Kingdom Come Deliverance Retrospective
Game details
#Games #Game_Retrospective #Game_Review
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Introduction
Role Playing games by their very definition let a player assume a role, a character thrusted into a set of circumstances and a world that calls to action the need to explore and invoke change for better or for worse. Whether you're the Dragonborne or Commander Shepard there is always a through-line between the player and their character that shows their influence on the world, and their rise to power.
Kingdom Come Deliverance's core ethos is built around depicting a world that is accurate to the era, and a mantra that expresses "no magic, no dragons, no chosen-one story". KCD lives by this creed as a game that starts you at the bottom, a pleb who can't even wield a weapon, and allows you the player to engage and get immersed into its world growing, not through arbitrary systems, but through doing. Kingdom Come Deliverance where everything feels manual in its design, and intentional in its outcomes. You want to become proficient with a sword, then equip a sword and use it. What KCD offers is an experience that is unique and distinct in its design where in its early hours it will feel relentless, harsh, and brutal with everything going against you, but in its later hours rewarding and gratifying in a way that few other RPG's are able to provide.
Last year I took the plunge into playing this last year after having it sit on my backlog for years, meaning that the version I played wasn't the recent enhanced version. But with all that said KCD is one of the most interesting and charming RPGs that I have played in recent years. Here's the thing, the hook, the charm factor. You never do become overpowered in KCD, but rather you acquainted and confident with the many systems that make KCD tick, and offer a sense of mastery that feels unrivalled, and whilst it may be rough around the edges with some bugs and technical hiccups from time to time, what I was greeted with was an RPG that is Distinct in its world, quest design, combat, and overall sense of immersion, and an experience that is an absolutely an incredible must-play experience.
Development
We're going to briefly discuss the development of Kingdom come Deliverance. The project began as a pitch from Daniel Vávra, a Czech designer and writer who is best known for his work on the Mafia series at 2K Czech.
Daniel would leave 2K in 2009 to pursue an ambitious personal vision, a game that was designed as a first-person, medieval role-playing game with a unique proposition at the time. See Daniel's vision was built on a core ethos that would underpin this endeavor "no dragons, no magic, and no chosen one fantasy". The game would devote itself to being historically accurate, and set itself in the time period of 15th century Bohemia.
Warhorse Studios was founded on the 21st July 2011, and first announced it was working on an unannounced role-playing on the 9th of February 2012, having licensed CryEngine 3 on date. On top of the use of CryEngine Warhorse were would build their own AI engine on top that would provide, routes, routines, hobbies, and work schedules for these NPC's who populate the different towns and cities that you'd explore. The aim to make the world feel real and lived in. After 17 months Warhorse had a working prototype and began pitching to international investors. Publishers were skeptical at the prospect of a realistic RPG with no fantasy elements and the studio would face many close calls with closure.
The turning point for Warhorse Studios came through a Kickstarter, a campaign that launched January 22nd 2014 with a goal of 300,000 pounds and by the end of February had raised over 1 million pounds this was where the start for Kingdom Come Deliverance began. Over 35,000 fans partially funded the game and followed its development along the way, establishing a community-first relationship that the studio has said shaped its identity in the years that followed. The development for Kingdom Come Deliverance would take a four year cycle, with alpha and beta builds being shared with backers for feedback. The game would release February 13th 2018.
Kingdom Come Deliverance would release and the game would be in a rough state, with many different bugs, and performance issues that would pose a rough image for the game. But the thing is despite the technical issues the game still managed to land for many, a lot of people loved this game, and Warhorse would work to patch and improve this game in the years that followed and overall, Kingdom Come Deliverance was considered a success with an increase in tourism to Czech Republic with many wanting to visit historical landmarks found in the game. In more recent years, there has been an enhanced version of the game release, and its sequel would find even larger mainstream success, making Warhorse Studios a household name.
Story
The story for Kingdom Come Deliverance takes place in 15th Century Bohemia, and places you in the shoes of Henry of Skalitz, the blacksmiths son, who yearns for a world of adventure, but is protected and deterred by his father a well travelled warrior turned blacksmith, who has retied to the quiet life in Skalitz.
Henry's destiny would change when Skalitz is attacked by a Cuman invasion, resulting with him escaping by the skin of his teeth winding up in the town of Rattay where the real journey will begin. Henry's journey see's both you and him climbing up from being a weak peasant, the Blacksmith's Son, into a skilled swordsman who would track down the people who killed his parents, seek revenge and reclaim his fathers sword.
