We recently had the pleasure of previewing Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and apologise if we repeat anything here by chance. That being said, we must reiterate that when the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance was released in 2018, we were pleasantly surprised with the amount of freedom given to players, to explore a detailed and vibrant medieval setting.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II has its flaws, but developer Warhorse Studios has ultimately delivered on expanding and strengthening the unprecedented freedom of its predecessor while developing many of its systems, visuals and mechanics for a more thorough, engaging experience across the board.
While the story itself is decent, it can get a little lost in the mix, particularly in its earlier hours. But thanks to some improved combat and general gameplay, this sequel is easy to recommend to fans of the original and newcomers alike.
Medieval Mischief
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II kicks things off with a sense of pace and direction, placing you in the boots of a random soldier as you brace yourself for an incoming siege. The game then quickly gets you up to speed with combat mechanics, while introducing new ranged weaponry, before it cuts to six weeks earlier from the perspective of Henry of Skalitz, the protagonist from the first game.
We find Henry having worked his way up to becoming the bodyguard of Bohemian nobleman Hans Capon. The sequel picks up almost immediately where the first game left off, as Henry is accompanying Hans on the way to Trosky Castle, to hand Lord Otto Von Bergow a letter to confirm his support in defending their land and kingdom against Sigismund’s invasion of Bohemia. While setting up camp for the night, Henry and company are cornered in the middle of a bandit ambush, in which Henry and Hans narrowly escape, injured and alone.
Those who haven’t played the first game, however, don’t need to fret as the game introduces our protagonists with all the backstory and context you would need to get up to speed. The broader narrative sees Henry and Hans completing their quest and preparing to defend against the larger invasion amidst a civil war, which has been ranging since the first game. As cinematic as the first game was, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II simply feels more epic, with grander, more consistent cutscenes and well-acted dialogue.
While it helps tie the story together, I do wish the earlier hours stitched things together a little tighter. While I would rather not spoil the later hours of the narrative, I feel as though the incredible amount of freedom given to you in the sequel, at times, feels at odds with a story that’s trying to shine amidst a sea of side quests and activities.
That being said, this is without a doubt a double-edged sword. But in the opening hours, for example, Henry needs to work his way into a prominent wedding to get a message of great importance to an attending nobleman. But the game doesn’t let you just walk in. Instead, you’ll have to befriend a blacksmith and do some work for him to attend the wedding with him. But just as you feel you’re progressing, and have partaken in a cool smithing and forging minigame, he needs help repossessing a cart of stolen goods, which takes you across the land on a quest to get it back.
The amount of side missions is also impressive, but they never really intrude on the main quest, which unfortunately has its granular missions and tasks to complete in sequence. I simply wish the main narrative, particularly in its earlier hours, was a little more linear, simply because the amount of freedom on offer applies to almost everything else, and even the main missions. But at the end of the day, when Kingdom Come: Deliverance II finds its footing and is firing on all cylinders, there’s a decent story to enjoy.
Fight or Flight
Along the way, you’ll learn the ropes of the game’s mechanics, mainly revolving around combat, exploration, inventory management and crafting. Combat will feel familiar to anyone who has played the the first game, and while that worked well enough there, has been expanded upon here in all the right ways.
You’ll once again be able to wield several short weapons like swords and axes, long weapons like spears, as well as shields and even new ranged weapons like crossbows and bows. Close-quarters combat sees players using the right stick to position their weapons and block incoming enemy attacks. Players can also black at the right time to counter and deal killing blows.
Enemies are hardly a walk in the park, however, and players must manage Henry’s stamina along with armour and weapon quality, as they can wear down throughout an encounter. I also love how enemies can counter your counter-attacks, so you’ll always have to put your best foot forward. Various weapons also carry various statistical advantages like damage and overall strength, so it’s worth messing around with your inventory and finding the right weapon for each encounter.
Ranged combat, however, feels like a mixed bag. It’s functional, and while you don’t get your hands on too many ranged weapons along the way, feels a little clunky and misguided. While I don’t mind having to hold the aim trigger to reload a crossbow, there’s very minimal feeling in each shot or even feedback as to what enemies you’re hitting or actually taking down. It’s entirely functional, just not as satisfying as the more refined close-quarters combat.
When you’re not in combat, however, there are a few ways to get the job done. Stealth is always an option, and while not always allowed, can present you with unique ways to steal items, access areas of importance, or even gain the upper hand on unsuspecting enemies. This can help with collecting resources, but can also get you arrested for burglary. I found myself utilising stealth for sneaking around certain areas every now and then, as it helped me get ahead with some quick cash or even new weapons, fresh clothes and stronger armour. It could even get me special potions, or crafting materials for me to make my own for things like health regeneration when out and about.
You’ll still need to manage several statistical factors like stamina, health, energy, and nourishment, by undertaking small tasks such as eating food, washing up, and getting sleep. There are other categories like vitality, strength, agility and speech, each of which can help in various situations, and can be upgraded through the game.
Vitality and strength generally apply to combat, but agility can get you in and out of tricky areas, while speech can help things go your way in conversations. This gives most situations and missions multiple pathways, and even if the outcomes are generally the same, I appreciate the sheer amount of variety that comes with it.
Take Me Home, Country Road
The open world in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is almost twice the size of the original, which is crazy to think about. With new areas like Trosky to explore, the world simply feels more fleshed out, from the bustling streets and courtyards of castles and towns to the lush forests and gravel roads of its more open and quieter areas.
Even then, these latter areas are bustling with wildlife and even some shady characters hiding out. The game does a great job at getting you to explore most places and even features a fast-travel system that sees you utilising your stamina, health and energy to make those trips happen.
To top it all off, the game simply looks gorgeous and even on the current generation of consoles, runs relatively well. Textures are super clean and crisp, while pop-ins are kept to an impressive minimum. The authentic medieval score also does a great job of deepening the experience and drawing you into its world.
As mentioned in our preview, “Kingdom Come: Deliverance II offers a Quality Mode that pumps out 2160p/30fps upscaled from 1440p with FSR and a Performance Mode that offers 1440p/60fps upscaled from 1080p with FSR. It all runs relatively smoothly, but I feel as though the latter Performance Mode will win out in the long run, as that 1440p resolution still looks quite clean.”
While our review is based on the same build of the game, that rings true for the entire experience. Frame rate drops are unfortunately an issue in both modes, but never consistent enough to ruin or pull you out of the overall experience.
Final Thoughts
There’s no doubt in my mind that Kingdom Come: Deliverance II has improved upon its predecessor in almost every way, making it an epic sequel that should be recommended to both fans and newcomers alike.
With a larger open world to explore and refined combat mechanics, everything feels way more cinematic and high-budget when compared to the original game.
While ranged combat feels a little wonky and the story gets a little lost in the sheer amount of side quests and general content, it’s still a trip well worth taking, and one of the best games of 2025 thus far.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Engaging and cinematic story; Fantastic combat and general gameplay; Massive open world to explore; Near unprecedented freedom
Lowlights: Ranged combat feels a little wonky; The story can get a little lost in the crazy amount of things to do at once
Developer: Warhorse Studios
Publisher: Deep Silver, PLAION
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with a release code provided by the publisher.