Sequels often face the “sophomore slump,” but this sequel manages to dodge that trap by doubling down on everything that made its predecessor a cult classic. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II delivers on the original’s promises with newfound polish and ambition, making it easily my best experience of the year so far, as expected.

Kuttenberg Is the New Novigrad

From a technical standpoint, the leap in environmental density is staggering. The standout achievement is the city of Kuttenberg. Rendering a dense, medieval urban environment in CryEngine is a massive challenge. Unlike the small villages of the first game, this is a sprawling city with multi-story buildings, crowded marketplaces, and intricate alleyways. The developers had to significantly optimize their draw-call management and level-of-detail (LOD) systems to keep the frame rate stable while maintaining the gritty, lived-in aesthetic. The lighting system, particularly the way it handles interior shadows and cobblestone reflections, is a significant step up from the first title.

From Blacksmith to Ninja

As a developer, I’m always interested in the balance of progression systems. In this experience, the curve is somewhat front-loaded. By the time I moved to the second map and reached Kuttenberg, I was already a “super ninja.” This was largely because I took the first map very seriously, completing most of the side quests and engaging in every skirmish I could find. This provided enough opportunities to evolve Henry’s stats to a point where the quests in the second half of the game became a bit of a breeze.

While it feels rewarding to see Henry’s growth, from a design perspective, it highlights the difficulty of scaling content for a player who explores every corner. The combat, while refined and less “janky” than the original, can’t quite keep up with a fully leveled Henry, resulting in a power fantasy that contrasts sharply with the desperate survival of the early hours.

The Recurring Narrative Pacing Issue

On one hand, the amnesia setup is a clever narrative shortcut that sidesteps the “power creep” problem entirely. By stripping Henry back to a blank slate—forgetting combat techniques, alchemy recipes, and even basic survival skills—the developers justify the early-game fragility without having to invent a contrived injury or gear loss. It’s a diegetic reset button that feels surprisingly organic within the story’s opening chaos. That said, the trope wears thin quickly. The game hand-waves Henry forgetting everything—including how to hold a sword properly—while conveniently allowing him to remember key characters and plot-relevant details. It’s a functional solution to a difficult design problem, but one that lacks the elegance of the first game’s slower, more believable progression from village nobody to seasoned fighter. In trying to have it both ways, the amnesia framing occasionally feels less like storytelling and more like a designer’s duct tape.

Unfortunately, some of the old ghosts still haunt the machine. Just like the first entry, the sequel struggles with its final chapters. The story, which builds so much momentum in its middle act, feels rushed and confusing as it reaches its climax. From a narrative design standpoint, it’s a bit disappointing to see the same pacing issues repeat themselves. A more focused third act could have easily pushed this into a perfect 10/10 territory. It seems the team prioritized the systemic complexity and world-building over a tightly woven conclusion.

Despite the narrative stumbles at the finish line, the moment-to-moment gameplay is unparalleled. The world is denser, the quests are more varied, and the sense of being part of 15th-century history is stronger than ever.

A New Standard for Immersion

This title offers a level of immersive simulation that is hard to beat. It respects the player’s intelligence and rewards patience, even when its complex systems push back. If you loved the original, this is an essential experience. If you were put off by the previous entry’s rough edges, the added polish here might finally be enough to win you over. It’s a bold, ambitious, and deeply rewarding sequel that proves Warhorse Studios are masters of their craft, even if they still haven’t quite nailed the landing.

For many, the dream of receiving a letter from a magical school is a cornerstone of childhood. I should preface this by saying that I am not a fan of the books or the universe—quite the opposite, in fact. Despite my lack of personal connection to the source material, I can objectively say that this experience is a masterclass in world-building and high-budget adaptation. It finally gives this franchise the high-budget, open-world treatment it has long deserved.

