At some point, the open-world genre almost unanimously stood for a stage of potential wonders. A second life of sorts, where you could lose yourself, potentially discovering new stories, mingling with characters and their schedules in fascinating ways. Over the years, however, “open world” has begun to mean something else – a proposition, if you will, from the game to you. Almost like the developers are trying to convince you to take the plunge, and all those dozens of hours are potentially worth it.
Instead of serving as a powerful tool to immerse players and provide a vehicle towards untold gameplay possibilities, the world exists as a series of tasks to complete. It’s not like you can’t have a successful or enjoyable game with that kind of approach, but it’s becoming a tired one. But hey, even if you grow bored, at least you’re a level 100 something or the other and cleared all those icons on the map. Right?
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, as you probably guessed by now, isn’t about checklists or ensuring your version of Henry of Skalitz ticks off all the content. It’s not about ensuring you’re comfortable and catered to at all times. No, the Kingdom of Bohemia in the 15th century only cares about existing on its own terms, primitive or counterintuitive as they may be between all the wars, strife, and murder. Yet it’s that same push and pull that ultimately makes it an experience unlike anything we’ve seen over the years, open-world or otherwise.
Upon starting the game, you can rely on brute strength, words, or stealth. None of that will matter in the first few hours because you’re stripped of everything – armor, weapons, skills, even Henry’s dignity. It’s a throwback to the first game when Henry fell into despair following the destruction of his home village. There’s nowhere to go but up and Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 ensures you feel the weight of each step.
If it offered a challenge against powerful bosses that you had to overcome through sheer force of will and repeated tries, it maybe wouldn’t feel so abrasive. But when Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 wants to push you away, it does so through tedium. In the early going, Henry must content himself with carrying sacks. When you get into a fight, every few punches is a stamina-draining affair.
Your friend and comrade-in-arms Hans Capon isn’t the most cooperative (or the best kind of person). Coupled with the save system, which could result in hours of lost progress if you get unlucky with an encounter while fast-travelling or annoy some guards or dozens of other unfortunate events, it feels like the game is out to get you.
Which is the point, and really reflects how difficult life was back in the day, when cleanliness wasn’t easy to achieve, social standing was a commodity, and combat wasn’t always about numbers. Yet as you stick with it, leveling up and trying different things, the various systems become that much more apparent, lending to enjoying.
For example, you may get bored of following everything the game tells you – or its NPCs in general – and retreat to the woodland to make a living. Gather plants (which must be identified based on references), create reagents, brush aside complaints about why you smell so bad, ply your trade, and keep on keeping on. Conversely, you can build yourself up by becoming a blacksmith, like Henry’s father Martin, and ultimately make a killing by selling swords and armor. Or you could harness all that agility and become a thief, picking locks and stealing from others, even with all the inherent risks if your crimes are discovered.
Regardless of what you do, the world will react and draw you in. It becomes all the more seamless when you try to pursue the main quest and reconcile that with your current playstyle. How will you deal with upstanding folks if you have a criminal reputation? What can you do to complete certain quests that demand approaches completely alien to your Henry’s way of life?
Trying to figure all this out – and dealing with the consequences, of which there are plenty – is one of the biggest appeals of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. It’s all the more incredible because dialogue choices aren’t just dependent on your speech or charisma stats. Talk to someone of higher status like you’re the boss, and things might not work out. Then again, exhibit fearlessness in some scenarios – or show up covered in blood – and you might intimidate the opposition.
Even leveling isn’t a process that’s meant to simply make you stronger. Work on your agility, and you can unlock Deft Hands. This lowers the agility requirement on all weapons by 2. If your agility is higher than the requirement, the stamina consumption while fighting decreases, thus allowing you to strike more often in a fight. There’s also Strong Arm for Strength users, where your stamina can fully recover when remaining in a charged attack state. Combine these, and suddenly, you’re standing a much better chance in fights than before.
There are also speech perks, like Polished Wares where near-perfect or perfect-condition weapons, armor, and clothing will net you more coin when selling. Final Offer gives you a final chance while haggling to come up with a better deal, while Hustler makes it much easier to sell stolen goods. Of course, if you only care about combat, invest in Battle Cry to deal more damage for 20 seconds and Dreaded Warrior to inhibit enemies or cause them to flee when using Battle Cry.
And then all these choices feed back into the game, whether it’s the alternative life you’re leading into of pursuing the main quest or continuing Henry’s path towards vengeance. All the while, the world is reacting to your actions and deeds, judging you but also opening up accordingly. Not every quest will work out swimmingly (or smoothly in terms of game logic), but those that do make you feel all the more accomplished.
It also doesn’t hurt that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s world is packed with intriguing stories and events. You never quite know what to expect, for better or worse. Could you walk into a battle that will result in many hours lost, especially if you don’t have the resources to save? Sure. But what if you discover something interesting, which leads to something even more so?
Even if you ultimately fail and lose out on the rewards, you’re still opening up avenues through new levels and perks. Almost like the addendum “experience is the best teacher” is applying, both literally and figuratively, through your collective ups and downs. This makes every action you take feel meaningful, even if the results don’t always line up.
Again, this won’t be an experience for everyone, and that’s perfectly reasonable. There are plenty of video games out there, which won’t demand you to suffer through tedious activities or harsh restrictions to have fun. Different strokes for different folks and whatnot. However, very few titles offer this level of medieval realism, much less a well-realized world that feels alive, even without your existence. Plunging deep into it and figuring out your place, much less making an impact, is the goal, and watching its various mysteries unfold is the true reward.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
