Czech developer Warhorse Studios is the epitome of quality over quantity and took about six years to release its first game in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. But boy was it worth the wait. Calling it Historical Skyrim is by no means an insult, but it still undersells it, as good a match as it may seem.
After such a resounding success from a critical and commercial standpoint, many, including me, have wondered what the studio has been up to since. Well, apparently it will take another six years for their next game (can’t call them inconsistent!). And yes, Warhorse is returning to the well and working on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, which will be released sometime this year.
While part of me would be curious to see what else the studio could do, it’s not like there’s much competition in the historical RPG space (not a single one comes to mind), so sure, I say bring them another (and some). more fantastic DLC while we’re at it – Band of Bastards was everything DLC ​​should be).
The Top 7 Things We Want in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
The only problem with determining what Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 could do better than its predecessor is that it had so much going for it that there isn’t much room to move forward from there. However, I managed to find a few.
7. More accessible combat
The first Witcher game received a lot of complaints about its combat, and lo and behold, once CD Projekt made it more accessible in its sequels, the franchise took off (the dramatically better engine and graphics surely helped too, among other things). . I certainly don’t want Warhorse to dumb them down with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (or at least not by much), as realism is part of what makes the game so unique. Rather, I’d like to see it a little more accessible at the beginning. One way to do this is to lower the overall difficulty but reward higher skill players. For example, main story quests might have fewer or easier enemies overall, but side quests might feature scarier enemies (Final Fantasy’s approach, so to speak) and/or more of them. But actual combat could also be a little more forgiving and responsive.
From what we’ve heard so far, it will be more accessible, but exactly how remains to be seen. At the very least, adding firearms should help (more on that below), since you won’t have to be around (or at least less frequently).
6. Graphics
Kingdom Come: Deliverance was no slouch in the graphics department by any means, but it wasn’t extremely consistent. The landscapes blew me away – I’d never been this close to feeling like I was in a countryside in the 15th century (or any countryside) before, but the rest of the game just looked good. With its first game ready and more experience (and cash) under its belt (using the same CryEngine), Warhorse could really surprise potential players in the same way Larian Studios did with Baldur’s Gate 3 and attract an audience massive.
5. More great simulation content
One of the things I appreciated most about Kingdom Come: Deliverance was the section where you lived the life of a 15th century monk. And not in any playful way: you were just a full-fledged monk from dawn to dusk, and it was exactly as boring as the story would tell you. (I have never been more convinced that I am not cut out for the life of a monk.) Part of me was dozing off, but a much bigger part loved that Warhorse was doing something I’d never seen before and giving me a direct idea. of something I could never experience otherwise.
Related: Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 brings back everything you love and adds weapons for good measure
More content like this that gives you a complete replication of a unique period-sensitive lifestyle would be very welcome; perhaps a guard, cook, or farmer section would be necessary, just to name a few options (or all three).
(Side note: I wouldn’t mind in the least if Warhorse fully embraced the simulation genre in future titles.)
4. A companion dog
Henry’s dog appeared in a minor capacity in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, but there was no option for him to accompany you long term. There will also be one in the sequel, but it’s unclear if he’ll be a suitable companion. Personally, I’d love to see all the perks for pets and possibly equipment, as well as perks for Henry that have synergy with the pet and commands that allow you to tell him what to do (both in and out of combat). They could even be very specific and allow you to hit the dog on specific limbs while aiming for the face, for example.
3. Weapons
Well, I didn’t know I wanted this until I saw it in the reveal, but now I did. I’m told that early firearms like the ones we’ve seen in the first images looked more like hand cannons (in a very literal sense), and so far it certainly looks (and sounds) that way. There’s a part of me that wants to combine stealth with weapons, but since it seems like any shot could go through a barn door, that’s probably not on the table. I imagine reloading will be a slow and painful experience and you’ll be very limited in ammo to balance things out, but it will be worth it to send a group of Cumans straight to hell.
2. Improved Stealth
I was in the minority of players of the first game who didn’t actually have much of a problem with the combat because I pretty much ignored it by committing to stealth. And while one of the most fun I’ve had in gaming was sneaking through the woods and luring bandits to their doom with a knife after whistling at my horse (bless the janky mechanic) or poisoning their food, there’s room for improvement. .
For example, the AI ​​might be a little aggressive or inconsistent at times, take too long to lower its alertness, or notice you too easily to be much fun, so cleaning up a bit would definitely help. Additionally, there was really only one set of stealth gear in the game, so more on that front would add to the experience. In terms of weapons, I’m not a history buff so this may not be appropriate for KCD2’s setting, but caltrops and any tools that allow distraction would make the game more diverse and fun.
1. Performance
If I could fix anything in the sequel, it’s this. Performance was always the game’s biggest weakness, dropping to around 40 frames per second with some stuttering depending on settings and hardware and what area you were in (as is typical in RPGs, cities during the day were those who had the most problems). You could remove some settings for a better experience, but with a game this beautiful, it’s a shame. If Warhorse achieves a better optimized title this time around, it will be much harder to stop playing.
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