Technical Execution

From a developer’s perspective, the implementation within Unreal Engine 4 is fascinating. The scale of the castle is staggering, and the way the developers handled the interior/exterior transitions is a significant technical feat. To maintain the sense of a seamless, sprawling structure, the team had to employ clever level-streaming techniques. You can wander from the highest astronomy tower down to the lake without a loading screen, which is no small task given the sheer density of unique assets and high-resolution textures packed into every hallway.

The lighting work is particularly noteworthy. The way the light spills through the stained-glass windows or reflects off the suits of armor in the corridors creates a palpable sense of history. Every corner of the castle feels like it has a story to tell, filled with magical curiosities and moving portraits that bring the environment to life in a way that feels “alive” rather than just decorated.

Design Decisions and Exploration

Exploration is where the project truly shines. Flying on a broomstick over the Scottish Highlands is an absolute joy, providing a sense of scale and freedom that is mechanically very well executed. The control scheme for the broom feels intuitive, and the transition between ground and air is smooth—a trade-off in design that prioritized player freedom over strict physical realism.

The combat system is another surprise. Instead of a simple “shooter” mechanic, it encourages you to chain spells together in creative combos. From a design standpoint, the cooldown management and spell-switching systems keep the encounters dynamic. It’s surprisingly robust, rewarding players for experimenting with different magical interactions.

Room for Improvement: The Open World Trade-off

While the castle is a masterpiece of environmental design, the world beyond its walls exposes some common open-world trade-offs. The “hamlets” scattered throughout the map lack the unique personality and asset density of the main hub. From a production standpoint, it’s understandable—building a world of this scale requires a balance between hand-crafted detail and procedural filler—but the contrast is noticeable.

Additionally, the main narrative about Ancient Magic is serviceable, but it doesn’t always feel as personal or urgent as it should. Some of the side activities, like the repetitive Merlin Trials, feel like classic “busy work” intended to extend the playtime rather than enrich the world.

Despite my personal indifference toward the lore, the final product is a triumph. It’s a polished, beautiful, and genuinely well-executed experience that sets a new bar for how to adapt a beloved fictional world into a video game. It proves that even if you don’t care for the universe, good design and technical prowess can still make for a compelling experience.

Every year, I try to compile a list of games, books, and movies I experienced. For the complete list, check the Ratings. Here we go (sorted by rating then alphabetically)!

Finished

1. Ghost of Tsushima (10★★★★★★★★★★): A love letter to samurai cinema that earns every frame. Stunning, emotional, and mechanically sublime — one of the finest open worlds ever crafted.
2. Kingdom Come Deliverance: Brutally authentic medieval RPG where you’re nobody and have to earn everything. Janky in places, unforgettable as a whole.
3. Is This Game Trying To Kill Me (8★★★★★★★★): A clever meta puzzle where the game-within-the-game bleeds into your cabin in creepy, inventive ways. Short (as a complement).
4. Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye (8★★★★★★★★): Darker and more oppressive than the base game — almost uncomfortably so. A bold detour that rewards patience with genuine dread.
5. Paradise Killer (8★★★★★★★★): CRAZY! Do not let the visuals fool you. Amazing. Loving this amazing true detective game where, as far as I know, you can draw any conclusion you want.
6. Stray (8★★★★★★★★): Beautifully crafted, like most Annapurna games. Playing as a cat is delightful, despite being more of a dog person.
7. Exit 8 (7★★★★★★★): A liminal horror loop built on observation and unease. Ingeniously simple premise that punishes distraction — and boredom.
8. Mouthwashing (7★★★★★★★): Psychological horror at finest. Since I’m not particularly fan of horror, the short length is very welcome.
9. The Operator (7★★★★★★★): A tense dispatch puzzle with moral weight lurking beneath each call. Quiet and unsettling in the best way.
10. The Outer Worlds (7★★★★★★★): Playing a lot due the fact I’m recently folowing it’s creator, Tim Cain, channel.
11. The Still Wakes the Deep (7★★★★★★★): Claustrophobic Scottish horror on a collapsing oil rig. Atmosphere thick enough to drown in, even if the gameplay is thin.
12. Dying Light (6★★★★★★): Parkour zombies done well. The gameplay is tense; the story is not.
13. Overtime Anomaly (6★★★★★★): A competent anomaly-hunter that does its job without overstaying its welcome.
14. Trash Goblin (5★★★★★): Charming little hoarding sim with a cozy loop.

