Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is the only game where I’ve:

✅ Spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to read a book because my character is actually illiterate.
✅ Accidentally started to starve to death because I was too immersed in stealing from a sleeping noble.
✅ Got drunk, then blacked out with a priest and woke up in a church.
✅ Combat calamities: The swordplay is so genuine that every missed swing feels like a personal insult to the blacksmith who forged it.

The combat? Feels like a fencing simulator but with the added difficulty of being a peasant with no training.
The world? So realistic that even the cows judge you.
The immersion? 10/10, I can smell the unwashed peasants through my screen.

If you ever wanted to experience the full medieval life—including getting lost in the woods, suffering from malnutrition, and learning how to read like it’s Dark Souls—this is the game for you.

tl;dr: Like non-fantasy Skyrim with a steeper learning curve.

The game takes hours to really get going, and if you're not careful it will take even more (telling Theresa you don't mind a long story will put you straight into a DLC that's like a more difficult repeat of what you just went through), so the beginning is a bit discouraging. But after that it opens up. It still takes a long time to get any good at anything, but it's rewarding once you finally are able to automate alchemy, once you finally are able to take on even a single opponent, once you finally are able to survive against a group of opponents.

It's not as vast as a Skyrim, but there are several square miles of map and my game time ended up over a hundred hours, so big enough. Don't expect any dragons or giants, your worries will entirely be bandits and mercenaries. That's not to say it's entirely realistic; you'll still be using alchemy to mix up some potions that can enhance your healing, give you better night vision, or make you a better speaker--but it tries to stay closer to The Real Thing than most games. It's set in real world Europe in real world 1403 with many characters at least loosely based on historical figures, and locations you can find the modern day equivalents of on Google Maps.

Almost everything feels complicated when you start to learn it. Combat? Real pain in the butt until you learn how to counterattack. Picking locks or pickpocketing? High risk low reward until you've raised your skill a few levels. Alchemy, you have to go through manual steps to create so many potions until you can unlock the Autobrew option. For the most part this goes to make it feel rewarding once you actually start to make progress, though.

Bethesda open worlds are my favorite, and outside of those this is one of the games that comes closest to scratching the same itch, which is nice since there are so many years between scratches from developers these days.

Kingdom come deliverance does a few things exceptionally well. You start as a nobody and from the start everything in the world feels difficult to do. Fighting multiple enemies, earning money and convincing people are a few examples that come to mind. You need to progress in these areas to slowly become better. A lot of games make you overpowered in a couple of hours, but the progression in this game is so rewarding. I also really like the story and how the gameplay feels once you get the hang of it. Definitely give this one a try before diving in to 2.

I'd give this game a solid 8/10, coming from someone who's yet to play the sequel.
There's just some things that went against my personal preferences in games, in terms of mechanics/design, which is by no way the game dev's fault. They did a great job.
Immersion 10/10, the atmosphere, the lively map, environment design was fantastic. Felt like I was actually in there.
Story I'd give an 8/10, yes, I'm aware this was mainly set up for the sequel, it was sort of predictable which does not mean it was badly written, just some things felt like they popped out of nowhere and suddenly were important without much weight.
Mechanics are crusty, but what the hell, sure. Let me swing the sword.
A lack of easy mode as is usually done in games for the players who simply want to enjoy the story is one of the things that stood out to me - since I belong in this group. But I did not mind the challenge, however sometimes it got annoying. Personally, I'm more interested in storylines/lore rather than everyone being out to get my ass and it being a pain to resolve.
Savior schnapps mechanic was very silly to me. Again, part of the challenge of the game to "realistically" get through events I suppose, but like I mentioned this is just personal preference.
Overall, very enjoyable game, now I saved right before riding off into the sunset with Hans (very romantic, hehe, love that barbie and the three musketeers reference (of course)) so I am ready to rain hell down on Rattay and it's inhabitants and just go wild.

A game where everything from the base movement to the depth of the combat system is about as awkward as possible. It feels like the game is specifically engineered for maximum player frustration.

This game is good, but there is a major bug have not solved even after 6 years : If you accept the DLC mission From the Ashes and completed it, you will not be able to complete one of the main quest which is crucial to the game as you will only see the loading screen after the cutscene is faded out. The only solution without rewinding the progress is to use the cheat mod to do the cheat save during the infinite loading screen, then restart the game and continue with the latest save. Since Warhorse discontinued in revisiting this game, just hope this message can help someone that about to start the DLC before they complete the game.

