Played on PS5
The first Kingdom Come: Deliverance was a rather original game with a strong story, filigree characters, a meticulously developed world, a ton of complex mechanics and… a ton of technical flaws. They, combined with sometimes overly intricate gameplay features, prevented it from becoming an absolute hit, but they gave the developers from Warhorse Studios enough feedback from the community to work on the errors in the sequel. And the work was thorough – for example, the technical condition of the project does not cause serious complaints even at release (of course, it was not without all sorts of little things, and in Kuttenberg the basic PS5 begins to noticeably “get tired”). And many key mechanics have become a little simpler, more understandable and more accessible for mastering. This doesn’t compromise the core essence of the series at all – Kingdom Come: Deliverance II offers an amazingly deep role-playing experience, tough challenges and, of course, a gripping, intricate main storyline.
Before the wedding ceremony, the program includes cultural recreation, dancing and conversations, after which there will be a traditional party and a mass brawl.
⇡#Blood of Bohemia
Bohemia is in the grip of civil war, and the warring parties are trying to build up their military might and forge profitable alliances. One of these alliances is to be forged by Sir Hans Capon and his loyal friend Henry (also known as Henry or Henry), by delivering an important letter to a promising potential ally. The cushy diplomatic mission turns out to be much more difficult than the heroes had hoped: their squad is caught off guard during a campsite, and only Capon and Henry manage to survive the merciless slaughter. And that’s just the beginning of their troubles…
After the introductory misadventures, the heroes find themselves at the very bottom – just released from the stocks, without people, money, weapons and even clothes that would somehow confirm their noble status. Moreover, opinions on the issue of further actions diverge, and a conflict breaks out, because of which their paths will temporarily go in different directions. So Indřich alone will have to plunge into the bubbling life of Bohemia: get involved in the dubious affairs of a local miller, hunt poachers in the forests, work in his main profession as a blacksmith and establish contacts with other residents of these lands. All in order to get to a wedding, where there will be an opportunity to talk to the “right” person. However, the plan quickly goes awry, and the wedding party quickly passes the point of no return, after which the hero wakes up in a cell.
In the opening act, Henry and his opponent fall off a cliff, and the skills and levels accumulated in the first part fall down with them.
The very first quest chains of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II show a phenomenal level of elaboration of the narrative and impressive plot saturation. And then — more! The segments of the story of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II cleverly alternate among themselves, offering large-scale sieges, and cunning spy games, and tense missions in the enemy camp, and “high” knightly duels, and vile ambushes that flow into fierce bloody battles. Sometimes we have to defend a person in court, and at other times — conduct an entire corporate investigation in order to identify those guilty of embezzling state silver. And in order not to overload the player, sometimes the story loosens the reins a little and offers to just get drunk in the company of loyal comrades, or spend time in a heart-to-heart conversation.
After all, behind the external showiness of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II there is a heartfelt dramatic depth, and the epic scope of the historical action is often replaced by carefree moments of peace and joy, but also sometimes by difficult scenes of reflection, when Henry doubts the correctness of his own actions and tries not to break under the weight of what he has done. And, of course, such skillful juggling of the emotional state of the player would be impossible without well-written characters: both loyal friends of the protagonist and sworn enemies, both unexpected allies and sudden traitors. All the central and secondary characters of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II have truly living characters, their own, sometimes hidden under a “mask”, motives, and, of course, very flexible ideas about morality.
We will have to take part in battles for castles more than once, and on both sides of the walls…
The narrative in the sequel, like in the first part, does not try to declare passages about absolute good and evil, does not show Henry and others as unequivocally bad or good people. All of them are living personalities, who constantly face difficult ethical dilemmas, and the choice is not always obvious and simple. And although they will not affect the inexorable course of the main story so significantly, but in subtle narrative shades the game will be transformed significantly, and you will think about the decisions made for a very long time.
⇡#Knight in stained armor
Although Henry is an important participant in major military events, behind-the-scenes intrigues and complex political games, his adventures outside the central storyline are no less fascinating. And, unlike the predominantly linear structure of the main story, the possible outcomes here are much more diverse. Literally, you never know where the next adventure or seemingly easy task will lead you.
