Warhorse Studios
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2: A Journey through the Middle Ages in the 21st Century to Understand the Sequel
We lived a 15th-century experience in real life to better understand the gameplay of this sequel.
The city of Kutná Hora in the Czech Republic was the canvas that Warhorse Studios took this time to show us what the sequel to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, game that will arrive on February 11, 2025, to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. The interesting thing about this invitation is that the studio insisted on showing us in great detail one of the main cities that they have captured in this new installment, however, to make us live part of what we will see in the game. Next, we will give you our first impressions of this game that literally tries to make you feel what the Middle Ages were like in a very original and fun way.
Exponential development team growth
First of all, it is worth mentioning that this title has a much larger team than the one that made the first game. In fact, in an interview we had with Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, the Global PR Manager of Warhorse Studios, he told us that when they started there were no more than 30 people, which grew to 90. Now, with a team of 250, they have tried to better recreate Kutná Hora, which is much bigger than the region of the first title, which was developed in Rataje nad Sázavou. They also increased the dialog, the story and especially the number of NPCs.
A very interesting part of this experience was that after the hands-on we had, the same studio took us to some of the locations of Kutná Hora to show us how they had recreated these places in the game with actors characterized as in the ancient kingdom of Bohemia in the early fifteenth century. This allowed us to see how much effort they put in and where even the local government was involved to facilitate access to some locations, places, properties, etc.
Part of the experience took us to taste typical foods of the region, learn about the use of different armors, something we went deeper into as we put on one of the helmets and even saw how the remote weapons worked (which will be included in the game). We also learned about the games of the time and even how the coins of the time were forged.
We will continue with Henry’s adventures
This preview was split into two parts. The first one took us from the beginning of the game, where Henry and his friend Hans Capon decide to rescue some damsels after their camp is attacked. Here they wound Henry who is the one who distracts the enemies from attacking the girls and from this event is how they begin to develop the story.
Of course, at the beginning of the game there is a brief introduction to the controls through a small invasion of Trotsky’s Castle, where we use the bow and the advanced attack system with swords, which is further deepened in a practice sequence that takes place before an attack in the middle of the field.
In the advanced attack system, when we use the sword, we will have to pay attention to the stamina indicator, because if it runs out, we can become vulnerable to an enemy. In this we will also have a crosshair to see where we are going to attack, and now we will have some kind of combos system, it is important not to forget that both attacks and defenses take stamina.
In order to execute a perfect block, we have to look for a sign in the form of a green shield, which will give us a certain advantage when defending ourselves. There is also a kind of counterattack that you can do after executing one of these blocks.
In Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 we will find a decision system where we can see if it is a defensive, mediating, or hostile decision. In the same section when we speak we will be able to see if we are doing it with charisma, power, coercion, domination, or fear of influence. Based on this, we will see how our statistics and especially our reputation will develop. So we have to be careful with the choices we make, because a negotiation can go wrong and lead to problems.
The interface has also been improved and the digital crosses, when playing with the controller, allow you to access the map and other functions. The menu can be scrolled with RT or LT.
In the same menu, we will have the map, the journal with your missions, the inventory, your character’s stats, a menu to make things, and a codex where there is information about the game, characters, etc. In this section, we found it very interesting that, for example, if you want to put on a helmet, you have to put on a cap first. We also liked that there will be a good amount of clothing.
Something that caught our attention is that the detail has been taken care of to the extent that, for example, in one mission you have to wash, bandage and dress to be able to go out to eat.
In the second part of the game, we played with the character for 15 hours, and here we saw additional features. Like the fact you can set an NPC that you have to follow with the RB button to walk automatically, and you can choose whether to listen to the short or long version of an NPC’s story, if you steal you can be marked and thus hunted, among other more realistic things, without falling into a medieval simulator.
Undoubtedly, the game will have even more surprises than we saw during the entire preview session. Although, in broad strokes, the gameplay sometimes feels like a cross between Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Medieval times have never looked so good
This installment is developed with the Cryengine and at least in this hands-on we saw a very good improvement in textures, environments, facial expressions, lighting effects and shadows. Something that surprised us a lot is how well they adapted the streets of Kutná Hora, as we could see during the city tour they gave us.
Music and soundtrack
The development team consulted experts and historians. Although, as Tobias told us, people often confuse medieval music with Renaissance music, from the 15th-century melodies, only the monks’ lyrics have survived. So all we have are the prayers they used in church, but without the melody. This is where the talent of the composer Jan Valta comes in, because he did not try to recreate the medieval music, but to capture the atmosphere, which we could see in the concert we had access to in the Church of St. Barbara, which we were taken to in the heart of Kutná Hora.
We can assure that Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 will satisfy the fans of the first game and the best thing is that it is probably one of the most original RPGs, documented and above all created with all the passion of its creators, who by the way have involved a small town in Czechia that will be known through the game and that undoubtedly many will want to know in real life, because it is simply spectacular.