Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Review (PS5) — History Never Hit This Hard

A brutal, authentic medieval RPG that makes every victory earned on PS5

I’ll be honest: I never played the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance. My knowledge was limited to its reputation—the hardcore medieval sim, the “janky Skyrim,” the most realistic sword fighting ever coded. Jumping into Kingdom Come: Deliverance II on PS5 felt like walking into a movie mid-scene—and it actually made the experience better.

You don’t need the prequel’s history to feel the weight of this game. It’s immediately immersive: a grounded, often brutal re-entry into 15th-century Bohemia that doesn’t care if you’ve never swung a longsword. You either learn fast—or you die trying.

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Official Trailer

Trailer credit: Warhorse Studios / Deep Silver

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Release: February 4, 2025

Genre: RPG, Medieval, Open World, Single Player

Developer / Publisher: Warhorse Studios / Deep Silver

Platforms: PC — Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox

The Core Loop: Sweat, Steel, and Consequence

Forget fantasy tropes. No dragons, no spells—just sweat, steel, and consequence. You play as Henry, a blacksmith’s son whose life is torn apart by political chaos, religious tension, and a thirst for revenge. Every swing is earned. Combat isn’t button-mashing; it’s positioning, timing, and discipline. The directional system makes you think like a fighter, not just react like a gamer. After ten failed duels, that perfect riposte feels incredible because the game makes you earn it.

Bohemia: A Beautiful, Brutal Sandbox

Medieval Bohemia looks and feels lived-in. Villages bustle, forests breathe, rivers shimmer under a natural moon. The writing is stronger than expected, with nuanced voice acting and a personal story that works even if you missed the first game. NPCs remember your choices—steal, lie, botch a duel—and the world reacts. It’s a true sandbox where small decisions make real ripples.

The Learning Curve: Punishing—but Worth It

The opening hours are a gauntlet. You’re weak, broke, and the UI is dense. You’ll die to bad timing or bad luck. That’s the point. This game doesn’t just entertain—it immerses. Once you accept its deliberate rhythm, it clicks. The first clean duel, the first stealth job done right—they land harder because you fought for them.

PS5 Polish: Modern Power, Medieval Grit

On PS5, KCD II is the best version of what Warhorse set out to do. The lighting is cinematic, the world dense, and the soundtrack beautifully somber. DualSense support matters: you feel a bowstring’s resistance, the clang of steel on a shield, and fatigue as stamina dries up. Minor bugs exist—occasional NPC oddities and brief texture pop-in—but nothing truly breaks immersion. Haptics and adaptive triggers add genuine weight to the experience.

Final Verdict

Arriving as a newcomer felt like landing in a foreign land where every system has weight. KCD II doesn’t court you with flash; it earns your admiration with authenticity and a living world. If you want a hand-holding RPG, look elsewhere. If you crave something raw, demanding, and historical to the bone, this is one of the most rewarding journeys you can take on PS5 right now.

Score: 9/10 — A brutal, beautiful, and brilliantly authentic experience. Hard to learn, harder to put down.

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