Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – A Crown-Worthy RPG or Just Half a Kingdom?

REVIEW – Although January was relatively quiet in the world of video games, February is shaping up to be a month of big hits – and the first major title arrives tomorrow. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has every chance of being one of the most definitive RPGs of the year, and I’ve already spent 100 hours exploring its meticulously crafted historical open world to discover every little detail. Believe me when I say that Warhorse Studios has clearly proven with this sequel that it’s a worthy competitor to the biggest names in the genre.

 

The story picks up exactly where the first part ended – Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a sequel in the classic sense. Once again, we take on the role of Henry of Skalice, who has a vital mission in Bohemia in 1403: to reach Trosky Castle alongside Hans Capon to rally support for King Wenceslas in his rebellion against King Sigismund. As expected, the situation soon takes a turn for the worse, and Henry is forced to climb back up the ladder to complete his mission.

When it comes to the Kingdom Come series, most people start talking about two things: its combat system and its historical authenticity. But the sequel offers much more than that – and the storyline and the way it is told are the main proof of that. The adventure of Deliverance 2 is not just an excuse to throw us into a harsh medieval open world.

With its twists and turns, political intrigue and memorable characters, the game sucks you in from the first minute – not only because of the story content, but also because of the cinematography and gameplay excellence of the execution. The main story thread alone offers 60-70 hours of content, with a variety of missions and numerous ways to overcome obstacles. Top it all off with a strong, cinematic direction that punches every important scene, and you have a campaign that, despite its length, manages to maintain tension and curiosity about what Henry and his companions will do next.

 

ELŐZETES - A Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 folytatása nem kevesebbet ígér, mint hogy újraértelmezi a középkori szerepjátékok fogalmát.

 

Great characters who take the story to an even higher level

 

A good story is nothing without strong characters, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 excels in this area too. Henry is not just a charismatic protagonist, but a character whose past and decisions generate constant internal conflict that is a joy to watch. As befits a true RPG, a colourful cast of memorable side characters, adversaries and allies accompany us along the way, further deepening the epic clash between factions.

And if you’re looking for a good story and a meaningful RPG packed with side missions, this game is guaranteed to suck you in. The world of Warhorse Studios is packed with side missions that will stretch your playing time considerably. What’s more, they’re far from the clichéd “go here, kill an enemy and get the item back” type of missions – you can expect far more complex and varied side quests. Feuds between towns, kidnappings, mysterious murders and even superstitions about devils and ghosts feature in Henry’s adventures.

The Czech Republic is also full of random events that you might come across while travelling. It’s true that bandits will often try to rob the unsuspecting traveller – and sooner or later they’ll get to know the edge of your sword – but you can also be challenged to duels by highwaymen and meet the most unusual characters. These small interactions add life and exploration to an already meticulously crafted open world.

 

Végre ismerjük a februárban érkező Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 PC-s rendszerkövetelményeit, illetve a konzol specifikációkat...

 

A lively, realistic open world

 

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is divided into two large regions, and it manages to completely immerse you not only with its missions and characters, but also with its realistic visuals. The graphics are stunningly detailed: every castle, village and even the simplest hut shows that the Czech developers have put an incredible amount of passion and care into showing what life was like in Europe 600 years ago. The CryEngine engine provides a strong technical foundation, especially with its light and shadow handling and richly detailed visuals. The developers have left nothing to chance, and even the gameplay has serious consequences.

While Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is not exclusively based on mechanical realism, it is one of its defining pillars. Forget dragons, magic and fairytale creatures – Warhorse Studios takes you to 15th century Bohemia, not as a tourist looking at a postcard, but as a resident of the era, forced to abide by the laws and unwritten rules of the time. And believe me when I say that the game will not treat you with kid gloves at all.

To be clear: this sequel is just as brutal and tough as the first part – but that’s what makes it so enjoyable. Don’t expect to win a battle simply by punching buttons – you’ll need to watch the direction of every strike, anticipate where your opponent is trying to attack from, and carefully calculate every move in a razor-sharp dance where every little move counts. Different weapons require their own techniques, combos and fighting styles to master, so every duel will be an intense, tense challenge that can’t be settled with a light flick of the wrist.

 

A Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 összetettebb narratívával rendelkezik majd, és Henry katonává, illetve nemesemberré válására fog koncentrálni.

 

Much more than a combat system

 

Realism is not just a feature of the combat system, but extends to every aspect of the game. If you want to brew a potion, you can’t get away with just tapping on a menu item – following the recipe to the letter and making it in the alchemist’s workshop is essential. If you want to forge a sword or hatchet, you’d better know your way around a blacksmith’s forge. These processes are not mere mini-games, but tools to help you immerse yourself even deeper into the world of Kingdom Come, so that you’re not just playing a video game, but part of a real time travel experience in 15th century Europe.

