Background
Remember that this game was released back in February earlier this year. No one knew how Clair Obscur Expedition 33 was going to perform, or even that Silksong would be released. KCD2 was released during a time when Open-World games were bland and stale. Gamers in general had gotten tired of getting their hopes up only to have another half-baked, promises-broken game. Games like Starfield that promised so much and ultimately failed.
Criteria
As established in my Mafia: The Old Country review, in order to be a good game, the game must nail its gameplay, story, and world. Separately for sequels, it must evolve its characters, retain or evolve the quality, and expand the world and or story. In the case of Kingdom Come Deliverance: II (KCD2), not only does the game nail all of these aspects flawlessly, but it exceeds them and its predecessor.
Multiple Roles
The first issue with any sequel these days is how developers incorporate the previous story already told. Warhorse implemented this in several ways. By giving players options on deciding who their Henry is. Upon the first dialogue encounter, you can choose between a soldier, and bodyguard, an adviser, a nobleman, or envoy, or a scout. This by no means locks you into any one specific role, but it does give the player glimpses into fighting, talking, or sneaking their way out of situations.
Once camp is made, Henry, Hans, and the rest of the gang recall stories from the past. You, as the player, can choose how events happened, or defer to Capon. Depending on your dialogue choices, Henry can get a point in strength, agility, vitality, or speech. In another section, Henry can get a point in Houndmaster, stealth, survival, or scholarship. You can also choose your relationship with Theresa.
The Open World
For reasons we'll get to later. Henry is left on his own to make his own money and find his way into a local wedding. The map is huge and filled with activities. Exploration feels natural because anytime you travel anywhere, it feels as if you get sidetracked. Sometimes bandits will accost you, and you will think, "Hmm, that armor looks nice, I wonder how it would look on me?" or "How much would that sell for?" The main idea that is ever-present is the fact that this is the first game, but bigger and better.
The Combat
The combat is probably the toughest part of the game because it takes the longest to master. It is equally frustrating as it is rewarding, especially in the beginning. Warhorse evolved the combat by reducing the number of directions Henry can strike from and added crossbows, pistoles, axes, clubs, maces, war hammers, halberds, spears, and staves. After doing a sword playthrough, I found my second Mace playthrough ten times more rewarding. Maces tend to do more damage to armored opponents.
No Hand-Holding
Most games these days tend to hold players' hands. KCD2 excels at letting the player figure things out. A lot of missions force players to use in-game cues to find the objective. The game also doesn't treat Henry as a god. If you get hit a few times with no armor, it's game over. This way forces players to learn and adapt.
Typically, games that force players to keep up eating and sleeping habits aren't my forte. Typically, I don't like games that force me to travel across the map compared to fast traveling. I don't mind it in this game because it does it well. Even though I won't win against three bandits, that doesn't stop me from trying. That is another key component as well; the game entices you because the effort put in is rewarding. This game makes me want to explore every nook and cranny and exhaust all dialogue options because you never know what you might find.
Side Quests
Side Quests can make you laugh and make you cry. One quest for a "magic rock" sent me on a two-hour journey... I... I wish I were kidding. Randomly on the road, I hear the cries of someone who'd fallen down the side of a hill and was in agony. Further up, I heard fighting. Once one side had been dispatched and I was nearly dead, I made my way to the man in distress who'd broken his leg. As it turns out, he was on his way to a prisoner exchange in Sigismund's camp.
Perhaps my favorite side quest is "Bellatores." Jan Posy of Zimburg will ask Henry for his help outside Bylany. In search of a priest, Henry and Jan will come across a party of Cumans looting the dead. Henry can try and prevent bloodshed or join Jan and loot everything in sight. In search of Jan's brother, he finds out that another Cuman party is holed up in their former fortress. Henry can insist on stealth or take them head-on. There is another quest tied to the Zimburg brothers, but I'll leave that for those interested.
A True RPG
Most of the quests players will encounter throughout their KCD2 journey will have multiple ways in which they can be completed, either by fighting, talking, or sneaking. You can influence people's perception of you by your dress and smell. Not to mention, I've played through the game three times this year and discovered multiple things I hadn't caught on to, or didn't know about, every time.
