I resisted playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 for a long time. I’m often turned off RPGs with male protagonists, because most of the time, it means I have to deal with a load of problematic quests. A blacksmith, you say? I assumed I was going to spend the game ogling women with my dudebros while swinging my big sword around.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is so profoundly good, it will likely sit in my top 5 games for the rest of my life.
Epic in scale, personal in story
Right from the bat, KCD2 is an epic, cinematic story that grabs you by the throat – or pizzle – and won’t let go. It perfectly balances deep characterization with compelling storytelling, gameplay, and historical simulation, in what can only be described as a masterclass of game writing and narrative design.
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR KCD1
You play Henry, tormented by his past as he watched his parents die in King Sigismund’s raid on Skallitz. Finding himself in the service of the hubristic Sir Hans Capon, Lord of Leipa – and don’t you forget it – delivering a message to Lord Von Bergow. Of course, everything goes wrong from here.
KCD2 is like the best adventure movie you’ve ever seen. If you think things can’t get worse, they will. Each cut scene will make you laugh with the story’s unexpected directions, or bring you to tears as the story reaches its epic climax.
The story works so well because it constantly defies expectations. Yes, we’re going to deliver a message to the local lord. What’s the worst thing that could happen? No, really, what’s the absolute worst thing? These constant reversals are a player’s delight. Rather than going for the cliched story choice, the well-trodden trope, it goes for the thing you least expect and makes it work.
This complexity of storytelling trickles down to every aspect of the game, from the narrative design to the deep characterisation. Take just one example: the way the first quests sprawl from the village of Troskowitz, leading the player to explore the map, to go further into the world, to reach outwards, driving them to quests that then increase your skills, level you up appropriately to the game, and then propel the story forward. The thing about narrative design is that when it’s good, you don’t notice it. It feels utterly organic, asking around villages if anyone needs help. To me, this is perfect narrative design. I stand in awe of this map; I will think about it for a long time to come.
While Henry pursues his simple mission to deliver a message, he’s surrounded by a memorable cast of characters that belong in a Guy Ritchie film. There’s the clever revolutionary Ziska, hard-living Father Godwin, the wicked Dry Devil. And let’s not forget the unforgettable Hans Capon, KCD’s legendary diva.
Creating complex characters
As a game writer, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out why the complex characters of KCD2 remain so likable. Take Hans Capon; for all intents and purposes, we should hate him. He’s obnoxious, arrogant, and doesn’t lack pride, and yet, there’s a measure of insecurity and loyalty that drives his friendship with Henry. Over the story, he grows from a careless young man into a responsible leader. And that’s just one character. Imagine this logic applied to every single NPC.
I think the key to this writing is tenderness. That’s a weird thing to say, when the main plot centres around a ragtag group of mercenary men who’d like nothing better than a bathhouse full of women and a flagon of beer. On paper, I should hate this game, and yet… tenderness is the core of this storytelling because it treats even the toughest of men as human beings.
It would have been easy to lean into stereotypes about hypermasculine knights; instead, the knights of bohemia reflect the Arthurian legends of knightly chivalry. Those that break the rules of nobility become the villains of the tale. And yet, even the villains are loved and experience love.
This attention to detail trickles down to even the lowliest NPC. Henry straddles the world of nobility and peasantry, and deeply understands the struggles of those trying to get by, while overshadowed by wars between nobles. Sidequests involve peasants struggling to have children; peasants who cannot afford to marry who they wish; peasants caught poaching because they have nothing to eat. And yet, they’re often treated with the same tenderness as the main characters, given motivation and backstory that make the story feel much deeper than a generic RPG fetch quest.
Representation in historical games
Inclusive of class and beyond, diverse representation is always a challenge with historical roleplaying games. I know – I write historical roleplaying games for a living. How do you make a game that is both historically accurate to a society predominantly led by men, but also inclusive, without suffering the grate of modern identity politics jarringly added into a historical setting?
KCD2 does a few things here exceedingly well. Yes, Bohemia was a predominantly white-male dominated society, but women existed in a diversity of roles, from housewives to nobles, and this is reflected in characters like Rosa and Katherine. And the mid-game introduction of Musa of Mali is a historically accurate way of bringing in a Black character. None of this feels forced, because these characters are deeply connected to the historical time and place, and also, given depth to their backstories. These characters are grounded in the world, not a tacked on, half-hearted attempt at diversity.
The more you study history, the more you realise that diversity has always existed; it’s just that you need to look past Wikipedia to uncover them. As a game writer, KCD2 has taught me how the depth of presentation makes the difference to believability. Characters need a reason to exist in the world; when they are merely added as set dressing, that’s when the player feels the friction of their existence.
Women with agency
I still think the female characters could be improved. I would have liked to see more depth to Katharine’s character outside of her traumatic past; it somewhat reflects Henry’s own, but I’m tired of women in video games simply being a product of trauma. Yes, that defines identity, but it is not the totality of an identity. Also, I’m pretty sure she’s more into Ziska than romancing Henry… But the effort is there; she is still complex and plays a vital part in the story.
And yes, there’s drinking and bathmaids galore, but the bathmaids have agency and they sure as hell aren’t afraid to tell Henry when he’s being an idiot.
In fact, one of the most impressive early quests is Opus Magnum, where you’re tasked with procuring a woman for another gentleman. The very thought raised my feminist red flag; I thought, “Okay, how can they stuff this up.” I was preparing myself for yet another sexist RPG quest. And, in any other game, I would have been disappointed.
Instead, I was deeply impressed when the bathmaids tell you to sod off.
Why I love KCD2
As a game writer and a fan, I am deeply obsessed with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. If I had one game to play on a desert island for the rest of my life, KCD2 would be high on the list. It is the best open-world roleplaying game since Skyrim, and will probably be the best open-world roleplaying game for a long time – at least, until The Elder Scrolls 6 or the next Kingdom Come game.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a masterclass in balancing rich characterization and historical simulation, without sacrificing contemporary values for the sake of historical accuracy. Believe me when I say it will be studied; I think it will have significant influence over open-world RPGs in the years to come.
If you have any interest in historical roleplaying games, don’t sleep on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. The Lords of Leipa demand your fealty.
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