This is one of the very few reviews I've ever written for a game, and I'm doing this because this masterpiece and Warhorse Studios deserve it. This masterfully realized Czech medieval life simulator ruined the open world genre for me, because I know probably nothing will top this for my personal taste (I'd be very happy to be disproven). Everything is meticulously cared for: the 3D models of humans, animals, weapons, armors, buildings (much care for materials, scale of the brickwork etc.), the beautiful, varied and lifelike environments (every tree, rock etc. seem to be placed with thought), the beautiful music I've grown very fond of, the english dubbing, the amount of research put by the studio in the history of the places where the game is set, and that is reflected in the beautifully intricated and convincing lore, and in the ingame codex. I played in hardcore mode, so without fast traveling, and never grew bored of wandering the map. Combat is very interesting, well designed, and satisfying, even if not perfectly balanced; I've found combos hard to be performed successfully, and I ended up not using them very often. Other than that, the feeling of striking the opponent is very realistic, and it's enhanced by the well designed sound effects. It's not a perfect game, but the merits far outweigh the defects. I played the final version of the game I think, so haven't experienced many bugs, apart from the occasional crash, or the (rare) sudden death upon descending from the horse (happens when you're on a steep area, or in the bushes, I believe). Maybe the worst one is when you go close to some enemies and they don't react for quite a bit. Another small defect is the facial animations that are a bit stiff, but it's to be expected when you have so many characters, and not a big deal in the total experience. An unforgettable game for me, it'll never leave my hard disk, and I'm looking forward to KCD 2, hoping it'll be up to the magnificence of this first chapter.
This is one of the very few reviews I've ever written for a game, and I'm doing this because this masterpiece and Warhorse Studios deserve it. This masterfully realized Czech medieval life simulator ruined the open world genre for me, because I know probably nothing will top this for my personal taste (I'd be very happy to be disproven). Everything is meticulously cared for: the 3D models of humans, animals, weapons, armors, buildings (much care for materials, scale of the brickwork etc.), the beautiful, varied and lifelike environments (every tree, rock etc. seem to be placed with thought), the beautiful music I've grown very fond of, the english dubbing, the amount of research put by the studio in the history of the places where the game is set, and that is reflected in the beautifully intricated and convincing lore, and in the ingame codex. I played in hardcore mode, so without fast traveling, and never grew bored of wandering the map. Combat is very interesting, well designed, and satisfying, even if not perfectly balanced; I've found combos hard to be performed successfully, and I ended up not using them very often. Other than that, the feeling of striking the opponent is very realistic, and it's enhanced by the well designed sound effects. It's not a perfect game, but the merits far outweigh the defects. I played the final version of the game I think, so haven't experienced many bugs, apart from the occasional crash, or the (rare) sudden death upon descending from the horse (happens when you're on a steep area, or in the bushes, I believe). Maybe the worst one is when you go close to some enemies and they don't react for quite a bit. Another small defect is the facial animations that are a bit stiff, but it's to be expected when you have so many characters, and not a big deal in the total experience. An unforgettable game for me, it'll never leave my hard disk, and I'm looking forward to KCD 2, hoping it'll be up to the magnificence of this first chapter.
