Kingdom Come Deliverance, released in 2018, was a game that targeted those looking for a historically accurate medieval role-playing experience. Set in the Holy Roman Empire in the 15th century, it followed Henry, an apprentice blacksmith who sets off on a quest for revenge after his parents are brutally murdered by a German nobleman. The sequel, Kingdom Come Deliverance II, is set to release on February 5th, 2025, and thanks to PLAION I got some hands-on time with it and learned a little about what we can expect from the full experience.
The story continues...
Kingdom Come Deliverance II picks up where the first game left off, focusing once again on our protagonist Henry and his quest for revenge against those who killed his family and disrupted his life. It finds him on the way to Trotsky Castle with a letter in hand, accompanied by his new friend Capon and ready to seek out a potential way forward in one of the civil wars that would go on to become part of the Hussite Revolution.
... or it begins?
I was assured (by Warhorse Studios’ PR manager, Tobias Stolz-Zwilling), as someone who never played the first Kingdom Come Deliverance, that no prior knowledge of the previous game is actually necessary to play the sequel – even though we’re starting partway through Henry’s journey. Everything you need to know will be organically woven into the game’s introduction, but for the most part, the content is all new anyway. Mostly new characters, a whole new set of areas, and a new part of Henry’s quest to take down King Wenceslaus.
Henry is special to the player, but not to the world
Though the narrative of Kingdom Come Deliverance II is very much delivered (no pun intended) through Henry’s personal lens, with his personal quest at the forefront – to the world, he’s kind of a nobody. Despite the events of the first game that allowed him to grow and improve as a fighter and a man, he is still proving himself in almost every way to most of the people he meets. The world of 15th century Bohemia is distracted by the war currently ravaging the nation, so they’ve all got bigger things to worry about than Henry and his – to most of the residents – largely insignificant personal journey.
There are many ways to play
Whether you prefer to tackle your problems head-on, sneak through the shadows to attain your goals, or sweet-talk your way to the top, Kingdom Come Deliverance allows you to do things your way. During my preview quest, I experienced the robust lockpicking and stealth systems (and then the way to make the guards leave you alone when it turns out you’re terrible at sneaking), some duelling, talking my way out of a situation using Henry’s good standing in society (separately to the guard thing), and some general city exploration. There’s a lot to do here, and a lot of ways to do it.
And you can change the world
However you choose to approach situations will have very real consequences on the world around you. The narrative is constantly shifting with your choices, shaping itself along with the person you declare Henry to be. Characters can live or die, quests can drastically branch in multiple directions, and perceptions of the hero are constantly st stake. Stealing something, for example, and being caught for it, can then lead to an example being made of Henry that results in him being at a disadvantage in an upcoming battle – and whole groups of people may be less likely to trust him. Being a “good” person, however, and acting generally “good” in most situations, means persuading others to follow your lead will be much easier. You can play any way, but you want to be sure you can live with the consequences of whatever way that might be.
Basically, it's more Kingdom Come Deliverance
What this game is setting out to deliver is a bigger, better version of what the first game tried to achieve. The world is larger, the systems more robust, the range of weapons now includes crossbows and early firearms, and there’s a whole extra major city (Kuttenberg, or Kutna Hora) to explore – but this is still very much Kingdom Come Deliverance. Developers Warhorse are out to tell a historically accurate story, while taking some liberties to allow for a better gameplay experience – and have consulted a larger number of historians and experts this time around in order to do so. If the first game was your bag, it seems like the sequel is going to be exactly what you’re looking for.
Kingdom Come Deliverance II will release on February 5th, 2025. You’ll be able to check out my full interview with Warhorse Studios’ Tobias Stolz-Zwilling soon on Player 2!
