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Kingdom Come: Deliverance Has Grown Into Its Own
Kingdom Come : Deliverance first launched back in early 2018, I had a passing interest in playing it but I heard the game was chock full of bugs and issues. I filed the game away as something to maybe check out later.
The following weeks and months I would hear about how Kingdom Come was a diamond in the rough. Some people really loved the game despite its bugs and issues. Encouraging but still not enough to move me at the time.
Last August Microsoft decided to add Kingdom Come: Deliverance to Xbox Game Pass. I gave it a download one afternoon just to dip my toes in and see what the game was all about for an hour – maybe two. That hour turned into a month of me playing this game almost every day.
If Kingdom Come: Deliverance was a diamond in the rough when it first released, today that diamond has been polished and expertly set in a lovely ring. Kingdom Come: Deliverance today after several months of patches and updates is what the game was meant to be from day one and my friends I can tell you with all confidence, that this game is exceptional.
Think Elder Scrolls, just a bit more realistic
If you are a fan of The Elder Scrolls games like Skyrim, Oblivion, or Morrowind, there is a good chance you will enjoy Kingdom Come: Deliverance. The thing is, I have never played a game quite like this one but the Elder Scrolls games come the closest when thinking in generalizations.
That’s a bold statement. Skyrim in particular is one of the most beloved games of the decade. For some making that comparison would put lofty expectations on Kingdom Come.
I believe the game meets them, There is a reason why it is a staple in my feature article on the best Xbox Game Pass games. This game is a behemoth and impressive on many levels.
KCD has many of the same thrills that keep Elder Scrolls fans playing their games from afternoon to the wee hours of the morning.
The sense of adventure, the compelling gameplay loop of growing your character, an engaging narrative from not only the main quest but side missions as well.
Skyrim, the most recent Elder Scrolls game, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance are alike in that they both take place in a medieval inspired setting replete with swords, shields, and character leveling through action taken; as opposed to most modern RPG’s that have you distributing points to your character via level up screen.
Both games offer players a deep, large world to fully explore. You will meet various characters, watch towns people go about their daily lives, haggle with shop owners, go hunting. You can engage in a plethora of activities all at your whim, allowing you to spend as much or as little time as you please on the main quest.
That said the two games are not a 1 to 1 comparison here. They have a lot of similarities but just as many differences. It would be unfair to only compare Kingdom Come: Deliverance to a game like Skyrim because KCD is its own beast. It does so many things different than other games of its ilk that it stands strongly as a unique video game on it’s own merits.
The major differences arise with how each of these games handles all of the various gameplay mechanics they offer. Skyrim is a fantasy game above all else and it has a more traditional video game feel to go along with its fantasy.
You as the player in Skyrim are quickly all powerful. You are easily the baddest entity in the land, the chosen one, the special hero that will bring order to the world.
In Kingdom Come: Deliverance you are just a young man overwhelmed by what’s happening around you. You are a nobody (albeit a very talented nobody) thrown into a world full of brutality, politics, and at times mundane meandering life.
You are just trying your best to make something of yourself and set certain personal wrongs right in a world where you are not the chosen hero, you hardly even matter.
Although Kingdom Come: Deliverance shies away from the typical chosen one, almighty hero narrative, at heart this is still a video game. Your character will get better, your version of Henry (KCD‘s protagonist) can become extremely capable in many areas.
You can be a jack of all trades. You can be a stealthy thief who’s always looking out for himself. You can even become the overpowered badass that people don’t want to mess with.
This game doesn’t chide you with morality. There are no dark side points for doing bad things or light side points for doing good. What you do does affect how people view you (there is even a reputation stat for each individual and entire groups) but the kind of person Henry becomes is ultimately up to the player to decide.
What’s refreshing about this game is that you often will operate in the grays. Like life, few choices are simply black and white, totally good and bad. You don’t pick a character class and stick to it, you play the game how you like.
You can become a great warrior but you will never be able to take on entire armies by yourself, KCD does a great job of keeping you the player humble; while most games bend over backwards to stoke the players ego, this game has little interest in doing so.
An Xbox Game Pass game that will keep you entertained
After weeks of playing, I can easily say this is one of the best games available on Xbox Game Pass in part because of the sheer volume of content you get out of it.
I know there are many of you out there dying for a new massive RPG you can get lost in. Something that you can sink your teeth into and chew around for months, enjoying the texture and rich flavors.
Bethesda fans who clamor in anticipation for the next Elder Scrolls or Fallout game need to be the first people to give Kingdom Come: Deliverance a hard look. This game provides much of the same value those games do, KCD offers you many of the same sensations, scratches those particularly hard to reach itches and it does it so well.
Unexpectedly I already feel that KCD has surpassed Skyrim and Fallout 4 for me. This game is just deeper, more immersive, and damn, it’s so very pretty when running on an Xbox One X. I am sure the game is beautiful on whatever platform you choose to play it on because the art design is so well done.
