Developer | Warhorse Interactive
Publisher | Plaion Deep Silver
Format | PC, PS5, Xbox Series
Origin | Czechia
Release | February 18
As Freddie Mercury might have put it, given the chance: is this the real life of central Europeans circa 1400, or is this just fantasy? Historical accuracy has been the beating heart of Kingdom Come: Deliverance since its original 2018 release, and although questions were rightly raised about the ethnic composition of that game's population, nobody cast doubt on developer Warhorse's ability to conjure a place from the farthest reaches of time and paint it as vividly as the medium's ever seen.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/9879545219.jpg]
That remains the most captivating element of this sequel, though it's joined by a raft of refinements. The most surprising of which, given the dour setting, is comedy.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/8258444988.jpg]
But even setting aside the laughs, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II's storytelling immediately feels different. Playing the first game, you would hardly have guessed that studio head and game director Dan Vávra had previously led development on the Mafia series.
There, some excellent narrative grounding introduced you to protagonist Henry's family, his village and his simple existence before all three were razed to the ground, leading to a Skyrim-like quest structure within its open world.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/1552457579.jpg]
KCDII, though, shares that sense Mafia and its sequel had of a vast, historically accurate space being used not as real estate for random collectibles and map markers, but as a lavish backdrop for tightly scripted linear sequences.
At least, that much is true of the opening hour. It's a finely crafted start to an open-world RPG, unfolding with an epic siege that would surely leave Peter Jackson nodding in approval, before jumping between timelines in order to recap the story so far, and establishing an incredibly likable buddy dynamic between Henry and the returning Sir Hans.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/7855784842.jpg]
Voiced once again by Tom McKay and Luke Dale respectively, the pair's banter now has a freewheeling, unscripted quality that wasn't present before.
We're not quite in Drake and Sully territory here this is medieval Bohemia, after all, where two men of such disparate social stations must still observe a certain formality. But it's a clear case of actors being given that bit more licence to throw themselves into their characters, and one beneficiary of that is those newly comedic moments.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/8987884112.jpg]
The opening hour contains multiple laugh-outloud moments, with Henry and Hans displaying the comic timing of a seasoned Blackpool-pier double act, and a particularly British brand of wry delivery that somehow, improbably, sits flush with the brutal setting and death-strewn narrative.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/9412889728.jpg]
The advantages of KCDII's stronger central performances go deeper than offering up a few snorts at your keyboard. The meat-and-potatoes onboarding required at such a game’s opening feels less onerous because Henry and Hans lend their charms to the process. Setting up camp after a long day of travel, for instance, the two decide to spar to keep themselves sharp and settle a wager. While you pick up a wooden sword and take your first swooshes and lunges in the revised combat system, the pair ‘remind’ each other (and you) of the basics like a couple of squabbling brothers – a neat solution to a problem most games solve in a controls-layout menu screen.
The same is true of catching you up on prior events: a series of flashbacks that occurs while Henry is injured and slipping in and out of consciousness reminds you just how much plot the first game managed to spool out.
And crucially, Henry is still a convincing everyman. He’s a touch more handsome now in cutscenes, with a greater confidence that’s consistent with his character development in the previous instalment, but far from the diamond-jawed matinee idol who usually occupies protagonist duties in this genre.
Meanwhile Sir Hans, who certainly embodies his title, offsets his power and privilege with a wry observation here and a moment of coddled naïvety there.
In a game crammed with sidequests, NPCs and incidental interactions, however, not every line of dialogue lands as intended. Take the early quest that introduces Henry (and you) to the mechanics of alchemy while also chronicling Sir Hans’ recovery after a bandit encounter and fleshing out a new NPC, the local alchemist who tends to the pair during that opening sequence.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/P6vjxApGI1725520834692.jpg]
It also introduces an uneducated townswoman whose chatter, peppered with British slang and peasant-isms, is delivered in a delicate, refined English accent that would sound more at home delivering a lecture at RADA.
Moments such as this serve as a useful reminder of how rare it is to find performances like those of KCDII’s central duo in video games, and how easily they can hit the ear as slightly off.
Still, if NPC quips take an occasional swing and miss, the steel-on-steel blows land much more reliably. Combat was an enigma in the original KCD, at once exciting, innovative and bafflingly opaque. The radial hit system remains here, showing you all the possible angles of attack you can launch on a locked-on enemy, but it’s a little more responsive to your mouse waggles now, creating a closer connection between your inputs and Henry’s lumbering blows.
And although understanding its nuances remains a stern challenge, the reworking of counters and ripostes unlocks a more flowing, exhilarating exchange of hits.
Where before the counter icon appeared for a brief window in real time, now the opportunity is exaggerated by a timeslowing effect and a clearer icon. With the enemy now staggered and vulnerable to attack, defence turns to offence in an instant.
Series stalwarts may say it’s been dumbed down, but they’d only be protesting because a system they had to struggle to master has become a little more welcoming to newcomers. The level of variety and depth remains, and the sword fights are more dynamic as a result. Some are over in one decisive hit, others are drawn-out exchanges of perfectly countered combos, the kind Errol Flynn might have performed in Old Hollywood. There’s still a slight element of vagary to the way your intended inputs translate onscreen, but it’s much improved.
Combat has a scissors-paper-rock element, too, linked to different armour types and weapon styles. ...
