Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 review: medieval mania

Philipp Rüegg

3.2.2025

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 offers the most believable medieval world I’ve ever experienced in a game. The Bohemian Empire is rough, dirty and simply beautiful.

«So real you can smell the steaming horse poop». That’s how I titled my review of the first game. The clickbait techniques of my former employer Watson still inspired me. In essence, however, the statement is correct.

In 2018, Czech studio Warhorse released Kingdom Come Deliverance, an impressive open-world medieval game that emphasises authenticity and realism. Despite this claim to realism, the debut was first and foremost a role-playing game and not a simulation. Just like part two. This makes the game more accessible and extensive without betraying its principles.

Hans’ uncle is part of the resistance movement loyal to King Wenceslas, rightful ruler of the Bohemian Empire. One problem: he’s being held captive by his brother Sigismund. Together with Heinrich, Hans has to deliver an important document to a potential ally.

The story is simple really, but I regularly lost the thread. There are too many names, titles of nobility and cities to remember. Nevertheless, the political intrigue is exciting and, above all, feels credible. Among other things, because most of the characters are based on historical figures, just like the story and the geography.

As I walk along a small river on a narrow path and discover a picturesque castle on a hill, I almost melt away. Apart from the distances, significantly shorter than reality for technical reasons, no game captures the medieval flair better and more authentically than Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.

The many castles and palaces, all recreated in great detail, also contribute to this. There’s Trosky Castle, for example, which was built on an extinct volcano in 1380. Otto von Bergow lives there, to whom Heinrich and Hans are to deliver the document in question. The castle still exists today. I spent several hours there in-game, exploring every nook and cranny from the dungeon to the Jungfrau and Vettel towers. It felt like I was on an interactive museum tour.

The world isn’t just big, it also feels alive, something that other open-world games notoriously struggle with. Residents go about their daily work. They visit the inn, work in the fields, eat dinner together then go to bed. All the clothing and armour are also real eye-catchers. A complete suit of armour consists of more than a dozen parts that I can put on individually. I feel like a cosplayer rummaging through my imaginary closet.

Every NPC makes a decisive contribution to the authenticity of the medieval world. If I bump into them, whistle for my horse right next to them or behave suspiciously, they react. In the early hours, I felt real discomfort when I broke into a poor carpenter’s house to steal a lute or when there was a fatal incident because someone caught me sneaking around.

I also love that the English-language version features numerous German speakers. They simulate the many German immigrants and traders who were on the move in Bohemia at the time. English and German are mixed, making the whole thing even more authentic.

Where the efforts to achieve authenticity can be seen as a negative is in the variety of the game world. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is set in Bohemia and exclusively in Bohemia. The landscape is mostly green, hilly and full of deciduous forests. You’ll search in vain for a complete change of scenery in the form of a snowy landscape, desert or swamp.

Blacksmithing and alchemy are the only professions that Heinrich has mastered. It’s not like he’s a jack of all trades. He knows these skills because he learned them in the first part, and not simply because he invested points in a talent tree. Note, there are some in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 regardless. It’s still a role-playing game, even if it is sometimes more reminiscent of a survival game with its sleep and food management.

Sieges are superbly staged. Heinrich and Hans’ errand takes them to Nabokov Fortress early. There, they have to withstand an attack by Markwart von Aulitz and his Prague mercenary troops. I first take aim at troops storming in with ladders using my bow, crossbow or the new hand cannon. Although the latter has a lot of penetrating power, it takes far too long to load. And I’m no better at aiming than a drunken partygoer handling a firework.

When the enemies set up their long ladders, I try to push them away. If that doesn’t work, chaotic battles ensue across the corridors. I fend off the attack on the main gate by throwing heavy rocks at the heads of enemies below.

It often helps to talk to the pub landlady first and find out the latest rumours. Alternatively, I overhear a dispute between two landowners who have been bickering over a meadow for years. I can mime the peacemaker or stir up controversy by painting a prize-winning white bull black. Many quests can be solved in different ways. This is where the game differs significantly from Red Dead Redemption 2, which often only allows one path in its mission design.

Good speech skills are almost always an advantage. In the spirit of high fashion, beautiful and especially washed clothes give a bonus to my charisma. Conversely, people will hold their noses when you walk through the streets stinking and dripping with blood – or forget to put on pants. Hey, it can happen.

On my travels through the Trosky and Kuttenberg regions, I often let my gut guide my way. Even if the main quest takes you to most of the sights, there’s always something to discover off the main road. One time, I went on a witch hunt in an abandoned mine. Later, a legend about a water goblin led me to find a real silver axe.

Without time pressure for this review, I’d hardly ever have used the fast travel option. Riding through the picturesque landscapes is just too much fun. However, fast travel is occasionally interrupted by chance encounters that I might have missed.

The mission design isn’t flawless either. At one point, I had to sneak through a forest full of enemy soldiers. But since they don’t follow a clear pattern and there’s practically nowhere to hide, the whole thing becomes an annoying trial and error thing. And as there’s no quicksave option and I didn’t want to waste an infinite amount of schnapps, I ended up quitting the game every 50 metres to save.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 was provided to me by Plaion. I tested the PC version. The game is available from 4 January for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles. more

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