I really wanted to like this game, because the story seemed really promising, interesting and the world looks really beautiful. However, the combat is awful and frustrating imo. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy "hardcore" games, but I just couldn't get into this one. I feel like the combat wouldn't be THAT bad if there wasn't any jank, but there is a LOT of it. For example, I was fighting a bandit in a forest and while I was moving around, I started walking up the vegetation constantly? Because of this I wasn't able to attack and got killed, losing a ton of progress. There were also mutliple times where enemies noticed me from such a distance it made no sense, ok I try to run away, but enemies are always faster than you and when they hit you, your POV spins around so much it almost gives you motion sickness. Lastly, if you are fighting more than one enemy, it's over.
I'm not interested in spending a week or so learning this combat for this game to "click". Maybe I'll come back to it, but just thinking about playing the game gives me a migraine.

One of the best RPGs. It's not perfect, but it's still very good. Anyone who likes the Middle Ages should play this game. It has mechanics I've never seen in a game before,they're so refreshing.

9,5/10

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is the best eurojank I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. This game is superior to most RPGs in a myriad of ways but unfortunately is an unpolished mess. It is very poorly optimised for PC and performance issues are a big problem in the more densely populated areas like Sasau and Rattay. Sometimes, textures won’t even load in cutscenes. It never got to the point where it was unplayable for me though, fortunately. This game is absolutely littered with bugs too. NPCs falling through the ground into the void only to reemerge like nothing happened, game breaking softlocks and becoming permanently stuck in combat are just a few examples of bugs that I came across. I encountered a particularly egregious bug right at the very end of my playthrough where the final cutscene of the main quest used completely wrong subtitles from a separate cutscene meant for the DLC making what was supposed to be an emotional moment and the culmination of an entire playthrough into an amusement.

Much of the negative reviews for this game have a common complaint, that being the game’s combat. This game has much more difficult and immersive combat than most games and it’s clear that it filtered a lot of players who went into this game expecting it to be a typical power fantasy as evidenced by the steep drop offs in percent completion for the achievements. You're not the Dragonborn, you are Henry Of Skalitz, a blacksmith’s son who has never left the confines of his village and has never had actual combat experience beyond sparring with a wooden sword; a complete bumpkin yokel who can’t even read. The early game is very difficult as a result of this and realistically so. The game also highly recommends as soon as you arrive in Rattay to train with captain Bernard which raises your stats but I imagine most players ignored this. It takes a herculean effort to transform this yokel into a hardened warrior entrusted with leading his compatriots from Skalitz in battle and it’s an immensely satisfying process. This game is pure immersion kino. The only problem I have with the combat is the dogs you’ll occasionally have to fight due to their awful hitboxes.

I would like to highlight some of the other systems in this game which I found to be wonderfully immersive. This game has enforced lifestyle mechanics such as eating, drinking and sleeping but they never felt like chores to me like they do in many other games which attempt this. Hunting for your own food is really satisfying and if you ever don’t feel like hunting, you can always stop by a market to stock up on food. The only problem I have in regards to these mechanics is a perk which makes it so you hardly ever have to sleep. This clearly goes against what this game is trying to do with all of the immersive mechanics and just feels silly. As mentioned previously, Henry cannot at the start of the game read. The ability to read is tied to the “reading” skill which can be improved at first by seeing a scribe. Many quests can play out quite differently based upon whether or not you can read and there are even achievements for reaching certain milestones without being able to read and I think these things are very cool. Saving can only be done by sleeping or drinking a certain beverage which you can brew. I’ve seen many criticisms of how obtuse the saving system is and I imagine they must have not interacted with the game’s alchemy system which is so in depth and fun.

Unlike so many RPGs, the main questline for this game does not disappoint. From watching Henry develop both in game and as a character, to unraveling the mystery of the identity of the game’s main antagonist, and meeting so many interesting characters along the way. I won’t go further into detail about it to avoid spoilers but suffice to say it is superb. The DLCs also expand upon the relationships Henry has with these characters and were all enjoyable. You’ll travel the roads as a mercenary, immersing yourself in a lifestyle completely juxtaposed to that of the main questline. The DLC based upon renewing an entire village is a perfect endgame money sink and is reminiscent of Skyrim’s Hearthfire DLC but exponentially better and more in depth. A Woman’s Lot switches your perspective from Henry to a female Skalitz native and has more of an emphasis on the game’s stealth mechanics which are really well done. This dlc also has a separate questline which includes one of the game’s best and most tense quests which involves you as Henry becoming a de facto lawyer for one of your friends. The Amorous Adventures of Hans Capon is a continuation of the entertaining escapades you have with one of your friends, Hans Capon, the heir of Rattay. The quests involving him are some of the most entertaining ones in the game and the friendship between him and Henry is very well written; it’d be a real shame if Warhorse were to completely butcher his character in the sequel to appease the shippers. The quest design in this game is stellar, with many quests accounting for different playstyles and having different endings. The game will have you pulling heists with your village friends, scamming villagers with elaborate schemes, partaking in a witch’s sabbath along with many other amusing scenarios which you’ll have to discover for yourself.

I give it an 8.5/10. It was fun, I learned some stuff and Hans is my boy.

A little buggy at times but nothing TOO crazy.

