Kingdom Come: Deliverance Review

Having said that, Bohemia is packed with things to do, and the main quest and a few side quests along the way will easily set you back 40 hours or more, which is more than sufficient value for anyone even remotely interested in the game. My only concern is how many people will actually see the game through to the end, such is the combination of the save system and difficulty level.

Presentation:

Playing on Xbox One X, Kingdom Come is a pretty but not outstanding looking videogame. The game neither runs at 4K, nor does it target 60fps, but the Bohemian countryside has some magnificent vistas, and the game performs well. The day/ night cycle and the ambient lighting and weather are all particularly pretty. Stationary, Kingdom Come looks exceptional. However, like many open-world games, animation and AI patterns sometimes ruin the illusion. Characters will do odd things, fail to move or act in a lifelike way, or clip through another character or object. However, even though this is medieval Europe, the towns, villages and castles are all very picturesque, and the game can even give fantasy worlds a run for their money in terms of the art style and direction.

Some of the voiceovers perhaps belay the fact that Warhorse have made the game without the budget that some studios enjoy; it’s mixed at best, and protagonist Henry sounds particularly dopey and lacking emotional empathy (despite the fact you can make him into a medieval lothario). The script doesn’t always help, bringing in modern words and phrases, which sound rather out of place. It’s a shame, because the orchestral score is outstanding when it kicks in, whilst the ambient noises are also excellent, helping bring the dirty medieval world to life.

Conclusion:

I wouldn’t be mad at you if you decided that some of the people working on ‘Kingdom Come: Deliverance‘ were a bit unsavory, and didn’t buy the game as some kind of protest. That’s cool. People are entitled to any opinion they choose, and it’s up to you how to react to that. I think you’d have to feel really strongly though to ignore Kingdom Come, because it’s just so unique. There is literally no comparison. Even Skyrim is a very different beast. Part survival game, part RPG, part farmhand simulator 1403, there’s no doubt that Kingdom Come is a hard game to get into, and a dense game to play.

But once you get under its skin, it’s quite addictively special, and a game that I’m rather glad I’ve played. There is some open world jank, and some things that could be improved for a sequel (not least the save system!), but on the whole, Warhorse have, for a first-time studio (and a first-time open world game) created a really compelling and interesting video game worth experiencing.