enough in the first game with a Henry full of speech and stealth stats to mitigate my lack of combat skills against knights, my entry into KCD 2 was not that of a veteran. Reset to a shifty man in a foreign town, starving and bloody, I had to once again work my way through survival, poverty and the complaints of my stench from most NPCs. The game does not want you comfortable, even though walking through the forest is cathartic with the sounds of chirping birds and rustling branches. Each step outside of town could be your last, as your skills will not allow a matched fight, the slick tongue to sidestep a brawl or the coin to pay your way. Yet. This feeling is avoided by many gamers expecting to be the dominant bulk in a map of enemies waiting to be belted. Not here, for I was just another man trying to stay afloat. And I loved every minute of my helpless scenario, making the rise even more swell. Getting (or making!) that first decent sword or piece of armour is a lift unmatched as it means youāll be more formidable in the next fight or richer in the next haggle. But the game is not all about fighting, for there are many forms of progression.
Without guides or support online due to receiving the code one month before launch ā plenty of time to really delve in ā stumbling around trying to raise skills saw errors on my part. This is the best way to engage in the game, leaping in without knowing the next turn. Frustrated at my tenth sentence to the pillory, sending me far away from my attempt at beating a man called Tomcat for stats increases (providing a similar service to Bernard in part 1, only with greater consequences), I snuck up to a man near the woods and stole his belongings. I soon had a few more coins to play with, but I became greedy (just one more check in his pockets!) and he caught me. Not wanting an eleventh sentence to the pillory, I knocked him out and dragged him into the woods. Did I want this guy waking up and telling the town or surrounding bandits of my treachery, ruining my reputation or instigating a fight? No. So I finished the job. Brutally. Ten minutes later, I needed to talk to a character matching his description for progression in a side quest. Whoops. Townsfolk go about their day on schedules, but they also take notice of you. Sneak in their home and steal a tin? Theyāll have suspicion even if they didnāt catch you, which connects to your reputation levels. Eyes are everywhere, memories are strong.
The game is full of unpredictable moments. Some may call them frustrations, but this is flexible gaming based on choice. No hand holding. Yes, many parts of the narrative are set in terms of main story beats. But your Henry is unlike any other Henry. One NPC, a blacksmith, deserved the punch in the mouth I gave him after a quest looking for something far-fetched in a castle. He was pulling the proverbial pizzle (a much used in-game term) but my 30+ years with games seemed to implore I trust him to gain loot. Wrong. On the next mission, I chose not to believe an NPC and they were only trying to help. There goes my loot. KCD 2 keeps you guessing, thinking and trying new approaches. After 60 hours, there remains a freshness on each play session which other games simply cannot match. And Iāll need another playthrough to try different options (such as the choosing of sides in battles).
Tell me more about the RPG elements, you say? The progression system, based upon your use of a function, sees perks gained in a range of areas. Keep picking flowers? Unlock the Flower Power perk and see stats increase when you have 30+ flowers in your inventory. Weighed down by items? Increase strength and youāll find a perk to add more capacity. Spend more time in towns? See a stats boost when in the vicinity of buildings. Prefer life on the road? Increase skills when dirty or hiding in the bushes. Any play style can be made through these perks, which are less āone or the otherā than the first game. I was able to read ahead and see which perks I wanted, then committed time to building skills in crafting, or vitality, or horsemanship to ensure those perks could be reached. It worked quite well in 1, and it has been refined to improve in 2. Red Dead Redemption 2 may be a comparison for the finer ālife-basedā sim aspects, but KCD 2 is much, much deeper and has a story that is equally engaging to ensure focus. Hunting is almost game in itself. Dice has more layers. All roles have different clothing to make you feel like a blacksmith, or a knight, or a drunk. As mentioned, multiple play throughs are needed to really test the boundaries of what this game offers.
Will new players appreciate this game? Maybe. Hours 3-10 are the most difficult and we live in an era of attention spans that may not connect. The start is like an action blockbuster, and once youāre comfortable with mechanics and have some abilities it all takes a faster pace. But those hours between getting stripped bare and riding down bandits on your horse will be a test for the newcomers. I knew this from part 1. Many would have skipped part 1 and heard great things about part 2. The learning curve is punishing but appropriate. Stick with it. There is a grand plan and once it clicks, there is little on the gaming market that compares.
The soundtrack is loud, emotive and grand. Scores remind me of Star Wars in their approach to battles and touching moments between characters. This is heard in the opening battle and never really stops when dealing with big moments. A specific scene with Hans about 15 hours in is so powerful in sound that the five minutes genuinely filled with me nervous anticipation. Few games manage to achieve this brevity now. Graphical output in general is strong. I chose performance mode (60FPS) over fidelity as this is my go-to for open world games. The movement is a clear step above the first entry. I had some minor glitches in my play through, with characters popping in/out or background trees flashing, but nothing too harsh. A funny glitch was a Lordās clothes flapping up and down right in the crotch region. In the early cut-scenes, I noted slight audio blips. This seemed to clear up once thrown into the gameplay, returning a couple of times. A patch will likely clean up these small aspects as they do little to impact a grand experience, and such mechanics can see leniency when the gameplay is such a delight.
As for the controversies raised on social media regarding diversity and sexuality? Please. Anything with themes of intimacy has purpose and/or choice implemented at every turn (and that anything is minimal and avoidable ā I was surprised to see this snowball on X). Skipping this game because people that havenāt even passed the title screen said it is stooped in inaccurate historical diversity simply seek the failure of every new game that doesnāt match their world view in the rumour mill. The story is A+. Nothing is pushed or forced. Even addressing such a claim is unfortunate, but it would be unfortunate for gamers to skip such a passionate, deep and involved game due to misrepresented commentary. Ā
I called Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 the defining RPG of our generation largely because the RPG genre has been pushed and pulled in so many different directions. Being able to have a life within a game world while moving through a masterclass of acting, story and war tackles the best of both worlds. If this game is successful, future RPGs will adopt many of the features we see here. If the learning curve is too great for the masses, we may see refined versions that are easier to enter. Either way, this game has quality and developer love beneath every setting sun in Bohemia. While most are seeking GTA VI, Ghost of Yotei and a swath of other titles to signpost 2025 as a year for the ages, donāt sleep on Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.
This may just be the game that changes future RPGs for the better.
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