Wow... just wow, this game might just be one of the worst RPG's out there. The puritans and simps on the reddit for instance, praise this pile of steaming sack of sh*t for being ''realistic'', however this cant be further from the truth. The game likes to use this excuse many times, but when it really matters it just falls flat in too grandoise promises. Game's story is mediocre at best, at worst it makes fun of itself trough out its writing and pacing, but that BY FAR is not the worst aspect about this game.

Now to the ''good'' stuff. The combat, oh boy... it wants so ever badly to seem to be ''skill based'' which is nothing more than perhaps the greatest lie in any video game i have ever played. ever. for instance what seemed to be truly fair skill based 1v1 medieval fighting system, is nothing more than an idea, that Warhose tried on this game, but failed atrociously. For instance, in what universe can a simple bandit take 3 head shots of an piercing arrow, shot from a war-bow, in close range and just keep on going? you tell me, if that it ''realistic''. How about another example? Your character named henry, has stamina and runs out of it, in few hits, but the enemies can just keep on hitting you/ take sh*t ton of punishment from heavy mace for example. Becouse lets be honest, its really rare to for game-dev's to make FAIR (yet difficult but rewarding) stats for both player and npc's. BUT THATS NOT ALL SHE SANG! This game ALSO heavily relies on henry's STATISTIC's to be able EVEN reach hits to the enemies and deal certain amount of damage. DOES this sound like skill based system to you? HELL NO!!!! skill based system rewards, ANY player for BEING GOOD at the game, not on some arbitery statistics, WHOSE only purpose is to make you SPEND more time on the game that you would like to spend elsewhere.

THERE ARE MANY, and i mean hell of an many flaw's in this game, that just makes you wanna hurt somebody irl, i dont have the time or energy to write everything down here, Hopefully by god, the sequal of this genre has improvent on the many negatives of this one.

IF YOU STILL WANT TO TRY THIS ONE, get it from like -80% sale.

5.5/10

An otherwise good game that is grossly handicapped by a critical flaw. The camera is completely inadequate for fighting more than one person, constantly locking on to one of them as the others run right off screen. What's more, when the ai decides to run around you in a circle or you get one of the godawful spinning ripostes (which happens constantly) the camera spins incredibly nauseatingly, with the cursor you need to see perfect block timing following off the side of the screen. This would be tolerable, if not for the fact that the game constantly puts you into 1v3 fights where these garbage mechanics can fully ruin your enjoyment of the game.

What's more, combat in general is deeply unsatisfying, with constant bouts of lengthy animations as you and your opponent(s) trade perfect blocks, until finally somebody gets a master strike that you get to watch for five seconds before repeating the lengthy process over again.

Overall a good game. Story is pretty good, I love the art style and historical accuracy, while prominent characters are few in number they're written well, and the devs managed to balance all of that with the fact this is a game; alchemy is a great example of this. You've got to choose a base fluid for the potion, add herbs and other ingredients, grind stuff in a motar & pestle and control the heat of the cauldron, either after buying the recipe or experimenting. While cool at first, this becomes a massive pain later on; except you can sidestep that buy learning the autobrew perk.

Choices made at times do have consequences down the line, leaving a quest to sit for a time can change its outcome and Henry can use his learned skills to influence quests and NPC's.

So why do I not recommend Kingdom Come? The combat. While its a great RPG, the combat systems have potential but fall short in key ways that made me hate it.
The simple version of it is Master Strikes and Combos. I generally like the back and forth dance with strikes and parries, its not perfect, but its realistic and I like it.


Master Strikes feel nice to perform, but horrible to be on the receiving end of, and they happen quite often all things considered.

It makes defence too desirable when I can 'counter'-attack an enemy and they can't do squat about it, even when they outnumber me because I become invincible during the animation, which then doesn't deal any damage because they all push against the dude I countered getting him out of range to take the damage, making it all pointless.
When getting hit by a Master Strike, its uncounterable and random (happening more often if your opponent is a higher levelled one, moreso if in comparison to you) interrupting the flow of the fight. It doesn't feel good, nor fair as a player.


Combos look awesome and feel great to pull off. Parts of the attack direction indicator turn white to signify if you can thrust/swing that way to continue a combo, although I found them too subtle in combat to rely on. The problem with combos comes from very rarely getting to use them; when and NPC perfect blocks an attack, it interrupts any and all combos. NPC's perfect block atleast 50% of your strikes. Going through the story NPC's perfect block more and more often, in combination with randomly Master Striking you.