Publisher | Plaion Deep Silver
Format | PC, PS5, Xbox Series
Origin | Czechia
Release | February 18
As Freddie Mercury might have put it, given the chance: is this the real life of central Europeans circa 1400, or is this just fantasy? Historical accuracy has been the beating heart of Kingdom Come: Deliverance since its original 2018 release, and although questions were rightly raised about the ethnic composition of that game's population, nobody cast doubt on developer Warhorse's ability to conjure a place from the farthest reaches of time and paint it as vividly as the medium's ever seen.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/9879545219.jpg]
That remains the most captivating element of this sequel, though it's joined by a raft of refinements. The most surprising of which, given the dour setting, is comedy.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/8258444988.jpg]
But even setting aside the laughs, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II's storytelling immediately feels different. Playing the first game, you would hardly have guessed that studio head and game director Dan Vávra had previously led development on the Mafia series.
There, some excellent narrative grounding introduced you to protagonist Henry's family, his village and his simple existence before all three were razed to the ground, leading to a Skyrim-like quest structure within its open world.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/1552457579.jpg]
KCDII, though, shares that sense Mafia and its sequel had of a vast, historically accurate space being used not as real estate for random collectibles and map markers, but as a lavish backdrop for tightly scripted linear sequences.
At least, that much is true of the opening hour. It's a finely crafted start to an open-world RPG, unfolding with an epic siege that would surely leave Peter Jackson nodding in approval, before jumping between timelines in order to recap the story so far, and establishing an incredibly likable buddy dynamic between Henry and the returning Sir Hans.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/7855784842.jpg]
Voiced once again by Tom McKay and Luke Dale respectively, the pair's banter now has a freewheeling, unscripted quality that wasn't present before.
We're not quite in Drake and Sully territory here this is medieval Bohemia, after all, where two men of such disparate social stations must still observe a certain formality. But it's a clear case of actors being given that bit more licence to throw themselves into their characters, and one beneficiary of that is those newly comedic moments.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/8987884112.jpg]
The opening hour contains multiple laugh-outloud moments, with Henry and Hans displaying the comic timing of a seasoned Blackpool-pier double act, and a particularly British brand of wry delivery that somehow, improbably, sits flush with the brutal setting and death-strewn narrative.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/9412889728.jpg]
The advantages of KCDII's stronger central performances go deeper than offering up a few snorts at your keyboard. The meat-and-potatoes onboarding required at such a game’s opening feels less onerous because Henry and Hans lend their charms to the process. Setting up camp after a long day of travel, for instance, the two decide to spar to keep themselves sharp and settle a wager. While you pick up a wooden sword and take your first swooshes and lunges in the revised combat system, the pair ‘remind’ each other (and you) of the basics like a couple of squabbling brothers – a neat solution to a problem most games solve in a controls-layout menu screen.
The same is true of catching you up on prior events: a series of flashbacks that occurs while Henry is injured and slipping in and out of consciousness reminds you just how much plot the first game managed to spool out.
And crucially, Henry is still a convincing everyman. He’s a touch more handsome now in cutscenes, with a greater confidence that’s consistent with his character development in the previous instalment, but far from the diamond-jawed matinee idol who usually occupies protagonist duties in this genre.
Meanwhile Sir Hans, who certainly embodies his title, offsets his power and privilege with a wry observation here and a moment of coddled naïvety there.
In a game crammed with sidequests, NPCs and incidental interactions, however, not every line of dialogue lands as intended. Take the early quest that introduces Henry (and you) to the mechanics of alchemy while also chronicling Sir Hans’ recovery after a bandit encounter and fleshing out a new NPC, the local alchemist who tends to the pair during that opening sequence.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1725452903/articles/K0DCxU1NE1725520539987/P6vjxApGI1725520834692.jpg]
It also introduces an uneducated townswoman whose chatter, peppered with British slang and peasant-isms, is delivered in a delicate, refined English accent that would sound more at home delivering a lecture at RADA.
Moments such as this serve as a useful reminder of how rare it is to find performances like those of KCDII’s central duo in video games, and how easily they can hit the ear as slightly off.
Still, if NPC quips take an occasional swing and miss, the steel-on-steel blows land much more reliably. Combat was an enigma in the original KCD, at once exciting, innovative and bafflingly opaque. The radial hit system remains here, showing you all the possible angles of attack you can launch on a locked-on enemy, but it’s a little more responsive to your mouse waggles now, creating a closer connection between your inputs and Henry’s lumbering blows.
And although understanding its nuances remains a stern challenge, the reworking of counters and ripostes unlocks a more flowing, exhilarating exchange of hits.
Where before the counter icon appeared for a brief window in real time, now the opportunity is exaggerated by a timeslowing effect and a clearer icon. With the enemy now staggered and vulnerable to attack, defence turns to offence in an instant.
Series stalwarts may say it’s been dumbed down, but they’d only be protesting because a system they had to struggle to master has become a little more welcoming to newcomers. The level of variety and depth remains, and the sword fights are more dynamic as a result. Some are over in one decisive hit, others are drawn-out exchanges of perfectly countered combos, the kind Errol Flynn might have performed in Old Hollywood. There’s still a slight element of vagary to the way your intended inputs translate onscreen, but it’s much improved.
Combat has a scissors-paper-rock element, too, linked to different armour types and weapon styles. ...
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Edge Uk (Digital) - 1 Issue, November 2024