Kingdom Come: Deliverance

This is one of the best games I've played in years. My inner history nut loved the depth of the backstory and the scope of detail, the level of immersion is superb, and the mechanics are unlike anything I've played in years. I can understand the complaints of bugginess, but by this point, most of them seem to have been worked out. The save system is good, but takes a little getting used to, and the handholding is minimal. All of this makes for an experience that is beyond any RPG I've played in the last several years. The closest I can describe it is that it has the best parts of both Skyrim and The Witcher III, with a combat system that beats both of them. One of my favorite parts is that you're actually expected to train if you want to get good, something the soldier in me really appreciates. A note on historical detail: this game pulls no punches when it comes to the pervading culture. This is medeival Bohemia: it is white, Christian, and unapologetically so. There are comparatively very few tips of the hat to modern sensibilities, something I found to be an enormous breath of fresh air. The storyline is full of hope and timeless virtue, and no character is irredeemably flawed. The treatment of both the Church and the emerging Husites is fair and takes the whole panoply of the time into account. And for those complaining about the lack of gunpowder, this is the back end of the Holy Roman Empire and the protagonists are petty nobility: they can't afford it! The engineer questline says as much. Besides, who doesn't love a good trebuchet? TL;DR: an amazingly deep and detailed story, interesting gameplay, most of the bugs are fixed, and the best RPG I've played since at least The Witcher III if not longer. Warhorse should be proud of this one!

At first at was overwhelming and very complicated up to the point of frustration where I almost gave up on the game However, after reading some reviews I decided to give it another shot - and I'm very glad I did Once I got the hang of it I became addicted and played for over 130 hours Fantastic landscapes, great story and the best part is the fact that every mission can be completed in several different ways that have their own consequences You can really get creative and use your logic to come to interesting solutions The save mechanism is a bit hard to swallow though - it does make each decision you make "count" In conclusion - after you get used to it, it becomes one of the best games I ever played

Having read a bunch of reviews it is clear that a lot of people are playing a different game to what I played. KCD is more closely related to an immersive sim and is not an "action RPG". KCD is a 'solid' game. It's far from perfect. But no other game can immerse you into a striking medieval environment like this game can. Combat is not perfect and there are (balance) issues with it, but clunky-ness I would not agree with. I can't believe I have to say this but it's not a hack and slash; practicing and getting a handle of the mechanics will allow you to enjoy combat significantly more. You have to engage with it, it doesn't play itself and you can't just mash your controls. Always assume that the opponent can and will destroy you. It's like complaining that Sekiro is too hectic but not being willing to engage in the parry system. Or that Rocket League sucks because you don't practice flying. Know what you're playing. Having said that, the game could have pushed more to have you complete the combat training to actually unlock all the moves at your disposal- this is an oversight. Sometimes the game will task you with acquiring something but does not tell you where or how. This is a CORE COMPONENT of an "immersive sim"; akin to that of Deus Ex, System Shock, etc.. There are many systems in play, and your interaction with those systems drives the immersive gameplay. Instead of relying on the dullness of a pointer carrying you through the game, pause, think, explore and you will find what you seek. Saving as well- I agree it can be a little strange at first needing a consumable- but the game saves after you sleep... so... The game has a solution to everything if you are just patient and take a step back. Once you accept that Henry is just some pillock who doesn't know how to swing a sword (like the rest of us) and you embrace the immersive JOURNEY this game is, it WILL click for you, and you will love your experience if you remotely enjoy RPG's and immersion.

What Warhorse Studios has accomplished is simple incredible, especially for such a small company. This is the best RPG of all time. KCD is the most adult, intelligent RPG I've played -- not only because of the story -- but because you really have to pay attention and improve yourself. Case in point: there's one scene where you fill in for a priest and deliver a sermon. The UI makes you choose sentences and then gives you a "success" or "failure" depending on if your audience liked what you said. I recognized that the people wouldn't want me to bash on their drinking habits or fornication (these were options), and that I should criticize the Church itself. By doing this I gained the trust and respect of the people. I've never felt like I needed this level of social intelligence in other RPGs. My previous favourite RPG was Skyrim. The downsides of Skyrim, for me, were lack of realism in (1) graphics, (2) NPC dialog, and (3) game mechanics. KCD has stunning graphics, impressive branching dialog and cutscenes, and an pays attention to the little mechanics. For example, if you don't eat for a while you go hungry; if you put a potion in a pot it will effect people who drink from it; the sword combat feels like you're actually sword fighting. What KCD does especially well is progression. Sure, all games give you cool loot and items as you progress. But in KCD, YOU actually get better. I can feel myself improving in archery, lock-picking, sword combat, and fisticuffs. I feel like it is ME who is improving, not just finding new items. I highly recommend anybody who likes intricate RPGs, anybody who likes good storytelling, anybody who likes to laugh, should pick this up.

This game is set in medieval bohemia. It aims for a realistic and historic atmosphere and gameplay. With this being said, this game is a shining example why games shouldn't aim at realism. The whole combat in this game just plainly sucks. How do you expect a realistic medieval fighing experience while playing with mouse and keyboard? If you want realism, then go to a club that practices fights with rubber or wooden swords. The melee combat feels absolutely unintuitive, even after practising and playing many hours. Enemies don't seem to get tired of the combat, until they just suddenly die. The focusing on one enemy makes mass battles a nightmare, and a hit to an enemy will never feel the way it should. They should have sticked to a more simpler mechanic, in which the camera doesn't lock on one enemy, and where a succesful and a blocked hit actually feels like one. I also experienced many glitches in this game, and I play this after more then 1 year after release! Especially on uneven ground this becomes more visible. The textures always take a laughably long time to load, no matter what graphics setting, and I have a 1070 which is not the newest card, but a decent one. Pickpocketing is bugged as well, where people asleep would wake up although I'm dressed as sneeky as possible. Many animations in this game take way to long and lock you for a short time in which you can't do anything. Why can't I, for example, open the map while "climbing" (can't find a better word lol) the horse? There are many such annoying nuances. I also find the saving mechanic annoying. Because of glitches, anything can happen to you, and having to buy these stupid drinks is plain annoying. This game feels very ambitioned, and the devs tried to implement many mechanics, without polishing anything. I feel like they should have concentrated just on the combat, and made it better, by thinking it through completely, because it doesn't even feel realistic, which wase the whole aim of it.