Kingdom Come: Deliverance

The devs made the game harsh on player because on interview they say they look down on the other AAA games that are too easy, but then they didn't have enough time to polish the game, the handicap makes the game 15% of the time an annoying peasant simulator. Small glitches, inconsistent NPC behavior, reload punishment (making whatever you need to do even harder. e.g. adding a barking dog outside the house after reload and other shenanigans). But what really annoys me is the combat mechanics, the sword swing direction is bound to mouse movement as well as camera, so during combat the camera locks on even if you don't press Tab. I can see why, because otherwise the sword swing is all funky. But the problems is the bandits can then freely crack your head open from your flank or behind and you can't even turn around unless you move the mouse dramatically which is not fast and responsive enough. And also there is also master strike, you press defend quick enough you can get an invaluble riposte. But AI can do it too, and if you are not overpowered it's almost every time. The last round of Ratty tourney becomes a game to wait your opponent to strike first then riposte and proceed to rain hell on him in the corner. For this reason I use mounted combat against ambushers on the road, they can't block it and one stab inflicts huge damage sometimes it's one-hit kill. The problem is the horse. If you don't stear it it'll just follow the road alright, but the camera is bouncing around like some kind of joke whenever your horse turns just a little. And it's very hard to hit an enemy with auto stearing, Henry always chooses the wrong side. Graphics, facial expression and eyes looks unnatural (got a lot of pre-rendered cutscenes to compensate for that), distant mountains have no grass and low-poly forest trees are all lit, performance is fine after patch but not that good, 1440p high preset (above it are very-high and ultra-high) at around 80 fps on rtx2080.

I bought the game when it came out, but stopped playing due to bugs. Happily, the game is now very playable; I did not experience any game-breaking bugs. KCD feels as game-chaning as Witcher 1 did. Warhorse is doing things no one else has tried, and does them well. KCD has so very much going for it: - Surprisingly accurate history - Good story-telling and voice-acting - Difficult but rewarding combat system - Mostly interesting quests with memorable characters - Consequential decisions without moralizing - Unique, rewarding combat Like any good story, the beginning is rough. You suffer with Harry as he deals with loss and pain. He's a victim with no money, no power, and few useful skills. He is merciless battered by a cruel world. Life is difficult, frustrating, and frightening. As the game moves on, your persistence pays off in skill, money, prowess, and respect. With more, time, money, and resources, this game could have been legendary. It's definitely worth playing. It's challenging, engaging, frustrating, and FUN. The rough edges, however, and very rough. It seems obvious that the game design over-reached the resources at Warhorse Studios. Still, a good time is in the offing and I'm certain that KCD will influence the future of game design in the same way The Witcher has.

For the last couple of years, game did not really catch me that much. Every game lasted me for about two or three hours and the majority of titles, I did not even finish. I knew about KCD, I live in Czech Republic, but I was quite sceptical about it. First, I have watched couple of Let's Plays, but looking on it on YT, I still wasn't impressed. Everything changed when I decided to try the game out. Now, I'am about 50 hrs (steam version) into the game and I did not hesitate for a moment, that I am playing a jewel among RPG's, and maybe even (I hope so) a genre redefining piece. I am not going to talk about the game mechanics, as I am sure you already read everything about them. Sure, there are some glitches (not encountered bugs yet), but looking at the size and complexity of this title, it did not really ruin my experience. Beginning of the game (difficulty wise) is unforgiving, but soon as you level up and getter better at your skills, you will be very satisfied with your improvements. Lockpicking was hell though (I am playing with a xbox controller), but as soon as I started paying attention to controller vibrations, everything changed and I managed to pick my first lock. Just be patient, train with your skills and soon, you will be a force to recon with :) Have fun! 10/10

This game was an amazing experience the whole way through, but has some major flaws. Firstly the pros: - Utterly beautiful game. - Fantastic soundtrack, especially Peshek's theme. - Great minigames such as alchemy and lockpicking or pickpocketing. - Great combat that gives you a forward stabbing motion and 6 directions to strike from. Cons: - Buggy. often so much so that the game crashes, freezes, or causes you to get stuck. - The developers included a feature wherein you can only save using a potion, quitting the game, or during certain events. This does not add immersion, it robs us of playtime. If you make one mistake during these large battles where you can't save, expect to redo hours of work just to fix it. Remove it. - During combat, you automatically lock on to a target and there is no way to toggle that off or switch targets. This makes it extremely easy for enemies to swarm you and attack you and overcomplicates combat. Remove it. - There needs to be more recognition of Henry's efforts and he needs more ability to influence things. - The ending is one of the most dissapointing and disgustingly insulting things a game has ever done to me. Your main quest the entire game is to seek revenge on Markvart Von Aulitz for killing your family and destroying your home (this is in the trailer, so I am not spoiling this) and to find your father's sword. Neither of this happens. The game ends on a cliff hanger for the second game where the player is going into the final cutscene expecting like 20-30 more hours of content. Imageine there are 6 acts in the game. This ends in Act 4 or 5. Its like if the Last of Us Part 1 ended after Ellie and Joel killed the cannibals, cutting out the final stages. No story driven game should do this ever. The sequel should have told a completely new story of its own either continuing Henry's life and adventures or finding a new character, region, and time period. I highly recommend playing this, but go on expecting a shitty ending.

Kingdom Come Deliverance is beautiful, it's grand and it has a lot of technical flaws and clunky mechanics but it's so good! I haven't been this invested in a game since Skyrim and after 250 hours of playing KCD, I still want more. I don't want to compare KCD with Skyrim like so many others have done, they are similar in some ways but KCD focuses more on realism and it feels more like a medieval simulator. The story is based on real history and it's well written with solid voice acting, for most parts. Quests are varied and usually have different solutions and outcomes, some quests are silly and funny by design. The RPG elements are fantastic. In the beginning of the game you are terrible at everything, you can hardly swing a sword or block, you can't even read and you have to be taught how to read. The combat system is great as long as you fight one opponent but it can get very weird when facing multiple opponents, it feels sluggish and sometimes it feels like you're struggling against the controls as well as your opponents. It works but it can be very frustrating. The game has many flaws, stupid AI, clunky horse riding, bugs and a bad save system. The only way to save your game is to sleep or drink saviour snaps, which you can buy, find, steal or brew by yourself but it's a feature that I despise in games. Thankfully, there is a unlimited save mod. Some would argue that it's an immersive way to save your game but I think that saving is something you do as the player outside of the game, not something the character you play as does in the game. Despite all the flaws and bugs, I enjoy this game for what it is and it was my personal GOTY of 2018. I hope you will enjoy it as mush I have. + Great story, characters and quests + Beautiful and grand environments + Fantastic RPG elements + Great music and atmosphere - Technical flaws and clunky mechanics - Bad save system - Some odd design choices