Kingdom Come Deliverance

Kingdom Come Deliverance: First Impressions

Yay Steam Summer sale. My CPU just meets the minimum requirement for Kingdom Come Deliverance. This means I have to play on low settings but I can live with that. I should have purchased the Royal version but after looking through the DLC I cheaped out and just got the base game and the From the Ashes DLC for now.

The game often gets compared to Skyrim but I’d call it Oblivion plus. KCD employs a similar art style and user interface but the overall graphics and character model quality is much higher as would be expected. Character development is more straightforward in KCD but there is a plethora of status effects and permanent attribute bonuses and debuffs that interact in complicated ways.

Class refers to a character’s station in life rather than a traditional RPG play style and that shapes the role playing possibilities. There is no magic enhancement. Henry must rely on currying favour and developing skills. Unlike many other games the one handed sword and shield path is not the easiest. Right now I would claim that a stealth rogue type might be easier but I don’t really know. I’m struggling with everything. Despite some big talk my Henry is a pacifist so far.

Very little comes without a cost. Beds, storage and an immortal horse can be earned through game play and plants are free for the picking. Just about every other activity imposes a cost or a risk.

Fast travel is not fast. Like Dragon Age Origins the player meanders along over a superimposed map and progress can be interrupted by a random event that can hopefully be avoided with luck. This and the save system tends to inhibit free exploration until the player gains some confidence. In fact, it’s nearly imperative to follow the main quest until a horse and free combat training becomes available. Even so, the player can bleed out and die during basic practice training with a practice weapon.

There are compass markers but that doesn’t mean things are always easy to find.

There is some on screen assistance for melee combat but not so with archery. There is no helpful reticule or auto aim. I really appreciate what the developers are doing here but this is why my Henry so far is a flower picking pacifist. A medieval blacksmith’s son is not likely to have mastery over combat but with me at the helm I doubt he ever will. If you enjoy a fast play through and flashy animations this game will frustrate you. If you relish a challenge then intrepid warrior Henry is for you. I have read that combat perks can make Henry very effective but you have to fight enough to get the perks. Intrepid alcoholic warrior Henry is the likelier result. For those who legitimately despise the idea of being forced to acquire Savior Schnapps to save their game in place, think about that.

KCD is compatible with Steam controllers but sometimes I have problems with the controls after exiting the menu overlay. Re-entering and exiting usually solves it. Lockpicking is nearly impossible without resorting to the keyboard. The left back input on my controller no longer works so I have to use the keyboard to jump but that’s not War Horse’s fault.

Despite all this, I have continued to enjoy playing the game. The voice acting is excellent and the whole environment is just charming. Henry’s choices and actions have an impact and I really like that NPCs react to how he appears. There’s very little clutter which means most interactive items have relevance but in the early going it's not easy to acquire money. Which you need for almost everything. I spend considerable time contemplating my choices and plotting Henry’s day. What should he eat? How much can he accomplish before bed time? I approach every situation with apprehension. Should I expend a precious schnapps or am I prepared to regain significant progress? Should I just live with a poor decision and move on? With every harsh lesson things get easier to figure out.

It’s not necessary to religiously follow quest objectives. Quest descriptions often provide clues to alternate strategies for completing quests. I have never been that creative a thinker when it comes to questing in other games and I frequently miss out on alternative outcomes. Now I find myself thinking about poor hapless Henry and how we can get out of this one unscathed. Finding that solution is so satisfying.

I need to progress much further before I would be ready to talk about the story, the reputation system, the characters etc. This game implements many features that players claim to want but are hard to do well. I plan to document my experience.

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