Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was released this week, and it’s been dominating the gaming charts.
The game follows the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which dropped back in 2018 and garnered a cult following. The series puts you in the role of a typical medieval peasant who must fend for himself following a series of unfortunate events.
Before you start thinking it’s the next Skyrim, you need to be aware of a few things. It is hardcore to the highest degree in terms of its realism. I’m not kidding — characters in the game will look down on you if you smell too bad (just like in real life), and you can eat rotten food by accident and die. You’ll even have to teach your character how to read.
So, you’re an idiot, you smell bad, and you’re generally unskilled in most things. Now, let’s talk about the game (ba-dum tish).
What happens in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2?
If you didn’t get around to playing the first game, there’s no need to worry. While Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 does start right where the previous title left off. However, it’ll give you plenty of context to catch you up to speed.
The game takes place in 16th-century Bohemia, and the setting is as depressing as you might think. You play as Henry, a simple blacksmith-turned-knight sent to deliver a message across a war-ravaged region. Along the way, your party is ambushed, leaving you penniless and without any weapons. Now, you have to start fresh with no one believing your identity as a noble knight, which makes sense, as you look like every other smelly, blood-soaked peasant.
The game’s senior designer, Ondřej Bittner, said that the team wanted to remove instant gratification from the game, paying homage to titles like The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind. That’s why you’ll struggle to survive for the first few hours of gameplay. Everyone will meet you with disgust, beat you up, and scorn you. But, eventually, you’ll return to your former glory and get to siege castles and bed all the finest maidens in the realm.
What do I do in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2?
There’s no need to beat around the bush here — Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 won’t be for everyone. It’s the anti-cozy game where everything is stressful and you’ll become a worse person after playing it. I, a sick freak, on the other hand, love that. Apparently, a bunch of people do as well, as the game has already sold over a million units and boasts an impressive 88 per cent critic score.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is closer to the first season of Game of Thrones. There’s no honour, everyone is miserable, and no one’s really a good person. Unlike in Skyrim, where you’d charge through entire bandit camps, here, you’ll get slaughtered pretty fast if you try to fight more than one person at a time without a plan.
Much like Skyrim, your character will improve as you do something. You’ll need to sprint more to get better at running, read more books to speak better, and of course, train more with a sword to fight better. If you want to reset your character’s skills, you’ll have to get blackout drunk in-game so your character forgets everything they’ve learned. Again, it’s just like real life!
As you continue playing, you’ll get to ride your very own steed, find treasure maps and even partake in a few drinking games to score some virtual friends.
For all the reasons above, the game will feel like an uphill battle. That is, until you’ve done the same thing so often, your character doesn’t need to think about it. Even then, the challenge itself is the fun. You’ll come away laughing at the game just as often as you spend cursing it for being so cruel.
Should I play Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2?
If any of this piqued your interest, I’d say absolutely. It’s a total refresh on your typical roleplaying experience and will be one of the most unique gaming experiences you’ll have in a long time.
In saying that, you shouldn’t feel too bad if you don’t gel with it. It is a very unforgiving game, so I can’t blame you if you don’t think you’ll connect with that. But, if you’re ready to meet the game on its terms, you’re in for what’s possibly the best medieval simulator on the market today.
You can play Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S | X and PC.
Buy it from: Amazon ($89), PlayStation Store ($114.95), Xbox ($114.95), Steam ($89.95).
Image credit: Warhorse Games
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