Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is the highly anticipated sequel to the 2018 hit Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Developed by Warhorse Studios, the follow-up promises to be bigger, braver, and bolder than its predecessor. After getting a hands-on preview, I’m raring to get my hands on the entire adventure.

Warhorse Studios continues with its ethos for authenticity, aiming to deliver a historically accurate action RPG. The development team travelled extensively to capture the essence of medieval Bohemia, which is immediately evident in the world-building, gameplay, and detailed codexes reflecting the era’s life and times. The result is a visually stunning recreation of medieval Europe in the game’s explorable areas. The dev team left no stone unturned. 

My time as the blacksmith’s son and unlikely hero, Henry, began quite far into the main story in one of the most prominent areas, Kuttenberg. I instantly felt transported to this medieval society with populated streets and an authentically medieval atmosphere through sounds and sights. The familiar quest-giver scenario feels right at home for any RPG fan. This particular quest giver, travelling master swordsman Menhard of Frankfurt, seeks to stake his claim as a swordmaster in town. I swiftly learned that it wouldn’t just be my combat abilities that mattered in these scenarios. With a strong focus on dialogue choices, it became clear my conversational skills were crucial to winning over friends and foes. 

An attempt to mislead guards somehow led me to offend the swordmaster himself when I used an utterly made-up dalliance with the swordmaster’s daughter as a response to a guard’s investigations, causing a sufficient blow to Menhard’s ego, for his daughter’s supposed woo-ing. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is fully voice-acted, and considering how many dialogue options I had in that scenario alone, there are plenty of ways a conversation can go.

Henry needs to keep his reputation in check to hammer it home. With stats not only for combat and stealth but also for speech and charisma, it’s in Henry’s best interests to keep his reputation strong for an easier time moving forward. After my slight infraction on Menhard’s ego, we got to work plotting to steal the guild sword. A task, my dear Henry, was signed up for.  

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II encouraged me to take my time. Quests can be approached in various ways. In this case, I skipped time to hit the streets at night. In other games, darkness is my friend, and I can get away with a surprising amount of lurking in the shadows. Here, looming in the city is strictly prohibited, as in Kuttenberg. Carrying a torch at night is required lest you wish to draw guards’ attention. 

The hypervigilance needed to stroll past guards without being suspected had me on the edge of my seat. Any slightly shifty and shady business was enough for the guards and sometimes onlookers to become aware and concerned about my presence. I very quickly learned that manners are important. Greeting a guard while walking past may be enough to grant a small semblance of passage past them. Failure to do so may result in you being sent back to the inn or straight for a lashing.

Warhorse Studios made an incredible effort to make strategic gameplay choices matter. Waiting it out until night when fewer people are around is excellent until I accounted for all the securely locked doors upon nightfall. During the day, Henry may be able to walk right into the guild with the proper tact. I learned that the city’s residents take their security very seriously and do not take kindly to my deplorable lockpicking antics.

Of course, like the previous title, combat is one of the main pillars of the game. With quality-of-life improvements, more weapon animations for swords and maces are now available. With the introduction of crossbows and firearms, combat encounters require even more skill. Tactfully hitting in certain places, armour can hinder stamina if hit when trying to swipe at vulnerable points. Hacking and slashing at enemies is not a skilled fighter; carefully anticipating attacks and parrying at the perfect moment is key, while delivering jabs and stabs when possible. Movement felt responsive, allowing me to land hits as intended smoothly. 

I was grounded in reality but surprisingly didn’t miss the fantasy elements I’m accustomed to with action RPGs. There’s something to be said for returning to basics with weaponry and tools at your disposal. It’s by no means easy. The complexity in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II comes from mastery on a medieval scale. Warhorse says they wanted to create something true to their vision while making it more accessible, and based on my experience, picking up and playing it was daunting at first, but the fight for mastery feels completely worth it.

As someone new to the series, I appreciated that it didn’t hold my hand but gave me enough to hone my skills by doing. The story doesn’t expect you to remember or be familiar with any Kingdom Come: Deliverance details. Instead, it will remind you in the most nuanced ways, or you could tell your returning accomplices you’ve forgotten. 

The preview perfectly demonstrates the challenging yet satisfying gameplay Kingdom Come: Deliverance II seeks to deliver. It ups the ante on everything fans know and love about the game and that many more have to discover.

Warhorse Studios has forged something I can’t wait to get reacquainted with when it releases early next year on February 4, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.

Written by: Yasmin Noble