I reviewed the first Kingdom Come Deliverance back in 2018 and was pleasantly surprised by just about every feature it had to offer. Having almost unlimited freedom to explore a carefully crafted medieval open world felt like a rewarding experience in itself. But when combined with the numerous functional gameplay mechanics and systems, this is something worth coming back to again and again.
Almost seven years later, Kingdom Come Deliverance II revived the franchise in a big way. Our first impressions are as positive as possible, considering that this sequel expands on and refines the best features of its predecessor. It’s still endless medieval frolic, but it’s substantially better than ever and is set to be one of the biggest surprises of 2025.
henry returns
The first Kingdom Come Deliverance, as open-ended as it was, focused on the main character, Henry of Skalitz, who had to come to terms with the murder of his parents and exact revenge. While the first game introduced you to the mechanics rather slowly, Kingdom Come Deliverance II kicks off with a bang as you don the armor of an unknown veteran knight and fight off enemies besieging your castle. The game then quickly introduced you to combat, allowing you to use long-range weapons such as crossbows.
Smash was cut short six weeks ago, and the game finds you playing as Henry once again, in a relatively important position as a bodyguard to a prominent royal figure. Without spoiling too much, this extended introduction shows how a routine trip to deliver a message to a neighboring kingdom goes awry, while Henry’s seemingly rational . Now reduced to just a squire, the game has effectively stripped Henry of all the high-level skills he probably gained in the first game, and now he has to go back.
This preview focuses only on the first few hours of the game, but I was impressed with how much cleaner and more cinematic it was. I’d also like to add here that while the first game was great, this introduction does a good job of getting you up to speed, so you don’t really feel the need to go back and play it. .
While the first game was packed with plenty of voiced dialogue and interesting dialogue, developer Warhorse Studios upped the budget and added more detailed character models, better lip-syncing, and more that only helped the story. It delivered a ton of well-acted cutscenes. It feels like a much bigger budget medieval movie than its predecessor.
knight in progress
While I’m looking forward to seeing where this story goes, I’m also grateful that they managed to keep most of the experience together. Sure, most of the main story defeats the land the same way, but Henry has multiple ways to deal with things based on how you want to adjust and build your skills. While you can focus on improving your fighting ability to become more agile and powerful in sword fights, sharpen your mind and tongue to make your words carry weight and make your enemies and allies alike aware of yours. You can also persuade them to follow your will. Before things get messy.
Don’t like combat? You can also hone your thievery and stealth skills to make sure your pranks go unnoticed. This game allows you to do things as you see fit, which was a big advantage from the first game, but it feels like the scope is even wider here. Why kill your enemies in cold blood on the street when you can learn how to make poisonous potions, chase them all day long to find their favorite bar, and slip something into their beer when they’re not looking? Or?
That being said, the combat in Kingdom Come Deliverance II is really solid. Similar to the first game, in close combat you change the angle of your swing by tilting the right stick in a specific direction. The game introduces a more powerful block and repost system, making it easier to defend and counterattack on the fly. The game also introduces ranged weapons, and while I didn’t have much time to play with them, they’re still a welcome addition.
I admire this sequel for its abundance of options and near-unprecedented freedom, and it’s not for nothing. There’s always a reason for everything you do. Whether you’re looking to accomplish your goals, improve your skills, or pick up some swag or shiny new weapons, Kuttenberg and the surrounding Bohemian Paradise area are filled with things to see, do, and collect. Masu.
look at the part
I wouldn’t say the first Kingdom Come Deliverance was particularly bad, but Kingdom Come Deliverance II is much better. New generation consoles aside, character models are more detailed, and the open world feels fleshed out with better textures and lighting effects, and solid performance.
Kingdom Come Deliverance II offers a Quality mode that delivers 2160p/30fps upscaled from 1440p with FSR, and a Performance mode that delivers 1440p/60fps upscaled from 1080p with FSR. It all runs relatively smoothly, but I feel like the latter performance mode wins out in the long run, as the 1440p resolution still looks very nice.
Thoughts so far
There’s no doubt about that. Kingdom Come Deliverance II managed to improve on its predecessor in almost every way. There’s simply so much to do and see, and the story feels much more cinematic and high-budget compared to the first game. There’s absolutely no need to play the first game, but it’s still a game I definitely recommend.
But while we’ve only played the sequel for a few hours, it’s clear that it’s trying to build on strong tropes and mechanics, from combat to exploration, which makes it incredibly engaging. It’s a medieval adventure and one of the biggest surprises of 2025. as soon as possible.
Kingdom Come Deliverance II will be released on February 4, 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PC. Please wait for the official review closer to release.
