Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

This is one of my all time favorite games, I loved the first one and this is the evolution of what a successful sequel should be. The spirit is exactly the same but the quality has increased massively in all areas. If you take your time and enjoy all the aspects of this game you will have an incredible gaming experience. This game represents what I really want out of a game, incredible story and characters, freedom of choice, consequence and extreme attention to detail. They have made a beautiful world and it feels living a breathing. I finished last night, with a number of Side missions to start and complete, and will start a new game this arvo with the goal to do all of the missions available. Great stuff warhorse. Can't wait for the next one.

I'm in love. This game is unique, and there's nothing quite like it. As a longtime Skyrim fan, the first game already won my heart. The first installment had incredible issues with bugs at release, but in the second one, I've encountered hardly any. I've already spent over 50 hours playing and am maybe only 30% through the story. I was so excited for it, and I was not disappointed! The combat mechanics are much better than in the first game. It's still difficult, but that's what makes it so special. You can't just mash buttons or take on six men alone-you have to think strategically.

What I also love are the many options the game gives you. For example, you have to retrieve an item that someone lost in a dice game. You can steal it secretly, win it back in a dice game, or even silently kill the person to take it.

There's no right or wrong-you decide how to play, and that freedom makes the game incredibly fun.

In this age of increasing political unrest, an entire generation of gamers has been assaulted by the spineless corporate megastructure which has arisen! Born from the vast sea of profits earned thru the hard work and effort of our father's generation, this monstrous behemoth, hell bent on personal gain thru abuse of power, disregard of consumers and disrespect for all franchise, has spent the past decade obliterating modern culture, sacrificing beloved heroes and butchering timeless narratives in an effort to sell out to an extreme political narrative: one which hates mankind, claims it irredeemable, and which looks to divide us permanently.

Under this endless barrage of horror and destruction set loose upon the planet, we have seen remarkable achievements in cinema and television fall suddenly and with ease: Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who... the list of victims is endless. We have witnessed the methodical dismantling of our time-honored and beloved cultural identity, all in the name of hatred, resentment, and at the hands of an ideology full of prejudice, sexism and ignorance; concepts which contradict the ideals on which our country was founded... and now the behemoth comes for the gaming industry.

It's no wonder, then, that an entire generation who has lived thru the trauma of a sudden, unprecedented and underhanded dismantling of their childhood ideals would react negatively at any telltale sign of pandering, selling out or otherwise. "Kingdom Come: Deliverance" was an awesome computer game. Released in 2018, this medieval Bohemian adventure was immersive, gorgeous and profound. Its sequel promised to continue these achievements, only for its buyout by Embracer Group to signal its demise at the hands of the political activists we so deeply despised. When word of a "man to man intimate encounter" was leaked, gamers around the planet jumped to the conclusion that Warhorse Studios had sold its soul. Copies were returned, criticism was levied, and a campaign to undermine its release began. (Politics is not Art. Especially not when the proponents have no interest in actually supporting the cause, and just want cash.)

The fortunate news, is that "Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2" is not the political subversion we had expected. Yes, the game has its issues, namely being tedious and frustrating in quest execution, and, at times, ponderous in narrative. Despite these and other small shortcomings, Warhorse's sequel is an excellent release, with little divisive production. The game stays true to its predecessor's vision, and continues the legacy of its protagonist. The small inclusions of diversity add to its storied possibilities, and should be forgiven by the player base. There continues to be an understandable movement against its success because we have been jooped. We have been deceived. We have been abandoned and betrayed. However, after a product performs and delivers we can look past our traumas and address the effort with praise. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a good game and an excellent purchase. There is no reason to turn down this timeless adventure.

In my opinion, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 1 was one of the best RPGs of the past decade-despite its notorious bugs and performance issues at launch (some of which still persist). It had a gripping story, an immersive open world, and a memorable cast of characters. KCD2 takes all of that and improves upon it in almost every way. This game is close to brilliance. Close.

KCD2 is a fantastic open-world RPG packed with content, making it well worth the price. In an industry flooded with half-baked releases, this game stands alongside the best of the past decade, proving that passion and quality still matter. While it has flaws-some of which I'll discuss-they don't ruin the experience.