The story for Kingdom Come Deliverance exceeds in its storytelling and how it intrigues the you to learn more about its world. This is in large part due to the hook of the main story which keeps you wanting to know where Henry's journey will take him next, but also the side adventures of the world around you, some epic and globetrotting in nature, and others more mundane and down to Earth, painting a vivid image of the day to day life of the towns, the churches, or the different kingdoms and local tournaments.
I'm not going to dive too deeply into spoilers, but the writing and heart of Kingdom Come Deliverance really is something special. Henry as a character is so charming and endearing, being in his shoes and being able to pick his responses and the delivery on some of these choices is just comedic and there is so much soul to the character. But even the side characters like Hans or Father Godwin are so memorable and the side stories and adventures that you go on with the different characters of this world, make this depiction of Bohemia feel so vivid and this world feel so well realized. I think that when the Kingdom Come series is looked back on, many will talk about Henry the same way that we talk about Geralt or Commander Shepard.
On top of this, the level of choice and variety to both the side quests and even the main story, makes every decision you make feel like a canon event within your own world, and I chalk this up to how well it is written and how many of these events play out and tie into one another. If there is one strength that I believe is one of Kingdom Come's superpower, it is its writing and more so style of writing, it is deeply human, earnest, but most importantly full of soul.
Gameplay
Combat
The combat for feels like it evolves the typical form of first-person melee combat that you tend to find in other RPG's where swinging your sword can feel a lot more automated where you have heavy and light attacks but the game and the animations handle the rest. Here in Kingdom Come Deliverance you get two attacks one being a jab and the other being a slash, but where things start to become more complex is through the star shape that you'll see around your crosshair, which is comprised of 5 separate parts of the body that Henry can hit with the top being the head, the top two underneath representing the arms and the bottom two being the the legs.
What this ultimately means is that at any given time you can execute 5 different slashes and a jab that is positioned in the center. This allows you to hone in on the enemy disabling their arms making it harder for them to attack. On top of that, you can attack at a consistent pace weaving between jabs and slashes from the different angles allowing you to fake out your opponent and get a hit in, and also execute different combos and patterns. It makes melee combat feel a lot more tactical, having you observe your opponent, looking for an opening, and whilst you can button mash and try your luck and see some success, there is a lot more resistance to this approach, and your strength and progression comes from understanding to read your foe, the weapon they use and the different types of swings and patterns you can use to counter them. It can feel like a lot of friction and it will turn off many players, but I think this component of KCD really is unique, and not many other games really do feel like it in how its combat and systems built around them are designed.
There is a point of contention that is generally mentioned when discussing the combat for KCD and that is how combat operates in multiple encounters. Early on there is absolutely a point of friction, and this is largely attributed to the fact that you are both ill-equipped and not ready for that fight. Over the course of your playthrough, you'll acquire better armor and swords, but more so better skills and combos, that can help combat these encounters, which even in the later game can still feel somewhat awkward. In a lot of ways KCD's combat does feel built around singular encounters, but I did find myself enjoying the challenge of facing multiple enemies and more so, the ways in which you can isolate combat into one or two enemies, opposed to going in and fighting five enemies at a time.
Interactive and Immersive Systems
Another cornerstone to Kingdom Come Deliverance is how reactive and interactive the world is, down to a granular level where things like Henry's appearance and smell impacts how NPC's interact with you. If you're walking through a town covered in blood people will respond a particular way and even avoid you. At night if you're walking around town without a torch, the guards will be suspicious of you and even arrest you if you refuse to pull out your torch. These little yet subtle details make the world of KCD feel real and authentic, and it provides an added level of simulation to the equation.
The way that choice functions in Kingdom Come Deliverance is robust and I think the signs of a truly reactive world are ones where things happen outside of speech checks and conversations. KCD feels like there is a real living world here where interactions are dictated by a multitude of variables, and the second thing that makes this feel satisfying is the more you use a particular skill the more that you leveled up, this goes for social skills too like getting drunk and being able to hold your liquor. On top of all of this, these variables like being a social drunk or being able to come across more noble or perceptive can influence different choices.
There is an endless level of cause and effect that feels like it is at play with this game and this might turn off some people from the game, but if you're looking for an RPG with a lot of depth in its systems and how your actions interlock with those systems. KCD feels like an RPG that keeps rolling consistently, you may fail individual skill checks or objectives, but the game continues and branches forth, rolling further and further and makes your experience feel unique. It in many ways reminds me of the flexibility that comes from a game like Baldur's Gate, but it is different, it feels like you're living out your day to day life taking on odd jobs, and even main story objectives, and the game has solutions and quirky ways to approach the the story, and many times you're rolling the dice with your own stats and skillsets.
