Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is an open-world action role-playing game in which the protagonist is controlled from a first-person perspective. Missions and objectives are able to be managed in different ways, with NPCs and communities reacting respectively.[1][2] In turn, the reactions to the player character (PC) will influence his daily life and character development.[3]
Unlike the beginning of its predecessor, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II does not start with Henry completely inexperienced and untrained.[4] For the first time, the game features crossbows and early forms of firearms.[1] The former can also be fired while riding.[2]
The three skills Oratory, Charisma and Intimidation, that were applicable in dialogues with NPCs in the first game have been supplemented by Appearance, Coercion and Dominate.[5]
Synopsis
Setting
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II takes place in the year 1403[1] in the Kingdom of Bohemia, then part of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and of the Holy Roman Empire, in what is now the Czech Republic. The game directly follows on from the end of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and takes place in the "turmoil of a civil war", where Henry, the son of a blacksmith, will fight against the invading Sigismund, King of Hungary and Croatia and his allies.[6][bettersourceneeded] It will conclude Henry's story.[7]
Modern day view of Kutná Hora. The game features a 15th century recreation of the city, with a focus on historical accuracy.
The game world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is twice as large as that of its predecessor. Instead of the latter's single connected world, the former encompasses two larger, freely explorable areas. One area is the Bohemian Paradise, a cultural landscape with lots of nature, while the other is the city of Kutná Hora (called by its original German name Kuttenberg in the game) and its surroundings.[1] In the late Middle Ages, Kutná Hora was the second largest city in Bohemia after Prague, and one of the richest economic centers in the country due to silver mining and coinage.[2]
Characters
The protagonist is Henry of Skalitz (Tom McKay), the son of a blacksmith, turned knight in service of Sir Radzig Kobyla (Michael Pitthan) leading a resistance in favour of the imprisoned King of Bohemia and Holy Roman EmperorWenceslaus IV, against the usurper King Sigismund of Luxembourg (George Lenz). In addition to his role as an envoy to Radzig, Henry seeks personal revenge against Sigismund and his emissaries. Henry is joined in his journey by the pompous nobleman Sir Hans Capon of Perkstein (Luke Dale). Sir Istvan Toth (Logan Hillier), the main antagonist of the first game and King Sigismund are also present in the sequel. Several other characters of KCD1 reappear, including the unconventional parish priest Father Godwin (Euan Macnaughton) and the brash Lord Hanush of Leipa (Peter Hosking, Daniel Vávra).[8][9]
Sir Hans Capon, Henry, and their small entourage travel from Rattay to Trosky Castle. They are to inquire whether Otto von Bergow's allegiance to Sigismund has been shaken. As the group camps for the night, they are attacked and slaughtered by bandits. Henry and Capon narrowly escape, but lose all their possessions and are seriously wounded. Local woman Bozhena nurses them back to health. At Trosky, Henry and Capon are denied entry when they are unable to prove their identities. At the nearby tavern, Capon starts a brawl and Henry and Capon are put in a stockade. When they are released, Capon blames Henry and departs.
Henry learns that Otto von Bergow will attend a wedding in the town of Semine. At the wedding, Bergow never arrives, and the groom, Olda Semine, secretly departs. Another brawl breaks out, and both Henry and Capon are imprisoned in Trosky. Henry is assigned forced labor, but Capon is sentenced to die for poaching. Henry learns that Captain Thomas can prevent the execution, but needs medical treatment after also suffering a bandit attack. Henry and Thomas interrupt Capon's execution and Von Bergow finally arrives. Capon delivers his message, but instead of directly addressing the matter of his allegiance, Von Bergow explains his priority is to suppress the recent banditry.
Capon and Henry enlist the help of forces from fortress Nebakov. A captured bandit reveals that Olda Semine is in league with the bandits. The player can choose reveal Semine's betrayal. If they do so, the enraged Von Bergow dispatches Henry and Capon alongside a small troop led by Burgrave Hashek to confront Semine. Hashek declares his intention to raze the entire town. The player can side with Hashek or defend the people of Semine. Henry learns that Olda left his wedding early to ambush Von Bergow (explaining their absences), and that the outlaws have occupied Nebakov. Von Bergow musters an armed force to retake Nebakov. The troops fall into a trap, and Henry and Capon are taken prisoner by the bandits.
Meanwhile, Lords Hanush of Leipa and Radzig Kobyla send Father Godwin (all returning characters) to investigate what happened to Henry and Capon. Godwin encounters bandit leader Jan Zizka, who agrees to free Henry and Capon if Godwin assists in suppressing a rebellion led by Von Bergow's spy, Istvan Toth. Henry and Capon learn that Jan Zizka has been supporting King Wenceslas by engaging in banditry against Von Bergow, who is loyal to Sigismund.
