5 Reasons Kingdom Come: Deliverance Should Be Circled on Every RPG Fans’ Calendar

Unparalleled Realism

5 Reasons Kingdom Come: Deliverance Should Be Circled on Every RPG Fans’ Calendar

When Warhorse Studios first wrote its Kickstarter campaign for Kingdom Come: Deliverance, realism was at the very core of its ambitious vision for the game. Every aspect of the experience has been designed with the intention of immersing players in the often brutal and harsh realities of medieval life. That means replicating far more than just the physics of realistic sword fighting and armor penetration.

Warhorse has worked hard to make every interaction with the game environment and the NPCs that inhabit it feel truly engaging and convincing. Townsfolk won’t simply allow you to get away with intrusive or inappropriate behavior, so no more stealing items or sleeping in their beds as if the entire world was yours to do with as you please. They’ll treat you differently according to what you’re wearing, too, giving a whole new meaning to selecting your attire beyond just its stats – an armored helmet isn’t just +5 protection, it’s a tool of intimidation that will make enemies think twice before crossing you. And just as any good RPG with a sprawling narrative should, who you speak with, which quests you undertake, and who you choose to kill all have tangible effects of the game’s overall narrative.

More than that, the world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance is brought to life by the sum of hundreds of tiny – but breathtaking – details. Uneaten food rots unless cooked, which can be used to poison enemies if you’re so inclined. You won’t be allowed into taverns with dirty clothes on, and negotiating trade deals won’t work if you’re too tired to think properly.

We’ve surely never seen this level of realism in an open world RPG before. It likely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s absolutely standing out from a crowded genre with this unique attention to detail.

Unique Combat System

5 Reasons Kingdom Come: Deliverance Should Be Circled on Every RPG Fans’ Calendar

In tune with its ultra-realism mantra, arguably Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s most intriguing and unique mechanic is its combat system. If you’ve watched gameplay demonstrations or seen its latest trailer, you’ll have noticed that this is no ordinary hack-and-slash action RPG. In fact, you might have concluded it appears rather clunky and stiff, but don’t be fooled: Kingdom Come: Deliverance promises to realize one of the deepest and most nuanced combat systems ever seen in gaming.

As you’d expect, the onus of its sword fighting is all about upholding standards of ultra-realism. The developers have worked tirelessly to recreate what it was actually like to engage in armored sword combat during the Middle Ages. As a result, swords won’t penetrate armor unless you target weak spots, endurance plays an enormous role in battle, and protection such as helmets provide extra armor but limit peripheral vision. You won’t simply be swiping madly during combat, and you won’t be able to rely on pressing a single button to parry attacks. When it comes to archery, there’s no crosshair to guide your aim – it’s instead down to good judgment and experience.

Just as it would in real life, then, mastering the game’s combat will test your skill, patience, bravery, and reflexes. But if all of this sounds super intimidating, fear not: Kingdom Come Deliverance is still an RPG at heart, so spending time leveling your character should see you through harder battles.

A Beautiful Open World

5 Reasons Kingdom Come: Deliverance Should Be Circled on Every RPG Fans’ Calendar

Realism permeates into every ounce of the game’s open world design and aesthetic. Kingdom Come: Deliverance details a story set within the Kingdom of Bohemia, 1403 (modern day Czech Republic), and Warhorse Studios have gone above and beyond to ensure the setting is the best possible recreation of what its flora, fauna, and urban settlements would have looked like. The results are absolutely stunning, especially considering that this is the independent developer’s first game, and it’s all been largely crowdfunded.

Kingdom’s map is a five and a half square mile open world that has actually been topographically measured, recorded, and then recreated on a 1:1 scale in-game. That’s an astounding level of effort in the name of authenticity, and no doubt a Herculean effort to pull off.

More than just impressing with its scale and detail, though, Warhorse Studios has really put a priority on high-quality textures and art assets. Grass rustles, trees sway, water ripples and rain-soaked mud glistens in the sun in astonishing realism. From the very outset of the project, the developer’s have demonstrated their aptitude in the graphical department, and though we’re expecting that not every nuance of detail will make it into the final product, it’s shaping up to be a stunningly beautiful game.

Historical Accuracy

5 Reasons Kingdom Come: Deliverance Should Be Circled on Every RPG Fans’ Calendar

Warhorse studios are so obsessively intent on creating a historically accurate reimagination of medieval life that they’ve hired dozens of historians to help with the process. Everything from the houses that Bohemian townsfolk lived into vegetables they ate has been verified and meticulously implemented into the game. The actual NPCs themselves, too, are individuals that existed in real life.

Additionally, given the extent to which social status played in medieval Europe, just as shiny armor increases your intimidation factor, clothing completely alters the way NPCs interact with you. You’ll only be able to stealth certain areas with the correct attire, and coercing others to do your bidding or trade with you certain goods just won’t work if you look like a mess. Now, we’ve seen Charisma implemented in RPGs before, but it’s all given so much more gravity and weight given the fact each NPC is a recreation of a real person who existed six hundred years ago.

Ultimately, the combination of all of these painstaking details promises to produce the sort of immersive environment video games have always strived for: wilderness with its own dynamic ecosystems, and cities with inhabitants that have their own daily routines.

Thanks to its historical accuracy, Kingdom Come: Deliverance gives substance and meaning to the vastness of its open world.

Mods

5 Reasons Kingdom Come: Deliverance Should Be Circled on Every RPG Fans’ Calendar

As much as we’re in love with the notion of ultra-realism and historical accuracy, Kingdom’s open world looks rife with opportunity to have a bit of fun with mods. Thankfully, the developers are on the same page and they’ve opened up the ability to mod the game’s CryEngine after launch.

In fact, a modding team previously working on Total War: Attila has switched its focus to Kingdom Come Deliverance with the express purpose of turning it into Game of Thrones. Called Seven Kingdoms, the mod will aim to completely recreate the enormously popular world of George R. R. Martin, complete with its iconic cast of characters. According to that team, the ultra-realistic world and first-person perspective of Kingdom Come Deliverance is a perfect match for their ambition. Sounds pretty good to us too.

We’re looking forward to all manner of historical mods as well as traditional high-fantasy versions that are so often based on medieval European culture. But there’s no doubt that the historically accurate NPCs of Kingdom’s world are in for a fireball shaped surprise when the inevitable magic mods finally arrive!