Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

I'm very compelled by the setting, the main characters, and the in depth mechanics of this game. I was very excited to run around as Henry doing medieval ♥♥♥♥, when I finally get to choose what to do, the game seems to suggest I make an honest living as a blacksmith till I have the money to start going out and staying in inns and stuff. So I end up spending a whole day blacksmithing (like 4 irl hours), only to realize that after material costs, I'm not making enough money to actually eat. So I go off on a quest and and after 20-30 minutes of walking I'm slain by a bandit because I have no armor, and don't really have a grasp on the combat mechanics, and wake up at the start of the day. And that's when I decided I probably would not play this game again.

If you have already played KCD1 then the concise review is: simply don't miss out on the second game! KCD2 is an amazing follow up to the original filled with fantastic voice acting and an interwoven narrative filled with history, friendship, failure, shenanigans and revenge. IF you haven't played the first game it's prolly not critical but many of the choices will not carry the same weight on pivotal events that occur in the story, IMO. That choice is yours. For a more verbose review and personal insight into the sequel.. continue below: [the Glory & Goody Bits] The interchange and dialogue between characters in KCD2 is on bar with Baldur's gate 3. While there isn't as much nuance in dialogue choices many conversations are fairly in-depth and occasionally carried through slick cinematic scenes. When critical choices do occur, you often have 2 to 3 ways for them to play out each with vary degrees of satisfaction. Some quests/objectives are occasionally hidden for us explorers. [spoiler] Assassinating Markvart and denying him a dignified death was quite satisfying!! [/spoiler] The clothing and armor layering system along with their respective mechanics should be the default for any RPG worth a jaunt from here on out! Each worn item has multiple stats that you need to keep track of such as protections versus varying damage types, visibility, noise, conspicuousness, appearance and presentation. Not only do you have multiple slots for layering your outfit but it allows you to tweak your loadout to particular tasks if you choose to. I was able to create a heavily armored outfit for heavy combat, an in town/charismatic outfit to pass dialogue options or get access to locations, and a magnificent combination of plate + leather + cloth for going commando/assassin. THIS is the nuance and complexity I want in games, let me strategize instead of being stuck with simple systems like: "yOu WaNt tu SneAk sNEak?? U neEd Light ARRmor.. duurrrr" or maxing out stealth to pick pockets with a steel gauntlet. It's like the dev team actual cares about detail and may have worn medieval armor for testing or fun. More of this please. Additionally you hear the movement of armor in game, guards may be more vigilant in your presence based on conspicuousness and people will react differently depending your appearance. The survival system is pretty good too. I'd say a step down from Fallout New Vegas's hardcore mode or more like a second place contender for games that have survival mechanics that aren't too needy/annoying while still doing a good job of setting the tone of digital living. Pair this this with the need for alchemy + bandages for taking care of wounds and you have a fairly good layer of complexity without being bogged down needlessly. The overall mature tone of the game changes through out the story with humorous highs and gloomy lows that actually feel like they have meaning. A particular standout occurs during a siege that takes place over the course of a month and in staying true to a darkly wonderful slice of real world history.. [spoiler] Henry and Capon eat Mutt to survive. I thought it would have been one of the horses first. SURPRISE! [/spoiler] Off the top of my head I can't recall any other game that has touched on this level of desperation that occurred occasionally during siege warfare. Bravo! Finally, the Codex + Art Style. Huge credit for the dev team for this. The Codex acts as one part history lesson and one part insight into the dev team's approach to depicting characters or places for the game. Research was clearly done. A few times I checked the codex to get a better idea of a local historical situation or to decipher what kind of character I was interacting with (real world, fictional, or the dev team's creative interpretation based on minimal remaining accounts/records). This was cool. I'd say its spot on with the Codex from Mass Effect 1 that contained a plethora of fictional lore for world building. Top notch stuff IMO. [the No More of This Please!!] At times there is this jump back and forth between this is a simulation and this is a video game. Anytime it can negatively impact the player, you will instantly feel it!!! Despite all of Henry's adventures in the first game, his stats get nerfed in the beginning of the game so bad that he couldn't fight a bowl of cereal if his life depended on it...which it does. I'm not kidding. I don't believe he was a blacksmith's apprentice, ever. He can barely swing a spoon without running out of stamina in the beginning of the game. It gets ranty from here on out.. you have been warned but welcomed to stick around. I am not a fan of the combat system at all. I get what they were going for with the fighting techniques and pulling from martial arts books. BUT this is a game! I have had equally intense weapon fighting and more responsive shield blocks in other games that didn't leave me nearly as frustrated as this game. I don't know if its too reliant on QTE or what the problem is but I won't lie.. within my friend group (regardless of PC or Console) we all feel the same way here.. and a few have straight up returned the game over it. So for all the praise I give KCD2.. know this is the part where I waiver on recommendations to others. I'd say I suffered through the combat system for the story. The combat is better than the first game but that still isn't much of an upgrade. Most of Henry's attacks will be blocked and enemies will occasionally hit you for 75% of your health.. oh and by the way, you'll be outnumbered regularly and your shield only works when you hit the block button.. so better bone up on ambushing guys at night because HENRY DOESN"T HAVE THE STAMINA FOR IT! You don't have wide attacks to hit multiple opponents and you won't be able to dispatch guys fast enough in 1v3 encounters. I had max Sword and Marksmanship stats by the end of the game and it was still a slog at times. Don't change weapons either, the opponent gets a damage bonus against you that they WILL land. Additionally, you are going to spend 1 hour of real life crafting 4 swords or 10 potions like some kind of MMORPG that nobody wanted. That's a slight exaggeration but not by much. I'm all for an immersive game but keep it immersion light. No amount of button pressing is going to make you an experienced fencer, alchemist or blacksmith. I don't mind having to craft the recipe the first time but give me the ability to auto-brew or auto-craft it afterwards. Again, this is a game.. I have a job I don't want to work a digital job too. The only counter argument I have for people who want to play KCD2 but also do not want to grind their life away for it. Grab mods or use the console to adjust your stats and feel zero shame for it. On a more personal level.. I swear there wasn't this much religion and god-talk as there was in the first game. I bring this up because there are times where it seems super heavy handed or just straight up filler chit chat. I have zero interest in it but I understand the dev team is setting the tone for a god fearing people during that period of time.. but I don't think the plebs were running around on the street and saying their hail marys after every bite and nibble of bread. Can this be more reasonable here? [the Finale] Frustrating combat and needlessly grindy bits aside, KCD2 is a fantastic game that shouldn't be missed by anyone who appreciates good storytelling. It is apparent that a lot of love went into the game and also why it is a gem to many. Here's to hoping Capon finally comes through on his promise to Henry on bestowing him some title and land. Dude's got a princess he has to go win the hand of. hahahaha