The last two things that I grew to despise were equipment durability and archery. Often at least one piece of gear was damaged beyond what Henry could repair with kits after a single encounter. Archery lacks a reticle, which would be fine if Henry didn't shake like a crackhead with a bow drawn. Uping your bow skill reduces it, but thats hard to do when you can't hit or kill anything.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is one of those rare games where you can *feel* the developer's love, attention, and hard work while playing it. Whether it's in the cutscenes, the interactions/actions you can take that you didn't expect, or through the wonderful characters, this game truly possesses a special quality that I find to be semi-indescribable. There are issues, particularly in the sector of performance/bugs, but it has been worked on. If you feel you can get past that I cannot recommend this game enough to people who are looking for a unique RPG.

the game is fucking beautiful, and its best watched than played if you're on the fence about it so someone else can sit through the dreadful combat, annoying lack of QoL features, and getting the fucking run around from all of the NPC's. so far, there has never been a straightforward path through a quest, someone always needs something done before they will do anything to help. which is realistic i guess but fucking awful for playing a game. The game is beautifully detailed and wonderfully done but id sooner watch someone gawk over it than have a strong urge to keep playing it. It is beautiful in ways you wont expect, like seeing accurate drawings for each town if you zoom in, and the map istelf being drawn in the same style. but it can only be so pretty and it stops being beautiful the moment you step into combat. This is an ACCURATE depiction of 15th century combat. you will lose all your shit to any group bigger than 1 due to getting ganked or the dreadful combat system. You'll want to like it more than you end up actually enjoying it. In a recent encounter, i save some guards during a holdup, and the guards try arresting ME. and thanks to the complete lack of autosaves, my last load was what felt like half an hour back. this game is fiercely determined to be realistic to its own detriment

Look, it's pretty good. I picked it up because it'd been in my steam library for ages and KCD2 came out. There are definitely some flaws but overall it's a fairly rewarding RPG. Combat is punishing until you figure out the master strike at which point the game really opens up to you, except for when you get ganked by a mob of 14 peasants at once which I suppose goes to realism.
worth a play if you can pick up on sale. runs well. 7.5/10 for me overall.

One of the best game i've ever played, maybe the closest thing to RDR 2 for me, great game, great story, great gameplay, amazing npc dan graphics, what can i say? just cant wait to play KCD 2

What could be a very good game is held back by some of the most infuriating game mechanics I've ever come across. Combat makes literally no sense whatsoever; it's either not explained at all, or so poorly explained that there might as well not be any kind of tutorial.

Combined with the equally frustrating lock picking mechanic (which again, makes no logical sense), I just said fuck it, I'll go play something that doesn't make me want to hit my head against a wall every time I want to do something interesting.

This game would be incredible if it wasn't for the broken combat. Most of the time its fine but sometimes you'll come across a group of enemies that can teleport behind you and permanently stun lock you... WTF?

Bought this because people say it's like the Gothic games... It is a little bit, but I still don't like it! Gothic is exciting, mysterious and kind of just lets you go... This is just boring.

A generally great game bottlenecked by the most braindead and frustrating design decisions. If you want to hear the positives plenty of other reviews detail them well.

Buggier than Skyrim but with a savegame system that will strip you of 30 minutes of progress when you die trying to run away from someone but get snared by the janky combat system or horrible terrain. I love trying to stab someone in the back (good luck having this work reliably, you can completely get the drop on them and Henry will fail a ton of the time), and then getting swarmed by the entire bandit camp by the time Henry is done going through the animation of setting the body down.

Minor spoilers here:

There's also the time that Henry, by choice, to very little benefit to himself, regardless of how badly injured or poorly equipped he is, rushes into a 1v1 with an enemy commander in a scripted event. An enemy commander that can take sword blows to his unarmored head and barely flinch...and there's very little I want to do but put down the game. It completely bottlenecks the RPG behind a 1v1 combat encounter and the justification is Henry just being a hotheaded idiot in the moment.

I hear the sequel is great. I've had this for a while and wanted to get through it first...not sure if I'll be able to.

I wanted to like this game, I really do. But the combat is unbearable. It's extremely clunky, frustrating and unbelievably unresponsive.

Not for me, a bit too frustrating. I've died in the tutorial twice and got my character stuck in objects a few times. The dialog options all lead to playing as a petulant teenager. And there's no way to hand in partial objectives. Like you can't just give your father the cold ale. You have to also have every other item too, if you get those then the ale goes flat and you have to get it again. More of a puzzle adventure game than an RPG in that sense.

The combat system is very well thought out, maybe a little clumsy in practice. But there is a logic to it that is kind of fun in a mini-game sort of way.

After 48 hours, I have given up on this game. The clunky combat, grueling downtime and the forced authenticity which in turn, sacrifices compelling gameplay. Even the ridiculous load times while waiting to achieve some prerequisite is a minor nitpick that in turn, piles on the abundance of faults to this game. Music is a plus, setting is engrossing, but that is about it. Also some of the most inconsistent voice acting I have ever heard in a modern game. This game is janky, and not even Bethesda janky, which those games I can tolerate due to the amazing game design. After coming from games like Oblivion and Witcher 3 straight into this, it is a hard pass for me.

