Kingdom Come: Deliverance is one of the finest RPGs ever released!
When I heard a realistic RPG about Medieval Bohemia being developed by a small Czech studio, I didn't believe they would handle it. As I have always said, the ex-Communist block is full of talented people.
KCD is one of a kind! Finished every single quest, with every possible option thanks to saving and all the DLCs. If you are impatient and want non-stop action - this game is not for you.
Unlike most RPGs, in Kingdom Come Deliverance you are not "the chosen one" or a powerful mutant or anything special. You are an ordinary peasant, a nobody, a commoner. Uneducated son of a blacksmith with nothing to your name. And you are never handed anything. You have to earn everything and skills must be learned on your own. Fights will be lost before they can be won. All of this combined makes a great experience that is extremely satisfying. After every victory, you are left with a feeling that you genuinely earned something.
As opposed to others, I will start with the cons.
• My biggest problem with KCD is, of course, the combat. At the beginning of your journey, your character doesn't know how to fight and the combat is extremely awkward. That's a great game design and I liked the idea. However, even when you reach a high level of warfare and your preferred weapon, the combat remains clunky, not as much as in the beginning but still annoying. Especially in a group fight. And most of the time you will fight a group of enemies. I know, even in real life is a nightmare to fight multiple people at the same time but here I'm pointing out only the clunkiness. I didn't have problems with destroying Cuman or bandit camps on my own. All I had to do is walk backwards and press Q at the right moment. By the end of the game, I maxed both maces and swords and I can say maces are extremely easy to use. The peasant Henry beat a German knight with one hit because I pressed Q at the right moment. How is this realistic? I don't understand why all "realistic" games have to be clunky. It's funny how all good RPGs have problems with the combat system. I hope Warhorse Studio will manage to improve the combat for the next title and make it smooth.
CLUNKY =/= REALISTIC
• I hate how opponents die. They don't make a sound or anything, they just tumble over silently. When you hit them, you won't see any impact. No gore, nothing. It's like hitting a tree.
• No real armour and weapons progress. All you have to do is rob shops during the night, sell the loot and straight away buy the best armour and weapons. You won't receive any special equipment from finishing quests. The best gear is simply sold in bigger cities. If you want to roleplay, kill as many bandits and Cumans as you can and you will have the money in no time. That's what I did, at least. You can equip any armour even if it's a higher level than you are and you will get a small buff but nothing serious.
• KCD had a rough release with a lot of serious technical problems and glitches. Most of them are already fixed. However, some glitches are VERY annoying. Like for example if you want to destroy a Cuman camp during the night while they sleep and after saving - suddenly all the Cumans have changed their positions and are awake with their torches lit. Or the bushes - I hate the bushes. They are like walls but you can get stuck in them. During one of the DLCs, the main character decided to fight only with their hands. That's quite...medieval.
• If you want to get the DLCs - wait for a sale. They are not worth it much, except for A Woman's Lot but I will write about it in the pros. The DLCs are short and don't add to the character development or the story. Just a couple more hours to spend in-game.
• The ending was... bad. I expected more to be honest. And the plot twist was predictable. It ruins the whole point of the story. I have the feeling that Warhorse Studio was just out of time or ideas and didn't know how to finish it. Also, a big part of the last quests was waiting. I suppose it was meant for the player to do side activities or quests before the ending but I had already done everything and had to wait.
Now with the pros:
• Most immersive RPG I have ever played. Hours feel like minutes. The world is masterfully crafted. You truly feel like you are in 15th-century Bohemia. Warhorse Studio spent a lot of time on the details - from the houses to the clothes, armour, weapons, shields, everything! When you hit an armoured enemy, you will see how his armour gets damaged and dents from your weapon.
• Sleep, energy and hunger mechanics are well thought out and never annoying. They add to the immersion. We see everything through Henry’s eyes, which supports the immersion, and lets us identify even more with the main character while we have to face the same challenges as we would in real life.
• The stealth system is so satisfying. All bandits, Cumans and NPCs sleep during the night and you can easily sneak up and kill them in their sleep or poison their food. I usually hate stealth in games but this time I plan a full stealth build for my second playthrough.
• Unique sidequests. Since you play as a commoner, there are some simple yet compelling and refreshing quests. For example learning to read, write and translate Latin. Or getting drunk with a priest. How about sneaking into a monastery and pretending to be a monk? In another quest, you can help a charlatan scare the whole village by dropping fake blood in the bathhouse, switching fresh meat with rotten meat in the butcher shop, switching eggs with charcoals... and maybe killing a random villager in his sleep. You probably have noticed - combat is not necessary. Most quests are all about the choices you make and the story rather than fighting dozens of enemies.
• A woman's lot is truly a great experience. At least the Theresa part. A female character done right without shovelling any feminism in our trouts. The story is about a woman and her challenges during and after the war, where she has to use all her skills to survive and help other villagers. I enjoyed it a lot and would say it's one of the best DLCs I have ever played, right after The Witcher 3 DLCs.
Conclusion
If my ode didn't already make it clear, Kingdom Come Deliverance is far from being perfect but I still adore it with all its flaws. If you are itching for a challenging RPG or you are simply a medieval-era fan, then you will not regret it. There is no denying that Warhorse Studio has created something special here. KCD is a triumph by any standard and certainly earns every bit of praise it gets.
