Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has already been a hit, selling over two million copies in its first two weeks. I’ve been enjoying my time in this fictional version of Bohemia, and I love the attention to detail and the notes about why life is different during this period that you can look up in your menus. It’s a ton of fun to explore the world and find quests. While the game has many great features to offer and a questline that can feel mysterious and intense, I’m not falling in love with its romance system.

Henry gets to experience another set of unfortunate circumstances and difficult obstacles as he works to support Hans and King Wenceslas. Like in the first game, KCD2’s adventure has a rough start when Henry’s group is attacked by bandits, which nearly results in Henry’s death if not for the kindness of a random woman. As he regains his strength and skills and then works with Hans to complete their mission, he comes across opportunities to find love or have a fling with women and a few men he encounters along the way. Additionally, he can pick multiple partners to date or sleep with.

The Romance System Of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Building A Relationship And Having Flings

 

Aside from flings, there are five romance options you can choose to pursue as Henry. Two of those five options are the core romances, meaning you interact and can flirt with those characters throughout the game instead of only being able to romance them during limited sections. The core romances are Hans and Katherine, although both are slow-burn romances that you need to work towards across multiple sections by choosing specific dialogue options. You can work towards both core romances but only commit to one before Henry is sent off on a dangerous mission.

Then, you have non-core romances that aren’t flings. These include characters like Rosa, Margaret, and Klara, who you can romance during multiple sections, but the relationship with her can become strained as you learn more about each other. Unlike the core romances, the characters don’t require as much effort, and romance only takes a handful of choices. However, those romances aren’t exactly long-lasting, either. They sit somewhere between fling and core romance. Additionally, you can pursue these romances while working towards a core romance. Overall, there aren’t a lot of consequences for romance choices.

Finally, you have flings. These are the easiest and shortest romances. You just need to pick one or two options when speaking to a fling character, such as Lousy Mary, Doubravka, Black Bartosch, and Widow Johanka. Instead of a romance, Henry has a night of passion with the fling character, and that’s the end of it. You get the Time Well Spent buff and go on your way. Like short romances, you can have multiple flings. The only part you need to pick is with Bartosch and Johanka because their fling is available only one night.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Includes Consequences, But Not For Romance

Romance Doesn’t Matter

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has you make decisions that have consequences, even if those consequences are just reputation gains and losses, which impact how the NPCs in various areas treat you. The problem is that romance doesn’t follow that trend. There are just no consequences for your romantic choices, including good consequences that make it feel like pursuing a romantic relationship as Henry. Sure, you get a scene or two specific to that character’s romance, but it’s not enough to make it feel like your decisions mattered or that the romance was worthwhile.

With the core romances, you have a final scene but not actual closure for it.

As a result, it doesn’t matter what you do when it comes to having flings and romances in KCD2. Then, you get to KCD2‘s ending and find that there’s not any real payoff for picking a romance. With the core romances, you have a final scene but not actual closure for it. Of course, romance isn’t the game’s main point, and it’s more like an extra. So, it’s okay for it to be a bit lackluster. However, with the standard set by other RPGs, including romance, having it be lackluster in any solid RPG has become disappointing.

The Romance System Should Look To Other RPGs For Inspiration

Romance Doesn’t Have To Be The Focus

Custom Image by Jorge Aguilar

Part of the reason romance in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 feels lackluster is that we’ve been spoiled by amazing and impactful romances in other RPGs. This is even true in older RPGs, like Mass Effect, where romance options are available throughout the trilogy. You can pursue the same character in multiple games for several options, and you get touching moments unique to your romance choice during the section leading into the final mission in Mass Effect 3. Romance isn’t the focus in that game, but it’s done well enough to add to the narrative.

Then, you have Baldur’s Gate 3, where you can romance several characters. You can also cheat on characters by having flings, and those flings impact your relationship differently depending on who you’re romancing. For example, sleeping with Mizora means that Wyll wants to break up with you, but characters like Shadowheart and Halsin are more open to non-exclusive relationships. It’s possible to go through the game without picking anybody to romance, but the romance adds to the narrative in ways that make it a shame to miss out on that content.

I don’t need the romance system in KCD2 to be as extensive as the systems in other RPGs, but it feels like a letdown to have a game that includes consequences for your actions and not consequences for actions related to romantic choices. Even just adding more consequences and an amount of payoff for your romantic choices could go a long way to making them feel more worthwhile. As it stands, there’s not a lot of incentive for pursuing romance in terms of narrative.

I might consider Hans the only exception for narrative impact in a romance, but that’s only because of his friendship with Henry from the past game. So, you have a storyline featuring friends who become lovers, and that’s not the case for any other options. In its current state, it feels like the primary purpose of romance options is getting the Time Well Spent buff to boost Henry’s stats in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.