One of the most refreshing RPG's I have had the pleasure of playing in a while. A little buggy and rough around the edges, a slow start with a steep learning curve, but what an immersive and satisfying experience from start to finish. Well worth the playthrough.

A peak immersive RPG set in Bohemia in the early 15th century. It has its quirks and problems but overall is well worth the journey. Its biggest flaw is some weird quest design for some quests that halts any momentum and excitement you had currently built up and can put quite the damper on things; fortunately, it picks up again after these quests and it gets exciting again.

I recommend it to people who like immersive RPGs or are interested in the setting, especially when it's on sale.

Fun. You just have to completely look past the bad optimization and many bugs, but eh i feel quite hungry.

I really wanted to like this. This game is incredible in so many ways: the graphics, the leveling, the historical insights, the writing; BUT there is simply no excuse for combat being this bad. If you have not played this before, you cannot possibly imagine how awful the combat really is--no other game I've encountered in 40 years of hardcore gaming has done it worse. I liked more things than I disliked about KCD overall, but when a medieval-setting video game cannot make the action enjoyable at any point in the game regardless of skills, gear, or scenario, there's a big problem. Such a shame.

Literally the best RPG I've ever played, hands down. You're a nobody. You're not a dragonborn, or anyone with special powers. You're a pheasant. With time and practice you will become one of the greatest though. The story is amazing, characters are amazing, quests are awesome, world is alive and full of epic moments. I gave up a few times when I started playing this, but thankfully I kept going this time. Took me almost 100 of hours to fully finish the game, but it's damn worth it. Onto the next one now!

I'm glad that I finally got around to playing through Kingdom Come Deliverance. The game starts off very slowly as the commitment to the setting means that you are trash at everything. You're a blacksmith's son, not a solider so why would you know how to brew a potion or use a weapon. It reminders me of Red Dead 2 in many ways with how slowly you traverse and grow in the world, but it also makes the world feel so alive and immersive. I enjoyed getting to view the world through Henry's eyes as Bohemia slowly fell into chaos. Ensuring that you spend time practicing your combat skills, stealth, and even reading so you don't have to rely on others reading books and letters to you and I was very into it. I have to say, I did almost drop this game due to my absolute disdain of the combat system. I understand that Henry shouldn't be any good at combat, but it was just soo slow and clunky, Then I learned 1 technique and I was able to masterfully counter and attack and 1v1s became trivial. I've heard that combat is much improved in the sequel, which is great and I may recommend skipping this game and going straight to KCD2 although you will miss out on a well-crafted story in a beautifully thriving world that is worth fighting through the combat

Great story, I hardly watch cinematics but am finding myself watching every cutscene. Game really tries to pull you back to the 1400s and does a great job at doing it!

Playing this game in 2025 to get ready for KCD2 and it is still full of bugs, some of which are game breaking and you have to lose several hours of progress to go back to a previous save to find a work around. And no, it's not just me; there are multiple forums online where people have run into many of the same progression-halting bugs I have, so these problems have been brought to light and are known. Crazy that they decided not to even fully fix the game before moving onto a sequel. The game is fun and enjoyable, when it works (although the combat is terribly aggravating, as others have mentioned), but the multiple game-progression-halting bugs I ran into completely ruins the experience. Just going to watch a quick synopsis of KCD storyline and switch to KCD2 and hope they solved at least some of the issues.

This game is certainly something entirely different from most RPG experiences. All of your actions matter from how you interact with people in dialogue to even how you present yourself physically to merchants. It is entirely immersive and it really makes you feel like you are in 15th century Bohemia. My only complaints is that combat can be very clunky at first and even fighting more than one enemy can be perilous so choose your fights wisely. In 1 on 1 combat, its a lot more manageable and i think that is where Kingdom Come Deliverance's combat system shines. There are many play styles to choose from and many of the perks are double edged swords so its always worth being mindful about how perks can affect you while exploring all that Bohemia has to offer. If you like PRGs with great world building and detailed gameplay than i would recommend Kingdom Come Deliverance but if you are looking for a more casual RPG to play i would look elsewhere. Overall from what i have played of Kingdom Come Deliverance i would rate the game a 7/10. I feel like the combat for many will be a turn off so that is primarily what keeps me from putting it up at an 8 or 9/10.

Pro tip: When you look at your character stats and under nourishment you want that to be above a 60 and under 100 at all times or Henry will be annoying and keep complaining about wanting something to eat

The best medieval simulator/RPG that is grounded in a world that is inspired by a real-life historical setting in feudal age Bohemia.

The multitude of ways you can interact with a living breathing world is quite remarkable for a game that originated on Kickstarter.

The NPCs have daily routines and ply their trade, in surprisingly realistic fashion. The impact the player has on the local community and economy reflects on how NPCs react to you, how they may haggle prices with you, and outright whether they are hostile or scared of you. This isn't just exclusive to the free-roam environment, but your reputation impacts quests and vice-versa.

