I had complained on some days that I would never be able to relive the emotions I experienced when I first played Skyrim. Subsequently, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 swept me off my feet at full sprint on a powerful horse. Equipped with superb, skill-focused melee fighting and an exciting, action-packed medieval story worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster, it is a hybrid of a sequel and a coronation, bringing many of the original concepts to life in a similar way to how Greedfall did for Spider-Man or The Witcher 3 did for CD Projekt Red. Naturally, any game of this size and breadth has certain technological issues, and its conflicting design objectives are sometimes as much at odds with one another as our hero Henry is with himself. However, still.
This tragic story picks up almost immediately where Kingdom Come: Deliverance left off in 2018, but since the main plot is fairly simple to follow and most of the callbacks are explained as they occur, I do not think you need to have played the first one to catch up. A broad and complex ensemble, including your rowdy failure of a liege lord and some very remarkable appearances from real historical individuals I do not want to spoil, throws Henry, a blacksmith’s son turned unlikely warrior, into the midst of dynasty politics and bloodshed.
Parts of the plan closely resemble the current street grid, and the layout is based on the actual town that still exists today. From settling a conflict between two competing sword schools to tracking down a gruesome serial murderer, it is a great spot to just stroll about and experience a variety of urban experiences. Some of the NPCs—including significant supporting characters—indeed have the same voice actor and visage, which can be very startling. However, in a setting like this, it is difficult to get overly fixated on that.
I had already completed almost 40 hours of my 120-hour trek when I first got here, and I joyfully spent many in-game days looking for the sickest guys and the nicest gear I could afford. And that is what I should wish to do when I go to a big regional capital!
Almost all of the approximately 100 tasks were noteworthy.
What really impressed me, and not just Kuttenburg, was the variety of quests. You are rarely just ordered to kill some bandits or deliver a delivery to the next town—at least not without an intriguing backstory, a difficult emotional moment, or a decision that must be made. There are about 100 quests in all, and after completing almost all of them, I can say that nearly all of them were noteworthy enough to be the high point of a lower-quality RPG.
Some, to be honest, were somewhat better in theory than in practice. I came onto one entirely by chance, which led me deep underground and transformed my sword-swinging adventure into a horror film. However, the dread was far too brief to truly sink in. Nevertheless, I never thought that doing side missions would become a nuisance because I knew that each one would be a standalone, fully realized episode of The Adventures of Henry, complete with excellent writing and distinctive goals. The fact that 120 hours did not seem like a long time to me is evidence of how consistently strong they were.
The primary mission is like a lavishly produced big-screen war film.
The fact that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is both an open-world sandbox and a largely linear medieval action-drama is regrettable since the two ideas do not often mesh well. I will try my best to avoid giving away any spoilers, but I must provide a concrete example of my worst experience. I must tell you about the Camp in Hungary.
King Sigismund, the wicked conquering bastard you have been fighting since the opening hour of the game, has established a military camp in one of the late-game districts. Naturally, as soon as I arrived, I attempted to attack it alone and was instantly put down like a dog. Alright. But I was planning my retaliation for the next forty hours of my adventure. My motivation to become as badass as possible was ignited within me. All of the top blade masters taught me. I became proficient with the bow. For the greatest armor, I saved money. I crafted the best sword in Bohemia by hand. Things were going to be different when I returned to that camp.
I returned to the Hungarian Camp Rambo-style towards the end and murdered everyone there. Well, neither the tailor nor the cook. Not Musa, who is cool. However, it was most likely between thirty and forty armed guys. This was an exhilarating and empowering rush, with challenging fighting that put every one of my abilities to the ultimate test. An absolute high point of the trip. And, just to remind you, these are enemy soldiers! This was not, in my opinion, an unpredictable or depraved action.
The fact that Henry did not even bring up the fact that he had destroyed the camp and had a bounty so high that the authorities would forego fines and jail time and simply execute you if you were caught was a deal breaker when I was asked to infiltrate the same camp as a spy shortly after. The absurd, annoying method was to repeatedly sneak up on the unkillable quest NPCs to speak with them and begin the next cutscene before that same NPC noticed me and hurried to notify the guards. This was necessary because there was no other way to complete this tale quest.
I suppose executing invading enemy soldiers was a crime that the peasants that Sigismund is actively oppressed could not forgive, and it destroyed my almost flawless reputation. As a result, I ended up being hated by everyone in every town. However, this was a significant exception in an otherwise quite captivating, protracted playthrough.
Verdict
In many respects, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 seems to have taken up and carried forward the reactive first-person role-playing game that Bethesda abandoned years ago to reach a wider audience. Additionally, even at its best, The Elder Scrolls was never able to match its superb melee fighting. There are occasional conflicts that break immersion since it is unclear if it wants to be a dynamic open-world sandbox with a variety of fascinating side quests or a cinematic story about a particular character going on a specific adventure. Leaning into one, however, usually does not interfere with the other, and you are free to embark on any of its numerous extra adventures as you make your way to the main plot’s exciting and thought-provoking conclusion. I had a great time losing myself in its world, and I will remember its remarkable tale for a very long time.
