Kingdom Come: Deliverance was an extremely ambitious game, especially for being developer Warhorse Games’ first-ever outing. Given this, it was understandable that it didn’t always nail all of its gameplay systems, and there was plenty of room for improvement.

Much to the pleasure of fans, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is one of those games that greatly improves upon every single aspect of its predecessor, with great attention paid to some of the community’s most requested improvements, and most common complaints. Unlike some other sequels, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 isn’t a drastically different game, but instead chooses to continue Henry’s journey in Medieval Bohemia and expand on things that maintain its commitment to authenticity and historical accuracy.

Graphics

Winner – Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

It’s no surprise that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 looks better, given it came out eight years and a console generation later than the first game. The original game was pretty good-looking for its time, especially for a brand-new studio’s first game.

At first glance, they look similar, and you may think there hasn’t been a massive improvement graphically. However, while that statement is somewhat true, since the overall style has been maintained, the sequel does have a lot more foliage, environmental details, greater draw distance, better animations, and a few other things that you wouldn’t immediately notice.

The lighting is one of the most noticeable improvements, with the game environments looking very different during various times of the day, from dawn to dusk and everything in between. Skipping time for an in-game hour during the early morning hours is the best way to notice the sequel’s dynamic lighting.

Narrative

Winner – Tie

Protagonist Henry remains a grounded character–he’s not out to save the world, nor is he the most important character. This is true for both games, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 does expand on the narrative depth and character development of him.

However, the narrative was solid in the first game as well and had a certain charm to it. This was your first time in this world with new locations, game mechanics, and a brand-new cast of characters, and there’s something nostalgic about it all. Voice acting is also equally good in both games. Hence, this one is subjective and dependent on your own experience so we’re calling it a tie.

Immersion

Winner – Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Immersion is another aspect where Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 doubles down on all the immersive-sim mechanics with a lot of care, love, and respect for medieval times. Plenty of quality-of-life changes make the game more immersive and enjoyable. The world is far more reactive to all the little things that you do, good or bad, and it makes you feel like an actual part of it.

Sound design is also improved, with armor clanking and weapon swings feeling weighty and tactile. Reputation systems and other roleplaying elements such as maintaining your swords and armor, as well as sleeping, eating, healing, etc. are also more realistic, even if some might find it tedious at times. The commitment to realism is commendable, and this is one of the biggest things that make both games so rewarding to play.

Game Design

Winner – Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

The game design is another aspect that is actually genre-defining in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. The NPC and AI system is one of the most impressive out there, as NPCs remember every little thing such as any hostility towards them, as well as if you’ve stolen something in their house or place of work, even if they weren’t present at that time. They can come back later and notice something missing, and if you’ve been behaving suspiciously, you’re done for.

The same goes for murder–you might think you’ve gotten away with it until an NPC figures it out. The AI is sharp and unforgiving, making deception much harder than in other games with similar mechanics.

Quests are also far more dynamic now, and your choices affect certain branching questlines in more noticeable ways. NPCs comment on choices that you make, even when you wouldn’t expect them to. They also have more natural routines and go on about their duties throughout the day.

Exploration

Winner – Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Warhorse Studios has put even more of an emphasis on the exploration mechanics in the sequel. The urge to wander and discover new places is stronger, with more engaging side content. Exploring new towns, meeting NPCs, and doing quests for them remains one of the most compelling parts of the game. There are more random encounters and interesting little things that happen across the map, and it really nailed the genuine and rewarding exploration part. The in-game map is also very sleek and encourages you to naturally explore the icons that are placed on it.

Unlike its predecessor, which had its fair share of bugs and glitches, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is much more polished, and this just leads to a smoother exploration and gameplay experience. The towns feel naturally placed, and they have characters and storylines that overlap in clever ways.

Combat And Gameplay

Winner – Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Combat in Kingdom Come: Deliverance was ambitious but clunky. The sequel greatly improves upon it, making blocking, parrying, and chaining combos feel more intuitive. There’s also more weapon variety, including long-range options like crossbows and even a few guns.

These do take a long time to reload and are harder to master, so you’ll most likely be playing with melee weapons most often. Other gameplay elements, such as horse riding, and general traversal mechanics including vaulting and sprinting feel more fluid and refined, which makes traversal far more enjoyable than before.

Verdict

Winner – Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

When you consider all of these aspects, it’s pretty much a clean sweep for Kingdom Come 2: Deliverance. It’s a game that refines every gameplay mechanic of its predecessor, and adds in just enough of its own unique things that make it a worthy game on its own.

The original game was a great proof of concept, but often felt held back due to constraints of resources. Kingdom Come 2 is the full, unbridled version of that.