Kingdom Come: Deliverance II: First Impressions

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II: A First Look After 10 Hours

With Kingdom Come: Deliverance II recently launched, it's time to assess Warhorse Studios' second foray into interactive Czech history. After 10 hours, my initial impressions are overwhelmingly positive, prompting a strong desire to prioritize gameplay over work! Let's delve into the details.

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Comparison with the First Game:

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II retains the open-world action RPG structure of its predecessor, emphasizing historical accuracy and realistic mechanics. Players can adopt various roles – knight, thief, or diplomat – with survival elements like eating and sleeping impacting effectiveness. Combat remains challenging, particularly against multiple opponents.

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Visually, the game boasts stunning landscapes, a significant upgrade from the original, without the accompanying performance issues. This balance of visuals and optimization is commendable. Combat is refined, with a more intuitive system and smarter enemy AI. The reduction in attack directions and improved enemy switching enhance the tactical depth.

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Enemy behavior is notably improved; they strategically surround and outmaneuver the player, exhibiting realistic tactical awareness. Injured enemies intelligently retreat to receive support, adding a layer of realism to encounters.

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Beyond alchemy and dice games, blacksmithing is introduced, offering a new avenue for income and crafting high-quality equipment. The diverse crafting options prevent monotony. However, the unique controls presented an unexpected challenge, with horseshoe forging proving more difficult than weapon creation.

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Bugs:

While the original game suffered from technical issues, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II launches in a significantly more polished state. Minor bugs encountered included temporary UI glitches (easily resolved with a restart) and a minor visual anomaly involving an NPC. Overall, these were insignificant and did not detract from the experience.

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Realism and Difficulty:

The game maintains a believable level of realism without sacrificing gameplay enjoyment. The absence of a difficulty setting might deter some players, but the challenge is manageable for those experienced with other RPGs, provided a tactical approach is adopted. The historical detail is impressive, subtly woven into the experience rather than being overtly didactic.

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Should You Play Kingdom Come: Deliverance II?

New players can easily jump in; the prologue effectively summarizes the first game's events, providing necessary context for Henry's backstory. The opening hour masterfully blends tutorials with engaging gameplay, immediately immersing the player in medieval Bohemia.

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While the long-term story and quest quality remain to be fully assessed, initial impressions are highly positive. The improvements across the board represent a significant upgrade over the first game, shaping up to be a truly exceptional RPG. Only time will tell if this quality endures throughout the full playthrough.

Image: ensiplay.com

Image: ensiplay.com

Image: ensiplay.com