5/5 ★ – yemmytheferret's review of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 builds off of the foundation of the first game keeping the realism elements such as being smelly if you don't take a bath, having to do things to upgrade your stats such as carry heavy items or read books, and trying not to get caught thieving unless you want a date with the gallows. It's difficult to get into Kingdom Come Deliverance at first because of all the systems in place and having to learn almost everything from square one. KCD2 does not make you relearn the basics of sword fighting, blacksmithing, or even reading allowing you to be immersed in the world far quicker and become competent with much less of a grind. The sword play as been improved (in my opinion), making it less bizarre and more straight forward. The graphics are beautiful at times with wide ranging vistas, expressive characters, and a world that looks like it's been lived in. It's impressive how many NPCs have lives that they live from hired hands to guards. The lighting in the game could use some fixing here and there, at times the sunlight would flicker during a cutscene or during a lightning storm the effects would not work properly. I was playing the PS5 version and I'm sure they can fix that up. I'm not worried about it because it does not take away from the full experience of the game. Even though I've seen the credits of the game, I would very much like to go back and finish up the side quests I did not finish or haven't found yet. The main quest is grand enough but there are a fair amount of side quest that feel more fleshed out than a main quest! Whether it be entering a local fighting ring, helping a sword master become the top of the town, or stealing a priceless Lute the variety of the side quests is quite impressive. The writing and story blends comedy and serious moments quite well. I had a fair number of laughs throughout the experience but also found myself mourning a fallen comrade or feeling angry when a Lord is acting harshly. Henry is the perfect person to show this medieval world through. I also love all the olde writing, drawings, and markers; learning about these places and people. Sure, I skipped some dialogue here or there, but most of it is so enthralling and I'd hate to miss a well-timed joke. There is a lot to talk about, I could gush about the experience for hours. In conclusion, this is a fantastic and immersive RPG that learned from its predecessor to make something simply sublime.