Currently Playing

1. Doki Doki Literature Club: Out of the ordinary for your taste, but the reviews piqued your interest.
2. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (6★★★★★★):
3. Card Shark (8★★★★★★★★): A clever, daring game of wit and deceit. Masterful storytelling paired with sleight-of-hand mechanics keeps you hooked.
4. Ghost Trick (8★★★★★★★★): A fresh take on puzzle-solving with a quirky Japanese humor.
5. Inscryption (8★★★★★★★★): Starts as a clever card game, but quickly spirals into a narrative masterpiece with layers of meta-storytelling. It’s a wild ride through different genres.
6. Paradigm (8★★★★★★★★): old style adventure game with a amazing, but not for everyone, humor.
7. The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos (8★★★★★★★★): Didn’t see it coming, a genuinely funny classic turn-based RPG with top-notch humor.
8. Death's Door (7★★★★★★★): A charming yet challenging journey through a world of souls and secrets. Sharp combat and quiet melancholy blend perfectly.
9. Desktop Dungeons (7★★★★★★★): I’ve played a demo web version of it ages ago and i liked so much that I’ve even bought Dungeons of Dredmor by mistake. I’ve never remembered the name the one I liked but recently they created a remaster and gave the original for free. Very clever and hard.
10. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remaster (7★★★★★★★): High-speed thrills with a nostalgic edge, but the polish only goes so far.
11. Overland (7★★★★★★★): A puzzle game with a post-apocalyptic theme.
12. Tunic (7★★★★★★★): In the very early stages. I do not like games that too vague stories. But this one seems to have a reason.
13. Very Little Nightmares (6★★★★★★): Atmospheric dread and fun scaled down.
14. Ghost of a Tale (7★★★★★★★): Followed the development process for quite some time because it was made using Unity. Looks charming and intriguing.
15. XCOM 2 (6★★★★★★): Time to dive into this much-praised strategy game.

Not finished yet (for one reason or another)

Many projects barely begun. Installed to test, but mostly in limbo—WIP or collecting dust. Unfinished tales of exploration and hesitation.

1. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut (8★★★★★★★★): Holy moly! Got it from my brother on my birthday, had only a couple of minutes to play, but it’s already shaping up to be a favorite.
2. Gris (8★★★★★★★★): Beautiful first level.
3. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (8★★★★★★★★): Liked the thinking in this game. Definitely one I’ll try to complete sooner than later.
4. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (7★★★★★★★): liked the first title, Deus Ex: Human Revolution (8★★★★★★★★), but this one is a far inferior game. The story is not nice and the gameplay is not fun so far.

Continuous playing

I play them eventually. Most of them, are strategy games. Nothing new from last years list, except:

1. Crusader Kings 3 (8★★★★★★★★): Time sucker, like many Paradox titles.
2. while True: learn() (8★★★★★★★★): Logic programming puzzles. Amazingly fun and challenging for a programmer. The special bonuses for optimized solutions request multiple plays for each scenario.
3. Baba Is You (7★★★★★★★): Played some levels, up to the second or third “world.” SUPER clever.
4. Horizon Chase Turbo (7★★★★★★★): A love letter to classic arcade racers. Pure, nostalgic fun, though it occasionally lacks depth.

Next games on my radar

Finally, here is a list of games that I already have in my collection that I plan to play in the next months. Its a bit ridiculous to talk about next game, considering the amount of unfinished ones, but the catalogue is so vast that I can afford to play ahead.

