The 2025 edition of the annual The Game Awards show is just a few weeks away now, and ahead of the big event, all of its nominees were announced — including the six prestigious titles in contention for the coveted Game of the Year award.
To the surprise of nobody, colossal hits like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Hollow Knight: Silksong made the list, the former of which is favored to ultimately win the title. But one GOTY nomination that did catch me off-guard was Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Warhorse Studios’ expansive open-world medieval RPG.
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Don’t skip KCD2 — you’ll regret it if you do
Of all the games in the running for Game of the Year, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is arguably the most underrated of the bunch (alongside Death Stranding 2). That’s an absolute shame, because it’s one of the grandest open-world RPGs I’ve ever played, with a truly remarkable amount of freedom, depth, and the roleplaying “crunch” that many crave when they delve into this genre.
I dive deep into its systems and intricacies in my KCD2 review, but the TL;DR is that its gigantic medieval world is extremely reactive to each and every choice you make, including everything from the dialogue you say and quest outcomes you select right down to the clothes you’re wearing and how often you end up taking a bath.
Pretty much everything you can think of has an impact on how people see and treat you in this painstakingly detailed simulation of medieval life, and that leads to countless unique interactions, side quest options to consider, and other advantages and disadvantages to play around.
That reactivity, along with KCD2’s gorgeous rendition of medieval Bohemia supported by extensive photogrammetry and research into the time period, makes it one of the most immersive RPGs ever made, and one I’ve happily sunk well over 100 hours into.
Another big highlight of the game is its excellent directional-based melee combat system with a greater emphasis on combos and offense compared to the original game, supported by in-depth armor mechanics that factor layers of cloth, mail, and plate into damage calculations.
This being an RPG, there are of course plenty of skills to develop and choose over time as well, and the story — a tale that follows protagonist Henry’s quest for revenge amid an ongoing civil war — is terrific, too. All in all, KCD2 is simply an amazing game, and if you enjoy RPGs, you should absolutely take advantage of these early Black Friday deals on it.
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