There are also different systems that are intergrated into KCD's Interactive systems that can cause a level of friction and annoyance such as the lockpicking which was an absolute chore to understand call me dumb but I still could never really get good at it. Then there is the Savior Schnapps which is an item that can be crafted and consumable item which allows you to quick save on the fly, rather than being at a rest spot to save your game. I personally don't mind this setup, as it prevents you from being able to always be able to save at the sight of a threat, with that in mind, makes how you move around through the world especially at night or in the face of a conflict feel different.
It's crazy to say this because it doesn't sound fun, but I legit spent multiple in-game days trying to collect flowers to level up my herbalism, and get new plants and flowers to level up your alchemy.
Exploration
Side Quests & Activities
To kick off discussing the exploration for Kingdom Come Deliverance there isn't a better place to start then the side content that is available in the world. The way that Kingdom Come Deliverance handles side content is comprised into two different categories, one being a side quest which is a unique storyline that has its own set of choices with some being able to be failed or have different endings, and activities quest that are repeatable and the more typical stuff you'd see in the genre.
What I love about this is the activities serve as little bite-sized misadventures that are light on story, but fun and often allow you to explore different pockets of this world, whether it is you getting into some brawls for money, with some guys outside of Rattay, or taking up your duties to clear out some bandits, which early on in the game can be quite challenging.
The side quests, are what you love to see in an RPG, where the side quests are their own narratives that tackle the happenings that are going on in the world, some that branch off the main story, and others that you can stumble upon. There are even tipsters that you can talk to in the multiple different towns and cities, such as Innkeepers or traders and see if there is any word getting around for people who might need help, which sets you off in the right direction.
One stand out quest I found had me following a bunch of grieving women into the woods to commune with the dead, and it's this mix of creepy with some comedy in there too. KCD is full of these different quests that aren't all boiled down to find thing or kill person. A lot of these different quests have many ways that you can get the desired outcome, and have interesting stories that are attached to them, and I loved getting lost in many of the different rabbit holes that came up here.
Choice
We’ve praised many games over the years for their approaches to choices in an RPG, I think of releases like Baldur’s Gate 3. On the flipside, many have lamented this illusionary sense of choice and watered down decisions that have come from many beloved RPG’s such as the base release of Cyberpunk 2077 or a Bethesda game, and a Bethesda game is what you’ll hear most commonly referenced when discussing and comparing Kingdom Come Deliverance as there is a lot of overlap in how both games RPG systems operate, and the freedom of player expression that both facilitate. Many have come to lament the watered down focus on RPG expression in recent Bethesda titles, where choices do have some degree of narrative implication, but the player’s build, skillset or traits play no real leverage or are so accessible where your character ends up feeling like a jack of all trades, hollowing the overall strength and weakness of your character sheet.
All this prelude to express that the way that choice functions in Kingdom Come Deliverance is robust and depicts a world that feels truly reactive world, where things happen outside of speech checks and conversations. But even within these skill checks are different approaches that you can lean on for example in conversations you can lie, persuade, and even use a sense of nobility to edge an advantage. But pulling off the lie isn’t just tied to a Charisma stat, but the clothing, the way you are dressed, how recently you’ve showed. It might sound like it is hedging too much on simulation and for some maybe. But I think it makes this world and the assessments people of different towns make of you feel grounded and realistic.
Also the sense of choice does simply just extend to dialogue. Take this one side quest that I was doing where I suspected that a bunch of women were up to no good doing a ritual in the woods. There is a way to confront them, but you can also follow these NPC’s at night into the woods, observe what they’re doing and confront that way, which leads to its own set of events and choices I won’t spoil. But I even prior to following them had an instance of being caught which would also delay the quest too.
It’s a bold claim but in a lot of ways KCD feels like a grounded simulation of real living world whilst still juggling an element of video game design that doesn’t make it feel like a slave to it. KCD is a game where being under the influence of alcohol will impact your interactions, not only a stat, but the way in which Henry converses, slurring his words and at the same time, it can open up new avenues and opportunities for him too.
