Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 sets a new standard for historical RPGs and stands as a testament to what can be achieved when developers fully commit to their vision
In 2018, Warhorse Studios delivered Kingdom Come: Deliverance, an ambitious medieval RPG that prioritized historical accuracy and realism over fantasy elements. Now, seven years later, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 arrives as a remarkable achievement that builds upon its predecessor's foundation while delivering one of the most immersive and engaging RPG experiences in recent memory.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 picks up right where the first game left off, with our protagonist Henry and his friend Hans Capon traveling to deliver an important message to Otto Von Bergow. What starts as a seemingly straightforward diplomatic mission quickly spirals into a complex web of political intrigue, personal vendettas, and moral choices that will shape both Henry's character and the fate of 15th century Bohemia.
The writing is exceptional throughout, with dialogue that feels natural and period-appropriate without becoming inaccessible. Henry's personal journey is particularly compelling - he's haunted by the trauma of losing his parents and village in the first game, and his quest for revenge is balanced against his growing responsibilities and relationships. Through dream sequences featuring conversations with his deceased father Martin, we see Henry wrestling with questions of morality, duty, and the cost of violence.
The supporting cast is equally well-realized. Hans Capon's evolution from entitled noble to trusted friend continues, with their relationship providing both dramatic weight and welcome moments of levity. New characters are introduced organically, each with their own motivations and secrets. Whether you're dealing with local merchants, foreign diplomats, or common criminals, conversations feel authentic and consequential.
The game's setting is nothing short of extraordinary. The recreation of medieval Bohemia is painstakingly detailed, with two distinct maps to explore. The crown jewel is the city of Kuttenberg, which stands as one of the most convincing medieval urban environments ever created in a video game. Its streets bustle with activity, filled with multiple blacksmiths, tailors, and other craftsmen going about their daily routines. The architecture is historically accurate, and the city feels genuinely lived-in rather than like a stage set.
The countryside is equally impressive, with dense forests that actually feel like forests, small villages with distinct personalities, and a landscape that encourages exploration while remaining grounded in historical reality. The attention to detail extends to every aspect of the environment - from the way light filters through trees to the authentic period furniture in houses.
NPCs follow realistic daily schedules, working during the day, socializing at taverns, and sleeping at night. This creates a world that exists independently of the player, making every interaction feel more meaningful. If you commit crimes, witnesses will report you, and your reputation will suffer accordingly. The justice system is robust, with punishments ranging from time in the stocks to permanent branding that affects how others treat you.
The combat system has been streamlined from the first game while maintaining its core complexity and satisfaction. Fights remain challenging and tactical, requiring careful consideration of positioning, stamina management, and reading opponent movements. The directional attack system has been simplified slightly but feels more fluid and responsive as a result.
Progression is deeply satisfying, with skills improving through both use and formal training. Want to become a better swordsman? You'll need to practice with wooden weapons, learn combos from masters, and test your skills in real combat. The same applies to everything from lockpicking to herbalism - every skill feels meaningful and has multiple paths to improvement.
The RPG systems are impressively deep without becoming overwhelming. Your clothing and armor choices matter not just for protection but for how others perceive you. Being covered in blood or dirt will affect social interactions. Hunger, fatigue, and injuries all need to be managed. Rather than feeling like busywork, these systems contribute to the game's immersion and force you to think about your actions.
One of the things I loved most about Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is the freedom to do whatever you want not only the main story, but just being in this world. You can be a honorable knight in shining armor, a full on psycho killer and everything in between. I robbed and murdered so many people, innocent people, I kinda loved it. If someone gives you shit during the day, you can follow them home at night, pick their lock, enter their home and murder them when they sleep. You can clear enemy camps the same way, wait until night, then sneak in and murder everyone in their sleep. And if you leave no witnesses, there is no real penalty.
It's crazy that you can for example, pay someone a lot of silver to teach you some skills and then immediately knock them unconscious and steal all your money back. The same goes for traders, sell them your stuff during the day, wait until they close up shop, follow them home and steal back all your stuff plus anything else that is not nailed down in their home. Then go sell it to a merchant for a profit and if you don't like this next merchant, just stick a knife into their back and take all their stuff.
