Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Preview: An Evolution of Everything That Made KCD1 Great

From the second the hands-on preview event for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 started, it was clear there's something special about the game.

By Hannah Adkins

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has been set for a February 11, 2025 release date just recently, and throughout the next few days will showcase an extensive gameplay reveal as Gamescom's yearly event unfolds. In advance of this exciting time for the highly anticipated release, ComicBook was invited to a preview event for the medieval epic where not only was I able to play enough of the game to fill six pages of furiosly scribbled notes, I was treated to multiple events throughout the day that provided me with historical and cultural context for the game – and while I was already excited for the second Kingdom Come installment, I was so elated by everything I'd experienced for the game that I couldn't sleep. 

From the moment the press event hosted by Warhorse Studios and PLAION began, which in my case was the third day and final day of the event (you wouldn't have been able to tell based on the buzz of energy from Warhorse's present team members), I knew I was about to experience something special throughout the day.

As Warhorse themselves would tell you – KCD2 isn't a simulation, rather it's their best educated guess for medieval life – and when they say best educated it's important to note that the studio has a number of consultants on the game, as well as the support and adoration of the people living in its real-life settings now. Its dedication to historical accuracy is wonderful, but what made me realize how special the game was is how the community came together around it – from moments throughout the day of the event such as the mayor of the game's primary town setting, Kuntá Hora addressing our tour group to the end of it all when I wore my KCD2 jacket to the airport the next day and had multiple people bring it up to me, there's a passion surrounding the sequel and its release that I feel has a special place in the gaming industry currently. In a time when it consistently feels like people are hoping for games to fail upon launch, it was refreshing and heartwarming to experience nothing but excitement surrounding this game. 

While the storyline from the first game is continued in the sequel, Warhorse contends that players can experience Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 without having played the first game. The first entry in the series was independently developed and published by Warhose Studios, who have since been purchased by PLAION, which offers the developers a variety of perks – having the backing of a parent company as sizable as PLAION gives Warhorse more room to stretch their legs and show off the best of their abillities with the sequel. As Warhorse describes it, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is not a revolution, it's an evolution of the first game which is already incredibly loved by many – the sequel has everything players know and love from the first game, only bigger and better this time around. With a consistently positive rating on Metacritic for the first game over the years, what I saw of KCD2 already demonstrates the idea of "bigger and better."

The notion of the game being an evolution of its predacessor was evident throughout my time with it, which led to ultimately overwhelmingly positive feelings. For me, the best example of these improvements is demonstrated through the game's combat. If you're returning to Kingdom Come: Deliverance having already played the first installment as I am, you're already aware that while the game is beloved and maintains its positive ratings, one of the most commonly critqued aspects has been its combat system. As Warhorse described, with the first game their goal was for the combat system to be "Easy to learn, hard to master" – though they'd also be quick to tell you that they only landed the second half of that goal. With this in mind, the studio listened to feedback and worked with more consultants to see the full realization of this goal, and I experienced enough combat in my hands-on time that I confidently feel they've done so. 

This time around there are options with combat, and players can choose their own style by using a sword, a mace, an axe, and more rather than strictly a sword. And if the range of melee weapons just isn't enough, KCD2 also introduces firearms. Not only is the option to customize the combat to your own preferences in gameplay styles an improvement over the first game, the combat overall just feels better. Moments where I entered combat were exciting enough to keep me on my toes, but never to the point of reaching outright frustration. It's smooth, easy enough to understand and memorize, and I can tell it's going to be a lot of fun to master with my own gameplay style and choices in play. 

"Choices" are a topic that consistently arise throughout my hands-on time. At the beginning of the preview we were told that in the sequel the world is ours and we choose our own way, creating a "true" roleplaying game. This surfaced in a multitude of ways as I played the game, from the choice between three playstyles (soldier, adviser, scout), different approaches to attempting to persuade someone during dialogue (speech, charisma, might, coercion, domination, and dread), to simply being able to go off-the-wall (as I did) in the central location of Kuttenberg (the aforementioned Kutná Hora) and steal a horse, punch a guard (or eight...), and much more – you're experiencing the game's events as Henry, but how these events unfold are depedent on you. All of the quests in KCD2 are unique, and all of your actions that Henry carries out have consequences. Warhose encourages its players to do what feels best in the moment, but just be aware its impacts can be not only immediate, but lasting. 

And, of course, how could we talk about Kingdom Come: Deliverance without further giving the spotlight to our central hero, Henry? Every bit as himself and endearing as the first game, it's great to reunite with the series' protagonist and see his interactions – that which are entertaining and familiar with his closest companion Hans, or experiencing him navigate potential danger. The dialogue I experienced thus far is every bit as earnest as you'd hope for a medieval experience to be, and I'm excited to see how Henry himself evolves in the sequel from a man to a soldier.

The final aspect of the game I feel deserves a mention is its score, as composer Jan Valta has crafted something so fittingly beautiful and encompassing that hearing some of the music performed live in St. Barbara's Cathedral reduced me to tears. During the performance, Valta noted that the "soundtrack is more mature because the game is more mature," and based on what I've heard so far I know the full score will be beginning to end will be as passionate and exhilerating as the events of the game itself.

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In my hands-on time with the game, I had very little issues. The game ran smoothly, combat felt great, the player menu was intuitive and accessible, and various mechanics like lockpicking were easy enough to figure out. On the truly rare instances that I did experience a bug or found myself a little confused as to what I needed to do next, a member of Warhorse's QA team was available to point me in the right direction or explain how to get through the bugged section – indicating to me that Warhorse is aware of areas the game needs polishing before its release. Given that, again, I had an experience with the game that was overwhelmingly positive, I can only feel the excitement within myself physically grow knowing that Warhorse will spend the coming months making KCD2 even better than what I've already experienced. 

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 releases on February 11, 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

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