The skill level increases when we use the action associated with it, for example, waving a saber or picking a lock. And for every two levels, a useful skill is given
For example, a carefree fight in a tavern smoothly flows into an order for the mass murder of the Cumans who settled near the settlement. Henry can either obediently slaughter the Cumans who are objectionable to the local villagers, or… just talk to their leader. And then consult one young Cuman on matters of the heart, get into a fistfight with him because of his recommendations, join in a mass drinking party, get lost on the way to get more drinks, brag about his incredible prowess while tipsy – and fail miserably, proving his incredible skills. And then, during heartfelt conversations, reveal Henry’s old trauma, because of which he sees the killer of his parents in every Cuman. Thus, preferring libations to spilled blood, Henry may not raise his authority in the eyes of the villagers, but he will find good acquaintances among the Cumans.
And this happens in almost every quest – simple tasks are filled with nuances and details, turning into a tricky riddle or a difficult moral dilemma for both Henry and us. Investigating one murder will lead to a complicated case with several victims and three suspects at once; a request to make a pair of horseshoes will flow into a heartbreaking story of unrequited love, and a request from one monk to help with the “dragon” bones he found turns into a cunning mess involving bandits and high church officials. There are always several possible developments for these stories, and the final result will depend on our choice in dialogues and glibness, as well as on banal agility and combat prowess.
Having mastered the art of persuasion, Henry will be able to convince the guards to turn a blind eye to his crimes, even if he is caught red-handed.
Even the most mundane tasks in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II have a surprisingly solid dramatic development, and some quick five-minute adventure can surprise with a sudden turn of events. Here, in the place where the treasure map leads (bought from a completely, absolutely unsuspicious guy around the corner), a skirmish with a gang of thugs suddenly awaits. Here, the “bandit” met on the road suddenly turns out to be a knight who is trying to get his honor, horse and armor back, and only we can save him… by challenging one of the strongest warriors of Bohemia to a duel. And here, a real gentleman of fortune with an arrow in his head (it hardly bothers him) asks us to take him to the camp, which turns into a small adventure in which we will have to exhume the remains and decide the outcome of the struggle for power in the bandit group. And it’s especially nice that the game practically doesn’t limit you in achieving your goals: for example, in that story with the knight’s armor, you can defeat a mighty warrior in a duel or simply rob him in his sleep.
In short, the level of development of quests and assignments is simply colossal, and it is almost impossible to come across a passable story. Of course, some adventures are more interesting than others, others (just a couple) now seem simply broken and hardly playable, and someone may not like the gameplay on which a certain task is focused. For example, I did not particularly like participating in the shooting tournament. But organizing Indro’s fighting tour across Bohemia was a lot of fun, especially since there were some pleasant nuances here too…
Although the sequel introduced firearms, their use (especially at first) often creates a lot of problems rather than creating an advantage in combat. Historically!
⇡#Fights, bones, thefts and other adventures of Indro
In addition to the twisting plot adventures, nothing prevents Henry from going free to taste all the delights of medieval life. And his own narrative can be no less exciting. For example, why not build a champion career in knightly tournaments. Or get a less high, but no less honorable status of the first fist of Bohemia, going up against the best fighters of the medieval mixed style behind the barns of local villages and cities. By the way, fights often acquire an additional narrative layer: one fighter, for example, fights only after drinking; another deservedly bears the title of “invincible”; and the third turns out to be a domestic tyrant, and for a good thrashing (and an educational talk) the victim of his beatings will be immensely grateful to us.
You can also try yourself in something more relaxed, but it is quite difficult. For example, to achieve success in blacksmithing or alchemy, you will have to sweat a lot and master not just a mini-game, but an entire production process that requires the necessary consumables, recipes, and an understanding of all stages of the craft. For example, to make a sword, you need to know how to properly heat the workpiece, at what point and where to hit the hammer. And, for example, when brewing potions, you should strictly follow the sequence, maintain time intervals and not get confused with the order of actions.
A pick-pocket minigame can sometimes be more nerve-wracking than a sword duel.