The Call to Explore
Now that I have established the pretext of open-world experiences that KCD posits through the way it explores choice and role-play, I'd like to elaborate on how Kingdom Come Deliverance's open-world calls the player to explore the many towns, forests and little nooks that are hidden within the world of 15th century Bohemia. First off I want to discuss the towns, now I touched on this before how the appearance and maintenance of Henry will impact the world around him. But there are many different activities to take part in within this world that will lead you down different paths both narrative driven and emergent in nature. There are fist-fights for cash that you can participate in, there are tournaments that occur once a week in-game where you can fight against other skilled fighters who will come with the different plethora of weapons you can learn in the game. You take on jobs that require you to steal items, tapping into the stealth and thievery skillset, there are forests with wildlife that you can hunt down with a bow, and improve your archery skills.
Kingdom Come Deliverance is such thrilling world to explore, and getting your horse, being able to be let out and slowly map out your way around this world feels fantastic. A part of the charm is how threatening the world feels, especially in the early hours of the game when Henry is still quite weak and you're trying to figure out combat at the same time you explore, the risk of being ambushed or stumbling upon a camp of bandits who actually do pose a threat, but at the same time yield a valuable reward, and these rewards stay relevant even into the later parts of the game. Another benefit to exploring is that there are many different activities that you can engage with that will allow you to level-up different skillsets that have in-game benefits and systems that all contribute to a holistic growth of Henry that can be felt, due to the continuous progression and engagement with each particular activity. Some of these include hunting in the woods like I mentioned earlier, but also collecting flowers to improve your herbalism, and then mixing these flowers in a different skill set that is alchemy, which outputs potions that have in-game effects, one being the ability to save your game.
Gameplay Systems
Progression through Interaction
The interplay between KCD's gameplay, the sense of immersion is coupled with gameplay systems in a way that is unique. Where KCD offers a strong focus on interaction, particularly with the different skills and trade you participate in. On top of this these different tools and trades are manual in how you engage with them, with each trade feeling meaningful in its progression. These systems and activities may look a little arduous and getting your head around them does take time, but you'll become more proficient through practice the more you progress.
All forms of growth and progression you feel a sense of action that is pushing you forward, it is what you choose to do and you're rewarded in kind and this relationship is permeated throughout all of the systems of Kingdom Come Deliverance. I won't repeat too much of what I have stated in earlier sections of the video, but much of that progression loop that many love in a Bethesda game, the levelling up a skill-set through using the said skill, is the bread and butter of many of the different skills and forms of progression that come in Kingdom Come Deliverance.
The big question to ask is what does Kingdom Come Deliverance want to make you feel? The way that Kingdom Come Deliverance made me feel was that every little accomplishment, every little task was earned. Want to refine your weapons you need to do it, manually. You want to fast travel, this takes up time, hours of a day in game, and there aren't even guarantees that you won't be ambushed during fast travel too. The quests and side activities in this game also can have windows that if you fail to act in time you can completely miss. Everything about this experience is built around immersion and realism, and once you click with its rhythm, there really isn't anything else quite like it.
But what separates KCD and carries the most weight in making this growth feel impactful, which is emphasized by where you at the start and how it allows you to grow. Every action feels manual, it feels interactable and through these actions and simulated interactions, it feels like work put in, that molds and shapes Henry, based on your actions. You will start as a ham-handed pleb, inept with a sword, unable to read and all round ineffective, and the world in its early to mid hours will reciprocate this notion as well. But through growth and knowledge you will grow into the deft swordsman, the silver-tongued charmer and the jack of all trades who is well-versed and able to set out and leave a mark on the world.
The equipment you acquire in KCD does play a role in how you also progress and how well-protected you are and how much damage that you're able to deal. But it isn't through some arbitrary numbers or statistics but more through practicality, where wearing chain mail and metal armor will allow you to sustain more damage and protect you from more vital attacks, but on the flipside, will make more sound making stealth and getting the drop on the enemy harder to do, and by the end of the game, you never will have this all-encompassing armor that makes you feel like a god, you'll still have to think, swap and adapt to situations, but it is a mixture of acquired knowledge, better suited gear for occasions and the culmination of learned skills that will all fuse together to make you feel more well traveled than you initially were at the start of your journey.
Visuals and Sound and Presentation
Sound
Now I want to discuss, the sound. visuals and performance for Kingdom Come Deliverance, starting with the sound. Beginning with the score for KCD which is an absolute banger and era appropriate that really does feel like it sets the tone for many of the various situations you'll find yourself in, whether it is getting drunk off your face at your local tavern or setting out into the fog of war. I think there is something more catchy to the more day to day types of songs that play that feel so fitting for the types of escapades you'll get up to in general. It primarily is this mixture of medieval-inspired orchestral pieces and folk, with flutes and lutes that really feel like some era appropriate music, that immerses you even more.
