I played Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – it made me fall in love with history again

It turns out I would have made a useless bandit in 15th-century Bohemia (Picture: Warhorse)

One of the most popular role-playing games of recent years is also one of the most historically accurate, as a Metro writer with a personal investment in the story explores Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.

With over 2 million copies sold in its first two weeks, it’s fair to say Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has been a big success for its developers, Warhorse Studios.

The Czech-made game sold five times more than the original title in its first month and received positive reviews, while being praised for its ‘absorbing simulation’, ‘impressive sense of consequence’, humour, and world-building.

But I think there is one fundamental aspect that underpins all of this praise, that helps make the game stand out from its peers: its historical accuracy.

Warhorse worked with historians, reenactors, and academic sources to make Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 as authentic as possible.

‘No game – or even movie or book – can perfectly replicate the past, but we put an enormous effort into getting as close as possible,’ in-house historical consultant, Joanna Katarzyna Nowak, tells Metro.

POV: It’s 1403, and you are about to get blood stains off your tunic before someone realises you have something to do with that missing guard… (Picture: Warhorse Studios) A gateway to history

I grew up in Cittadella, a beautiful medieval city in Italy. My world was defined by a ring of stone walls built in the 13th century – running around narrow cobbled streets, playing hide and seek amongst shadowy archways, and sneaking into secret courtyards.

The past was everywhere, and it was very tangible, something I could feel beneath my feet and above my head. The playground, located in the park in front of the moat, became our stage and battleground. We’d sit there on sunny afternoons, imagining stories of knights, kings, and queens.

Despite this, the history I studied at school felt very removed from my life. I found it boring, repetitive, and pointless. I vividly remember staring at my workbook, trying to learn some dates ahead of a test, wondering what was the point in any of it.

Luckily, I later discovered that video games were able to change that. They provided context, consequence, and feeling. And, above all, they made history fun again.

That’s me on the right! (Picture: Martina Andretta)

It started with Tomb Raider 2 (1997) and the city-building game Pharaoh (1999), which led me to Egypt for my first proper adult trip abroad. After a long break from gaming, I picked up Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (2018) during the pandemic. Its Discovery Tour, a free-to-roam map with educational content, was criminally overlooked.

Then came the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018). Although what attracted me at first was its role-playing component, I soon realised it was its approach to history that set it apart from anything else I had played. And after 226 hours of gameplay, I was excited for a sequel.

Is it worth playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 1 before 2?

You don’t have to, but I recommend you do.

Plot-wise, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 picks up exactly where the first game ends. By knowing the story in full, you will feel a lot more invested in the characters and have a deeper understanding of the decisions you’ll have to make in the sequel.

Whatever you choose to do, I’d suggest you first watch Warhorse Studios’ recap of what happened in the first game before you begin.

What to expect from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

It’s 1403 and you play as Henry of Skalitz, a blacksmith-turned-knight, during a time of great political upheaval.

The setting is stunning. Warhorse Studios has reconstructed parts of 15th century Bohemia – what is now part of the Czech Republic and one of the most influential states of the Holy Roman Empire – in painstaking detail.

Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, author, historical consultant and creator of Fake History Hunter, thinks this is the best part of the game.

‘It’s such a detailed, immersive world, it comes closer to giving us an idea of what life in the late Middle Ages was like than pretty much all other first-person games and a lot of films and TV shows.’

To the uninitiated, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 can be a punishing experience, especially early on. Bandits assaulting you? Escaping or returning to God’s mercy are the most likely options. Think you can just steal anything you come across? It won’t be long until you’re caught.

Forgot to wash? Everyone will notice. Want to save your game? Not that easy, because you have to brew a potion. Medieval life takes preparation, and this is an essential element to the deep immersion.

Trosky Castle as it appears in the game (Picture: Warhorse Studios) Trosky’s ruins are one of the most visited sights of the Czech Republic (Picture: Slavek Ruta/REX/Shutterstock) The challenges of creating a historically-accurate game like KC:D2

Nowak and her colleagues carefully replicated many details, from Trosky Castle to the city of Kutná Hora (or Kuttenberg, its German name).

For example, each house in the game is built using authentic medieval construction techniques, showing the materials and architectural details of the time. And, importantly, the towns burst with vibrant colours. ‘Very different from the dark, dingy, brown and drab rags and cold grey houses we see in films and TV,’ explains Teeuwisse.

