Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Review

Back in 2018, developer Warhorse Studios debuted their first game release: Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Whilst it was praised for the engaging story, semi-realistic gameplay, and historical setting, there was a lot of criticism aimed at the unpolished nature of the title. Since I personally played it after the numerous patches and updates were available, the game left a very positive impression on me, and the ending left me wanting and waiting for more! Now, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is here, and players once again take on the role of Henry of Skalitz as they explore 15th-century Bohemia. How will this ambitious sequel fare when compared to the original? And will there be more game-breaking bugs? Time to don your shiniest armour and saddle up the horse, because this game is a big one!

Picking up right where the last game left off, the story opens with Henry, Sir Hans Capon, and a small retinue of guards on their way to deliver a message to Otto von Bergow at Trosky Castle in an attempt to sway his allegiance from King Sigismund. The group is soon greeted by a small band of von Bergow’s men led by Captain Thomas, who inform them of bandit trouble in the area. Capon, Henry, and the others decide to set up camp for the night, with this acting as a short tutorial as you explore the surrounding area, talk to the others, and get in a bit of sword training with Capon. This peace doesn’t last too long, though, as those bandits Thomas warned you about get the jump on Capon’s guards, causing Henry and Capon to flee the massacre. After finding a temporary safe haven, the seriously wounded pair find temporary respite with the herbalist Bozhena. This introduces you to the more simulation aspects of the game, like bathing, alchemy, and ensuring Henry is kept well-fed.

From there, it’s eventually off to Trosky Castle, where the main story really starts to get going as the pair meet von Bergow. The main questline is a big one and is full of complex missions with a variety of outcomes that shape the rest of the story. I won’t get into too much detail in order to keep spoilers to a minimum, but — much like the first game — there’s a perfect mix of combat-oriented quests and the more light-hearted escapades, both of which see Henry in all manner of trouble. Just some much less life-threatening than others!

A lot has happened to Henry since his hometown of Skalitz was raided and almost everyone he knew brutally murdered by Sigismund’s troops. No longer is he the layabout son of a blacksmith who whiled away his days drinking at the tavern and getting into trouble with his mates. The captivating story of Henry — from simple peasant, to desperate survivor, to an armour-clad warrior who finally knew where the pointy end of the sword was — continues in earnest in Deliverance II, and it’s some of the best writing I’ve seen in a game in a long time. Henry himself, despite being somewhat defined by player choice, is an incredibly endearing character, as is Sir Hans (despite being a bit of a womaniser) and the rest of the cast of characters, both old and new.

Although there is no save transfer system for those who wish to continue their own personalised Henry, you are able to shape his history during dialogue in the opening hours of the adventure. For example, choosing your playstyle dictates which abilities increase initially, whereas discussing characters like Theresa defines how your relationship played out with her in the first game. It can feel a little overwhelming and even slightly tedious in these opening sections due to just how much information is given to the player. Everything from gameplay mechanics to world lore seems thrust upon you in quick succession, but it does mean that new players can jump straight in with this adventure and feel less out of the loop for not having played the first title.

For such a large, elaborate world, it’s incredible how gorgeous the game looks. Well, as gorgeous as war-ravaged regions in 15th-century Bohemia can look! From the glare of the sun poking through tree canopies to water flowing downstream, the natural environments are truly a sight to behold, and it became very easy to lose hours just exploring these areas (just stay alert; you never know when enemies are lurking in the bushes!). Similarly, the towns and settlements offer less serene — yet just as pleasant in their own right — environments to explore. It’s easy to get lost in some of the larger, more labyrinthine towns, but that undoubtedly will only lead you to discovering something new! No matter if you’re strolling through a dense forest teeming with wildlife or browsing the shops in a local town, the immersive atmosphere is second to none, and the amount of detail is stunning.

The peasants, soldiers, and other folk that inhabit this world are also highly detailed. Whether it’s the individual pieces of polished armour glistening in the sun or the dirty, unkempt appearances of the less fortunate, character models are (mostly) fantastic, with realistic facial animations going a long way to convey their emotions. Townsfolk will react to and comment on Henry’s actions; they’ll be wary of him when he first arrives at a new town, eventually warming to him as he helps them. Or the opposite, if you decide to just get drunk, beat people up, and rob them!

