It feels insane that I wrote a hands-on preview of Kingdom Come: Deliverance seven years ago, following a trip to Hever Castle. It’s not insane that I wrote the preview; I was interested in Kingdom Come: Deliverance for quite a while. What is insane is that it was seven years ago. Time flies.
As you now know, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is getting a release on its seventh anniversary. In addition, we know other aspects, such as more accessible combat and an increased size and scale of the game. Having recently had a hands-on with the game in Kutna Hora, formerly known as Kuttenberg, I’m able to talk about some of these changes and what it bodes for the full release.
Let’s start with the basics. Warhorse Studios has designed Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 so anybody can jump in. You don’t need to have played the first game to be able to play and understand the second, despite it being a direct continuation. At the end of the first game, you – with Hans Capon – are riding into a forest on a mission to deliver a message. This starts as you exit that forest mere days later and are on the Bohemian Paradise map, the first of two.
This marks the first part of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and is the first of two hands-on sessions I had with the game while in Kuttenberg. With such a direct link, mere days between the first and second game, you would naturally wonder how they will work in what will essentially be a resetting of abilities and taking Henry back to basics, at least the basics for starting any game. In this case, you are badly injured in an ambush, which puts you back to basics.
Not everything is lost; Henry learned how to read and write in the first game, and this isn’t a case of complete amnesia. Skills that Henry learned as part of the story remain, but if you played the first and you maxed everything out, you became the bohemian version of Connor MacLeod; you won’t be that here. You may find it easier to progress here because the changes made by Warhorse Studios have greatly improved certain game elements.
Before discussing that, let’s cover the basics without giving too many spoilers. Yes, the reset is due to an ambush of you and Hans Capon, and from what I have seen in the initial part of the story, the aim will be to complete the mission you were initially there for. You’re there to deliver your message to Trosky castle, but in that ambush, you have lost everything, and naturally, the only sign of being there were seals to prove who you were, all lost. It’s time to work your way up. In my first few hours, seeing how the game brought you either into – or back into – the world was interesting. I would argue that it is more than welcoming to new people, as it organically introduces you to several mechanics.
The second gameplay session I had put me later in the game, in Kuttenberg itself, gave an excellent example of how certain quests could change and how choices – and even the inability to do something – can have consequences as questlines go on. I won’t go into the full details of it, but this quest puts you in the middle of two factions looking to run a sword-fighting training school. During the quest, you’ll have a few routes to progress. I tried the sneaky route, stealing an item, but I was spotted, which resulted in a penalty on my side in a tournament.
What I will say from this is just how big Kuttenberg is. Sasau, with the monastery, is the most significant area in the first game. Kuttenberg, in this, is considerably larger. With its bustling nature, roaming around the city makes it feel alive. Initial impressions make it seem that Warhorse has been successful in making Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 on a much grander scale in all ways, from the variety of quests, the size of the world, and also the themes it follows. The original was already a more mature title than most, with the aim for this being even more so.
This also applies to the dialogue. Games and other media often consider “mature” just a fair amount of swearing and some unnecessary and out-of-place sex. The swearing is still present from the four-plus hours I’ve had with the game. Still, the dialogue feels fantastic, and character development certainly feels strong, with a particular note to the conversations between Henry and Hans. Even the other conversations I’ve seen feel more natural.
Dramatically improved animations further enhance it. Including motion capture on faces adds to the immersion of these conversations and the game, with a much-improved overall visual quality and added animations throughout. Combat also looks smoother, with an increased variety of weapons and improved unarmed combat with further actions on how you’re punching during your bar fights.
In addition to the improvements in combat animations, the fluidity of combat works better. Having recently replayed the original, the sequel is certainly more accessible. However, it manages this without weakening what is the best melee combat system in any RPG. You will still be using combos, feints, parries and more, targeting specific areas of an enemy to catch them off guard.
Ten hours of recorded music with a full choir support all of this. I heard a few of the coming tracks, which will further enhance the immersion of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and add to the improvements mentioned above. It all comes down to what feels like it will be a much-improved game and precisely what a sequel should be: a natural expansion on the first.