The long-awaited sequel to Kingdom Come: Deliverance is finally here and does not disappoint.
Warhorse Studios has doubled down on what made the original so beloved while refining its mechanics, storytelling, and world-building to create an experience that is as punishing as it is rewarding.
If you’re coming in expecting a standard RPG where you can hack and slash your way through enemies like a medieval superhero, think again.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 once again puts you in the shoes of Henry of Skalitz from the original. At the side of Hans Capon, the story continues across the ever-warring lands of Bohemia. I sank hundreds of hours into the original but never understood or clicked with its nuances; time and time again, I tried to fall in love with it, but the spark wasn't there for me.
Knowing this and being a massive fan of open-world RPGs (like Skyrim), I decided that taking this behemoth of a game on for review would force me to get through things. Was I in love by the end, or did I slam my controller down in rage at the difficulty?
This is a game that demands patience, skill, and an appreciation for its intricate details. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is not here to hold your hand but to immerse you in medieval life's brutal, often unforgiving reality.
Visually, the game is stunning in comparison to the original. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 offers a detailed and historically rich world with breathtaking countryside, dense forests, and lively medieval towns. The work put into character animations and lighting effects this time round makes every moment feel cinematic.
This review is based on the PlayStation 5 version of the game. While there were occasional performance dips, the overall experience remained smooth and immersive.
Let’s get this out of the way early: combat is not for the faint of heart. While it has been refined compared to the original, don’t think for a second that you can charge into battle and take on multiple foes like a boss. You will get owned—over and over again. Unless a fight is absolutely unavoidable, you’re better off biding your time, improving your skills, and choosing your battles carefully.
In my playthrough, I soon learned that brute force alone wouldn’t get me far. Mastery of the combat system takes time, and even after hours of practice, a mistimed strike or reckless engagement could still result in a humiliating defeat.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 loves to humble you every opportunity it gets; just as you think you are holding your own in combat, a new duel in the town you have arrived in brings you down a peg or two to remind you that you are still only human.
Much like Henry in the original, who started as a mere blacksmith’s son before being thrust into a war-torn land of shifting allegiances, you must carve out your own path through blood, sweat, and careful decision-making. This game isn’t about becoming an unstoppable warrior—it’s about survival and growing into a role you choose for yourself.
The main story is gripping, but the real magic of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 lies in its side missions and the world itself. One moment, I was digging up bones to re-bury in the cemetery to fulfill a dead hermit’s last wish, and the next, I was carrying around a drunken gamekeeper in hopes of finding my lost dog. The variety and depth of these encounters make the game feel truly alive.
Each quest adds to the world’s lore and your character’s journey, no matter how small. There are no meaningless fetch quests here—everything feels purposeful and rewarding.
For those with short attention spans, be warned: the main story throws a lot of politics and lore at you from the outset. You’ll find yourself entangled in the schemes of nobles, the shifting tides of war, and various power struggles. The Game of Thrones-esque conflict among the various factions kept me invested from start to finish.
For the most part, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 does an incredible job of making you feel like you’re living in its world. Villages feel alive, with people going about their daily routines—working in the fields, gathering in taverns, or simply gossiping. Your actions shape how people perceive you, and the game goes to great lengths to make sure every interaction has weight.
However, there was one major immersion-breaking moment for me early on. After a battle left me for dead, I returned to the herb lady’s hut—a place where she had saved my life, where I had buried bodies for her, and even saved her daughter.
Up until that point, I had freely used the bed in her home, which was even marked as my bed on the map. But suddenly, after the questline wrapped up, I was rudely woken up by the daughter—who I had literally saved from death—demanding payment or threatening to turn me in to the bailiff. It was a jarring reminder that, no matter how realistic the game felt, it was still bound by some limitations.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 doesn’t just challenge you in combat—it challenges you in everything. Cooking, healing, horseback riding, and even simply staying alive require effort and attention. Some systems are brilliantly immersive, like weapon crafting at the blacksmith or treating your horse well to improve its loyalty. Others, like lockpicking, are needlessly difficult. Skyrim perfected lockpicking years ago, yet here it feels clunky and overly punishing, especially when you don’t have an abundance of lockpicks and are desperately trying to save a friend from certain death.
By the 40-hour mark, I was still pretty useless at combat. At this point, I had resigned myself to talking my way out of situations whenever possible, leveling up my speech instead of my sword skills. It wasn’t a deterrent to my enjoyment—rather, it made my Henry feel like a more fleshed-out character with his own strengths and weaknesses.
Then, at around 50 hours in, something finally clicked. I successfully fended off a pack of wolves in a side mission. I felt like a warrior. I was not. Backed by my newfound confidence, I rushed into battle against a band of rogues, only to get absolutely humbled again.
See, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 isn’t here to make you feel like a god among men. It treats you as just another person in its world. If you want to be good at something, you need to put in the work. Even then, you’re never invincible. Much like Henry’s rise from a simple apprentice to a trusted knight/steed, your journey is one of gradual progress, hard lessons, and well-earned victories.
The game is divided into two distinct halves, and the midpoint feels like it could have been the ending in a lesser game. Without spoiling anything, there’s a battle that acts as a turning point, and from there, the game shifts in unexpected ways. Even if you rush through the main story, it’ll take you at least 30–40 hours to reach this moment.
One of the hardest sections for me was a stealth-based escape sequence from a castle, which nearly broke me. I was 50 hours deep at that point and completely invested, but the sheer difficulty of sneaking and avoiding detection had me reloading saves more times than I care to admit. If you’re not careful with your savior potions, you’re in for a brutal time here.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is not an easy game. It’s not a power fantasy, and it doesn’t care whether or not you find it frustrating. But if you’re willing to put in the time, it is one of the most rewarding and immersive RPGs ever made.
Despite multiple tries and many hours, the original Kingdom Come Deliverance never clicked with me at all. This time around I was caught in its delicious story from the outset. Yes, I still couldn't sword fight well by the end, but I could survive long enough to take down a few of them with me.
And yes, it has its flaws. The occasional immersion-breaking moment, the painfully difficult lockpicking, brutal combat, and the game’s refusal to ever go easy on you will turn some people off. But for those who stick with it, this is a game that will stay with you long after the credits roll.
Multiple playthroughs will be warranted here to see every possible quest and dialogue choice, and I, for one, cannot wait for more adventures with Henry and Sir Hans Capon. Masterfully made and unforgiving yet filled with that 'one more mission' special sauce that so many other games lack these days.
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With its deep storytelling, living world, and brutal but satisfying gameplay, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has set an early benchmark for RPGs in 2025—and for me, it’s already a strong Game of the Year contender.
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