And it doesn’t end there: you not only need to pay attention to the state of your equipment, your hunger and fatigue, but also how dirty and stinky you are. Neglecting to clean yourself or approaching villagers with your weapon drawn can easily scare them away. Such seemingly small details can make for a dense, challenging yet highly satisfying adventure. You don’t learn new skills by simply clicking on a development point either – if you want to improve, you have to practice or find a master to teach you the technique, just as you would in real life.

I’m not going to sugarcoat it: in the first few hours, I suffered a lot, falling victim to bandits countless times – not because the game was unrealistically difficult, but because I was trying to play it like a normal RPG. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, however, has its own set of rules, and mastering them is a learning process of trial and error. The save system, which requires Schnapps, can be particularly annoying – having to brew alcohol just to save the game feels like unnecessary fiddling. Nonetheless, once you get the hang of how the system works, you’re presented with an organically structured RPG that moves at a completely different pace and dynamic to other games. However, this learning curve can be challenging for those used to more easily digestible RPGs.

On top of all this, the game is far from flawless, and there is still room for improvement. The artificial intelligence of your opponents isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, which makes many stealthy situations unnecessarily frustrating. There are also some minor bugs and performance can drop off noticeably during the most demanding parts of the game. That said, I wouldn’t say that these minor bugs seriously detract from the experience – rather, they are an unavoidable side effect of the game’s grandiose size and complexity. If Kingdom Come 2 has any objectionable elements, it’s only because Warhorse Studios has brought an incredibly ambitious game to the table.

 

Megnéztük a Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 első közel háromnegyed óráját, és mondhatom, azóta csak még jobban várjuk a játékot...

 

How does the game perform on PC and Steam?

 

Although I basically tested the game on PS5, I also had the chance to try it on PC and Steam Ceiling. On PS5, the visuals of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 are impressive overall, but there were some minor, technical glitches in the early version. Despite this, the game ran solidly and console performance is perfectly acceptable considering its complexity. Quality Mode offers a 2160p/30 FPS upscaled from 1440p using FSR, while Performance Mode sets the game to 1440p/60 FPS upscaled from 1080p using FSR. While the performance isn’t amazing with +60 FPS VRR support, it’s an acceptable compromise for current-gen consoles.

On PC, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 already looked like a resource-intensive title based on its preliminary system requirements, as it is limited to 30 FPS at 4K resolution with maximum graphics settings. The good news is that the PC version is extremely scalable. With an AMD RX 7900 GRE video card and a Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor in 4K at high settings, with a few options turned down to medium and FSR balance mode, I achieved 80-90 FPS. At 1440p resolution, with all settings set very high and using FSR quality mode, I managed to cross the 90 FPS mark.

Warhorse Studios has recently confirmed that the game will be available on Steam Ceiling, so I tried it out on Valve’s portable console out of curiosity. With all settings set to low and using FSR performance mode, I easily exceeded the 60 FPS threshold, although there were occasional minor drops. Raising some settings to medium and limiting the FPS to 40 made the experience not only more consistent, but also more stable and visually completely appropriate for the Steam Deck’s display size.

 

 

A real medieval challenge you won’t forget

 

Ultimately, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 rightly deserves its place among the strongest RPGs of the generation, as it is much more than “that realistic medieval game”. It offers a captivating story that keeps you glued to the screen until the very end, a hyper-detailed open world that is spectacularly crafted, and deep and thoughtful gameplay mechanics that elevate it to one of the most lifelike RPGs in the genre. With this sequel, Warhorse Studios has taken the series to the next level and brought to the table a game that will be an unmissable experience for any true role-player.

Thanks to Magnew Ltd. and Warhorse Studios for the test copy!

-Gergely Herpai „BadSector”-


Pros:

+ Authentic and detailed medieval world
+ Complex, challenging combat system
+ Unique gameplay mechanics that deepen the experience

Cons:

– Stealth is difficult due to AI paralysis
– The save system is unnecessarily and annoyingly complicated
– Performance issues in certain sections


 

Publisher: Deep Silver
Developer: Warhorse Studios
Style: Medieval RPG & Simulation
Release: February 4, 2025

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Gameplay - 8.2
Graphics - 7.8
Story - 9.2
Music/Audio - 8.2
Ambience - 8.4

8.4

EXCELLENT

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a ruthlessly realistic RPG that captivates players with its story, world and gameplay depth. While the steep learning curve and technical shortcomings may make it difficult for beginners, Warhorse Studios has created an ambitious and enjoyable medieval role-playing game. If you like historical authenticity and tough challenges, this game is definitely not to be missed.

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BadSector is a seasoned journalist for more than twenty years. He communicates in English, Hungarian and French. He worked for several gaming magazines - including the Hungarian GameStar, where he worked 8 years as editor. (For our office address, email and phone number check out our impressum)

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