Henry the protagonist is not only interesting and easy to be invested in, but he is the perfect blank character slate at the beginning as he, (by exceptional circumstances) bypasses a lot of limitations a lowly peasant would have in this world - and this provides an exciting means of the player inserting themselves and choosing how to grow Henry, as you will need to not only train your combat skills, but also potential trade skills for money-earning, and social skills (learning to read) for navigating dialogue.

On paper; a lot of this can sound tedious. However by limiting the fantastical scale in comparison to game like Elder Scrolls and The Witcher series', you find TRUE satisfaction and feel significant and tangible upgrades for every level-up, every new piece of gear, and every helpful bit of knowledge to give you real advantages in this world.

I'm glad I picked up this game before just making the jump to KCD2 - as I would have missed a true gem to come out last-generation. It was also worth it to 'experience' one of my favourite quests in any open world RPG, and have the same NPC appear in the prologue intro of KCD2 - something I would not be able to appreciate as much had I just decided to skip where it all started.

TLDR: Red Redemption 2-Lite in Medieval Bohemia, with crafting/lifeskill minigames, Gothic-like difficulty and NPC schedules, Elder Scrolls Skill Levelling.

What a good story… the perfect medieval simulator... u are broke, always hungry, ur horse has zero sense of direction and Henry cant even read but he has to be a hero

This game punishes you for having the audacity to learn things.

It works well as a linear story but awful as a medieval sim game. The save game limitation adds nothing. Especially when it is so laden with cutscenes.

I'm sure it's ok when you play through the chunk of the game where nothing is designed to work properly until you have a million levels in all the skills.

Update: Dont ever fight bandits on a hill, the game engine just shits its pants. This is clearly a 1v1 combat system. It works fine as that. But it is dogshit with multiple enemies with an over reliance at detecting which enemy it thinks it wants you to fight. It has no clue. There is so much clipping and nonsense.

I am 7 years late, but easy GOTY. Anyone who prioritizes good storytelling in their gaming experience needs to play this.

There wasn’t a single moment I didn’t love in this game, nor a character I didn’t grow attached to. I have nothing but praise for its story and writing—it was a treat from start to finish, whether in the main narrative with its themes of discovery or the side quests, which explored characters and conflicts of varying complexity and tone.

Even after all these years, most of the jank and bugs have been ironed out, and KCD has aged surprisingly well. I can see myself returning for future playthroughs, even if only to explore more of its lush world.

My only small gripe—one I hope the sequel improves—is off-road traversal. Unlike the rest of the game, which feels grounded in immersive, realistic system design, getting stuck in various parts of the world just isn’t realistic.

Every other game system, including combat, grew on me as I learned their quirks. It is at times a little difficult to understand what the game asks of you, but that only sold me on the world and how I was able to interact with it. Many quests consist of uncovering schemes or mysteries, and you tackle these situations by engaging with the world on its own terms. Whether by studying the Herbarium to brew an antidote for a village suffering from an unknown plague, eavesdropping on the prayers of a family suspected to be heretics or blunting the sword of the executioner at the grindstone to sully his reputation. In all of these examples, the outcome is dictated by your involvement - or lack thereof, as some quests proceed when time passes.

All of these quests were memorable because they told stories that felt real, about people who had their own beliefs, agendas and problems.

I cannot think of a game that does that as well as KCD.

Onto KCD II!

Played this instead as my PC isn't good enough to handle KCD:2 and found myself going through a whirlwind of emotions.

First of all, I wholeheartedly recommend this product. You will hate it for the first 2-3 days. It does a lot of things that modern day games have done away with. It forces you to stare at the fast travel indicator, which moves at the speed of a slug. It forces you into gritty, hard-hitting, claustrophobic combat, which makes you feel like throwing your controller. Save files feel few and far between, so on the rare chance you do die from falling off a cliff, or die to a surprise late-game ambush, you will be set back at least 1 hour in your progress... yet despite all of this, the game is EXCELLENT.

The combat is as simple as this: if enemy has higher stats than you, you die.

This means that if you go into combat with a bandit in full black armor, he will likely parry everything you throw at him, forever. So just don't try it. Even if you try to stealth kill him, he'll throw you off and laugh at you. This is because you are a PEASANT with 5 strength, and he is a MERCENARY with 15 strength. This is DnD style role-play, and the developers did it on purpose.

But once you DO get used to the combat, and as long as you're playing with mouse and keyboard, it is possible to joust with 2-3 bandits at once. Provided THEY ARE THE SAME LEVEL AS YOU. It took me about a week of playing (I tried on console first) to actually get used to the fighting mechanics, but eventually you get to the point where you can reliably duel a small group of bandits with mixed tactics. And you don't need heavy armor to do it, ether. I usually wear a stealth set. Which leads me to say...

