Return to the Middle Ages with a realistic open-world RPG
Despite some problems during its launch in 2018, Kingdom Come: Deliverance has enjoyed real success thanks to its approach to the open-world RPG, which is very realistic and above all very respectful of history. Whether in terms of costumes, weapons, daily life and even combat mechanics which are very close to authentic medieval combat techniques, the attention to historical detail has been widely praised by history-loving players.
Starting from a project initially funded on Kickstarter, the developers at Warhorse Studios saw the creation of a sequel as a chance to pursue their initial ambitions. Therefore Kingdom Come: Deliverance II emerged as a logical continuation. Building on the experience gained with the first opus, they planned to create an even more successful game, meeting more the expectations of the many players who had appreciated the initial concept.
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Danier Vavra, the director of the two opuses, explains to us that the game has been in development for 6 years. The team, which had only 11 members ten years ago, has grown significantly to today reach 250 people working on this RPG. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II brings us back to the Bohemian region of the first opus located in Czechia with the town of Kuttenberg as its nerve center.
Henry, the hero of the first game, reprises his role and continues his quest initially motivated by revenge against those who massacred his family. This second opus follows the adventures of Henry, this time accompanied by his faithful friend and squire, Sir Hans. However, the studio took care to write a story that remains accessible to new players who discover the franchise with this latest game.
Notable improvements thanks to greater ambitions
Daniel Vavra reveals to us that Kingdom Come: Deliverance II will be a larger and richer game than its predecessor thanks to increased resources. For example, mentions that the first opus had three hours of cut-scenes, while this sequel will offer more than five hours. The story will be much longer, more epic and the game universe will be twice as extensive as that of the first.
Henry's character development will also offer more freedoms: “You can choose to save the world or help punish it for its sins”. The game will allow you to explore various paths, allowing you to play as a charming knight, a cunning thief or even a real scoundrel. A crime system will record all wrongdoing, provided there are witnesses.
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The battles, for their part, will remain faithful to the medieval era to reinforce the immersion: “We want you to feel the sword in your hand. We want you to feel the threat of enemies on the battlefield. We want you to fight for your life”. The sword will not be the only weapon available, the developers have also planned the use of crossbows and primitive firearms.
A medieval universe that goes beyond clichés
Particularly thanks to the town of Kuttenberg, which was one of the richest towns in Europe thanks to its mines, Warhorse depicts a more diverse open world with corners of wilderness, very rural villages and more urban areas. . The detail that will please medievalists is this intention to go beyond the usual vision of this period of history which is often very dirty, muddy and macabre. We can therefore expect a much more colorful atmosphere that invites exploration.
The music was also one of the strong points of the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Composer Jan Valta is back in action with new pieces which are well on their way to being up to par if we rely on the excerpt we were able to listen to. However, it is unfortunate that the studio did not further discuss improvements to the graphics engine. According to the first images and the information available, this new opus uses Crytek's CryEngine, visibly the CryEngine 5, while the first game used an earlier version. The numerous gameplay clips seem quite promising, however we are waiting to know more about the rendering.
This should not take long since Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is planned for the end of 2024 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series.