Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a surprisingly meditative game. What takes seconds in most RPGs instead requires patience and meticulous preparation. This is a game that really encourages you to role-play and buy into its setting.
In the roughly eight hours I’ve played so far, I feel as though I’ve barely scratched the surface of this 15th-century Bohemian adventure. It’s simultaneously vast and deep, housing many intricately layered gameplay systems.
Some of this complexity works in its favour. Making a weapon from scratch step-by-step at a blacksmith’s forge is an unexpectedly relaxing way to spend time as you hear villagers go about their day. Clashing steel with enemies, however, is a tough nut to crack.
Like the original game, you assume the role of Henry, a blacksmith’s son and bodyguard to the uppity noble Hans Capon. In an attempt to resolve simmering political tensions, the two of you act as envoys to deliver an important message with far-reaching ramifications. Naturally, things go terribly awry, setting the scene for the rest of the game.
Even though I never played the first game, donning my armour for the sequel never felt like I was missing some insider knowledge. During the opening hours of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, various moments reference the previous game’s events in a conversational tone. Instead of assuming you know or don’t know the events in question, characters chat about it in the same way you’d regale tall tales to mates at a pub.
Finding the joy in mundanity
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is all about gritty realism. It carries many of the hallmarks of RPGs; skill points, branching dialogue and story options, and lots of inventory management. But its unique approach to genre conventions is what’s most fascinating.
Take alchemy, for example. Most modern RPGs delegate potion-brewing and item-crafting to a set of menus. A few clicks here, some button presses there, and voila! A fresh item is yours for consumption. It’s all done without leaving an in-game menu.
From the opening hours, it’s obvious that you need to get your hands dirty to make anything of value. After being nursed back to health by a good samaritan, Henry needs a potion to aid the recovery. To do so, you need to source a recipe and then the ingredients before getting to work.
By way of a dingy alchemy hut, a rather involved mini-game takes place. Each step requires your direct involvement. From thumbing through Henry’s book of alchemy recipes to placing ingredients by hand, it’s a charming way of engaging with the world.
Because recipes aren’t overlayed as part of the user interface, I had to physically move Henry’s perspective to keep checking his book to correctly follow the detailed instructions. Was it one pinch of sage or two? What liquid base did I need to boil again? Each step in the process was something I took for granted in every other RPG I’ve played.
The same goes for blacksmithing, another endearing mini-game of reasonable impact. I found the rhythmic act of hammering white-hot steel into shape profoundly satisfying. It gave extra weight to the weaponry I carried, knowing I spent real time and effort crafting it.
Put to the sword
As much as I appreciated the winding story and daily life elements I’ve played so far, I still haven’t quite got my head around the combat in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. More weapons are available than in the original game, although I’ve focused on traditional one-handed swordplay (not a euphemism) as an entry point.
As opposed to mashing buttons or rolling virtual dice to decide the outcome, fighting opponents is a very measured act, inspired by real-world swordfighting. Directional arrows appear on foes, indicating which direction your strikes are coming from. You can swing from the left or right sides, from above, or lunge forward in a stabbing motion by moving the right control stick before tapping the trigger button.
Where you aim is dictated by the position of your enemy’s weapon. Are they holding it to the side, or are they protecting their head with a raised sword? Attacking unprotected areas is tougher than it looks, with combatants swiftly blocking and parrying any tepid swings.
Fights then become drawn-out affairs, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Early on, with low-level equipment and skills, I met my end more times than I can recall. My mistakes were harshly punished by opponents who could strike me down in a few quick blows.
I accept it’s all part of the learning process in a game that prides itself on not holding your hand. However, these early struggles are only exacerbated by a restrictive save system. Saving requires using a consumable potion or sleeping in a bed Henry owns. I respect the game’s commitment to making you earn your saves, but damn, it’s disheartening to lose hard-earned progress in the blink of an eye.
While I’m keen to persist with the tough combat system, it’s the lovely slice-of-life elements that keep me coming back. It’s nice to play a deliberately slower-paced RPG that isn’t about instant gratification. That, and I’m eager to see where Henry’s escapades lead to next ahead of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 launching on 4 February.
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