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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 aims to be an authentic RPG adventure set in the late Middle Ages, seeking to rise above its critically acclaimed 2018 predecessor.
Our five hours of hands-on gameplay have given us a glimpse of what the RPG currently offers and what we can expect when it fully launches on February 4, 2025.
It’s a diamond in the rough so far, with promising features I can’t wait to explore further. Some aspects are mudded with issues, particularly with performance and voice acting. But its stunning visuals, streamlined combat, branching dialogue, and commitment to historical accuracy reach a noble standard.
This article will discuss Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 gameplay details, but we will avoid any major spoilers regarding the plot outside of the main premise.
Key Takeaways
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a first person RPG adventure game.
- The game takes place in 1403, set in early 15th-century Bohemia.
- Branching dialogue allows you to learn new skills, alter your reputation, and create different outcomes.
- Console ports sometimes experience unloaded textures, screen freezes, and other minor glitches.
- The full release is scheduled for February 4, 2025.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Story (so far)
[su_notes]From Riches to Rags[/su_note]
The game opens up with a broad explanation of current events to ensure players are caught up to speed. Prior knowledge of the previous title is advantageous for the Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 story, but it isn’t necessary as the game provides context.
The year is 1403 in Bohemia (currently Czech Republic in modern times), and it covers a civil conflict for the throne. King Winceslaus VI has been kidnapped and imprisoned by his half-brother, Sigismund, who seeks to erase his opposition in pursuing the crown.
Our protagonist is Henry, who was also the main character of the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance game. Henry’s home village was burned down by Markvart von Aulitz, the main villain of the previous title, and as a result lost both his parents and his father’s sword.
Now he is in the service of Sir Radzig Kobyla, who seeks to free the King and return him to the throne. He is tasked with escorting Sir Hans Capon as his bodyguard while he delivers a message to von Bergow in the hopes of enlisting his help.
The opening hours of gameplay had some impactful moments, but they didn’t fully take advantage of the branching dialogue options. The game’s main goal is to establish the motivations of the main cast and introduce the player to the most essential game mechanics.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Gameplay
Combat has undergone several changes since the original in order to simplify mechanics, making it much easier for newer players to learn the ropes before engaging in more complex systems.
Moment-to-moment gameplay encourages careful analysis of your opponent’s moves and responding accordingly. Choose to block, parry, attack, and riposte in one of four directions, all the while managing your health and stamina.
The Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 combat is far from a cakewalk but much more manageable. Particularly as the block can now fend off attacks from numerous foes at once, giving Henry a better chance of making it out alive when faced against a group.
The first five hours didn’t provide opportunities to experiment with that many weapon types. Bowguns remain the same as the previous game, and we were relegated to swords and axes for the most part.
The more interesting aspect that caught my attention was the branching dialogue options and how they utilized both persuasion and reputation.
There are six avenues for persuasion: speech, charisma, might, coercion, domination, and dread. Each one has a unique chance of success, depending on your stats. For example, playing as a knight will increase your might, while dressing as a noble will influence domination and charisma.
We loaded up some saves to see what outcomes specific dialogue options would create. Making the correct choice can be the difference between resolving conflicts peacefully and an all-out brawl. We’ve yet to see the full extent of the reputation system and its impact on gameplay, but it does inform you that it will affect dialogue options with NPCs, discounts with merchants, and more.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Performance
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PC via Steam. We played the first few hours on the PS5 and were taken aback by how well the game looked both in-game and during cutscenes.
The lavish and detailed environments are only brought down by some of the stiffer animations of certain characters or NPCs in the game. We saw a mostly smooth performance overall, with no instances of crashing throughout the playthrough.
However, The start wasn’t flawless, as several small issues reared their heads when we booted the game. Trying to take screenshots or recordings during cutscenes or gameplay caused the game to freeze, causing me to close the game and relaunch it.
In some instances of gameplay we saw certain textures on screen widely go out of control, with white flashes appearing on occasion. This was also in performance mode, which prioritized high framerates closer to 60fps over graphical fidelity, and a few cracks still managed to appear.
It is important to note that performance may vary on different platforms, including the PS5 Pro compared to the PS5. The game will be enhanced when using this console compared to the slim or standard models, with up to 2160p resolution and 60fps.
Considering that we’ve only scratched the surface of the open world, which is twice the size of the original game. I’m interested to see if this game can perform to the very end and what other secrets lie in wait.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 First Impressions
The opening does a good job of establishing the core mechanics of the game, but I feel as though it’s too linear to really showcase what this game is all about. Despite some design and performance hiccups, there was a lot of quality content on the table to keep me engaged.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 combat has a steep learning curve, yet feels rewarding when mastered. However, some of the animations do feel a little floaty, as there is a lack of force and impact when swinging weapons. Swords feel the most versatile so far, and I’m keen to see if any of the other weapons have differing functionalities to them.
The voice acting in this game is flat and rather uninteresting. Even the main cast themselves, mainly consisting of Hans and Henry, lack any nuance to their performance, and often switch from monotone to over the top. The gameplay elements that come with multiple dialogue options do most of the heavy lifting.
The first opening hours are quite linear, with dialogue options having a minimal impact on the overarching narrative so far. This is to be expected, as the first few missions are more focused on teaching the player about plot and mechanics. I’m hoping that the game will start to truly shine once it hands over the reins to the players and lets them see Bohemia for themselves.
There are a lot of mechanics here that I really enjoyed, such as the alchemy mechanics. Rather than selecting a button to autocraft an item, players are required to physically handcraft their own potions for a variety of effects. From grinding ingredients to boiling them in a cauldron over a fire, all the while staying mindful of timing.
One thing I will say is that this game takes a blunt approach to informing the player. It will often pause gameplay to hit you with a wall of text to go over menu navigation, combat mechanics, mini-game rules, and more.
It took me a good while before I finally wrapped my head around the rules of dice and some of the other additive features in this game. Some will appreciate that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 doesn’t hold your hand, but others may feel a little overwhelmed by all the information.
In just five hours of hands-on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 gameplay, I’ve had an experience befitting of a king. What I have seen so far has left me both optimistic and eager to uncover the adventures still to come.
The Bottom Line
The RPG adventure game left a strong first impression during our preview. It demonstrated robust combat, stunning visuals, and a commendable dedication to historical accuracy that we hope continues throughout the rest of the game.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will be released on February 4, 2025, on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC via Steam. The standard edition will cost $59.99, and the gold edition will cost $79.99.