One of the major things that I believe carries Kingdom Come Deliverance is how solid the acting and performance in this game are. Tom McKay's performance as Henry really does sell this endearing character that you can't help but cheer for, and it makes following his journey that much better. But even characters like Hans played by Luke Dale are also really charming and these two performances make for interesting roles and dynamics shared between these characters.
Lastly on the sound design front, the feather in the cap to Kingdom Come Deliverance's sense of immersion is how it utilizes sound within the game. The use of clanking of blades, the wind blowing or the sound of wildlife in the distance at night, all invoke a feeling and mood. The blades clinking creates a rhythm and synergy with the combat of KCD, and it also lends to the realistic and grounded sense of immersion that Warhorse is trying to instill in the player. Another variable is the interplay between KCD's sound design and stealth. The clothes that you wear will can create more noise and alert enemies, also enemies in a reasonable proximity can be heard from a distance either making chatter or moving around, which makes your sound awareness a viable component.
Visuals
On the visual front Kingdom Come Deliverance is also quite a pretty looking game running on the CryEngine 3 it has a relatively realistic look and feel, and it all lends to creating a grounded world that makes Bohemia feel real and lived in. I think for a game that released back in 2018, and for the time looked pretty, and still holds up in 2025 when I played the game. But it isn't just the fidelity, it is the commitment to realism this feeling riding into a small farm town with windmills, stables and shacks, juxtaposed with the stone fortress cities that feel larger in terms of stores, taverns and people moving around. The clothing that people wear, the different armor and flags for a city these things all provide a sense of identity to the major cities you explore, the different types of folk, like the peasants vs the nobles and it is all something that makes this RPG feel like it leans closely on history and makes the world you explore come across grounded.
Formidable Foundations
This section of the video is one that I want to talk about in retrospect with the release of its sequel. There are many people that adore the sequel and a lot of what that sequel is able to accomplish is built off the foundations that were laid out but the first game. Kingdom Come Deliverance is still a worthwhile video game even now in 2025 with the release of KCD 2, because the groundwork the foundations, the blueprint that was laid out in the original is only fleshed out and expanded upon. But there is a something so unique and full of heart here in this first game, and in some ways there are elements of the first games combat that I still feel are quite unique and satisfying by comparison to its successor. But with this section of the video I am clearly just wanting to articulate that Kingdom Comer Deliverance is a game that is absolutely is worth experiencing. There are unique qualities to both the progression and combat that make the game feel archaic in an intentional way. It makes Kingdom Come Deliverance feel like a one of a kind experience, even by comparison to its sequel. The story and characters are full of heart, and the writing and even the starting point for Henry's journey all begins here.
Warhorse really did understand what many loved in RPG's especially in the realm of Bethesda's go anywhere, and learn by doing approach to exploring and evolving with the world. But what makes Kingdom Come Deliverance special is its period-piece aesthetic over fantastical roots, along with a strong commitment to simulation and realism, making reactions of townfolk and guards feel real, the mastery of swordplay feel real and mechanical with combos and maneuverers that make each fight feel like a test of skill. There are a wealth of these different systems that play into the simulation and make Henry's journey, struggles, and progression all feel interwoven into you the player's personal journey throughout the world, and unlike many other RPG's you really feel it in KCD, given how rough and bottom of the barrel you begin.
All of this to say, these systems, this approach to RPG gameplay, it is familiar on the surface, but unique and interesting in its own perfect way. There isn't really a game quite like KCD, and despite some rough-edges and systems that could see some polish, the foundations that this series is built upon, truly is something special, and given where this series would go next, it really isn't no surprise how astonishing the blueprint this first entry was.
Conclusion
Now bringing this whole video together, Kingdom Come Deliverance is a unique and satisfying experience that is rough around the edges, it comes with friction that may turn off some players, but for those who click with those systems are in for unorthodox manual combat system, brutal start where you are weak, illiterate and everything is stacked against you and make it out into the open-world where the world is yours to tackle and overcome. There are some rough edges with how these systems may work, a lot of up hill battles in terms of conquering this game, and patience that comes with growing in a way that is unconventional by comparison to most RPGs, but both the journey and the destination are one that is worth seeing and experiencing because unlike a lot of RPGs where the steady upward scale to becoming unstoppable is feels like a natural conclusion to playing the game, KCD's is something that feels earned, and that coupled with a endearing and charming story is enough to make Kingdom Come Deliverance a great experience, and it makes me excited to see how Warhorse built on this in the critically acclaimed sequel.
Thanks for reading.
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