Attention to Detail
I've already mentioned how NPCs react to how Henry is dressed and smells, but if you steal an NPC's clothes, skip town, and come back, they'll be angry if you're wearing their pants. If you steal an NPC's keys, they'll eventually change the locks.
KCD2 has the longest script in video game history, around 2.2 million words, and has been verified according to Guinness World Records. I say that because the writing itself deserves praise. Henry and Hans act like two mates in real life. It all feels authentic and relatable while staying true to itself.
Characters and locations aren't just used once and then thrown away. They are used multiple times, and they feel real because you become familiar with them over the course of the journey.
The choices you make make sense within the context of the historical setting, as do the consequences.
Hand cannons are just as inaccurate in cutscenes as they are in games.
KCD2 also added the "follow NPC" mechanic before Assassin's Creed: Shadows, just saying.
The Story (1st Half)
In KCD2, Henry and Hans' objective is to deliver a letter to Otto Von Bergow. After being intercepted by Bergow's Captain Thomas, Sir Hans decides to camp by a pond. When ambushed by bandits, Hans' party dies, apart from himself, Pebbles, Mutt, and Henry. When Henry and Hans escape, Henry hallucinates the events from the first game, his parents dying, and the burning of Skallitz. Henry's fall from the rocks causes him to essentially lose skill and perk points. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice that the potion the herbwoman uses is the respec potion from the first game. That's a nice in-universe explanation, on top of Henry basically having a massive concussion.
Upon arriving at Trosky Castle without their effects or a letter stating who they were and the business they were on, they're essentially driven out. After a row at the local tavern, Henry and Hans are thrown in the local stockade for a night, where Hans leaves Henry on his own the next morning. This is where the world opens up, as mentioned earlier. The game allows players to explore and find things on their own. In all playthroughs, I went to the local Blacksmith, seeking an invitation to the Semine wedding, hoping to steal a word in with Von Bergow.
It is most definitely worth exploring and doing all of the side quests before the wedding. Why? Because the more NPCs you help, the more interactions you can have at the wedding. You can see Hans before you have to go searching for him and even challenge locals in a duel. A drunken fight gets started after a, ahem, shall we say, misunderstanding between Henry and the bride.
Henry and Hans reconcile while locked up in Trosky. Hans gained an invitation to the wedding by poaching. Which is a capital offense. The local Chamberlin is in charge while Von Bergow is still away and intends to hang Sir Hans. Henry has to find a way to cure Captain Thomas, who can testify to who they are because he saw the letter before the pond incident. Just as Hans Capon is about to be executed, Lord Bergow arrives, just in the nick of time.
With that nasty bit of execution out of the way, Lord Otto requests Henry and Han's help with getting rid of the bandits, which is the first thing he must do before discussing matters of state. He tasks Henry and Hans with traveling to Nebakov Fortress to entice the lord there to produce men to recoup losses from the ambush Otto escaped from. Which, in turn, is why he never shows up to the wedding.
After dealing with Sir Jaromier of Nebakov, Henry is faced with a major decision. Either siding with the Semines or Pasheck. Either way, the venue of the wedding ultimately burns. With that business out of the way, it's time to finish the bandits off once and for all. This is probably my favorite cutscene in the first half of the game. Upon riding with Lord Otto's men, Henry and Hans are ambushed in the forest. Sir Hans is captured, and Henry is determined not to leave him behind.
The leader of the bandits grants Henry an honorable duel. The leader of the bandits is the same one who led the ambush on the pond and killed Sir Hans' men. He's also the same man who posed as Ser Jaromier. It's Jan Zizka. We don't know how in real life he lost his eye, but it's interesting to think that he lost it in a duel. It's revealed that Zizka has been with Wenceslas the whole time. Istvan Toth was a captain in Zizka's little band, but was a traitor working for Sigismund. When he's freed, Toth rides to warn Lord Otto, who we find out was not planning on betraying Sigismund after all.
After being besieged by Von Begow's forces, and a canon named "the Finger of God" tears a hole through Nebakov fortress, Henry and Zizka are brought back to Trosky castle to be tortured. While Hans is stowed away elsewhere. Catherine saves the day by rescuing Henry and company. Catherine was one of the girls Hans was goggling over in the river when the bandits ambushed Hans' camp by the pond. Henry is tasked to get back the group's equipment, and find Toth and end their rivalry once and for all. Toth is the one who organized the burning of Skallitz and holds the sword Henry's stepfather made for Sir Radzik.
