
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a thrilling Action RPG, set amid the chaos of a civil war in 15th Century Bohemia. Out February 5th on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Seven years on and following a delay from last year, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is finally here. And while it looks to be a typical sequel to Deliverance – it does feel like an entirely different beast at times.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II feels like the perfect sequel in many ways, though its similar look to its predecessor might lead you to believe it doesn’t do much new. The truth is plain – Deliverance II draws upon everything Warhorse learnt from the original game and its DLCs to offer up a meaty and well-put-together sequel that easily eclipses the original.
But if you’re still unconvinced, here are just seven reasons that Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is different (and I’d go as far as to argue better) than the first game.
HOW KINGDOM COME: DELIVERANCE II IS BETTER THAN THE FIRST GAME
THE QUALITY OF THE WRITING IS MUCH BETTER
While this isn’t a dig at the writing in the first game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II amps up the quality of the writing and the characters in practically every aspect. From the beginning, the game does a great job of pulling you in with an intense battle before quickly returning to Henry and Hans on their journey, which will eventually be about revenge and retribution.
That being said, if you’ve never played the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance, it’s still easy enough to follow. The game’s strong characters and clever quest writing are supplemented by a very extensive codex, which details characters, customs and traditions from the time. Some entries highlight how these characters appeared in real history, too.
THERE’S TWO MASSIVE MAPS WITHOUT A DROP IN DEPTH OR QUALITY
The original Kingdom Come had a massive map, allowing you to explore the Bohemian Countryside at your leisure, with heaps to do. The first half of your time with Deliverance II will be spent in a region that looks similar, albeit one different from the original game. It’s a big and dense world, but you’ll be shocked when you make your way to the game’s second new region – Kuttenberg.
Those well-versed in history will know why Kuttenberg is so significant, especially around this period. It is a busy hub of commerce, seeing many people commuting to and from there to sell various wares. A real melting pot of cultures, the high number of NPCs on the map is unlike anything we’ve seen from Warhorse so far. Not only that, but the outskirts of Kuttenberg can be explored too, making the second map as big, if not bigger, than the first.
THE GAME IS STILL COMMITTED TO REALISM, BUT EASES YOU IN GENTLY
A common criticism of the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance was that the game’s commitment to realism, while admirable, often got in the way of playability. I felt as much in my review of the original game. There were just too many times when I found myself constantly being steamrolled by the need to eat and sleep, and it would eventually get in the way of finishing objectives.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II still has all of those mechanics – to get rid of them would betray the original game’s spirit after all – but it feels much more lenient in the opening hours. You’ll be given relatively straightforward and obvious options to keep yourself well-fed and well-rested early on. Things eventually get pretty dicey as you venture further out, requiring you to weigh up your choices and ensure you’re well-stocked for any long journeys. But it always feels challenging without being overwhelming.
THE GAME MAKES GREAT USE OF THE POWER OF NEXT-GEN CONSOLES AND PCS
This one is a bit of a given when you consider how much time has passed between the last game and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Besides that, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is made for the latest consoles and PCs rather than a cross-gen release with the last generation. The result is a game that looks and feels great.
Built once again on the CryEngine that powered the first game, the improvements to the engine help to establish the world of Bohemia as a livelier one than in the previous game. Whether you’re galloping along the rich and verdant countryside or navigating a sea of of NPCs in the city of Kuttenberg, the game looks great and much better than the original game.
THE COMBAT SYSTEM HAS BEEN EXPANDED AND STREAMLINED WITHOUT BEING DUMBED DOWN
While the combat in the original game was divisive, there’s no denying that, once again, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is committed to realism. In the original game, you’d have six points you could attack with a sword. You’d have to defend in the right direction while also attacking in the right direction to land hits on enemies. It’s a more elegant and intelligent take on the directional combat of games like Chivalry and For Honor.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II simplifies things from the previous game, but only slightly. For one, you can now attack four points with a sword. But now, attacking in a specific combination of directions gives Henry unique combos that can do extra damage, stun your enemy or both. And that’s before you even stop to consider that you’ll have access to many different weapons, too.
YOU CAN SMITH YOUR OWN WEAPONS AND MANY DIFFERENT TYPES TOO
Henry is the son of a blacksmith, so it always seemed odd that we never got to smith our own weapons in the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Thankfully, that’s all about to change in the second game. Not only can Henry continue to hone the sharpness of his existing weapons, but he can also use materials that players find to create entirely new ones. The game even has perks that make homemade weapons more potent than the ones you find in the wild.
But it’s not just swords that you’ll be able to craft in Deliverance II. Now, polearms are back, but in a much bigger way than in the previous game. To top that off, you’ll also have access to crossbows, brand new to this game, and a selection of heavy blunt weaponry like maces and clubs. Each of these melee weapons has their own sets of combos, too, adding much more variety to a combat system that was already quite strong.
THE OUTFITS SYSTEM IS A SIMPLE CHANGE WITH HUGE IMPACT
A massive aspect of the social systems in Kingdom Come: Deliverance was that how you looked, smelt and behaved would influence how people would treat you. This would often mean that you’d have to change your appearance regularly to ensure you’re making the right impression. It was a clever system, but once again, the commitment to realism could get in the way of the game’s playability.
Thankfully, you can now set three different “outfits” in Henry’s inventory in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. This allows you to hot-swap between them whenever you need to. I’d often have a quiet and darker-coloured outfit for sneaking at night, a heavy set of knights’ armour and weaponry for when I knew I was heading to battle and a set of rich-looking clothes for when I had to charm and convince people. The only caveat here is that you need to carry all of these clothes with you at all times, but given how much time it saves, it’s more than worth it.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II releases for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC on February 5th 2025.