Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Review

After a long six-year wait since the release of the first game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 brings Henry of Skalitz back into the fray for his next adventure and players back into one of the most historically accurate, realistic, and gorgeous recreations of the Middle Ages ever designed for a video game. And the wait was worth it, as Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 brings to the table something even its predecessor couldn’t, with refined gameplay, vastly improved visuals, a larger and more fulfilling open world, and a gripping, gritty narrative that is as easy to follow as it is to enjoy.

For Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 to be judged rightly, it needs to be seen for what it is rather than what it is not. It’s not an epic fantasy RPG like Dragon’s Dogma 2 or The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim; it’s essentially a narrative-driven medieval sim meant to immerse players in the history and world of that period, all while telling its own story. What some may define as limitations are simply the boundaries of realism that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has voluntarily enclosed itself in to produce a more authentic role-playing experience than most modern RPGs provide. When examined through that lens, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is exactly what it aims to be, and that’s arguably all that it needs to be. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is, without a doubt, one of the first great games of 2025.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s Living World Is a Gorgeous Backdrop to a Gripping Narrative

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s World Feels More Alive Than Ever

As was the case with the first game, the star of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is its meticulously crafted medieval world. However, this time, there are plenty of improvements to note, each executed brilliantly. Most notably, KCD2‘s world is more alive than ever, with NPCs that dynamically react to just about everything, from the way players are dressed to the way they behave themselves. Of course, these were some of the first game’s standout features as well, but they have been significantly dialed up in the sequel to make it feel as though players are surrounded by a living, breathing world.

Much of the life found within Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s world is due to its protagonist, Henry, being an ordinary person. Many RPGs put players in the shoes of a messianic protagonist with some pre-ordained destiny to save the world, which ultimately leads to said individual possessing godlike powers, or at least the know-all necessary to lead the world and its inhabitants toward salvation. KCD2, on the other hand, foregoes that trope in favor of realism, making Henry nothing more than a blacksmith’s son who barely even knew how to read at the beginning of the first game.

It’s ultimately Henry’s normal status in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 that enlarges the spotlight that might have, in a different game, been used to highlight him alone. Rather than KCD2‘s focus being solely on Henry and his journey, that focus is spread more evenly to the world around him, which makes it just as important as he is. Walking through Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s Kuttenberg, merchants can be heard speaking with NPCs in the same manner they might speak with Henry, and an occasional fistfight might break out between two NPCs who can’t agree to disagree on something.

The world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is constantly on the move, with or without the involvement of the player. Each NPC in KCD2 has a set schedule that they follow, and unless players or the aforementioned random events interfere with that schedule, they’ll continue to follow it. Much of this is due to Henry’s normalcy, similarly to that of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion‘s Hero of Kvatch. In a way, KCD2‘s NPCs treat Henry as though he is also an NPC — unless he is seen doing something out of the ordinary, like robbing a store or igniting a drunken brawl.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s rendition of medieval Bohemia is stunning to look at as well, whether players are in an urban area surrounded by the townspeople or on a hill overlooking the green country. KCD2‘s visuals are a massive leap ahead of its predecessor, especially when a cinematic is playing, with more detail given to the hair on characters’ heads, the armor on their bodies, and the sword in their hand. Exploring the open country of 15th-century Bohemia is also a treat, not because there are shining golden chests with powerful armor to be found, but because exploration in KCD2 almost always results in one’s grip tightening on the broader world through memorable anecdotes, interesting sights, and peculiar people.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s Narrative Is Gripping, Emotional, and Easy to Follow

While Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s living world is captivating to behold, it ultimately serves as a backdrop to the game’s narrative, which is gripping, emotional, and easy to follow. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s story begins right where the first game’s story leaves off, with Henry and Sir Hans Capon on their way to Trosky Castle in hopes of securing more support against Sigismund, the Bohemian King. While the story begins with a light and joyful tone, things go wrong fairly quickly, leaving Henry behind to pick up the pieces and solve a brand-new mystery.

Even thoughKingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is technically a continuation of the first game’s story, it still works well as a standalone game. This is largely on account of the fact that the sequel’s opening couple of hours do their due diligence to fill players in on the biggest events from the first game’s story through flashbacks and conversations. It even gives returning players a chance to establish their version of Henry through some key dialogue choices, which is an okay exchange for the lack of a save file transfer.

Something else worth mentioning about Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s narrative is that the plethora of side quests in the game help to flesh out the game’s world and give more body to the overarching story. I don’t recall ever being bored with a particular side quest, and I did almost every single one of them in my playthrough of nearly 150 hours. Each one of them was intriguing in its own way, even when I was stuck doing mundane tasks. I would chalk that up to how well KCD2‘s side quests do at steeping players even more deeply into its medieval world, how excellent most of the vocal performances are, and how rewarding each quest is.

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Player Agency Is the Bread and Butter of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Almost Every Choice in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Has Consequences

Player agency in games has significantly risen in popularity over the last decade, especially as developers continue to find increasingly creative ways to implement it into their game design. That’s where Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 shines brightest, as it thrives on player agency to the point that almost every decision, whether big or small, has some effect on the game’s world. The loop of KCD2‘s gameplay is nearly impossible to accurately describe, as it simply involves going anywhere, doing anything, and moving as slowly or as quickly as one desires without ever feeling pressure from the game’s narrative to follow a certain path.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is as role-playing as they come, ensuring that players are allowed to do just about anything they put their mind to, so long as they are willing to endure the potential consequences of those actions. This element of gameplay is most evident in KCD2‘s dialogue, which often presents players with numerous options to choose from, each of which will often lead to an entirely different outcome in the conversation or the quest associated with it. Players have an immense amount of personal power in shaping Henry’s character, relationships, and role in KCD2‘s story, regardless of what they’re doing.

