"Kingdom Come Deliverance 2": First-class medieval vibes
The developers describe "Kingdom Come Deliverance 2" as the best game at Gamescom. That could be true – but there is still room for improvement.
(Image: Warhorse Studios)
Dungeons without dragons: For "Kingdom Come Deliverance 2", the Czech Warhorse Studios have revived the battle cry of its 2018 predecessor. Part 1 was a down-to-earth medieval RPG without any fantasy nonsense, but with plenty of rustic flair. The second part of the series is set to pick up exactly where the first left off – the story begins seconds after the end of part 1.
Even apart from the content, "Kingdom Come Deliverance 2" will be a faithful sequel, as heise online was able to experience for itself during a hands-on at Gamescom in Cologne. Anyone who was afraid that developer Warhorse would sacrifice the unorthodox appeal of the first part for mainstream appeal can breathe a sigh of relief.
A walk through Kuttenberg
In the Gamescom demo, protagonist Henry finds himself in the 15th century town of Kuttenberg, which is located in one of a total of two playable maps. The developers promise that both maps together will be around twice as big as the game world from the first part. Kuttenberg itself also makes a large and lively impression during the first walk.
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All around, citizens go about their daily business. Henry, however, only has one man in mind: Menhard von Frankfurt, a master of fencing and English-speaking, wants to fight a duel. The combat system has been polished up a little, but is largely the same as its predecessor, with one less direction to strike.
"Fuck you, butcher pig!"
The duel ends in trouble: Menhard has no right to teach fencing in Kuttenberg, complains the only recognized fencers' guild. The man is ordered to pay a fine and get lost. The minute-long dialog presented in a cut scene, which includes sentences such as "Fuck you, butcher's pig!", is lengthy, unfocused and somewhat clumsily staged. Any other studio would cut it by at least half and say the same thing in the same amount of time. But the conversation is also charming and true to life in its own way. Real people don't talk like they do in Hollywood movies.
It is this oddball charm that makes the predecessor so unique. The developers at Warhorse Studios obviously don't feel bound by the conventions of the industry and do their own thing, even if it doesn't always fit in with the zeitgeist. Where else do you have to drink a "Saviour Schnapps" to save your game?
Stolen guild sword
Henry can stay out of the dispute between Menhard and the Kuttenberg Fencing Guild, but is also allowed to intervene. Various dialog options have an influence on how the quest continues, the developers explain. If Henry doesn't side with the Frankfurt master fencer, he has to leave the city. Instead, we simply have Henry pay Menhard's fine and meet him again later in a tavern.
He presents his idea: Henry should sneak into the guild building to steal the guild sword and pin it to the town hall – an affront which, according to the medieval sense of honor, can only result in a duel between Menhard and the hostile guild master. This is followed by a sneaky passage in which Henry has to pick locks and avoid guards. And then the gameplay demo ends.
"The best game at Gamescom"
That somehow fits the picture. While other developers fill the short time available with fast-paced action sequences, in "Kingdom Come Deliverance 2" we spent the majority of our demo time in discreetly wooden conversations to appease the offended vanity of a Frankfurt fencing master.
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This is not everyone's cup of tea, especially as the overall presentation could still be improved. However, the developers' self-confident statement that "Kingdom Come Deliverance 2" is the best game at Gamescom cannot be completely dismissed. If you like decelerated role-playing games and rustic medieval vibes, you could find a real masterpiece here.
"Kingdom Come Deliverance 2" will be released on November 11 for PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5.
(dahe)