Stealth and thieving feel INCREDIBLE. This is what I wanted from an Oblivion-like stealth/thieving experience. I've hoarded over 5,000 gold in the early game so far just by looting Rattay and the neighboring small towns. And due to the limited save-file system, it always feels tense. Sometimes, you won't even have to load a save if you do get caught because if you have the sense to get up, spin around, and run away from people before they manage to I.D. you, that WORKS. You won't get a bounty and they won't even fine you for trespassing!

Likewise, I cleared two bandit camps today using purely Robin Hood tactics. And holy sheet, does it feel awesome! Fire off a piercing arrow, bleed the bandit leader to death, then take out his goons that come running via kiting/picking them off one by one. And don't get me started on going into camps at night whilst they're all sleeping. That feels incredible too!

So, long story short. The game has a few things that can be annoying (looking at you foliage and rain that tanks my FPS). Enemy dogs suck during the mid-game due to their hit-box, but this is fixed by having a dog of your own. (I highly recommend getting the Woman's Lot DLC purely for the dog, as it really does help lessen the dread of the experience somewhat. The dog is OP if handled correctly.)

The last thing I will say is, the main story is tedious. This is the game's worst sin/only 'real' negative. Everything else is alleviated with time, but the story isn't.

All of the quests are detective-style fetch quests with no actual combat. This makes no sense, because you spend days learning how to fight with Captain Bernard. You get some middling armor. Then you think, ''right, I must be ready for the main quests now, let's go;'' but then... you find yourself waddling around in the woods, talking to people and asking ''SO WHeRe DId ThoSe BanDIts gO?''

You are a medieval messenger. The main quests don't treat you like a knight, or a squire. You're an errand boy--and only three of them have combat sequences involved. It's... kind of annoying? And kind of confusing. The developers couldn't think up a better quest line than this? Like, I don't know:

The bandits competing in a grand tournament under disguises and Henry has to win the tournament in order to get back Ser Radrik' sword by beating the bandits one by one in a series of listings, whilst doing this other detective shit along the way(?)

Just--you know, something that ACTUALLY used the game's combat system? Instead, the game just makes you waddle around like a numbskull for 6 hours chasing threads. It's really boring/senseless. I feel like their writer crapped out here and I don't know what else to say. The story feels like it has nothing to do with the rest of the game.

Last thing--I wish there were more 1v1/2v2 combat situations. There is an itch this game has that bugs you, and I finally identified what it was the other night. You are constantly craving a good scrap. But you will start to understand after ten-twenty hours of playing that you are either always outnumbered, or cannot find anyone to fight at all. There is no in-between, and it's a bit of a shame. In other words, Henry is always 1v5'ing everyone. You will very rarely-- except through rare fast travel coincidences--have a nice, tight duel, which is where the game completely and utterly excels....

Never been to Bohemia, never swung a sword in real life, but I really enjoyed this game, so lovely
Steel clashes, arrows fly, bandits fall. The battlefield is ruthless, but so am I.
For honor, for glory, for my father’s forge.
A blade well kept, a mind sharp... only the strong survive.
No kings, no chosen ones, just grit, steel, and fate.

An RPG that hews closer to something like Gothic than Skyrim, with both good and bad. I will get the worst thing out of the way first because even there's not much to talk about, it absolutely needs to be mentioned in a review: the combat is kinda experimental but in general OK, but the combat with multiple enemies is straight-up bad. So there.

First, what kept me playing despite that and what I appreciated more and more over time, was the environment, which is easily one of the best ever game, period. Second, the plot is not terribly interesting but quests in general are really good, especially the ones where you're supposed to investigate and the instructions are not clear, leaving you to do some actual detecting, which is something I did not expect in this type of game. Lastly, the (late addition of a) Czech dub was something that managed to tie the whole experience together, and I recommend it over the English one even if you can't understand the language.

I am 155 hours in and i am still not done. This game has a lot of micromanaging but is so fun and engaging with it's difficulty. I can't wait to play the second one after.

This game is really addictive and is pretty much everything I wanted out of Skyrim -- Atleast it feels that way.
The combat is pretty tough, but well worth it, Aqua Vitalis is your friend!

Just wish the modding community was stronger for this game.

