BurningFloret Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Review

Foreword: I planned to write a positive review before the game's release, but after Warhorse treated me the same way CDPR did, I changed my mind. The game is very overrated (and I say this as a fan of the first installment), but it's definitely worth money. In the following paragraph, I'll explain what made me change my assessment. HENRY'S FATE AFTER THE GAME'S STORY Rosa, in her last dialogue with Henry, made it clear that I (Henry) could come visit her in Podebrady, and there was no point in saying goodbye. I was fine with that until I realized that this place isn't on the map. She's one of the five characters in the game who evoked any significant emotions in me, but in the end, the developers didn't even give me the opportunity to talk to her father about an engagement and achieve a classic knightly happy ending, concluding the romantic storyline that began in the middle of the story campaign. It would seem: write a couple of dialogues, show the cherished cutscene, and the players would be very grateful - but no, better go look for wolves for four shepherds. I can't tolerate such dismissive treatment of important characters any longer. This became a trigger for me after the ending of "The Witcher 3" (which I consider to be the only true ending), where Ciri goes to Nilfgaard of her own free will, because she understands that by killing drowners in villages for pennies, she won't globally change anything. In the last and most emotional moment of the dialogue, she promises that the Witcher will still be able to meet her, and there's "no point in saying goodbye." I cried like a girl back then. In the end, those words turned out to be lies, just like Rosa's words. That's why I hate The Witcher 3, The Witcher 4, and this project. RELEASE Every gaming blogger will mention this release for at least 5 years, because it's almost impossible to find "such" releases in the modern AAA industry. There wasn't a single crash or serious FPS drop throughout the entire game. For the first 20 hours of gameplay, I didn't even encounter a single bug. Warhorse clearly took into account the problems of the first part and were able to deliver quality unavailable to 99% of major game studios. MAIN STORY What happens in the game reflects ALMOST(!) everything a fan of the first part expects from it: carnage, difficult choices, politics, camaraderie. The number of cutscenes is staggering. You could make a whole short film out of them. No one has yet thought of giving the player the opportunity to play the Roman bishop as an alcoholic. The main story is perhaps the strongest part of the game. SIDE QUESTS I'll say right away - it's a complete disaster. Most of the quests are either very drawn out, or very boring, and don't evoke any emotions, especially compared to the quests from "The Witcher." It would seem: villages are burned to the ground, women are raped, children are killed, but this is hardly reflected in the game. There is no truly tragic experience, no sense of helplessness in the face of total horror. The secondary characters are very poorly developed and do not evoke any empathy after their rescue or death. After arriving in the Kutná Hora region, the player has a billion icons with side quests on the map, but there is no desire to complete them. Why? Because all these villages are as similar as possible. Nothing happens in them. NPCs don't need your help, they can only offer you work. And if you refuse it, no one will be worse off. Perhaps the focus on historicity is also to blame for this. MUSIC The game offers several good compositions that help you feel the carefree village life in places where all the horrors of war have not yet reached, but it absolutely fails to convey the mood of many locations and events. The simplest example: Kuttenberg after Sigismund decided to clear the Jewish Quarter. If you come to the city after the massacre, the appearance of the city changes slightly: the color scheme changes, a rather thick smog appears, and the streets are filled with beggars and drunks. But the same chill music is playing, which causes dissonance. There are just a lot of such examples. GRAPHICS AND PERFORMANCE Personally, I have nothing to complain about. This is one of the most beautiful games in the industry. I was shocked when I saw the first tests. I didn't think my 3070 could run the game in 1440p on a high preset at 75+ FPS. COMBAT SYSTEM The combat mechanics have become much better thanks to the complication of the master strike mechanics. The only problem is that all the advantages of the new combat system cannot be realized, including because of the terrible artificial intelligence, which cannot compete with the player even in 1-on-1 duels with the best fencing masters. Fighting in KCD2 is very boring, also because the developers focus on historicity, within which normal armor and weapons can only be available to the player and nobles. ECONOMY AND PROGRESSION The economy in KCD2 (or rather, the lack thereof) ruins not only the player's incentive to complete side quests after visiting the Kuttenberg region, but also to interact with many mechanics in principle. I can highlight several key points that need reworking: 1. AI Equipment Somehow, the robbers who rob poor peasants in the middle of nowhere (Trosky) have expensive plate armor, which even most artisans cannot afford. Thanks to this, even by the time you arrive in Kuttenberg, the player already has the opportunity to have pre-top gear, especially if they find armor from the DLC (which I did). In the second half of the game, the AI's equipment is extremely poor (especially in terms of weapons) and cannot compete with the player in any way, who blocks 90% of incoming damage and inflicts insane damage thanks to skills and Radzig's reforged sword. 2. The Value of Money There is no point in selling potions/meat/crafted equipment, because you will have enough money from selling the robbers' equipment (especially in the second half of the game, where almost everyone has plate armor parts). Money becomes trash by about the 20th hour of play. There is no incentive in the game to accumulate and spend money, because there is literally nothing to spend it on except for recipes, a horse, and books. 3. DLC Armor Most of the armor parts are meta because they have a high Charisma stat, which, along with Speech, allows you to avoid most problems and significantly simplifies getting positive endings at all stages of the main story. The game has armor that has a higher armor rating than the DLC armor, but it is simply useless, since the AI is incredibly passive and often does not have normal equipment to pose a threat to the player. Conclusion: KCD2 is overrated thanks to a successful release, which contrasts with the latest AAA projects from major publishers, has rather significant problems in my opinion, which have existed since the first part, and which the mass player is unlikely to pay attention to. Game is clearly unfinished and requires a sequel with unveiling of personalities of key characters (at least one of the romantic lines).