Nebakov is soon assaulted by the forces of Von Bergow, Toth and Markvart von Aulitz. Henry, Godwin, and Zizka are captured and tortured for information. Capon is held separately for ransom.
Development on Kingdom Come: Deliverance II began in July 2019, following the release of Kingdom Come: Deliverance and its downloadable content.[10] While Warhorse Studios had 131 employees in 2019,[11] it had grown to around 250 people by spring 2024 at the latest.[2][12] Warhorse Studios wanted Kingdom Come: Deliverance II to be the game that Kingdom Come: Deliverance was supposed to be with their improved resources and experience.[10] The game uses a heavily customised version of the CryEngine,[12][7] with music composed by Czech composers Jan Valta[2] and Adam Sporka.[13][14] The protagonist, Henry, is again portrayed by the British actor Tom McKay.[15] In addition, the expertise of various historians, universities and museums was again drawn on to represent a "realistic, immersive and believable medieval world".[16] Unlike the development of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, the motion capture was supplemented by facial capture.[15]Stunt riders also took part in the development of Kingdom Come Deliverance II.[15] The game will be interspersed with a total of five hours of cutscenes and will also be accessible to those who have not played its predecessor.[1][2]
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II will be released in three retail versions; in addition to the base Standard Edition, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II will be available as a Gold Edition and Collector's Edition. The Gold Edition contains three DLCs/add-ons that will be released later, equipment for the protagonist and bonus content called "Shields of Seasons Passing", which will be released with the release of the base game. Both the Standard Edition and the Gold Edition are available via digital download and as a physical edition. Buyers of the Standard Edition can purchase the three expansions and the bonus content "Shields of Seasons Passing" online as a digital bundle offer. The Collector's Edition includes all the content of the Gold Edition and is supplemented by several merchandise items. All pre-orderers receive a bonus quest, "The Lion Crest", which in turn brings additional equipment for Henry.[25]
In January 2025, the Saudi Arabian outlet VGA4A reported that the game would be refused classification and consequently banned in Saudi Arabia due to Warhorse Studio's refusal to alter the game's content to suit the countries media guidelines, namely the portrayal of a relationship between two male characters.[26] However, a statement regarding the game has yet to be released by the SaudiGeneral Authority of Media Regulation. The potential ban was denied by the creative director of the game, Daniel Vávra. Nonetheless, the country has previously banned Final Fantasy XVI and The Last of Us Part II for similar content related reasons.[27] Journalists identified the game's forums included criticism of expanded same-sex romance options, the inclusion of the Mansa of Mali, and general complaints accusing the developer of becoming "woke".[32]
Post-launch content
On 16 January 2025, Warhorse Studios revealed a DLC roadmap.[37] After launch, the game would receive free improvements such as a barber feature, hardcore mode and horse racing.[38] This would be followed along by additional paid DLC content Brushes with Death, Legacy of the Forge and Mysteria Ecclesiae over the course of 2025.[39] The paid DLC would be included in an expansion pass called "Shields of Seasons Passing."[40]
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II received "generally favourable" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.[41][42][43]OpenCritic determined that 97% of critics recommended the game.[44] Critics praised Kingdom Come: Deliverance II for its immersive open-world, role-playing game mechanics, and story.[59]
Joshua Wolens of PC Gamer likened Kingdom Come: Deliverance II to other "system-heavy" games such as The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, stating that the game is a "ludicrously ambitious and peculiar thing that somehow fulfills its ambition and peculiarity." Wolens praised the game for its varied plot lines and activities, allowing the player to play as a soldier, spy, gambler or blacksmith.[60]
In a more critical review, Eurogamer's Katharine Castle criticised some of the complexities of the game, lamenting the heavy use of text menus to explain mechanics further, and that cutscenes and interactions were excessively long or bloated. She also called the supporting cast as "murderable", particularly panning the character of Hans Capon.[61]
Reviewers noted that the game performed to a high level of optimisation on release, with few noticeable bugs or technical issues.[62][63] Brendan Lowry of Windows Central stated that "what Warhorse has built here undoubtedly stands tall as one of the most visually impressive games ever developed".[64]
Some fans vocally objected to the inclusion of expanded same sex romance options for Henry.[68] PR manager Tobias Stolz-Zwilling stated that he felt "fed up" with being caught in the culture war, emphasising that the studio's goal was to create a "rich, immersive historically accurate experience."[69]
Sales
On release day, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II topped the Steam top-sellers list. The game reached a peak concurrent player count on Steam of 159,351 players, beating Kingdom Come: Deliverance by more than 60,000 players.[70] A day after release, it had sold one million units.[71]
Accolades
Before its release, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II won Best PC Game Award at Gamescom 2024.[72]
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