In February 2018, we had the pleasure of enthusiastically discovering Kingdom Come Deliverance. A medieval RPG which was partly financed thanks to a crowdfunding campaign which was very successful with 1.2 million euros raised on Kickstarter. Despite the great qualities of the game, it must be admitted that the launch was not easy for the Warhorse studio. In question ? Numerous bugs of all kinds which spoiled the experience on release day, especially on the most modest configurations. Fortunately, KCD quickly recovered by quickly deploying successive fixes. Very quickly, the game established itself as THE RPG of the moment, when some even said that it was the best realistic role-playing game of all time.
The Punisher in the time of the cathedrals
As a reminder, the credo of the game is Dungeons and Dragons, but without dragons. And that’s the charm of this adventure. No magic or legendary creatures, human history is sometimes largely sufficient in itself. Proof of this is that after an ultra-complete game lasting several dozen hours, the Warhorse studio still finds what it takes to make a sequel that promises to be even bigger and more epic.
In fact, this Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 puts us back in the shoes of the beloved Henry, who has a lot of money. After a tragedy which sees his family decimated (no spoilers there, that’s the pitch of the game), the young knight will embark on a vengeful quest with Punisher style. Its goal ? Find the culprits, even if it takes him to the other end of the kingdom of Bohemia, where the game once again takes place.
Bigger and more epic
For the record, the Kingdom of Bohemia was a medieval state located in the region of Bohemia, mainly corresponding to the modern Czech Republic. Founded in the 9th century, it flourished during the Middle Ages, with Prague as its capital. In this sequel we will have the opportunity to discover the large regional town of Kuttenberg. Famous in the Middle Ages, this beautiful fortress city was responsible for more than a third of the silver production in Europe at the time.
With this real city as a backdrop, the developers are thinking bigger and will notably achieve in this sequel everything they had not been able to do before, due to lack of resources or developers. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 will therefore be larger and more epic. That was sort of the leitmotif of the video presentation. In addition, the game will now offer 5 hours of cutscenes compared to 3 previously, with the promise of offering more immersion and adventure. And this with ever greater realism.
A realistic medieval world
If this promise of realism was well kept in the first episode, it will be even more so in the sequel. In the world of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, your actions will have direct consequences on the people around you. The characters, from the simple farmer to the great lord, remember your actions. Your actions and gestures, as well as your words, are memorized. If you are dishonest in a village, it is better not to return there too often or you will get a very nasty surprise.
If you are caught in the act after a bad action, you are not presumed innocent while awaiting a judgment like in 2024. The sentence is direct and without compromise. You have been warned. Generally speaking, the game is intended to be historically accurate and an ode to the Middle Ages. This should be found in the acting and in the dialogues, at least if we rely on the extracts that we have seen. With a more pronounced cinematographic side, and perhaps more natural and less theatrical gameplay, KDC 2 will move away a little from the idea we sometimes have of this historical period, always full of clichés.
A profoundly European game, far from clichés
The developers are clear that they do not want an Americanized or biased representation of the Middle Ages, often depicted as a dark, muddy time where disease and death reign supreme. As we were able to see in the documentary, with the help of remains and works of art, the Middle Ages, especially during this period, is a very colorful segment of history.
Whether it’s through a fresco in a church or even in the color of certain draperies and fabrics, it’s actually quite joyful and far from the tasteless filter that many American directors bring out to us. So no, the Middle Ages are not a dark era, even less so during the period of the game where we are almost at the dawn of the Renaissance. At first glance, the RPG reflects this state of affairs, with a very big effort on the play of light and colors, both in small villages and in large cities, but also in nature.
A living world
Kingdom Come Deliverance players will remember, the walks in the countryside are a real enchantment with a detail on the forests that is simply fantastic. For the future, the work goes even further with an even more present life, particularly in terms of animals and all that that implies (hunting). The day/night rhythm should have a real impact on the environment and the atmosphere, and the sounds will no longer be the same between morning, day and evening.
Lovers of country walks will love it. The studio explained that they wanted to pay homage to the landscapes of their country and this was clearly reflected in the different videos. We will also note particular attention paid to trees and vegetation. Because, for the record, in the first episode, it was possible to concoct “potions”, or at least medicinal elixirs, with what was found in nature.
Fight despite everything
If the Middle Ages are less dark than we think, combat is nevertheless omnipresent in medieval life. Both for entertainment, such as during tournaments (with archery, on horseback, on foot), and during war. On this side too, there is something new in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. New types of weapons are appearing: crossbows, which were extremely requested via an update in the first episode, and powder weapons black, notably with what was called at the time a “Fire Stick”.
Nothing to do, however, with the more advanced black powder weapons that we will see later, such as the musket from the 16th century. In Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, it is a simple smooth tube mounted on a wooden stand, with wad, black powder and a projectile. A hand cannon in its strictest definition. Enough to multiply the possibilities during the assaults, since the fights still seem as numerous, with the return of large-scale battles.
Obviously, it’s difficult to offer a sequel to KCD without also improving the sword fighting, which represents the bulk of the confrontations. Once again, the studio called on a specialist historian in the field to best transcribe the animations and sensations on screen. The game really wants to give you the impression of holding the sword in your hands, much more than in the first game. To achieve this goal, the sound of the swords is more realistic and the combos/parries are more visceral.
More fluid and less rigid
Let’s wait to see that controller or keyboard in hand. From what we have seen, whether in the fights or in the movements and the different interactions with the decor, the animations are a notch above. It was a bit stiff in the first episode and this time around it seems to be much better. It remains to be seen to what extent, but in the various videos that we were able to see, we were able to notice a much less robotic side in the movements with greater fluidity and grace in the movements.
What is certain is that this direct sequel wishes, beyond a new story with a new gallery of characters and new settings, to offer you an even more epic and realistic experience. The game seems to meet the expectations of 2024. And that’s good, since the title is precisely planned for this year on LIST OF PLATFORMS. And in final version without going through early access.
WE ARE WAITING FOR IT… WITH GREAT IMPATIENCEE
Very clearly, this Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 makes you want it. Bigger, more epic, more realistic, deeper, more immersive, the promises are numerous and we can’t wait to be able to plunge body and soul into the adventure. Now let’s hope the launch is cleaner than it was back when the first episode was released. Hope is high and the game seems to have all the cards in hand to strike very hard.