Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Has Evolved Without Sacrificing Its Heart

As a seasoned RPG enthusiast with countless hours spent traversing fantastical realms and battling mythical beasts, I must say that my latest adventure into the world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has left me utterly captivated. The developers at Warhorse Studios have managed to strike a perfect balance between nostalgia and innovation, offering a fresh journey for both veteran players and newcomers alike.


After playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 for four hours, I realized how difficult it is to showcase this game due to its immense depth and authenticity. The original Kingdom Come: Deliverance was already rich in these aspects, but KCD2 has made them even more expansive. Consequently, my time spent in Warhorse’s virtual Bohemia felt much too short, yet I eagerly anticipate returning to this intriguing world.

In contrast to the initial Kingdom Come: Deliverance which proved challenging for many players to grasp, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 aspires to be more inviting in terms of narrative and gameplay mechanics, while preserving the aspects that deeply appealed to the devoted fans of the original. Players won’t require previous experience or completion of Kingdom Come: Deliverance (KCD) to appreciate KCD2, but those with a background in the series will undoubtedly savor an enhanced 80-100 hour journey.

The demonstration started dramatically with a huge attack, and there I was on the ramparts armed with a crossbow. This was a fresh weapon in the series, and I was promptly given the job to wield it. Consequently, I started shooting bolts at an overwhelming enemy horde.

In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, I paused for a moment to truly appreciate the stunning visuals before me. Frankly, I can’t remember experiencing a more realistic siege scene in any game I’ve played so far. However, my admiration was interrupted when I found myself under attack, with sword blows raining down from my fellow warriors.

Combat is one of the main elements that has received a bit of streamlining, and this is something that I believe was much-needed given the hours I spent trying to figure out the melee in the original game. The Warhorse team said they aimed for “easy to learn, hard to master” and admitted that they fell short of the mark in the original KCD, but are renewing that goal for KCD2.

In the revised version of the game, parrying and blocking become slightly simpler, yet players gain increased flexibility in their fighting styles. Bold combatants can unleash a series of strikes from multiple angles that seamlessly blend together, promoting a more fluid fight experience. While flashy combos remain an option, providing numerous benefits, they appear less crucial to winning compared to the original game – at least against the enemies I encountered during my four-hour playthrough.

In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, you’ll discover an even wider range of versatility and usefulness among its diverse arsenal of weapons.

Initially, weapons such as swords, axes, and maces had similar moves and combinations in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Warhorse Studios acknowledged this, attributing it to a smaller team during the game’s original development. In the current version, they have enhanced individual weapons by collaborating with weapon masters. This has resulted in unique move sets and combos for each weapon, reflecting authentic historical fighting styles while also embracing the distinct quirks of how these weapons were utilized historically. So, let’s hope we won’t encounter awkward axe pokes anymore!

Among the latest additions to the arsenal is a rudimentary black-powder firearm, which was shown wreaking havoc in the trailer. Though we didn’t get to try it out in the preview, Warhorse described it as a powerful yet infrequently used weapon. It’s capable of creating a loud explosion and smoke burst before you engage in combat with your sword and shield – akin to how firearms were employed during medieval times, not something that will be used often.

Regarding historical authenticity, it’s evident that Warhorse places great emphasis on this aspect. However, they seem to be adopting a different strategy when it comes to portraying historical accuracy in their current project.

At the preview function, we got a glimpse of both the virtual representation of Kuttenburg (or Kutna Hora), alongside its actual Czech counterpart. Experiencing these places firsthand, coupled with seeing them within the game, underscored the level of dedication and detail being poured into accurately recreating them.

Instead of sticking strictly to historical accuracy, the core focus for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 lies in achieving authenticity. The aim is to craft an authentically medieval, grand historical drama that captures the essence and spirit of the era.

In essence, this implies that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is not only meticulously recreating various aspects like weapons, armor, locations, events, and characters with care, research, and educated assumptions, but it’s also enhancing its dramatic and cinematic elements. However, a contentious gameplay feature from the original, drinking potions to save your game, has been adjusted to better suit the player experience in KCD2.

One aspect involves the fact that Henry, the main character in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, finds himself swept up in the storyline of this fresh game.

As a devoted fan, I always find it intriguing when an RPG series introduces a narrative twist where my character undergoes an incident that strips them of their powers and assets. This setback often serves as a catalyst for a refreshing journey, providing me with a new adventure to explore and conquer.

This is somewhat of a necessary evil for Henry to go through in order for the rest of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 to make sense and deliver on the power fantasy of growing into a knight once more. I won’t spoil exactly what happens, but it does at least make some narrative sense. While your hour-zero KCD2 Henry won’t be quite as wealthy or as handy with a sword as your hour-70 KCD1 Henry was, the character retains things like the ability to read and knowledge of the setting, history, and culture. It did feel a little clumsy, but it does work quite well and sets you up nicely to dive into this new journey and fresh quests.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Has Evolved Without Sacrificing Its Heart

In modern quests, you have greater flexibility to decide your own strategy for achieving each goal, and the quest itself adapts based on your progress. For instance, in a recent demonstration, we were given a mission to aid a master swordsman in establishing a new school of swordsmanship within Kuttenburg city. The task involved stealing a sword from a rival school, displaying it prominently in the town square to signal open challenges. This necessitated sneaking into their guild house. If you manage to pilfer the sword, flee undetected, and install the blade without any witnesses, a balanced duel follows, with the victor becoming Kuttenburg’s new master swordsman. However, if you are spotted during the theft, the duel still takes place, but since the rival school was aware of your actions, the injured party is allowed to don their armor and helmets before the contest. This minor variation in a single quest illustrates how these tasks can adapt and respond to player’s actions or outcomes.

The Warhorse developers emphasized that the surprising turn in this particular quest wasn’t a unique occurrence, but rather a consistent element they incorporate into all their quests throughout their over 100-hour long game. This unexpected aspect not only intensified the final battle, but also gave the quest a sense of authenticity within the game world and personalized it to my gaming experience, leaving me even more eager to uncover what other quests hold in store for me in the complete version of the game.

The development of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has not been without its expenses, it seems, as one of the contributing factors for its delayed release on February 11, 2025, is the appearance of a few quest-related glitches that I encountered while playing the game.

In a recent chat with Tobias Stolz-Zwilling from Warhorse PR, he shared some insights about the game. He emphasized that the game’s performance is incredibly robust, but acknowledged that as a massive RPG offering around 100 hours of gameplay, it does have a handful of bugs. Reflecting on King’s Crown 1, he made it clear that they aimed to avoid a repeat of the initial release where the game was somewhat glitchy.

When discussing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, it’s important to note that it represents an “advancement, not a transformation,” which could be rephrased as, “If you appreciated the initial game, then you’re likely to find enjoyment in this sequel.” However, while this sentiment may seem predictable when evaluating a sequel, it’s hard to ignore the fact that KCD2 still carries much of the essence of its predecessor, and at the same time, demonstrates where it is expanding for the satisfaction of both seasoned players and newcomers.

It’s heartening to notice the team striving to avoid repeating past errors, and a glimpse at what they’ve been pouring their efforts into since the triumph of Kingdom Come: Deliverance has significantly heightened my eagerness to delve deeper into Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.

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2024-08-21 17:11