KCD 2 looks great

 

The Medieval Adventures of Henry the cad, known by laymen as 'Kingdom Come Deliverance', really fit a niche of the gaming community that was far larger than even I was aware. Essentially we're talking about those digital Medieval Reenactors who really got excited over games like 'Life is Feudal' for the prospect of roleplaying a medieval serf under the thumb of a half-addled ever-drunk lord who uses their family members for target practice. There's a market for that sort of stuff and KCD was the holy grail to all that crowd- and though I had some issues with the game, were even their most accomplished systems had some major drawbracks for me, I recognised the original game as one of the most impressive RPGs of all time. Which is why I'm a bit surprised that the sequel is barrelling at us already. I know it's actually been years since the original- but this kind of feels like a 'once a generation' style game, you know?

It was clearly a game helmed by more than just 'professionals' but also those who just loved what they were making. Loved the time period, loved the aesthetic, loved the history. If only the game weren't such a grindy slog to get into I'd love to do another playthrough sometime. Maybe one where I skip past the barely functional Monastery chapter- that'd be nice. The most impressive thing that original game did for me was the combat system which managed to create first person rhythm and action in a manner that felt like it had depth. Too much depth, some might say, for quite a few people had absolutely no interest to sit down and learn how you were supposed to play the damn thing. Also the game had no answer to what happens in large crowd fights, which meant that the larger scale battle for which the second half of the game is dependent on, was filthy with glitch-ridden fights were NPCs stood cluelessly in front of you totally unable to swing for their own companions blocking their arms. 

Basically what I'm trying to lay out is that although the original KCD achieved quite a lot with it's playtime, there was certainly aspects to be improved on regarding the way that game played- which is partially what Kingdoms Come Deliverance 2 seems to be designed to address. Most importantly from the bat is the combat system which has received much in the way of a simplification by the elimination of at least one direction to pay attention to. Now the bottom two widgets have been soldered into one so all 'below' attacks can be reflected with the same stance. Also certain weapons have a reduced number of widgets to worry about creating a certain allure to trying other weapons over the traditional sword for ease of access if nothing else. No word on improvements to group combat- but I can hope.

Given we'll be starting at the midpoint of Henry's journey of righteous vengeance, this also means no several hours at the beginning of the game training sword swinging until we're fast enough to actually take someone in a head-to-head. The game very much wants to start itself in a manner that is accessible to all those that found the original just that tad bit too 'hard core' to get into- which means we're even getting one of those eye-brow raising 'reset' moments at the beginning to start building our characters from scratch once more. Although this isn't a 'reset to zero' moment as much as it's a 'reset to a feasible level that we can build from'- given that Henry literally becomes an unkillable god among men in the slightly warped balancing of the original game.

One of my biggest problems from a narrative sense with the original game was the way that the very premise offered up at the beginning of gaining vengeance against a warlord was totally overshadowed by the 'live a medieval life' simulator that KCD offered- but now I kind of realise that was playing into the experience the team were using the narrative as a mere vehicle to present. Now I see we're playing up the lifestyle of living like a medieval knight of some fashion, and I suspect what we're going to have here will be more like a rounding out of the experience rather than a straight improvement on everything the original game had to offer- still, given how much Warhorse Studio has grown I suspect some refinement on any returning systems.

Stealth and criminality were somewhat questionable in the original game in their slightly shoddy state, although forgivable given the lack of their importance in the traditional gameplay loop of your average player. I'm not certain that anything has been done to improve how Stealth works but Crime has certainly seen some overhauls to be a lot more visceral- really expanding on how we interact with these systems. Instead of being locked behind a loading screen there will be actual accurate punishments mete out to the unlawful, including a branding which lowers your general standing and blocks you off from interactions with locals store and the populace until it heals. Honestly these are the kind of mechanics that even a less hardcore roleplaying game like The Elder Scrolls could really make a good use of- building up our interactions with this side of the fantasy, even if it's not a vertical many people will usually walk!

What I find just as interesting about all the things that KCD 2 has changed is everything that this sequel has actually kept the same. The fiddly alchemy system is apparently untouched in it's back-and-forth exacting manner- to such a degree where the game even makes it's tutorial entirely optional for people who already know what they're doing. I actually did quite a bit of alchemy in the original game but honestly most of that went right over my head and out the window- probably need to give it all another shot. Because a lot of these systems worked really well they just needed more of a purpose to be- I'm really excited to see these expanded. I pray we get more chances for tough one-on-one duels too- because that mid-game boss from the original was the game's clear highlight.

Kingdom Come was a surprise when it dropped- a relatively small team developing a dream of an RPG for a community so used to getting small passion projects that scratch at part of their itch- not a whole darn all-inclusive spa-session of a game. It's always gratifying to be remembered just how successful playing succinctly to a niche can be for those with the courage to do it- and how not sticking with the simple and easy method of maximising potential customers by catering towards the most generic 'tick all boxes' product can still be a totally viable way for anyone to go about making their living. I pray KCD 2 is an even bigger success for the team- they deserve it.