Kingdom Come: Deliverance

I've tried twice to explain why I love this game so much, but I inevitably go on too many tangents. Essentially, the reason why this is one of my top 3 western RPGs (along with Morrowind and The Witcher 3), is that it is immersive, like no other game I can think of. Other games are littered with little dopamine triggers: maybe you just found a collectable, or conquered an enemy stronghold, or you might even have just discovered a new area with new enemies to fight. Nothing like this happens in KC:D. You feel like you are playing as a different person, in the real world. And like the real world, it looks a bit samey. Medieval Bohemia wasn't littered with picturesque peaks with beautiful flowing waterfalls, or a dingy swamp (where the light somehow seems to dim). It wasn't filled with zany characters, whose quirks would border on mental illness. You meet real people, and have interesting experiences and interactions. The game strikes a very delicate balance between hand-holding and learning under fire. The combat system... well... some will hate it, but I genuinely think it's low-key incredible. You *feel* like a parochial son of a blacksmith might, after holding a sword for less than a couple of hours: like you are waving a sharp stick frantically, hoping the enemies will impale themselves for you. You will do poorly, you will need help to defend yourself, and not because your stats are low, but because you (not just Henry, but you, the player) don't know what you're doing. The save function (which has garnered criticism) manages to punish save-scumming, so your f-ups have actual weight. You will (and should) be scared to pickpocket, or fight a soldier. The system is too complicated to explain here, but is worth looking up before playing. KC:D refuses to follow some very ingrained habits in modern RPG design. It would have taken brazen confidence to make this game, but it pays off spectacularly. If you love open world RPGs, KC:D is nothing less than essential

I think GOG's most devoted fans are here for two things; great games that withstood the test of time AND/OR great new "alternative/indie" games. The Witcher (and it's sequels) was a surprise hit from an unknown studio and look at the third enactment's sucess... all thanks to GOG's fanbase and not some other platform full of hot steamy air. AAA titles are just so... pedestrian. This game is a revolution in of itself. Also: The lockpicking system has been the same in the Elder Scrolls Game and Fallout games for YEARS. ALAS...this game introduces a new lockpicking system!! And combat...is different and so much more interesting than just waving your sword around... and no magic. Who needs fire...sparks...ice...elemental anyway? Come on, evolve! This game is such an event I'm mad I did not buy it before. Ignore bad ratings based of bugs... The story, the sense of "meaning" and "purpose". It's all there. Yes there a bugs...put patches are fixing those once in a while. And remember, back in the days, playing pc games was part play, part getting them to work! Roland or sound blaster setting...hum...darn. Crash to DOS again... This feels like playing Daggerfall for the first time again! Areas are smaller than those use TES cities... but they carry meaning and are there for a reason. Finally some good writing. Finally some acting! Get it, play it, enjoy it!

This is a review of a game bought many years after it's release, that came with all DLC's and latest update to 1.9.6 version. From reading previews reviews, the game had its issues on release and were mitigated along the way and sadly that is the current developing arc on almost all new games. Nonetheless, initial reaction was to stop playing because of a few gameplay learning curve issues. I'm glad I've decided to work on my attitude and look for solutions for my issues with minor but quite important ones for my playing style and experience. First and foremost the game has an amazing world with awesome graphics (as long as you do have better GPU, though you can enjoy the game at lower settings as well), with sound that is incredibly immersive (almost fall asleep while trotting on my horse thru countryside during rains, that relaxing it is!) and the story line is deep and engaging. My gripes were related to a few issues with gameplay and were corrected by mods, though in time I've learned there was a console access as well. Specifically, there is an animation that breaks immersion when gathering, it becomes repetitive and intrusive and has no option to disable it in game. Mod available and took care of it as it almost made me quit playing. Next gripe is related to saving progress and it looks like it was a major issue when the game released, as one would lose a lot of gaming time when game error out with no current saving point. Mod available and issue solved. You still need to get used to combat mechanics and it's not mouse friendly, though in time you get used to it. Combat will get better as you get your character trained by the master at arms and by progressing thru the world. Do train, A LOT! All in all the game is amazing and I strongly encourage you to try it, especially with sales that were quite affordable for the bundle and read up on things that you have issues with or don't quite get a handle on, or dislike, as there are solutions for most of them.

A video game of this quality happens once every 10 years. Are there any bugs? Yes, but no more than Skyrim or any other open world RPG AAA. This video game was made by an independent team with less than 100 people. The story is immediately exciting, thanks to a humble protagonist. Furthermore the dialogues are written with great care. The combat system can like you or not. Personally making a combat system so "realistic" and technical, I consider it a courageous and original choice. As well as for the realistic setting of the Middle Ages. The fantasy setting is overly abused in video games lately.

It is clear the developers furnished the game out of love for the period, but under the pretty medieval varnish the game falls short. Actually, it jumps headfirst into the ground. There are innumerable mechanics that were implemented poorly or just shouldn't have been included at all. For instance, the combat system makes this game a lesson in masochism. Even after learning the mechanics, it really is a pain to fight just about anybody. The system is startlingly unintuitive and unfailingly irksome. I appreciate their having a focus on realism--however, they forgot to make an easy enough system to accommodate this realism. It is simply too difficult to fight unless you are willing to spend a great many hours learning to do so, and even afterwards fighting will be a chore. Fighting more than one man? Forget it. You can only lock on to one at a time and the others are basically in your blind spots. Traditional saving mechanics were axed. I understand the notion, since in some games quicksaves are cheap workarounds to problems, but "savior schnapps"? You need these to manually save (unless you sleep), and they are hard to come by. They cost 180 groschen (which is a lot compared to the 2 gr spent on a room). This retards the fun of the game. Even STALKER allows easier saves. Finally, the writing is shabby. Despite growing up in the Middle Ages, Henry insults noblemen several times to their faces and suffers little punishment, because the writers couldn't think of how else to progress the story. You're inducted as a squire under Sir Radzig. Even the other NPCs can't believe it! In the extremely pious Middle Ages, almost every NPC is libertine with their swearing in front of others! They mostly use modern swears, of course. Why wouldn't they? You attract dirt like a HEPA filter and NPCs won't like it. But you can dress like a guard and they'll believe your saying that you're not one. I find I can't recommend the game. It is pretty yet also poorly designed and written.