All of that said, it’s not as though Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 won’t let players know when they’ve done something they’re not supposed to do. It is entirely possible to achieve great wealth by robbing every house and shop throughout KCD2‘s two open-world regions, but getting caught can lead to unfortunate consequences. Fortunately for myself, I was a bit of a smooth-talker from the get-go, so I was able to weasel my way out of plenty of tense moments that might have otherwise seen me literally branded as a thief. However, other players may not have the same luxury, especially in the earlier stages of the game when Henry’s skills aren’t quite sharpened yet.

Systems like this are exacerbated by the fact that saving the game in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a rather expensive thing to do, as it can only be done by sleeping in an owned/rented bed, exiting the game via “Save and Quit,” or drinking a Saviour Schnapps. The latter is the most convenient way to save, but also the most costly, as Saviour Schnapps are somewhat rare, and not cheap. It’s comparable to Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s fast travel system, which requires a rare resource and is put in place to discourage players from zipping across the map. In the same way, it’s often difficult to save scum just before committing a crime in KCD2, making any player freedom in those scenarios a toss up.

However, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s player agency still shines when players do whatever they want. While the game’s story is more than worth experiencing, its side quests are just as worth it. There are plenty of quests in KCD2 that have some connection to another, with the outcome of one quest directly affecting the progress of a different quest, thereby adding weight to the player’s choice to venture off the beaten path for some extracurricular fun. To top it all off, KCD2 never makes players feel bad for shoveling manure behind an inn to settle the debt of two random strangers rather than attending to the more demanding tasks at hand.

Player Agency Plays a Big Role in Shaping Henry’s Gameplay in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s emphasis on player agency doesn’t just come into play from a choices and consequences standpoint either, as it directly affects the way Henry plays as well. It’s actually very similar to The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion‘s progression system, where performing actions increases the player’s experience in various aspects of gameplay — stats like Strength and Agility, skills like Speech and Stealth, and combat techniques like Swords and Heavy Weapons. To increase Henry’s Speech stat, for example, players need to engage in conversation with NPCs and take advantage of Speech skill checks when they appear.

This is a direct reflection of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s emphasis on player agency, as it is ultimately tangible proof of how players like to play the game. Players who prefer to use swords will naturally become more skilled with swords the more they use them, whereas players who prefer a stealthier approach will increase their Stealth stat as they sneak around pickpocketing NPCs or looting locked chests. There’s no pressure on players to approach things in a certain way. Even when a quest encourages them to complete an objective quietly, for example, they can still run in guns blazing and complete the quest anyway, though it might not result in the most favorable outcome.

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Is More Accessible Without Being Dumbed Down

An important element worth mentioning is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s increased accessibility. One of the biggest complaints many had with the first game was that it was too difficult with a steep learning curve. This is largely on account of how grounded in realism Kingdom Come: Deliverance wanted to be, which is, ironically, also what it is known for. KCD2, however, has been made far more accessible in many ways without compromising the realism that defined the first game.

Even with greater accessibility, KCD2 can be challenging at times, especially in the beginning. That being said, most will warm up to KCD2 much quicker than its predecessor.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s combat, for one thing, has been refined, with the first game’s five-directional system being reduced to four. The sequel’s combat also rewards aggressive play more than the first game. A problem with the first KCD is that its combat encounters were very sluggish and slow, and while things start out that way in KCD2, they pick up the pace much quicker than they did before.

This increased accessibility goes far beyond combat to deliver an experience that more casual players should be able to get behind with time, but that doesn’t mean everything is easy. For instance, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s crafting systems — like blacksmithing and alchemy — require patience and precision that some players might not be willing to put forth. KCD2‘s more severe consequences for committing crimes also make doing so successfully more difficult than before. Even so, this is all part of the quintessential Kingdom Come: Deliverance experience, so the game arguably can’t be faulted for staying true to itself.

Ultimately, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a masterclass in historical immersion, player-driven storytelling, and deeply rewarding role-playing mechanics. It refines everything that made its predecessor a cult classic while making strides in accessibility, realism, and its living world. Whether it’s the weighty and deliberate combat, the branching quests that honor player choices, or the meticulously crafted medieval world filed to the brim with life, KCD2 does an excellent job of making players feel like a part of its history. While it doesn’t hold players’ hands, it offers a level of freedom and consequence-driven gameplay that few RPGs can match.

For those who appreciate RPGs that lean into simulation rather than spectacle, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a standout experience — one that is best approached with patience and an eagerness to embrace its historical authenticity and realism. It may not cater to every type of player, but for those willing to engage with its systems, it delivers one of the most satisfying and immersive role-playing experiences in recent memory. With its stunning visuals, refined gameplay mechanics, and a gripping continuation of Henry’s journey, KCD2 cements itself as one of the most compelling RPGs of the year, regardless of what may come after it.

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Reviewed on PC

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Released

February 4, 2025

Developer(s)

Warhorse Studios

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Pros & Cons

• Living World Ground in Realism
• Memorable Story and Characters
• Strong Emphasis on Player Agency
• Balanced and Rewarding Gameplay

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is available on February 4 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Game Rant was provided a PC code for this review.