When I heard a realistic RPG about Medieval Bohemia being developed by a small Czech studio, I didn't believe they would handle it. As I have always said, the ex-Communist block is full of talented people.
KCD is one of a kind! Finished every single quest, with every possible option thanks to saving and all the DLCs. If you are impatient and want non-stop action - this game is not for you.
Unlike most RPGs, in Kingdom Come Deliverance you are not "the chosen one" or a powerful mutant or anything special. You are an ordinary peasant, a nobody, a commoner. Uneducated son of a blacksmith with nothing to your name. And you are never handed anything. You have to earn everything and skills must be learned on your own. Fights will be lost before they can be won. All of this combined makes a great experience that is extremely satisfying. After every victory, you are left with a feeling that you genuinely earned something.
As opposed to others, I will start with the cons.
• My biggest problem with KCD is, of course, the combat. At the beginning of your journey, your character doesn't know how to fight and the combat is extremely awkward. That's a great game design and I liked the idea. However, even when you reach a high level of warfare and your preferred weapon, the combat remains clunky, not as much as in the beginning but still annoying. Especially in a group fight. And most of the time you will fight a group of enemies. I know, even in real life is a nightmare to fight multiple people at the same time but here I'm pointing out only the clunkiness. I didn't have problems with destroying Cuman or bandit camps on my own. All I had to do is walk backwards and press Q at the right moment. By the end of the game, I maxed both maces and swords and I can say maces are extremely easy to use. The peasant Henry beat a German knight with one hit because I pressed Q at the right moment. How is this realistic? I don't understand why all "realistic" games have to be clunky. It's funny how all good RPGs have problems with the combat system. I hope Warhorse Studio will manage to improve the combat for the next title and make it smooth.
CLUNKY =/= REALISTIC
• I hate how opponents die. They don't make a sound or anything, they just tumble over silently. When you hit them, you won't see any impact. No gore, nothing. It's like hitting a tree.
• No real armour and weapons progress. All you have to do is rob shops during the night, sell the loot and straight away buy the best armour and weapons. You won't receive any special equipment from finishing quests. The best gear is simply sold in bigger cities. If you want to roleplay, kill as many bandits and Cumans as you can and you will have the money in no time. That's what I did, at least. You can equip any armour even if it's a higher level than you are and you will get a small buff but nothing serious.
• KCD had a rough release with a lot of serious technical problems and glitches. Most of them are already fixed. However, some glitches are VERY annoying. Like for example if you want to destroy a Cuman camp during the night while they sleep and after saving - suddenly all the Cumans have changed their positions and are awake with their torches lit. Or the bushes - I hate the bushes. They are like walls but you can get stuck in them. During one of the DLCs, the main character decided to fight only with their hands. That's quite...medieval.
• If you want to get the DLCs - wait for a sale. They are not worth it much, except for A Woman's Lot but I will write about it in the pros. The DLCs are short and don't add to the character development or the story. Just a couple more hours to spend in-game.
• The ending was... bad. I expected more to be honest. And the plot twist was predictable. It ruins the whole point of the story. I have the feeling that Warhorse Studio was just out of time or ideas and didn't know how to finish it. Also, a big part of the last quests was waiting. I suppose it was meant for the player to do side activities or quests before the ending but I had already done everything and had to wait.
Now with the pros:
• Most immersive RPG I have ever played. Hours feel like minutes. The world is masterfully crafted. You truly feel like you are in 15th-century Bohemia. Warhorse Studio spent a lot of time on the details - from the houses to the clothes, armour, weapons, shields, everything! When you hit an armoured enemy, you will see how his armour gets damaged and dents from your weapon.
• Sleep, energy and hunger mechanics are well thought out and never annoying. They add to the immersion. We see everything through Henry’s eyes, which supports the immersion, and lets us identify even more with the main character while we have to face the same challenges as we would in real life.
• The stealth system is so satisfying. All bandits, Cumans and NPCs sleep during the night and you can easily sneak up and kill them in their sleep or poison their food. I usually hate stealth in games but this time I plan a full stealth build for my second playthrough.
• Unique sidequests. Since you play as a commoner, there are some simple yet compelling and refreshing quests. For example learning to read, write and translate Latin. Or getting drunk with a priest. How about sneaking into a monastery and pretending to be a monk? In another quest, you can help a charlatan scare the whole village by dropping fake blood in the bathhouse, switching fresh meat with rotten meat in the butcher shop, switching eggs with charcoals... and maybe killing a random villager in his sleep. You probably have noticed - combat is not necessary. Most quests are all about the choices you make and the story rather than fighting dozens of enemies.
• A woman's lot is truly a great experience. At least the Theresa part. A female character done right without shovelling any feminism in our trouts. The story is about a woman and her challenges during and after the war, where she has to use all her skills to survive and help other villagers. I enjoyed it a lot and would say it's one of the best DLCs I have ever played, right after The Witcher 3 DLCs.
Conclusion
If my ode didn't already make it clear, Kingdom Come Deliverance is far from being perfect but I still adore it with all its flaws. If you are itching for a challenging RPG or you are simply a medieval-era fan, then you will not regret it. There is no denying that Warhorse Studio has created something special here. KCD is a triumph by any standard and certainly earns every bit of praise it gets.