3/5 ★ – MPT's review of Kingdom Come: Deliverance - Band of Bastards.

Band of Bastards’ biggest problem is its lack of a lasting impact, both physically and emotionally. it’s a DLC that doesn’t stick around, but when it’s there, it’s quick, cosy and engaging. Kuno and his band of bastards are a funny bunch, and Jakey and Kuno himself definitely get the most screen time, but others like Stephen Fletching and Stone are interesting enough while they’re there. the best thing about the DLC is, for the first real time in KCD, you actually feel part of a group. it’s generally quite a lonely game as Henry’s sent off alone to do fetch quests and carry the plot on his shoulders with only Mutt and his horse for company. he’s a simple guy so this is definitely enough to make the man happy, but (even though you’re technically still doing fetch quests) giving you the impression you’re actually part of a crew is just a nice feeling. the missions themselves are all standouts too. the purpose of your time with Kuno is accompanying him and his men to investigate attacks on Radzig’s land. it’s not that long of a DLC so the investigation is snappy and missions are peppered with big bandit fights alongside your group and interesting moral choices. Kuno’s a mercenary through and through who looks out for himself, but being able to convince him to make harder choices instead of easier ones in the name of honour is great for his character. the opposite can also happen, where you fail to convince him to do anything honourable, and he stays the same selfish mercenary he starts as. it’s great stuff either way. there’s also a thrilling standout moment with a huge ambush on a river where you and the band flee into the forest, dodging and taking out bandits along the way, and these big set pieces don’t happen often in KCD but always hit hard. aside from the smaller moments, though, Band of Bastards stumbles on the writing front. it gives you a glimpse of Radzig, one of the most important base game characters, from a completely different perspective, but doesn’t expand on it at all. Henry’s been looking up to Radzig his entire life and he’s been a paragon the entire game, but as you unravel the main plot, you find the villain Hagen Zoul is terrorising the lands as revenge for Radzig’s burning of his castle, confiscation of his property and hanging of his father. although on the orders of Wenceslas, there isn’t any interesting conversation or questions Henry can confront Radzig with. finding out his biggest role model isn’t as perfect as he thought should be a great moment of character development (and maybe even tie into the main story with some dialogue somehow?) but this isn’t that ideal world. when asked about it, he just tells Henry he “was young” or some shit and they move past it. big writing L. this links to another fumble on the DLC’s part: its lack of impact. as mentioned, feeling like you’re finally part of a group instead of flying completely solo is a nice change, and you feel like you connect just a little to different members of the band throughout the missions as you talk to them on and off and do the funny Ring of Bacchus side quest. this is especially true with Jakey and Kuno who get more dialogue time. you’re even left in charge of the former’s fate, and with Kuno himself, appealing to his honour multiple times in the DLC proves he’s got more layers than he lets on, and there might be parts of him that aren’t so selfish after all. the time where you bond with him by telling him about all the crazy shit Henry has got up to is top tier. it’s one of the best moments in the entire game nevermind just the DLCs. so it’s a huge shame that after the final battle (if the band and Kuno survives) you get a short conversation with him and he disappears without a trace. he also even acts like he couldn’t care less if any of his men die, dismisses it, and again just vanishes into thin air. even if he takes the fat bribe and leaves you in the dust to finish the mission alone, he just completely peaces out of the game. it feels unfinished and makes you question what the point of bonding with Kuno and his men in any way even was, or even putting in the effort to convince him to do the right thing. there’s no sort of emotional impact, no lessons learned and not much of anything really (besides the cool ass Zoul armour set) at the end of Band of Bastards, it just kind of ends. it’s 100% best to just let Kuno and his boys die in the final battle. might sound hard but it’s much more of a thematically fitting end letting them stand together and die for something bigger than just money and you might actually feel a little bit of something. while the lasting impact of Band of Bastards is near enough non existent and it fumbles what could’ve been some really cool character development, it’s a breezy DLC without any unnecessary fat, peppered with the actual interesting choices and set pieces base game KCD is great at. also like the base game, the best it offers comes from the smaller moments, like feeling a sense of community getting up to shenanigans with the band and just sitting having a drink and telling Henry’s tales to Kuno. the acting is still just top tier across the board, and despite the wider story fumbles, it’s a cosy DLC and another story for Henry to add to his collection.