But at the same time, you can also talk your way through a lot of things. If your Speech skill is high enough, you can convince people to do your bidding, sell you stuff for a profit and so much more. You can basically gaslight people in the middle of the day in the middle of the street, even after they saw you commited a crime and you'll get away with it. My Henry, my choice and I applaud Warhorse Studios for giving us this level of freedom.
Another thing that's truly impressive about Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is the sheer amount of content on offer. The main story is long and complex, with multiple paths and endings. There are also a plethora of side quests, each with their own unique stories and challenges. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is easily a 100+ hour game, and I'm not even exaggerating.
Side quests deserve special mention for their quality and scope. What might begin as a simple task frequently evolves into complex narratives with multiple possible outcomes. Each quest feels unique and purposeful, often providing insight into the game's world and characters while avoiding repetitive fetch quest structures. These are some of the best side quests I've played in a long time. The maps are littered with secrets, lore, and optional smaller quests or tasks that you just discover, no map markers or waypoints, making thorough exploration worthwhile.
Now there are two things that I feel players might get some friction from. The first is that the game, at least in the early hours, doesn't really allow save scumming. Save scumming for the uninitiated is the art of saving before a potentially undesirable outcome in a video game should you not like the results, and reloading if you don't. Here, you can save your game whenever you want, but only if you have a specific consumable that early in the game is kinda hard to come by. So what happens, and this happened to me a few times, is that you might complete a task or sidequest that the game doesn't create a save point for only to die a few minutes later and when you reload you have to do the whole thing again. This was very annoying when it happened, but as I said, it was only during the early game when I didn't have enough silver to buy the save potions. Once silver started rolling in, I was able to save whenever I wanted.
The second thing is the whole lack of map markers and waypoints. Many quests and sidequests will have a step where an NPC will tell you to go to a specific location and they will give you a detailed walkthrough of how to get there. Something like "Go up stream and when there's a fork in the road, take the left one walk until you see a big rock, then turn right and you will see a path leading to the destination". This is indeed very immersive, but it can be a bit annoying when the search area is large and you kinda forgot what that NPC told you. Sure, sometimes you'll can find that information in the Journal, but it's not always there so what you'll end up doing is to just run around like a headless chicken until you find the location. I think the dog might help you with this, but in my case I didn't find my dog early in the game and I had to do a lot of running around. So my advice is either find the dog early or pay attention to the NPCs instructions.
Visually, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is absolutely stunning on PS5. You can feel that the developers are pushing CryEngine to its limits and it shows. The lighting system creates atmospheric environments that change dramatically with the time of day. Character models and animations are vastly improved from the first game, particularly during dialogue sequences. The attention to detail in clothing and armor is remarkable, with different materials rendered convincingly.
The sound design is equally impressive. The orchestral soundtrack enhances both quiet moments and dramatic sequences without overwhelming them. Environmental audio is rich and varied, from the bustle of city streets to the subtle sounds of forests. Voice acting is uniformly excellent, with performances that bring the characters to life while maintaining period authenticity. Henry, Hans, Godwin and pretty much everyone else in the cast are all fantastic and do an incredible job at bringing these characters to life.
Minor technical issues occasionally surface, such as texture pop-in, animation hiccups, or even a weird flickering of the lighting during cutscenes, but they don't significantly impact the experience and I am sure that they will be fixed in future patches. The framerate for the most part is stable, but I experienced some moments where the game struggled to keep up during some of the battle scenes where there are a lot of enemies and allies on screen. Load times when you die and have to load back in also feel a little long when compared to what we've come to expect from modern games especially on a PS5.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a remarkable achievement in historical gaming and role-playing design. It successfully balances its commitment to historical accuracy with engaging gameplay systems that make you feel like you're truly living in medieval Bohemia. The story is compelling, the world is incredibly detailed, and the various systems work together to create an unparalleled sense of immersion.
While its dedication to realism and deliberate pacing might not appeal to everyone, those willing to invest the time will find one of the most rewarding RPG experiences available. This is a game that respects both its historical setting and the player's intelligence, offering unprecedented freedom to approach situations in multiple ways while maintaining its commitment to authenticity.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 sets a new standard for historical RPGs and stands as a testament to what can be achieved when developers fully commit to their vision. It's not just a great game - it's an experience that will stay with you long after you put down the controller. This is a masterpiece and I highly recommend it. Thanks for reading!
The game was reviewed on a PS5 via a code provided by the publisher. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is available on PS5, Xbox and PC.
