A journey through 15th Century Europe: Surviving Bohemia is difficult but satisfying and fun
Reviewing an early game of the year contender, Kingdom Come Deliverance II
Rarely does a sequel improve upon its predecessor as much as Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Not only is the game visually spectacular and better optimized, but it is also more thoughtfully designed and far more welcoming to first-time players. Deliverance II excels in this regard, by providing you a rich sandbox experience that challenges you, pushes you to your limits, and at times makes you both desperate and miserly. Yet, if you persist, struggle, and get back up each time you die, you could find both success and joy.
If the game wishes to convey how difficult surviving in 15 th century Europe is, then mission accomplished. In my first 30 hours with the game, I not only struggled in mastering the controls and coming to terms with the intricate world where you need to learn from masters to perfect swordplay, and read books to perfect conversation, but also to just survive.
Surviving the early few hours in Deliverance II can be an ordeal, but once you do, the game offers to some degree similar magic and strong characters like some of the best RPG games.
For example, the capital city of Kuttenberg is not just visually appealing but is also alive with activity and purpose. Similarly, the side-quests (an essential part of the RPG experience) are not just missions where you are killing bandits, or finding treasure but actually stories that widen your understanding of Bohemia.
In terms of combat, the game uses a switch to FPS view for swordplay which is both novel and effective, and I also found the combat mechanisms and their mastery simpler here than in Soulslike games like Bloodborne or Demon Souls. I especially enjoyed archery and stealth here, and one of Deliverance II’s strengths is the many ways players can approach in-game challenges.
If you are looking for fast combat like in Tsushima and Assassins Creed, this isn’t that game.
But for every other reason, this should be your next RPG. An early game of the year contender, despite the pre-launch controversies.
Bohemia beckons!
Sneak Peek:
Title: Kingdom Come Deliverance II
Developer and Publisher: Warhorse Studios
Game Type: Action-adventure RPG with FPS swordplay mechanics
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows
Price: INR 3,999 on PS Store and Xbox, 3,360 on Steam.
Verdict (all scores out of 10):
Innovative Gameplay: 9
Game Handling & Quality 8
Value for Time 9
Overall 8.67
What Stands Out
The game’s incredibly detailed world when combined with its novel reputation/charm system gives a very accurate representation of society.
Everything from the clothes you wear, to how often you bathe – shapes how NPCs perceive and behave towards you.
There is a lot of depth to mastering both swordplay and archery.
Fails to impress:
There are quite a few bugs and glitches, as is expected of a world this size. In my time with the game, I also found that the NPC faces and voices were too repetitive.
The combat can get extremely repetitive. This isn’t fast hack and slash like in Tsushima, or Witcher 3, but wearing the opponent down parry after parry.