I tried so hard to like this game. This isn't like Skyrim where you are the main character, you start with nothing and getting good gear requires hard work and dedication. It really makes you feel like some poor peasant boy trying to learn skills that are outside of your grasp at the beginning and i can appreciate the rags-to-riches style of game but the combat of this game is just waaaaay too clunky. It doesn't matter how prepared i am, or how much gear i have grinded out because eventually I have to play the story and fight a single dude without armor or a shield and i'll get my ass handed to me for what feels like hours. Perfect block after perfect block i can perform flawlessly and a 1v1 fight can feel like it just goes on and on as the enemy takes hit after hit. Then if you mess up, the consequences has you starting over from the beginning. And that's just the 1v1 fights, i hope you don't get jumped buy 3 guys because you might as well just load last save at that point. running away isn't an option either. Like i said, its not skyrim, its more of a simulation style of game and every part of that simulation besides the combat makes me want to play and get better but eventually I am forced to fight and lose over and over and over again. Maybe the second game is better but if you don't like how the combat feels at the beginning of the game then don't expect it to get any better. You may think "Ill just do side quests till i'm ready" but the side quests have you leaving the safety of the castle walls and that's how you get jumped. Maybe the best option for the main character is to just stay a blacksmith.

Id give this game a 4/10 with the combat and a 9/10 if they just removed it from the game entirely. Even writing this review I still want to play more but I don't want the peasant with a stick to beat the shit out of me again

I already sunk around 20 hours into KCD on the PlayStation in 2023 but then stopped playing when you have to search for Reeky. Loved the game from the start, but I struggled with it (as you should) and somehow let that defeat me. Fake “I don’t want games to hold my hand” enjoyers when real deadbeats come at them.

Seriously though, I don’t understand what made me drop the game the first time around because on my second attempt everything just clicked. The struggle instead turned into a fun challenge and learning how to survive all the hardships of being an ordinary medieval peasant was definitely a first. In fact, no other game I’ve played managed to capture this feeling of “just being some guy”. You literally can’t do shit in the beginning. Which honestly makes this whole journey even more rewarding. You don’t start out as a hero but in the eyes of some folk you certainly end it as one.

And with the sequel already in my virtual cart I can’t wait to see how Henry’s story will continue.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is one of the most immersive and detailed medieval games I’ve ever played. But let me tell you this: if you think you’re going to grab a sword and instantly become a hero, you’re in for a rude awakening. This game will constantly remind you that you are, in fact, just a simple peasant. Truth hurts.

The combat system is not easy. In the beginning, you’ll wonder if your character has ever thrown a punch in his life. Swinging a sword properly takes practice, timing your attacks is crucial, and blocking feels like an art form. You don’t start as a warrior, you start as someone who barely knows which end of the sword to hold. But once you improve, it’s incredibly satisfying.

The story and world are fantastic. The NPC AI is impressively smart; people react to your actions, remember your mistakes, and treat you accordingly. Try scamming a merchant, and don’t be surprised when they start giving you the cold shoulder later. It truly feels like you’re carving out your own story.

If you’re looking for a realistic RPG set in the Middle Ages, you need to try this game. Just be prepared your first 20 maybe 30 hours will be spent wondering why you’re so weak.

P.S.: 93 hours in and I’m still trying to learn how to fight.

If you want a game that's combat is 75% being locked into weird ass camera angles and having no idea whats going on because the ai just runs behinds to attack and sends your view spinning

This game is amazing, is not a game where you are the savior of the world from the beginning, you are just the son of a blacksmith in a small town, things happens that are out of your control and now you are in a quest for vengeance.. but you are literally no-one, you don't know how to fight, you don't know how to get money, you don't even know how to read!

You will have to figure out things, help people, getting out of your way to do something here and there will led the character to evolve in a way that the little guy that you met at the beginning of the game looks like a complete different character.

It's a very cool RPG with crazy outcomes you can literally fail so many things in a quest and somehow get out with an outcome, there's a quest about a priest that is super cool and you will see it eventually if you do the main story, this game is insane and I hope the sequel to be as good as this one.

Limited saves, the game is a errand runner back and forth from different areas and then your character is tired. Combat is aids you take so much damage and constantly have to sleep to heal which makes you miss quest lines that are time limited. I just played for an hour until I fast traveled to a city and got attacked by three bandits and died losing all of my progress.

An amazing game otherwise, but holy shit the combat is fucking atrotious, I have yet to touch worse

I got this on sale knowing nothing about it, not even that its sequel was about to come out.

I played the first hour and almost dropped it; the combat seemed daunting as I got my ass kicked by the first drunk guy I fought, I was worried it'd be a bunch of fetch quests the entire game, and I was having a hard time getting into it.

I read some stuff about how you're supposed to suck at first, how Henry grows as you play just like you get better at the game, and how it all turns around, so I gave it a chance.

I was rewarded with the single most immersive game I've ever played. The world is beautifully built, the map is handcrafted, the characters are living and breathing, and the story is fantastic and keeps you engaged. The sidequests range from "Activities" where its generally a fetch quest, whereas the sidequests are TRULY sidequests with consequences. I'm 32 and relatively busy, I haven't no-lifed a game in quite a while, and this sucked me into the world to the point I felt a gap in my life when I was done.

I'm looking forward to playing the second game and I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a true gaming experience and likes the medieval setting in any way, shape or form. Suffer through the beginning like a man and you will be rewarded.