Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – PS5 Review

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The original Kingdom Come: Deliverance was released back in 2018. With all the time that has passed since then, how has Warhorse Studios expanded on such an iconic game? Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 sees us carry on Henry’s journey of revenge. But how enjoyable is that journey for the player? Let’s take a dive into the 15th Century and find out!

Gritty, Gruesome, Glorious

With a rich open world, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is one of the most detailed RPG’s that I’ve played. But is it a good follow on from the first, or should it have been left?

Gameplay

Having sold over 2 million copies in 2 weeks, you may believe that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a perfect game. Well, in my opinion it isn’t. Not for me anyway. I’ve been playing for quite a while and I feel that I’ve not really scratched too much of the surface of the game. Even after I write this review I will be diving right back into the game to dig deeper into the incredibly intricate RPG elements.

We join Henry of Skalitz on his journey to avenge his murdered parents. Within minutes of starting the game you are introduced to the humour that is pretty much prevalent across the whole game. Crude humour as well as a slight tinge of bigotry. It’s all in keeping with the times though…albeit that doesn’t make it right. You start the game as a bodyguard for Hans Capon, although a number of your group are brutally killed in an ambush and you are left wearing just your underpants. You get wounded pretty early on and are close to death, thankfully for you and the length of the game, you are nursed back to full health. This is where the journey starts.

All of your actions from here on out effect how others see you and react to you. If you keep stealing things from others then it is no surprise that people will be guarded. You might even get stopped more regularly and searched by the local bobbies. Thankfully though the opposite is also true. If you aim to be a gentleman, helping those that need it and such then you will start to gain a great reputation. It really is all in your own hands.

Fighting

The fighting system of the first game is back, draw your sword and get ready for tactical battles. Picking which area of your opponent to attack, but being mindful of where to defend brings a strategy that I’ve not experienced elsewhere. Parrying your opponent’s attacks and opening them up for devastating blows brings so much satisfaction. Although it would have been nice to have had a bit more brutality to the attacks. A well-timed attack to the head should finish someone without a helmet. Whereas all it does is reduce their health. Same as a perfectly timed attack to the arms with a sword should really be removing a hand or something.

There are a lot of weapons that you can pick up and look after. Find a grindstone and you can keep your blades sharp to do the most damage. Although be careful as if you work them too hard you can actually damage the blades.

Accuracies

As with any game boasting about being immersive, you expect a certain level of accuracy. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is no different. If it was all guns and lasers, you wouldn’t be as into it. Thankfully what you have is an incredibly accurate depiction of 15th Century medieval Europe. So it goes without saying that the inventory system and clothing system has a level of authenticity expected. Relief you cry, as you have to put on specific items of clothing before you can put on armour or a helmet. There is so much depth to is it’s actually quite scary if you aren’t prepared for it.

Even the way that you level up Henry is enjoyable. You will only level up if you use that particular skill. So if you don’t converse with people then you will never get the option to upgrade your charisma stats. Or if you stay away from fighting then you will never get better. You really have to life Henry’s life in the game to develop him.

All in all the gameplay is wildly addictive yet exceedingly infuriating. I found myself at one point losing around half hours worth of gameplay because I got killed. Any other game I would have shut down and walked away, but not Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. I tried again with a different tactic until I was successful.

Saviour

The only negative that I found was the saving system. You can either craft a drink that allows you to save at any time, or you have to go and sleep in your bed. Thankfully I found that if you head to the pause menu there is also a Save and Quit option. Which saves right at the point. Make use of that!

Graphics & Audio

Ok here is where the game is a mixed bag. On the one hand, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has some incredible graphics. The environments are brilliant and the character models whilst walking around are really good. Then you head into the audio section and this is where I found my biggest issues.

In the cut scenes, the characters seem to have much better accents and voice acting. Switch into the gameplay, and those characters all of a sudden seem to be voiced by someone else with terrible accents. For example, there is a woman that you meet early on and she has a Yorkshire-type accent in the cut scenes. Then when you speak to her whilst in the game, she all of a sudden sounds like a cross between Andy from Little Britain and someone from the Caribbean. There was also a cut scene where someone had an American accent, yet in the game that was gone and a British accent remained. Its a big jarring and definitely caused an issue for me.

Longevity

Toted as having between 60 and 80 hours worth of gameplay, it’s going to take up quite a few evenings playing. There is so much to do in the game that balancing the side quests and the main quests is sometimes difficult. Thankfully the game is meant to be played at your own pace, so just do what you enjoy most. It, however, isn’t the kind of game where you can pick it up and just play for a short period.

Final Thoughts

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has sold an incredible amount already, and it’s clear to see why. Its rich immersive world is something to behold. Yes, it isn’t without its faults, but those can be overlooked for now when you realise what you have in your hands. Taking control of Henry once again and starting to become attached with the character, you fear death, but you strive to help him grow. With RPG elements that deserve a massive round of applause, you will revel in creating the ultimate Henry.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award, because it’s just so bloody addictive!

Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.

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About Author

Stuart

Been playing games since I can remember, from spectrum all the to current consoles. Always been interested in video game news and recently got the opportunity to head up a great team of eager people. I’m generally a man of many words but I try and be succinct and to the point in everything I write.

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