The Bad:

Stealth - As someone who isn't overly fond of stealth mechanics, I found KCD2 relies on them far more than its predecessor-and they're not well-implemented. Several missions force you into stealth with no alternatives, breaking the roleplaying experience. There are too many of these sections, and they often feel frustrating rather than rewarding.

Henry - I found Henry far more irritating in this game, which is a problem considering he's the protagonist. There are multiple instances where his dialogue and actions are scripted, regardless of your playstyle. The game seems intent on steering him down a "righteous" path, even if you prefer a more ruthless or pragmatic approach. Personally, I enjoyed playing a rogue Henry-pillaging, killing, and following orders, no matter how brutal-but the game constantly nudges you toward being the noble hero. On top of that, Henry can be downright idiotic at times.

The Saving System - This was a major issue in the first game, and it's just as frustrating here. A game with frequent stealth sections should not have a restrictive save system. Being forced to redo long sequences because you can't save freely is infuriating. PC players can fix this with mods, but console players are out of luck.

Archery - If you enjoyed using bows in KCD1, prepare for disappointment. Archery has been massively downgraded-it feels clunky, imprecise, and practically useless. The game clearly pushes you toward crossbows or, worse, those awful pistols.

No Theresa - This is a huge loss. Theresa was the heart and soul of the first game, yet here she's only briefly mentioned. While characters like Katherine and Rosa are great, none of them fill the void she left.

The Good:

Visuals - If you thought KCD1 looked great, KCD2 blows it out of the water. The environmental detail is stunning-no game does trees, foliage, and landscapes quite like this one. The world feels alive, and the lighting is breathtaking. Watching the sunrise paint the hills in golden hues is a sight to behold. Character models are mostly well done, though a few faces are clearly copy-pasted.

Length & Content - The main story alone took me 60 hours, and that's without touching the many side missions. If you dive into everything, this is easily a 200+ hour experience. Add in the RPG elements that shape the story, and you're looking at over 300 hours of gameplay. This is what RPGs should be-massive, immersive, and rewarding. Why would anyone spend £60+ on a game they can complete in 10 hours?

Characters - Aside from Henry, every character in KCD2 is fantastic. Your group of misfit friends, Hans, even the minor NPCs-they all feel distinct and well-written. I do wish Radzig and Hanush had bigger roles (they're basically cameos), and Divish is notably absent. That said, the cast is excellent. Also, Godwin is back, and is a major character too. It's good to have him.

The Story - The biggest improvement over the first game. While KCD1 had a strong narrative, KCD2 takes it to another level. The story flows beautifully, with cinematic pacing and excellent dialogue. There are some truly standout moments that make it feel like a high-quality TV series or film.

Music - Just like the first game, the soundtrack is cinematic and brilliant.

Cinematics - The cutscenes in this game go hard. Seriously, if you stitched them together, you'd have an incredible movie. The direction and presentation are outstanding.

Polish - I can't speak for the console, or low-end PC performance, but on my high-end PC, the game runs beautifully. I encountered very few bugs and no game-breaking issues. Compared to the first game's launch, this is a massive improvement.

Final Thoughts:

KCD2 is a brilliant RPG and will likely be one of the best games of the year. Of course, bigger releases are on the horizon, but this has set a high bar.

As for the so-called "controversial themes" people keep talking about online-they're barely present. There are no forced LGBT moments, and anyone claiming otherwise hasn't played the game. They're lying. The inclusion of diverse characters is handled naturally, and Henry's reaction to meeting someone different from him is actually quite fitting for the time period. Complaints about this are just noise.

At the end of the day, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an easy 9/10. I do hope the devs fix some of its issues-there are more than I listed here, but I didn't want this review to turn into a novel. I'm also looking forward to the DLCs and expansions. This world still has so many stories left to tell, and I sincerely hope this isn't the last we see of Kingdom Come.

The game is one of the best I've played in over years. It is such a good open world RPG mediaeval simulator game and I love how you can do basically everything in it. The armour sets. Are amazing and also historically accurate. I wish there was more games like this with a developer that actually cares about their fans peak cinema. The only bad thing about it is that the combat is hard but you will probably get used to it in the first 25 hours or before and I love how it's such a long game so you get your money's worth like I know 115$ AUD Is expensive but for a game like this Itd pretty good pricing I think the game is the best I've played in years (RPG)