Warhorse Studios recently announced a sequel to the cult classic Kingdom Come: Deliverance. And this is a great opportunity to talk about one of the most original role-playing games of recent years, which is fondly remembered even six years after its release.
Why did the whole world fall in love with Kingdom Come: Deliverance?
Gorgeous 15th century Bohemian setting
Unlike many other RPGs, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is not set in a fantasy world with elves and dragons, but in a realistic Middle Ages. The peaceful life of 15th-century Bohemia is disrupted by a conflict for the crown between supporters of the deposed Emperor Wenceslas IV and his brother Sigismund.
At the center of this meat grinder is an ordinary young man, Indřich, who wants to avenge the death of his family. We play for him.
Warhorse Studio managed to reveal the setting in an extremely detailed and detailed manner. Each element of the game world – from local architecture and peasant life to the social structure of the described era – was created with special scrupulousness. All developments were checked by a specialist responsible for the reliable transfer of the historical appearance of the Czech Republic of those distant times.
The view of the Czech landscapes is able to impress everyone with the level of elaboration. And the places that the main character visits are copied from real prototypes. The atmosphere is given by local cities, settlements and even random camps in the forest, which look truly alive. In addition, tasks and side quests reveal additional details about how people lived many centuries ago.
While the end result may not be a true medieval simulator, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is as close as it gets. Throughout the game, you constantly feel like you’ve actually been transported back in time.
Realism in all fields
For most gamers, KCD has become a synonym for realism in games. Vavra’s team has paid simply unhealthy attention, in the best sense of the word, to the development of all mechanics. At the same time, realism organically complemented the historical setting. While the main character goes from a villager to a knight, you can feel how difficult and dangerous life was in those times.
Alchemy is separated into a full-fledged mini-game, where the character needs to control all processes, from collecting ingredients to cooking. Carrying a lot of food in a backpack, like in The Witcher, is pointless, since the products spoil over time. But do not rush to throw them away, because expired products can be slipped to enemies and poisoned. If you drink alcohol, the character gets drunk gradually, and in the morning he will catch a hangover, which will hit the characteristics hard.
And the developers do not talk about such nuances and do not “help” with the passage of missions, slipping the appropriate equipment or potion. Instead, the player figures out everything on his own, which gives an incredible feeling of immersion. Of course, such a high level of realism did not please all gamers. But the rest had an incomparable experience.
Hardcore battles
The combat system of Kingdom Come is also built on realism – and this became both an advantage and a disadvantage. Many abandoned the passage, never having managed to master the hardcore combat. While many still liked the one-on-one battles, then battles with several enemies at once gave them problems.
This is because during battles, you need to take into account many parameters, including the hero’s endurance and skills. You need to be able to dodge, defend, and respond at the same time. To block, you need to place your weapon on the side where the blow came from, and take into account the stance your opponent is in.
Even a simple change of weapon not only changes the animation and damage, but also radically affects all mechanics and animations. A spear, an axe or a sword feel completely different. The same is true for archery. There is no sight in KCD, so Henry needs to learn to feel the distance and the force applied in order to learn how to hit. “Reloading” takes a long time, but in skilled hands the bow becomes synonymous with death, because a couple of shots are enough to put down any enemy.
But with all this, the local combat system is fair to the player. There is no auto-leveling for NPCs, and each skirmish turns into a test of acquired skills. Each victory is achieved not by means of cool equipment, but thanks to one’s own skills. In addition, closer to the end, the main character will not turn into an invulnerable creature, as in other RPGs, and the battles will still cause enough trouble.
Non-trivial pumping
Kingdom Come features one of the most interesting and curious leveling systems in the industry. The skills that Henry uses most often are improved first. When gaining a new level, various perks and abilities are unlocked, giving both positive and negative effects.
If the main character wants to follow the path of diplomacy, he will need to talk and bargain with the locals often, that is, literally learn to talk down the interlocutors. During the dialogue, it is better to take off the helmet from the head, because this reduces the level of eloquence.
If you don’t wash and wear dirty clothes, then no one will want to talk to you because of the stench, and your stealthiness will decrease. However, if you unlock the “Man’s Smell” perk, then a dirty appearance, on the contrary, increases the protagonist’s charm in conversation with women. Also, moderate alcohol consumption loosens the tongue and increases eloquence.
Or, for example, in the second half of the game, armored opponents appear, clad from head to toe in armor. In certain situations, it is almost impossible to defeat them, since weapons are not capable of harming them. But if you pump up the strength indicator and arm yourself with a mace, then a couple of blows will be enough to knock out a man-at-arms.
To pump up the necessary ability, you need to train a lot. However, the most effective and safe way to increase your characteristics is books. They can be obtained honestly or stolen, and you will have to spend several minutes of real time to read them. But first you need to master the corresponding skill, because Indřich is the son of a blacksmith, and for him any texts look like a set of incoherent symbols.
Depending on the skills you choose, each new playthrough will be very different from previous attempts. All this turns Kingdom Come: Deliverance into a truly unique adventure.
Problems and scandals
Unfortunately, many gamers’ first encounter with Kingdom Come was marred by a slew of technical problems. Warhorse Studio’s creation suffered from a huge number of bugs and poor optimization. It got to the point that some users, seeing low-quality textures loading on the go, mistakenly thought they had problems with their video card.
It felt like back then, in 2018, it wasn’t a full release, but early access, after which the developers were actively refining the project. And only over time, after patches and additions were released, were they able to bring the title to the state in which everything should have been released initially. But, alas, the first impression cannot be made twice, and many still try to avoid the game.
Additionally, KCD’s reputation was tarnished by various scandals – from accusations of racism and sexism to overly loud statements by Daniel Vavra himself. It is not surprising that, against the backdrop of all this hype, Kingdom Come: Deliverance flew past various awards, although in total it deserved at least a couple.