Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 review: A masterful medieval RPG

I’m been perched in the bushes, listening to the dull conversation between a band of local bandits who have been terrorizing the nearby town. With moon above our heads, they slowly drift to their separate corners of the camp. The only sound left is the subtle crickets surrounding the camp, and the delicate drum of their breathes as the bandits sleep. The perfect moment. Taking out my knife, I slowly detach from the shadows, ready to strike; until I notice the sixth guard on patrol. I have to quickly pivot to my sword, preparing for a dangerous battle against the guard, or risk fighting them all at once.

Everything can go wrong during a playthrough of Kingdom Come 2, and even when it does, it’s the most fun I’ve had in a medieval RPG in a long time. The first game scratched the survival game itch I wanted to experience within a narrative, and everything’s been giving a proper facelift for the sequel. Fans of the first one will be overjoyed about the continued story and the refined features, while newcomers will be delighted with the experience and feeling like they can jump right into a living, breathing world.

Returning to Kingdom Come 2 was a wonderful experience by Warhorse Studios, and one I won’t forget as a captivating RPG story.

The life of a 15th-century peasant

The story focuses on the main character, Henry from Skalitz, and serves as an immediate sequel from the first one. As we covered in our preview, the sequel does an excellent job of dropping you right in the middle of the story, and catching you up on all the important events.

What you do after the first few hours is up to you. There’s a choice to focus on the main story, progressing forward to meet with the lord of Trosky Castle, Otto von Bergow, or explore the countryside of Bohemia, solving problems of peasants and dispatching bandits preying on those wandering the roads alone.

I easily spent the first 40 hours engrossed in the countryside, completing side quests and leveling up various skills. It was a thrilling experience and even more pleasing when I finally jumped back into the main story, but it felt great about my freedom of choice of what I wanted to do and how I approached it. Sometimes, I’d lean into my diplomacy skills or try to steal an item I needed from a character when I knew they’d fall asleep.

This might have gotten me into trouble a time or two. Still, getting into trouble was just as much as knowing the best way to solve it, as Kingdom Come 2 was a game that rewarded experimentation and completing tasks in an unorthodox way. This goes for the main story quests and the side ones. Although the main stories have less overall flexibility as there are certain requirements you have to meet, there’s a proper journey for Henry that turns him into the character you want to play from start to finish.

Tread lightly and always be prepared

How you play Henry builds up a personal narrative surrounding what he’s good at and your best way to approach everything throughout Kingdom Come 2. You might specialize in sneaking and stealth, which means straight-on combat isn’t your forte, and you prefer to fight from afar. However, you can’t always anticipate when bandits are going to attack you on the road or if four different opponents will attack you.

The best experience boils down to being prepared for any situation, even when traveling between towns, to try and get some sleep. Simple travel can become a life-or-death nightmare, depending on if you’re willing to risk a walk through the dead of night. A small bleeding cut must be treated quickly, and combat is no joke. Most games have you facing off against hundreds of enemies, but in Kingdom Come 2, a fight where it’s three against you is perilous.

It comes down to the delicate mechanics of carefully using your stamina and careful swordplay. It’s not a Dark Souls game where you’re rolling around, but knowing when to parry, block, stab, cut, and pull away to regain precious stamina becomes a deadly game every fight. Even a single opponent can get the best of you if you’re not careful.

The same goes for how you handle quests, where your appearance alters how a person perceives your character and what options are available to you. Speaking to them in nicer clothing, with jewelry and no weapons, likely means coming off as a noble has a higher chance, while wearing bloodied armor and swords might give you a better chance of intimidating them. Kingdom Come 2 makes switching between these two outfits seamless, and it all comes down to how you want to play. The same goes for switching to a bow and your trusty sword and shield.

You don’t always have to take the aggressive approach, either. Sometimes, talking to someone works just as well as dispatching them with expert swordplay. You might go down a path you never would have expected by talking to someone, and that’s where my genuine fascination with Kingdom Come 2 lies: exploring the world and taking the extra time to enjoy it.

Get lost in the world and every activity

Exploration and discovery is at the heart of Kingdom Come 2. There might be a random patch of land you haven’t explored yet that can yield a bountiful bounty of herbs for your alchemy, or you could stumble across a deer or boar field, where you might run the risk of poaching to sell the coveted meat and hides. How you spend your time in-between missions is up to you, and these activities are devilishly enjoyable.

The fun comes with the details and how much time can pass when it comes to exploring or playing the side games. This goes for lockpicking, betting at dice, brewing potions at an alchemy table, or hammering away at a blacksmith with a new sword or armor set. Simple tasks take time but are closely aligned with the time period.

These are refined experiences from the first game, but the most difficult part remains to be the saving system. If you spend too much time wandering around, doing small tasks without sleeping, it increases your chances of dying and sets you back several hours. While partially defeating, retracing your steps, and making new choices, it boils down to the genuine gameplay being fun. Everything was a grand time, even if I had to repeat it, and I only had myself to blame.

Become Henry of Skalitz

I have fond memories of playing Kingdom Come for the first time, and returning to the gameplay landscape Warhorse Studios created has been fantastic. There are far fewer glitches and bugs than the first game had, showing the experience the studio has achieved since 2018. Everything feels polished in a fantastic way, and the team demonstrates their inventive story skills with the dozens of quests that appear simple but can lead you down an unexpected journey.

Playing as Henry of Skalitz in Kingdom Come 2 is tremendously wonderful, and it’s easy to get lost when playing by running in nearly any direction.