Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is a historical video game that stands out for its extreme nature. The Warhorse studio teams had only one mantra: to reconstruct as faithfully as possible the kingdom of Bohemia as it was in 1403. A scientific work of great rigor which also hides a gripping and demanding adventure game . We were able to play it for a few hours, here are our first impressions.
When it was released in 2018, Kingdom Come Deliverance was an exception in the video game landscape. Developed by passionate medievalists, this open-world role-playing/adventure game took care to reconstruct part of the kingdom of Bohemia as it was at the beginning of the 15th century. Unlike Assassin’s Creed which uses history as a vast amusement park, KCD took care to be as faithful as possible to the past, down to the smallest details. In 2024, the Czech studio Warhorse returns with a second part, simply titled Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.
This episode takes the recipe from the original, but pushing all the sliders all the way. Improved mechanics, better controlled rhythm, larger world and above all increased historical fidelity, he wants to surpass what has already been accomplished. We were able to play it, here are our impressions after about ten hours.
I’m talking to you about a time that those under twenty cannot know
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 picks up the plot where we left it at the end of 1. Don’t panic, the intro brings the important events back to the fore for newcomers. We still play Henry, a blacksmith who has risen through the ranks to become the bodyguard of Lord Hans Capon, aka Sire slap-head. The scenario takes place in 1403while civil war rages in the Kingdom of Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic). Through the eyes of our protagonist, we experience his little story which allows us to highlight the big one.
The true hero of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, it’s not Henry, but historical rigor. The developers have demonstrated an obsessive eye for detail. Two regions are modeled at 1:1 scale: the surroundings of Troskovice which we were able to travel as well as Kutná Hora (Kuttenberg) which is unlocked later. Immense care has been taken in modeling the locations, whether in the buildings presented (the castles are as they were at the time), in the structure of the villages or in the topography. We even recognize the open world of the game’s regions on Google Maps!
A colossal work produced hand in hand with historians; clothing, weapons, morals, town planning, everything has been designed to be as faithful as possible to the period presented. The attention to detail goes a long way. For example, helmets rust and it is impossible to put one on without first putting on a padded hood. You cannot forge a sword without a guard or pommel. The tanners’ cabins are located on the outskirts of the villages because of the smell. All the information passes through the baillys or the taverns… More importantly: the universe we travel through is shimmering, with colorful clothes as they were at the time, turning the cliché of the gray Middle Ages on its head. and filthy that we are served too often. Whether you are an informed medievalist or a simple virtual tourist, you have the feeling that the world you are exploring is coherent and historically accurate. Everything is served by a very rich codex which explains everything we see in our wanderings, like an interactive manual.
This reproduction of medieval Bohemia is not only made for scientific purposes, since behind it lies a role-playing game in which we were able to immerse ourselves for a few hours.
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A life simulation that doesn’t hesitate to shake up players
After a long tutorial of four to five hours which teaches us the many mechanics, we are finally released into an open world as vast as it is sumptuous. Here again, realism is essential. It’s very simple: KCD2 aims to become the ultimate immersive sim, the one who wants to teach his players what it’s really like to live in the Middle Ages.
As in the first opus, the hero Henry must manage his hunger, his injuries, his hygiene, his fatigue and even his appearance. It’s not a gimmick, but many mechanics which serve the purpose. A noble will refuse to speak to you if you stink of manure and are dressed like a peasant. You will be less skilled with the sword if you die of hunger. Traveling from one village to another in the middle of the night? Bad idea. Henry is not an all-powerful hero. At any time, he can come across excess bandits or get lost in the forest until he comes across a pack of wolves. The game over is then assured.
These constraints, paradoxically, contribute to giving an exhilarating sensation of freedom. It’s up to us to make do with what we have, dropped into a hostile world and simply guided by vague quests. Will we go to work with the blacksmith or the miller to make a little money? How do you go about dressing, eating, resting, or convincing a particular NPC for a mission? Even traveling is a challenge: will your Henry use his legs to frolic for twenty minutes in the pampas or will he steal a horse, even if it means being searched by the guard, in order to reach the next village? It’s up to you to decide among the myriad of possibilities. An incredibly rich system, but which could discourage those who are used to being guided, moreover because the pace of the adventure turns out to be extremely slow.
That I die if I weaken
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 therefore follows the recipe of the first, improving it considerably. How we love getting lost in this universe that seems much too big for us! However, everything is not perfect, far from it. We think, for example, of the combat system, inspired by medieval fencing and still as obscure. Handling is very stiff. The menus are cluttered (but magnificent). The level gain system is not very intuitive… We also deplore a VF bordering on sabotage; certain dialogues clearly take us out of the game, either through deplorable acting or through anachronisms such as all-out vulgarities. Really unfortunate.
The Warhorse studio wants to deliver a die-hard title with Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, both in its respect for the story and in its gameplay. A seductive, exhilarating game, fascinating in its first hours, which doesn’t bother to hold the player’s hand. The less courageous will quickly drop out. In any case, we were enthusiastic about this start of the adventure, by this freedom and above all by the scientific and down-to-earth approach to his subject. We are eager to continue our journey and hope that the formula does not fade over time. Last important point: the first episode was released in a catastrophic state, plagued by bugs and crashes. On our preview version, we did not notice any particular problems, which suggests a refined title. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 has all the cards to be a great game.
Released February 4, 2025 on PC and consoles.