You can almost smell the trees when walking through a heavily forested area. Hear the birds chirping, the distinct sounds of moving through brush, the detail and sounds are top notch.
The way the sunlight is reflected in the wet ground during a storm, or the way the trees shiver as the wind howls around you – this game offers some more realistic and peaceful settings we have seen in an RPG.
Developer Warhorse Studios should be quite proud of what they have achieved with their debut title on just a technical front alone. The thought that an independent game studio could create a game like this really increases my faith in gaming as a medium for art and expression.
I will tell you that the missions in this game are fantastic. I have been taken aback several times by events that have happened. The writing is so well crafted and conceived.
Some of the side missions in this game are so well done, it doesn’t really feel like they are side missions. This game is crafted with so much care and attention that all aspects of the story, side missions, and open world elements blend together.
Its an admirable accomplishment by Warhorse Studios because this an open world game that some major, AAA budget game studios like Ubisoft or Bethesda could take notes from.
It all feels like a cohesive experience that you are playing through and it easily lends itself to long marathons because you are continually interested in peeling away the next layer of your adventure.
In Kingdom Come: Deliverance The Struggle is Real
When playing a lot of games today, it feels like within the first two hours, you are already so overwhelmingly superior to most of your foes, you could play the game blindfolded while submerged in a tank of water and still manage to walk away from most battles without your character dying.
One of the most interesting things about KCD is that it’s rooted in simulation. You can’t take on a fight against two or more people without some serious fighting skills.
You won’t be a great archer without a lot of practice. You will probably get your butt handed to you the first time you get into a fist fight. Every ability has to be earned and learned.
There are details in this game you will need to adjust to. For example, it will be harder to impress people if you look like crap because you haven’t bathed and have been hiking around the world for days on end.
Henry needs to eat and sleep to keep his energy up. You can poison pots in people’s homes or their camps and wait around while they all get sick. You can steal the clothes off a sleeping person’s back and watch them walk around after they wake up in their underwear.
Combat in Kingdom Come: Deliverance is incredible. One of the foundations of this game is its combat system. Its fairly simple to learn for any veteran gamer but it takes some time to get used to. Part of the brilliance of it is that Henry the character has to get better to improve his ability at combat but the player too has to improve their own personal skill.
This creates a kind of symbiotic relationship between the player and character. You both grow and improve to eventually gain the skills and confidence to take on most any foe who stands in your way. This is all the more palpable in KCD because of how the save system works.
You cannot save anywhere any time you want like in most games. This very point has proved pretty controversial for many players. To save in KCD you need to find a bed that let’s you sleep and save your game. The game also saves during some major check points in a mission but these autosaves are spread out very thinly.
It is not uncommon to die during a long mission and then have to go back 20-40 minutes of progress. This could ultimately be frustrating to players but there is another option you have at your disposal. There is a drink you can buy at any tavern and at many storefronts.
The drink savior schnapps allows you to save anywhere in the game at any time. The main catch is that it is expensive, particularly early in the game when you have limited money.
After you begin to establish yourself several hours into the game however, you will be able to come by those precious savior schnapps far more often.
I really do like the developers decision to make saving something that is limited. It fundamentally alters the way you as a player learn the game. You know you can’t brute force your way through any conflict and all of your choices have added weight.
In a strange way it’s kind of similar to something like Xcom’s Iron man mode. Your choices really matter and you have to consider what action would be your best course, especially when it comes to staying alive. You learn to fear opponents and respect the direness of a situation.
You are motivated to grow your Henry so that he can protect himself and others, you have a vested interest in getting better beyond just being more of a badass, you need to improve for simple survival.
If you have Xbox Game Pass and are looking for a deep rich, RPG, Give Kingdom Come Deliverance a download
Simply put Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a masterclass in 15th century RPG simulation. The game does not give anything to the player easily, especially in the early hours. You will struggle, you will at times get frustrated by mistakes.
This is a game that’s a slow burn, you have to interested in spending time in its world, going through a long journey and operating at the worlds pace. It’s an RPG that does demand a lot from its players at a basic level.
It is not overly complicated, it is not a game you need a spreed sheet to play in order to min max every fine detail. It’s a game you that allows you to live in its world and play a small albeit integral part in the events that are happening around you.
If you’re looking for a great staycation to experience in the comfort of your own home, try 1403 Bohemia. For many of you it’s a place you wont want to leave, after dozens of hours in I wouldn’t blame ya one bit, I’m not interested in leaving any time soon either.
Every now and then I like to highlight a game available on Xbox Game Pass that has caught my eye. I will spotlight games that I have personally played and taken a great interest in. Check out the Gamepass Spotlight category here.
For recommendations on more Xbox Game Pass games, check out the 10 best games available right now!
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