I played Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and it’s much more refined than the original
I’VE played the first Kingdom Come Deliverance, so I knew what I was getting into with its sequel, KCD2.
The new game is a massive improvement over the original, yet it preserves the essence of what made me love the first one.
Everything, from the intricate systems to the visuals to the sheer scope, has been expanded and refined.
Kingdom Come Deliverance is often compared to Skyrim, but that’s unfair and rather shallow, as both the first game and now KCD2 are very much their own thing.
With its unique systems and mechanics, and a story that is very grounded in historical accuracy, KCD2 doesn’t rely on a fantasy setting to be interesting.
Taking place in 15th-century Bohemia, the story picks up exactly where KCD ends.
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Once again play as Henry, the blacksmith’s son, but you don’t need to have played the first game to follow KCD2’s story.
Together with Sir Hans Capon, you venture to deliver a letter to lord Otto von Bergow in Trosky Castle, and of course, the journey doesn’t go to plan.
It’s still quite a challenging game, especially in the beginning when your character is weak, but you just have to give it some time to open up.
KCD2 is one of those RPGs where practicing an activity makes both you and your character better.
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You become more comforable with the controls, while your character levels up his skills and stats, allowing you to grow together.
Combat has been streamlined, yet still a bit clunky, but that is how it’s supposed to be, and once you invest the time and effort to master it, it feels very rewarding.
A lot of basic activities that would be very straightforward in any other RPG, require skill and effort to master in KCD2, from horseriding and stealth, to lockpicking and blacksmithing.
The game’s systems track everything about your character, from what you wear to how recently you washed yourself, ate, or slept, and both Henri and the world around him react accordingly.
All of this matters when you try to sneak unnoticed, when you talk to people, start a fight, or try to avoid one.
NPCs remember what you’ve done before, and any crimes you commit won’t go unpunished unless you manage to talk your way out of trouble.
Food won’t stay fresh, and you’ll get sick if you eat it rotten.
Your clothes and armor will break from wear and tear, and you need to get sleep often to stand a chance in combat.
It may all sound too complicated, and it is, but if you like immersive games, some tedium is part of what makes everything so realistic.
The first map area of Trosky feels big enough for a full game, but after spending anywhere between 20 and 40 hours there, the action moves to Kuttenberg, on an even bigger map.
In a game of this scale and scope, you will inevitably run into some issues, but that’s just the systems interacting in an unexpected and weird way.
This can be a source of frustration, but it also creates those unique moments that make the story truly yours, as no two playthroughs are ever exactly the same.
The quality of the writing and the game’s quests is pristine, and even though some missions are marked as side quests, they never feel disjointed from the story.
Everything feels important, and everything matters, even the most mundane tasks and conversations can sometimes hold the key to progressing the main story.
All in all, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is much more refined than its predecessor, with unique mechanics, an intriguing story, and complex systems that interact to produce a truly unique experience.
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