Tag: Love

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is out this week, and reviews for the overwhelmingly massive open-world RPG sequel are here and mostly positive–though not all. It sounds like the new medieval sim, similar to its predecessor, won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Some critics are calling it a Witcher 3-level breakout while others are already burnt out on all of the historical immersive sim’s drudgery.

Warhorse Studios’ follow-up to its 2018 RPG returns players to the role of Henry, the son of a blacksmith turned world-weary orphan, after a war in the 15th century Eastern European Kingdom of Bohemia sends him on a sim-heavy RPG journey through medieval geopolitical turmoil. The sequel expands on the first game with a bigger, more detailed world that includes new gameplay systems and a lengthier script. Does all of this extra stuff coalesce into something compelling and meaningful?

According to VGC’s Jordan Middler, the larger mix still feels cohesive and intentional in a way the first game’s did not. “This is Warhorse Studios’ Witcher 3 moment,” he writes in his five-star review. “Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an extremely confident, accomplished, dirty, hilarious, and massively enjoyable RPG. The game tries a lot of things and executes on almost all of them very well, and its commitment to being ruthless must be applauded.”

Eurogamer’s Katharine Castle was similarly impressed but less in love with the finished product. “There’s a lot to admire here, sure, but you have to do so on its own terms,” she writes in her three-out-of-five star review. “It is a hard and maddening slog at times, but one that still has its moments where it surprises and quietly delights. Like the original, this isn’t an RPG designed to make you feel good – you continue to be little more than a passenger in this historical tapestry, following along behind the horse tails of Henry’s betters, and clearing up the mess they leave behind. Some will revel in that work, but I for one won’t be chomping at the bit for another sequel any time soon.”

Early reviews make Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 sound like its side quests and the way they’re woven together across its big world are a highlight, while combat remains a bit underwhelming, and text-heavy menus make navigating and learning about some of the systems a chore. The lock-picking mini-game is apparently terrible, as is saving the game, and the beginning seems hellbent on making players struggle to overcome even the simplest challenges. All of these pressure points are blips in a journey that’s takings some reviewers over 100 hours.

Here’s what other reviews are saying:

In many ways, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 feels like it’s picked up and run with the reactive first-person RPG torch that Bethesda left lying in the mud years ago in pursuit of a broader audience. And it has excellent melee combat, which The Elder Scrolls never came close to even at its peak. Sometimes it’s not sure if it wants to be a cinematic tale about a specific guy going on a specific adventure or a truly dynamic open-world sandbox packed with interesting and varied side quests, and that can lead to a few immersion-shattering conflicts. But most of the time, leaning into one doesn’t get in the way of the other, and you’re free to go on any of its many optional adventures along the way to a thought-provoking and rousing finale for the main plot. I was delighted to get lost in its world, and it will be a long time before I forget its exceptional story.

While Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 still stumbles in some aspects of its portrayal of 15th-century Bohemia, the shadow that lingered over the first game has mostly dissipated. This is a massively improved sequel in every other area, with better combat, quest design, and none of the technical issues that plagued the original. Not everyone will vibe with its slow-paced and oftentimes tedious approach, but those willing to meet it on its own terms will find a compelling open-world RPG that relishes in player agency and the consequences of your actions.

While a few failures trigger a “game over”, many produce scenarios as winding and gratifying as any victory, and in any case, living life in Henry’s shoes has taught me to take the rain with the shine. In particular, I never wanted to simply overpower people the way blockbuster games teach you to, and Deliverance 2 met me halfway, initially, by having characters dunk on me when I tried to act the tough guy, or applaud me for being a good sport when I got my arse kicked. But after a series of mandatory plot skirmishes, my Henry has become a proficient and well-appointed combatant, because that is what KCD2 fundamentally requires him to be. It’s as though the game had assumed the role of that servant girl from my intro: it won’t let me get on with my day unless I consent to my own greatness.

The branching dialogue options and reputation system make for some engrossing moments. At certain points, I’m given the option to respond using the key tenets of Persuasion, Coercion, Domination, and others. This isn’t just determined by a rudimentary point value system from leveling up skills and perks. Rather, it relies on several factors, such as my standing within a community and even the dirt or blood on my clothing. After all, you probably won’t convince merchants that you’re a member of the nobility if you look like a vagabond, just as how you might not be able to intimidate the guards if you look like a total pushover.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is, in almost every way, the RPG that so many fans have been asking for. With Baldur’s Gate 3 taking the world by storm, amidst so many other RPGs that widely missed the mark, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 presents a colossal, in-depth, beautiful, masterfully designed game right at the start of 2025. The performances are excellent, it’s a major technical step up, and evolves the game beyond its foundation into something that embraces modern audiences without losing its identity. The original game turned away many due to its slow-paced, tedious aspects and technical shortcomings, and while the sequel exceeds on a technical level by far, the biggest shame will be if people still give it a miss because of the almost simulator-like mechanics.

Given that I was a big fan of the original title, I went into Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 expecting to greatly enjoy the follow-up, too. Even so, I was thoroughly surprised by how perfect of a sequel it is, with Warhorse building on everything fans loved about KCD while simultaneously fixing its major story, combat, and performance issues. Between the immersive reactivity of its huge open world, countless varied quests to fill up your journal with, its engaging well-balanced combat, a gripping story, and immaculate presentation, it’s got everything a Kingdom Come fan could want and more.

Looking for a sweeping fantasy romp? You won’t find one. Like its predecessor, this is a game whose story springs inevitably from the politics of its time and place: the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1403. Want to mow down your foes by the dozen? Good luck. Combat is a strange dance of positioning both your hands and feet relative to those of your enemies, and charging into the fray even in the late game is liable to get you cut apart. Want to equip a hauberk without first equipping a padded gambeson beneath it? What are you—some kind of moron?