With its release date finally announced during Gamescom 2024, we were able to experience Warhorse Studios’ role-playing game Kingdom Come: Deliverance II multiple times during PAX West 2024 and Tokyo Game Show 2024.

Our playthrough gave us a little over one hour with the game, giving us a peek at what we can expect when it finally drops on February 11, 2025.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II – Hands-On Preview

Whether or not you have played the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance, your experience with its sequel will remain unaffected. Newcomers to Kingdom Come: Deliverance II will enjoy a fresh perspective on Henry’s adventures in Bohemia, while returning players will benefit from a deeper understanding of Henry’s backstory, enriching their gameplay experience.

Henry is an ordinary individual striving to navigate daily life in Bohemia, undertaking various adventures and tasks to sustain his lifestyle. While he participates in significant events within Bohemia, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II focuses on providing a realistic historical adventure rather than creating an exaggerated hero.

Warhorse has strict pillars that they followed in developing this game, which keeps them grounded with its feature set. Kingdom Come is an unapologetically medieval game but at the same time, an immersive action RPG, meaning you won’t see dragons or any high fantasy elements of that sort. “Dungeons, not Dragons” was a term often thrown around during our playthrough.

The main storyline of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II follows Henry’s journey as he becomes a man-at-arms in Bohemia. However, the game truly shines through its numerous side quests, which delve into the everyday stories and lore of the region. During our playthrough, we experienced Henry at a more advanced stage in his journey, equipped with better stats to handle more complex scenarios.

In one scenario, Henry is challenged by a German fencer aiming to establish a school in Bohemia. This challenge leads to a duel, initiating a sword fight. Although the outcome of the duel does not have permanent consequences, as non-edged swords are used, the dialogue will adapt based on whether you win or lose.

The combat in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II feels smooth and polished, showing significant improvements over its predecessor. While you still control your character in first person, the mechanics are less cumbersome, making the combat experience more enjoyable.

Warhorse has improved combat in this second installment as an answer to feedback from the first game, where the developers admitted that they nailed the “hard to master” part of things but didn’t quite land on the “easy to learn.”

Upon defeating the instructor, what ensues is the rival fencing school now accused the German of illegally teaching classes. We now get a good demo of what ensues in conversation, which is similar to the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance, offering the same charm and sardonic wit, which is the highlight of the realistic RPG.

Time to exercise our eloquence…

Actions Have Consequences

The outcome of the conversation can significantly influence the subsequent events. In my playthrough, I managed to persuade the official that the duel between Henry and the German was provoked by an insult directed at Henry. To avoid further complications, I opted to pay the fine, especially since the money in my inventory was not hard-earned as it came with the account I was using from the playthrough.

Conversations in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II carry a lot of weight, and Warhorse stressed the importance of considering not only the dialog choices but also the person you are talking to. Intimidating a bandit while dressed in bloody clothes will have a muted effect compared to talking to regular townsfolk.

The quest involves a task assigned by the German fencer to steal a sword from a rival fencing school. This sword is intended to be displayed in the town square as a formal challenge to a sanctioned duel. The rival school had previously refused any challenges from the German fencer during a heated exchange.

The quest requires stealth to infiltrate the fencing school and steal the sword. There are two approaches: executing the task in broad daylight or under the cover of night. Each option has its pros and cons. Daytime offers easier access to the house but it is heavily guarded, whereas nighttime has fewer guards but all entrances are locked.

To avoid the daytime patrols, I decided to wait until nightfall. However, I was not keen on picking locks, so I chose to enter the house during the day without arousing suspicion and hid in the empty cellar. I then used the wait command to fast forward to night.

Despite my precautions, the NPCs proved to be more perceptive than expected, and I was discovered hiding in the cellar. This was surprising, as such an incident never occurred in my experience with Skyrim. Unlike Skyrim, where I often resort to drastic measures, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II requires a more nuanced approach. Consequently, I had to leave the property and wait for the right moment to break in the traditional way.

I successfully utilized the lockpicking command, which proved to be far more intricate than the typical lockpicking mini-games found in similar titles. The process required finding the precise sweet spot using separate buttons, holding it in place, and then rotating with the controller’s analog sticks. Although it took some practice, I eventually managed to break in, retrieve the sword, and display it.

However, having been caught by the maid earlier that night, my actions were exposed to the rival school the following day. Faced with the public revelation of my crimes, the rival school had no choice but to accept a sanctioned duel to avoid losing face. Due to my earlier capture, our faction is now forced to duel the rival school without armor. Indeed, actions have consequences.

I was informed that had I not been caught, the resulting tournament would have been easier because both teams will fight on even ground without any equipment advantages. Things like these are heavy considerations when playing the game, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II looks to immerse players even further than ever before.

What happens next? Unfortunately, that was when our demo ended and we won’t be able to find out until February! I guess in my next playthrough, I’ll try not to get caught. I promise you that!

*Kingdom Come: Deliverance II releases on February 11, 2025 on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.