There's that satisfaction once again that the same location isn't just used once. It makes sense how easily Henry can navigate the fortress, having once been a guest there. This is it, it's finally time to confront the man who got away and get the ultimate satisfaction. Whether you choose to kill Toth honorably or dishonorably, it doesn't matter. Toth is dead, and Henry now has his father's sword back. The only complaint I have is that the stealth sequence at the end, sneaking outside the castle to safety, is a bit too long and an unnecessary sequence.
The Story (2nd half)
Henry and Zizka rescue the Dry Devil. Henry then goes on to bring the Devils Pack together again to form a plan to rescue Hans. Catherine goes to Kuttenburg and asks Henry for help in locating a political ally. Some of the most memorable moments are from rescuing the Dry Devil and his comrades.
Henry rescues Hans from a small fort under Von Bergow's control. Moments like this mission and sneaking through Trosky, and escaping Trosky miss the mark when it comes to immersion. Stealth feels forced. There isn't an opportunity for Henry to really fight or talk his way out of these missions. The game gives Henry two options of getting Hans out: arming and fighting, or stealth. A third option is unlisted, of knocking Hans unconscious and carrying him out of the tunnel. This option is one example of the game rewarding players for thinking outside the box.
Henry sneaks into court as a wine servant to gain an advantage on Sigismund's plans. The game shifts to Godwin to explore how a similar meeting goes down with Zizka's bandits, cultivating an actual resistance. The resistance is in jeopardy when Lord Otto surprises the resistance with an ambush, Game of Thrones Red Wedding style, except less violent. Henry clashes with Sigismund's men in the Jewish quarter of Kuttenburg. This clash with Eric had been building since Henry killed Toth. After escaping, Zizka's band has to come up with a plan on how to save the Noble captives.
This leads Henry to infiltrate Sigismund's military camp to locate "the Finger of God," the same canon used at Nebakov. They pull the same move Von Bergow did to them at Nebakov, sieging his fort. First, they need a way to draw Lord Otto's men from the fort. The Dry Devil urges them to burn the town. Henry can refuse, which leads to a duel; if you win, you won't witness the burning of the town, but will have to face more enemies garrisoned inside the fort.
Either way leads to Von Bergow being subdued, and now the gang has to figure out a way to get rid of Sigismund's army. How are they going to do that? By robbing the Italian court, of course! Without money, Sigismund will be forced to withdraw. Just as it seemed like everything was going just fine, we're betrayed by Brabant, a Frenchman in captivity with Sir Hans. This forces Henry and his company to retreat to Suchdol fortress. Since Brabant stole the silver, Sigismund is forced to leave, but Eric still wants revenge and besieges Suchdol. If you choose to duel him, it's interrupted by Markvart von Aulitz, the man who killed Henry's parents.
During the Suchdol Siege, Henry takes command of his own troops, repels attacks, and goes on patrol. Eventually, Henry will make a break for it and volunteer to get a message out and get allies. Henry discovered he had a step-brother in Kuttenburg and went with him. When Henry descends the battlements, he's nowhere to be found. Players can make a beeline for a horse and ride out and save the day, but in doing so, miss opportunities. If players explore the camp, they'll be given choices in killing or sparing Markvart von Aulitz and Brabant. They'll succumb to their wounds if Henry leaves as I did.
The Suchdol siege is one of the best pieces of gameplay in the game, and portrays the waiting and fighting between castle sieges accurately. Depending on your choices, of saving Semine, burning down Maleshov, and sparing Aulitz and Brabant, all reflect dialogue given by Henry's parents. Henry's story is over, but Jan Zizka's has just begun.
Conclusion
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is my game of the year. No other game quite felt as immersive, or told a story in such a captivating way. The cutscenes, the writing, the graphics, and the worldbuilding are all things executed properly on a level no other game has managed to achieve this year. It is a peak example of an open-world game that prioritizes quality over quantity. For me, KCD2 is up there with The Witcher III: Wildhunt.