Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review

Now nearly six years old, the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a game that’s easy to find yourself truly immersed in, roaming the picturesque countryside while on a quest for revenge. It’s no walk in the park, though. Its unique combat system takes some getting used to, and its deep RPG systems make you live with the repercussions of your choices and actions. And then there’s the saving system, which is best described as simply unfriendly. For better or worse, all of these features return in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, a sequel that’s bigger and better in nearly every way. Although it has to be said that there’s not much new here that feels genuinely impactful.

Picking up some time after the events of the original game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 one again puts you in the shoes of Henry, the son of a blacksmith who’s now found himself serving as bodyguard to the noble Sir Hans Capon. They’ve both been ordered to travel to Trovsky, where they’re to deliver an important message that could bring about the end of a troublesome war.

But, being a videogame, things don’t quite go to plan. Set upon by a group of bandits while taking a bath, Henry and Sir Hans are left without any of their possessions, and the rest of their band is killed. And while they’re lucky to be alive, completing their task is now going to much harder considering no one believes who they say they are.

Of course, this is just the start of their adventure, and by the time the story is over there have been twists and turns aplenty, and you’ll have covered not one but two open world maps, full of places to visit, people to meet and quests to complete. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is huge, and like the first game you’ll want to take your time with it: not only are many of the side quests and activities on offer here genuinely entertaining, but if you rush the main story you’re likely to find yourself having a hard time.

This is a game where practice makes perfect, and so you’ll find it beneficial to spend time exploring the world, picking locks, engaging in combat and the like to round out your skills. If you manage to gain enough coin, you can seek out and make use of trainers to quickly improve your skills, too.

But even without the need to develop your skills, chances are you’d still want to explore the world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 simply because it’s so well put together. No matter which direction you travel, it never feels long before you encounter someone that might benefit from your help. And some of the people you meet are genuinely delightful. Along with a wealth of other discoveries to make along the way, it’s very easy to get side-tracked, spending upwards of tens of hours before you finally decide to push on with the game’s story again.

And when it comes to to the story, it’s a fairly riveting tale that’s full of politics, subterfuge and intrigue. For Henry and Sir Hans in particular there are highs and lows, with them both enjoying some genuinely entertaining witty banter at times, but also having to endure some hardships that can get pretty dark. Your choices really feel like they have an impact at times, too. On more than one occasion you’ll have to decide whether to follow your head or your heart, and the repercussions can be pretty serious. It’s because of this that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has more replayability than its predecessor. I’ve certainly considered a second playthrough already.

Returning players will find this pretty familiar for the most part though. The melee combat has been simplified a little, making it somewhat easier to get the hang of and be proficient in. Facing off against multiple opponents will still be the bane of your life, however. Henry gets a new ranged weapon to consider using against his enemies part way through the game, too. The Pistole is an extremely powerful yet primitive firearm, and one you won’t want to rely on. More reliable is your pet dog, Mutt, should you choose to reunite with him. Though while Mutt is helpful in some combat situations and can help you with some quests, he feels underutilised overall.

Needless to say, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 isn’t a complete home run. There are some elements here that disappoint a little or need some more attention. Some stealth sections, for example, can be a pain in the backside, with a couple in the game’s story in particular standing out. One, for example, left my poor Henry over-encumbered after… let’s say suffering an injury… reduced his stats. And so, I was left with a choice between struggling on, trying to escape while not being able to run, dropping valuable gear so that I was more agile, or reloading a previous save and losing progress so I could prepare for the unfortunate scenario.

Playing on PS5 Pro for review, I’ve also encountered numerous troublesome bugs while playing. Most of these, thankfully, haven’t been all that impactful, just things such as NPCs out on the open world struggling with pathing and some visual inconsistencies. One has prevented me from completing a side quest, however, due to not being able to access a room where I needed to perform a task. Additionally, while performance is flawless for the most part, there are some very noticeable dips during large-scale battles. Hopefully these bugs and performance issues can be resolved quickly after launch, if not with a day-one patch.

But even with these issues, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has impressed me immensely. It may not be all that different from its predecessor, but the improvements that have been made here make for an altogether more engaging and rewarding experience. And coupled with a story that grabs you from the outset and presents you with important choices to make that feel like they have real impact, it’s a spectacular package that will keep you occupied for tens, if not hundreds, of hours.