Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Amazing.

...it feels more like a dlc or a little update to the first game. That's one reason I have to give it one star less than the previous game. But don't get me wrong, it's still a great game, it just could've improved more especially in regards of immersion. For a game that has some emphasis on realism, the whole survival system is kind of borked and eat/drink/sleep feels utterly unrealistic. Also the random encounters at the same spots over and over again, sometimes multiple ones on the same day, feel kind of ridiculous. I hope the next game get's improved more in that direction, so it feels more believable living in that world. Oh and please Warhorse, I love your games, but would you please let me sell stuff directly from my horses inventory and give my horse some proper saddle bags or something, to represent the tons of stuff I cram in them? :D

I finished KCD1 four times and KCD2 is no disappointment. Graphics are stunning, scenery and landscape breath-taking. Sometimes it feels I'm watching a video and not an animation. It runs smoothly with everything set to ultra high on my admittedly high end laptop. Inventory improved (thanks for letting me keep three wardrobes, I really missed that in KCD1). Herbs now also deteriorate over time, just like food. Blacksmithing is a nice addition. Combat is easier (not necessarily a good thing) but maybe that's because I was playing KCD1 on hardcore. And I also did not yet confront multiple enemies. Story wise it is the same: run around from A to B to A to C to A, etc. And it's this running around in the beautiful landscape with unexpected encounters for yet another side quest or some loot which makes you completely immerse in this fantastic game. The side quests (up until now) could have a bit more humour though, as they were hilarious in KCD1. The map seems big but in the corners and edges there is nothing to do, making the map smaller in reality. That's a miss. Also, due to the landscape, I like to wander around, not traveling on the roads most of the times. This makes me encounter things I should not yet encounter. E.g. I went to a village to free a man and find his dead brother, but the whole quest of finding his brother I missed (or so it felt) because I already stumbled upon him before I started the quest and had spoken to his brother. Seems War Horse failed to put a check whether I already spoke about the dead brother or not. This feeling also occasionally comes back in conversations where sometimes I get weird options I shouldn't yet know about. A point to improve for War Horse. But other than that the game is wonderful and no disappointment. I can already tell I'll have to play it a couple of times to find all the stories and possible endings. It's biggest flaw is that you have to quit it at some point to go back to the real life.

I just played through the 1fst game for the first time and this is a very faithful sequel which seems to do everything better. I wouldn't put it next to RDR2 or BG3 but somewhere right under it. This whole game just thrives on immersion. The woods, the people & the social norms transport you right into the medival times. Sometimes some whacky voice acting throws you off but then again it kinda fits into the tounge&cheek humor of the game. I really like it when they reward it when you actually put some thought behind your choices. All in all i'm happy with my purchase.

Going from KC:D1 to its sequel is comparable to reading a traditional King Arthur tale, then halfway through the author succumbs to outside pressure and distances himself from the core audience while bringing in an army of sensitivity consultants. The modern westernized style is all over this one, so if you want to protect the integrity of the unfinished masterpiece that was the first game, its better just to replay that instead.