SPOILERS
This preview contains mild spoilers for the first few hours of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
When Kingdom Come: Deliverance first launched, it carved out a niche of its own. Its grounded, historically accurate take on the RPG genre and punishing systems earned it a strong following, along with a Metascore hovering around 76–80, depending on the platform.
It wasn’t for everyone, but for those who stuck with it, it was a one-of-a-kind experience. Now, with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, we step back into Henry’s boots, returning to the stunning medieval world Warhorse Studios built—and this time, it’s bigger, more ambitious, and just as unforgiving.
Thanks to Warhorse Studios, I was able to play a preview of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 on PlayStation 5. From the moment you start the game, it’s clear that the visuals have reached new heights. Even in performance mode, the world is absolutely stunning, with rolling countryside, bustling villages, and dense forests all brimming with detail.
Switching to fidelity mode produces even sharper visuals. However, as with many games offering this choice, it does come with the occasional frame drop. In performance mode, with the smoother frame rate, wandering through the world feels almost hypnotic. The smoother movement and environmental design pull you in until you forget about fidelity mode entirely.
And then the world speaks to you. Not literally, of course, but through its people, atmosphere, and music. Conversations in KCD2 feel more alive than ever, with agree/disagree options during minor conversations that make even idle chit-chat interesting.
The dialogue and story tie together and come at you from the start at a brisk pace, though not overwhelmingly so. Each beat keeps things moving forward without much downtime in between. The side quests found as you go seamlessly integrate into the main plot, giving a natural feel to all the goings on in the world.
It’s not just about role-playing; these moments immerse you in the world. Couple this with the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, which feels perfectly tailored to the medieval setting, and you’re hooked.
But this is a Kingdom Come game, and nothing comes easy. Combat remains one of its defining features, and it’s as punishing as ever. The complex sword-fighting system is a double-edged blade (no pun intended): on the one hand, it’s incredibly satisfying once you get the hang of it, but on the other, even after training, it takes hours to truly click. This isn’t a hack-and-slash experience; one wrong move can send you to the retry screen faster than expected.
The opening sequence sets the tone perfectly. You find yourself amidst a battle on the walls of a castle, defending the entrance from invaders. It is tense, cinematic, and action-packed. As the scene ends, you are put back in the shoes of the ever-reliable Henry of Skalitz from the first game.
Eventually, you will find yourself on the run from bandits, barely surviving an ambush by the river. Beaten and bloody, you stagger to a herb woman’s hut, where she helps you and Hans recover while teaching you the basics—like making healing potions and, oddly enough, digging graves. It’s a quiet but memorable introduction that reminds you of the grounded, survival-focused gameplay you’re in for.
While the main story constantly beckons, it’s the distractions that define KCD2. One minute, I was nursing my wounds in a remote hut; the next, I was put in the stocks after getting into a tavern brawl with the locals, thanks to Hans.
Later, I was knee-deep in a murder mystery that felt like something out of a gritty medieval crime drama, wandered off to find my lost dog Mutt, and ended up surrounded by wolves in the middle of their hunting grounds. A sense of unpredictability makes aimless exploration feel like its own reward—but also a real danger.
Not all the distractions are so innocent. At one point, I agreed to “deal with” a man harassing the herb woman and her daughter who had saved our lives earlier that spiraled into a web of consequences I hadn’t anticipated.
On another excursion, I found a legendary swordsman among a group of nomads. He taught me some new techniques but then nearly killed me when I challenged him to a duel. Limping away from the fight, I learned a harsh lesson about healing—a system that requires actual thought and planning, not just chugging a potion.
KCD2 isn’t shy about making you think. Food spoils over time, and I learned this the hard way. After eating a rotten apple after my failed duel with the swordsman, I found myself doubled over with food poisoning, trudging back to the herb woman’s shack in the hope of brewing a cure. Moments like these define KCD2: every action has a consequence, and the game isn’t afraid to let you fail.
This attention to realism creates a slower, more methodical pace. As someone who’s sunk hundreds of hours into Skyrim and The Witcher 3, I half-expected to stumble across a dragon or griffin as I wandered the countryside. Instead, I found myself appreciating the quiet beauty of the world—the way the sunlight splits the skies, the butterflies fluttering over meadows, the sight of farmers toiling in the fields.
I didn’t miss the dragons. This world doesn’t need them.
The villages and towns are a highlight, each feeling like a living, breathing community. Farmers tend their crops; merchants haggle in the markets, and tavern-goers dice and drink away their evenings. These people react to you in believable ways, whether commenting on your disheveled appearance or whispering about your questionable actions. It’s a level of immersion that few games manage to achieve.
And that immersion is key. KCD2 isn’t here to hold your hand. It’s not a “wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am” RPG where you can speed through the story and come out unscathed. It’s a slow burn that forces you to think about every decision, every conversation, and every consequence.
Choices genuinely feel like they matter; one decision I made that seemed to be the right choice during my quest to help the herb lady worries me even now after she pointed out that it could come back and bite me in the ass later.
It’s not for everyone—there are no mythical creatures, and insta-death can be just one bad dialogue choice away. But for those who let the game wash over them, it’s an unforgettable experience.
I’ve intentionally avoided any major story spoilers in this preview because Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is best experienced as your own journey. Your Henry won’t be the same as mine; your choices and consequences will take you down different paths, and your distractions will be entirely your own. But if my time with the game so far is anything to go by, it’s shaping up to be an absolute masterpiece.
I never gave the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance much time, despite owning it on both PlayStation and Switch. When I first gave that one a go, I expected instant gratification, ala Skyrim, and did not find it. Now that I have clicked with the sequel's systems and cadence, I want to go back and play through the first one when I finish here.
For fans of the first game, this is everything you could want in a sequel. For newcomers, it’s an invitation to dive into one of the most immersive and challenging RPGs out there. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is set to launch on February 4, and I can’t wait to step back into its world.
Audentes Fortuna Iuvat.