Not only are the visuals impressive, but the audio is, too. For starters, the voice acting is once again excellent, with the actors putting on captivating performances that really hit home when combined with the animations during the more harrowing scenes. The abundance of ambient sounds you’ll hear no matter where you are makes the Trosky and Kuttenberg regions come alive, going hand in hand with the wonderful musical scores heard throughout the game.

When it comes to the performance, Deliverance II holds up in most regards. I thankfully didn’t experience any crashes, noticeable slowdown, or game-breaking issues during my time with the game, but that’s not to say it wasn’t flawless. Smaller things, such as textures flickering, stiff animations of characters, and environment pop-ins do occur on the odd occasion, but they do unfortunately break the immersion somewhat when they crop up. Overall, it is much more polished than the initial release of the first game, and credit to Warhorse Studio for being able to keep the technical issues of such a massive game to a minimum.

The main gameplay mechanics aren’t too far removed from Kingdom Come: Deliverance, although it feels much smoother and well-refined this time around. Combat, for starters, is much more forgiving and accessible compared to the often clunky feeling of the original. Now, instead of the six areas for attacking (head, left and right upper sides, left and right lower sides, and a middle stab), there are four options (head, left and right sides, and middle stab). It works by tilting the right stick in the direction you want to swing at, and swiftly flicking the stick in different directions whilst already attacking will result in combos. Perfect blocking and ripostes also add a strategic layer for when your enemy goes on the offensive, but keep in mind that countering attacks can quickly drain your stamina. The combat doesn’t feel too dissimilar to the first game, although some may initially feel it to be slightly simplified, but as Henry has grown accustomed to using weapons, it stands to reason that his fighting prowess has also improved, making it easier for the player to control him.

Because of Henry’s combat training and experience from his previous journey, something I was initially concerned about was whether or not this game would shift over to a more action-focused experience. The immersive sim elements from the first title weren’t to everyone’s tastes, but for me, I loved taking a break from the story, taking Teresa out on a date, before returning to Rattay for a swift ale down the tavern and breaking into people’s houses to steal their groschen. Thankfully, aside from the main story and the plentiful amount of side quests, Deliverance II offers players like me many more opportunities for Henry to live a simpler life away from bandit attacks and castle sieges. Blacksmithing, for instance, allows you to create your own weapons from raw materials, and whilst the minigame can take a while to get used to, it can quickly lead to lining your pockets with groschen in a much more legal way.

Playing Henry as you see fit also changes how others view him. If he’s an unwashed, villainous brute, NPCs will react to him accordingly. New to town and decide to earn some coin by thievery? You better believe people will point their fingers at you! Alternatively, why not speak to everyone as you yourself would wish to be spoken to? Granted, not everyone will be wooed by your charms, but talking things through can often keep Henry out of danger, and may just earn him some favour with his superiors.

Seemingly, no matter what you do, you’re always progressing towards improving an ability. Whether that be unarmed combat, riding your horse, or even drinking alcohol, each one will count towards your overall main level. Gaining levels grants all manner of perk points with which to uniquely build your Henry how you see fit, and though some perks are more beneficial than others, having the freedom to customise to your liking is never a bad thing.

Smaller, but still very welcome, additions, such as being able to save a certain number of outfit and weapon loadouts, really helps in cutting down the tedium of trawling through the menus. I always alternated between heavy armour for combat, an outfit that would generate less noise when sneaking around, and one that improved my charisma when trying to persuade characters without resorting to violence (and also made me look fancy when out on the town).

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is one of those games that will keep you up well into the night thanks to the sheer amount of things to see and do. It tells an intense, gripping story full of war, political power struggles, and sombre moments that genuinely evoked emotions in me over the turmoil of these characters I’d grown to love. Despite all the doom and gloom, it equally managed to make me laugh out loud on many occasions, with incredibly witty dialogue (the chemistry between Henry and Capon is absolutely perfect) and light-hearted moments, showing just how good Warhorse Studio is when it comes to writing endearing characters.

Even if you’ve not played the first game (although you absolutely should!), Kingdom Come: Deliverance II’s opening hours give newcomers enough backstory to get them up to speed. Sure, returning players may feel like they’re retreading old ground and just want to get into the action quicker, but once the world opens up, you’re in for a royally good time. It’s a phenomenal sequel and improves on everything the first game did, whilst adding so, so much more.