Kingdom Come: Deliverance II: The Final Preview

We're less than a month from the release of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II now. The 4th of February marks the date we'll see the return of Henry, Hans Capon, as well as the debut of a new lot of characters, a new story, and what promises to be the game Warhorse wanted to make when they released Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

We have previewed Kingdom Come: Deliverance II on two separate occasions now (here and here), and unlike last time I got to check out the game, where the experience of playing was competing with the lavish day out that Warhorse had planned for us and other media, here, I can fully talk about the game as it is, and how it builds on the original game.

Rather than picking a specific section to play as well, we've been roaming around the open world freely, starting from the beginning with the second chapter of Henry's story. In a way, this feels like the first chapter proper, while Kingdom Come: Deliverance acts as a tremendous, lengthy prologue. It seems that Warhorse is keen on you seeing this as a fresh start, as you'll be picking new strengths for Henry, without the capacity to import your version of him from the previous game. This works in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II's favour, largely, as the sequel offers so many new mechanics, activities, and perks that to drag up your old Henry wouldn't feel satisfying. If you're very attached to the way you played in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, of course you can just pick the same options at the start.

I wanted to try something different, especially because I hadn't played the DLCs for Kingdom Come: Deliverance, so the dog Mutt was entirely new to me. I had also been a bit of a brute in the original, and so went for a more silver-tongued approach this time around, with the Houndmaster skill as my secondary main choice. This proved to be quite the mistake, as I did not realise just what kind of wild goose chase I'd be sent on to find my missing hound.

After a prologue that lets you out into the open world a lot quicker than the original game does, I thought finding my dog should be my number 1 priority, which then led me on an assortment of errands including saving a local hunter's horse from poachers and leading an odd sheep to wolves in a quest very reminiscent of the goat quest in The Witcher 3. So far, the quest design feels very much inspired by that game, which means even when you think you're in for a quick, 20-minute adventure, you're likely to find other loose threads dangling at the end, which will lead you into a spiralling story which keeps you coming back. The only slight issue I've had so far in this early period is that you feel very weak early on in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, even weaker than in the original game at times, as at least then you had a clear path to follow for better gear and easier foes. Here, starting out in the wild Bohemian Paradise, you can find death just as quickly as you need to find clothes, armour, a horse, and more.

Then again, that's all part and parcel of the Kingdom Come experience. Henry isn't just a lowly peasant anymore, but story events at the start of the game put him as close to square one as possible. That means you can't just go pull a knight from his horse and take him for all he's worth. Even facing a couple of bandits at once can be deadly, and that's the realistic experience that exists in each part of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. The mini-games like blacksmithing and alchemy take time, with a lot of different moving parts, and don't just revolve around you pressing the same button at the same time. That might sound like it'll put people off, and for a while, I was put off by the authenticity, but when you actually dig into Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, at its heart it is much more of a well-written historical drama than a simulator.

The writing and narrative so far have been very solid, if hampered a little by some odd voice-acting choices, as some NPCs appear to have different actors in cutscenes than they do regular conversation. But, for the most part, the story wends its way through the open world very well, both in side and main quests. Hans Capon is just as charming and irritating as he is in the first game, and there's something really brilliant about his and Henry's relationship that I'm glad we get to see more of. The pacing so far is a little slow, especially after a raucous start but again that appears by design, once more telling us this is a fresh start, rather than a direct continuation. It gives you time to breathe, especially if you're new, and for returning players, you'll face the new challenge of being dropped into the open world half-naked, with half a dozen things you need to do.

Combat and the ease at which you're able to learn and grow skills within it has been a real stand-out this time around, as after a quick journey to a sword master you can feel ready to take on a lot of enemies. It's tricky, don't get me wrong, and battles can be lengthy, but efforts have been made to make combat feel less stale, especially with the different weapons you get.

There are some bugs that I've noticed, like people sinking halfway into the floor, but as was the case with classic Bethesda, these serve to be less game-ruining and more fun little finds that might break the immersion slightly but give you a laugh more than anything else. Overall, though, if this is the game that Warhorse wanted to make, then what an experience it is shaping up to be. Deep, meaningful, and once more proving that you don't need a dragon to sell an RPG, I'll be carrying on with this massive experience in the hopes I can stop getting distracted by the beautiful world and get something done.