Another ancient craft will be no less difficult to master… no, not what you thought, but theft. The ability to penetrate forbidden places, pick locks and “inspect” the contents of the pockets of wealthy citizens can make Henry’s life much easier at times when he needs to get an important plot item or get a couple of pennies. But before you master this dangerous art, you will have to fight off guards more than once or twice, get whipped (to the amusement of the villagers) and avoid merchants a mile away, in whose chests we got an excellent sword, armor and boots (the merchants will immediately admit their goods and raise the alarm). Of course, you can always avoid responsibility by launching the last save, but you can’t stock up on saving schnapps for every theft.
Fencing has become a little more responsive, understandable and easy to learn. And it still feels a little crooked – however, there is even charm in this imperfection
Like the first part, the sequel Kingdom Come: Deliverance offers a lot of mechanics that enhance immersion in the world. Henry, for example, needs to rest regularly, and preferably in his own bed (this way he sleeps better and saves the gameplay), otherwise the character’s eyes will literally start to stick together from lack of sleep. You can’t forget about food, and snacking on an apple that has been languishing in your pocket for a week is a dubious idea: this way Henry will get poisoned and a penalty to his characteristics. From overeating, however, the same thing. And if you stick your spoon into someone else’s pot, you can even end the day at the pillory. Or even worse: dissatisfied owners of the food will unceremoniously try to punish Henry at the scene of the crime.
Having survived a grand battle at the camp cauldron, it would not hurt to find a tub or a bath to wash off a layer of military exploits. After all, if Henry is covered in filth, then it is both unpresentable, as the interlocutors will remind you, and impractical – for example, it will be very difficult to get close to someone, because the heroic stench notifies of Henry’s presence even better than eye contact. And in addition to the powerful stench, the clank of armor can also give away the hero in the shadows. And if you do not take care of the ammunition, then in the event of a skirmish it will hardly protect.
The dice game is reminiscent of dice poker from the second “Witcher”. For an extra advantage, by the way, you can play with, ahem, “charmed” dice for luck
As you can see, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II offers such an incredible number of deep and sometimes unexpected mechanics that you can get lost in them for dozens of hours. And even some unevenness in execution (a funny bug: quest NPCs immediately forget about us as soon as we finish the dialogue, and immediately kick us out of the house after a touching conversation) do not spoil the overall impression. And it is exceptionally enthusiastic. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is an incredibly rich, exciting and holistic work that easily ascends to the pantheon of the best role-playing games of all time.
Advantages:
A gripping, intricate and dramatic main story;
Engaging, intricate and detailed secondary tasks and assignments;
Well-written, multifaceted characters;
An excellent role-playing system cleverly immerses you in the setting and provides rich scope for role-playing;
Virtual Bohemia amazes with its myriad nuances of medieval life.
Disadvantages:
NPCs act weird at times;
Some side quests are currently broken and impossible to complete.
Graphic arts
The titanic visual elaboration of the world and the amazing attention to both large details and mere trifles are truly stunning. The views of castles and cities are breathtaking, and in the fields and forests you feel as if you are on a real walk.
True, in other technical aspects, such as the lighting in cutscenes or facial animation, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II hardly sets a new bar for quality.
Sound
It skillfully and delicately immerses you in a medieval atmosphere: each settlement is seething with the life of villagers, their everyday affairs, loud showdowns and energetic discussions of a fresh portion of gossip. And outside the settlements, the game sounds excellent, subtly conveying the feeling that you are actually walking through a meadow or wandering through a thicket.
The voice acting was also excellent. Absolutely all the actors fit their characters: expressive where necessary, touching where appropriate. In a word, they are convincing in every line.
And there’s also a stunning soundtrack, combining both the solemn rumble of the orchestra and the carefree motifs of folk music. Together they create a rich palette of feelings and states, accurately emphasizing the scene and the mood of the locations.
Single player game
A powerful role-playing adventure for those who appreciate meticulous development of the world, with hundreds of nuances, heartfelt stories and severe trials.
Estimated time of completion
If you only follow the main plot of Henry, you’ll get to the credits in about fifty hours. But there’s so much to do in medieval Bohemia that you’d better be prepared to be out of real life for about a hundred hours.
Collective game
Not foreseen.
General impression
A monumental masterpiece and a living classic that is a must-see for all fans of amazingly large-scale, stunningly sincere and incredibly addictive role-playing adventures.
Rating: 10/10
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