Nowak is especially proud of what they achieved with the clothing. ‘It was a huge challenge to merge historical research, artistic vision, technical limitations, and gameplay needs into one coherent system,’ she explains. ‘The result is a diverse and historically authentic wardrobe that players can mix and match while still maintaining period accuracy.’

She found the hardest aspect to recreate was people’s daily lives. Routines and social interactions required extensive research and creative interpretation. On top of that, the team also had to consider nuances like folklore and religion.

Who hasn’t eavesdropped on a trader at the market? (Picture: Warhorse Studios)

Martin Bartoš (known as Kuttenberger Martin on YouTube) is a surveyor of historical buildings in Kutná Hora. He was also pleasantly surprised at the level of detail in the game, including the names of minor characters.

For example (minor spoilers ahead), during the quest The Italian Job, players must infiltrate the Italian Court and get through a church council without raising suspicions. ‘Most of the people present are real historical figures,’ Bartoš points out.

But some trade-offs were necessary to ensure smooth and enjoyable gameplay.

Warhorse created a catalogue of modular elements (such as doors, windows, weapons), that could be reused across different structures. Since these had standardised dimensions and opening mechanics, it was easy to swap them quickly, without causing bugs.

Nowak explains: ‘Imagine if every door had a handle at a different height – our characters would constantly struggle to interact with them! Overall, the game is all about finding compromises.’

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has received some criticism. Orange carrots, no children in sight, and British accents are amongst the faults most widely discussed by players.

Teeuwisse wishes bathhouses didn’t offer sexual favours: ‘Most bathhouses were places where families would go, you’d see your neighbour there, so not really a good spot for hanky panky. That’s what brothels were for.’

To Nowak, ‘historical accuracy is always a journey, not a fixed destination’. ‘If we’ve inspired players to learn more about history, then we consider that a huge success,’ she adds.

Can games teach history?

Research shows that video games have become a powerful learning tool, although they do present some challenges.

‘Games are both responsible for correcting myths and reinforcing them,’ says Teeuwisse. ‘Most games don’t spend a lot of effort on doing research or don’t care enough about it, which is of course their prerogative.’

But games can often be the scintilla that makes ‘someone a history addict for life’, she says.

Warhorse Studios have received many messages from players who became fascinated by medieval history thanks to the series. ‘That’s exactly what we hoped for: to spark curiosity and get people engaged with real history.’

Although he doesn’t think games are the best tool for education, Bartoš agrees they are helpful to drive some interest. ‘A lot of people wrote [about] how they started to read more about [King] Sigismund, Jan Žižka, etc, and ended up going down the rabbit hole called the Hussite Wars, spending hours reading about that… which is great!’

What I love about Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, your choices and their consequences also respect the values of the era (minor spoilers ahead!). During one quest, Birds of Prey, you are asked to find some poachers causing trouble in the local area. Soon, you learn that poaching, especially when done at a larger scale, was punishable by death during the Middle Ages.

In my mind, this seemed a harsh sentence. Here I am, standing in front of a pleading man who can’t feed his family, and whose property has been ravaged by bandits. And yet, if everyone at the time behaved the same way, the forests would soon have been emptied. Fascinated, by the subject I then engaged in a 30-minute deep dive into the history of hunting and poaching in Medieval times.

The world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is both dangerous and pretty (Picture: Warhorse Studios)

The game succeeds in its mission because an interest in history isn’t necessary to enjoy it. There is no one there to remind you that this is an important subject, and that you must study. You could easily complete the game without having a clue about what King Sigismund is up to. 

But the quests, the witty dialogue and the characters are seamlessly interconnected in a way that makes you want to learn more.

And if, like me, you do eventually get the history bug, don’t forget to check the in-game codex. It is a great way to make sense of Henry’s world.

Both Kingdom Come: Deliverance games are an exception in the current market. With their complex mechanics – refined but not abandoned in the second game – they don’t make compromises for ease of play.

And yet, once you understand and accept the games’ mechanics, it’s hard to want to stop playing.

‘I finished the game but regularly return to it just to wander the streets of Kuttenberg; that says something,’ says Teeuwisse.

‘I’m pretty sure that Kingdom Come: Deliverance will get a lot of people excited about medieval history when their teachers couldn’t.’

A walk in the forest… or the calm before the storm? (Picture: Warhorse Studios)

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