1. Heavy Rain: Anticipating another story-driven experience to enjoy with your wife.
2. Hitman: Hoping to take a more relaxed approach this time after a perfectionist run of Contracts.
3. Prey Mooncrash: I’m a fan of time travel/time loop ideas. I bought it but days later I got Deathloop (9★★★★★★★★★) (following game from the same company) for free.
4. We Are There Together: Bought to play with my wife, but not included in Play Together on Steam. Considering convincing another soul to play with me

Every few years, a title comes along that feels like it was crafted with a singular, unwavering vision. This samurai epic is a stunning love letter to cinema that earns every single frame. It quickly became my favorite of the year, not just for its emotional weight, but for its sheer technical elegance.

The End of Loading

From a gamedev standpoint, the most mind-blowing achievement here is the data streaming. The loading speeds are blazing fast, even on PC. On a modern NVMe drive, fast travel feels almost instantaneous—it’s a masterclass in asset management and decompression. Traditionally, open-world games suffer from “pop-in” or long transition screens to clear the buffer, but Sucker Punch managed to optimize their proprietary engine to a degree that makes the hardware feel invisible. This isn’t just a convenience; it changes how you interact with the island, encouraging frequent exploration without the “loading tax” that usually hampers large-scale RPGs.

The use of particle effects and wind simulation is another area of technical brilliance. Instead of static environments, the island is in constant motion. Every pampas grass blade, every falling leaf, and every drop of blood follows the physics of the world. The decision to use the “Guiding Wind” as the primary navigation tool is a strokes of UX genius. It removes the need for a cluttered HUD or a distracting mini-map, keeping the player’s eyes firmly on the beautiful art direction.

Cinema Choices

Visually, the project is a triumph of color theory. Each region has a distinct palette—from the fiery reds of a maple forest to the serene purples of a flower-filled field. While I only played around with the photo mode and the “Kurosawa Mode” briefly, I can acknowledge they are superb. The Kurosawa Mode, specifically, isn’t just a black-and-white filter; it adjusts the contrast, film grain, and even the audio quality to mimic the 1950s cinematic aesthetic. It’s a bold artistic choice that demonstrates a deep respect for the source material.

The combat gameplay is a perfect blend of simplicity and depth. It’s addictive, built around stances that must be switched in real-time to counter specific enemy archetypes. The “clash” of steel feels weighty and responsive, providing a visceral satisfaction that many action games struggle to capture.

Honor and Sacrifice

At its heart, the narrative tells a compelling story of Jin Sakai, a man forced to choose between the rigid code of his ancestors and the “dishonorable” tactics needed to repel a Mongol invasion. Unlike many open-world experiences where the plot can feel disjointed, Jin’s journey remains gripping from start to finish. The supporting cast is equally strong, with side quests that feel like meaningful chapters rather than mere filler.

The project is a rare 10/10 for me. It takes the familiar open-world formula and polishes it to a mirror sheen, delivering a mechanical and emotional experience that stays with you long after the credits roll. It’s a testament to what happens when technical optimization and artistic vision are perfectly aligned.

In a genre dominated by dragons and chosen ones, this title stands out by offering something much rarer: historical authenticity. You aren’t a hero; you are Henry, the son of a blacksmith, and at the start, you can barely hold a sword, let alone read. From a gamedev perspective, the commitment to this “zero-to-hero” simulation is a bold design choice that dictates every other system in the experience.

Simulation of Ancient

The technical foundation, built on a heavily modified version of CryEngine, is both a blessing and a curse. Visually, the engine’s strength in rendering dense vegetation and realistic lighting is on full display. The forests feel like real Bohemian woodlands, with light filtering through the canopy in a way that feels procedurally natural rather than hand-placed. However, the trade-off is evident in the hardware demands and the occasional physics “jank” that occurs when complex AI schedules collide with a highly detailed environment.

The AI system is particularly ambitious. Every NPC has a 24-hour routine, which isn’t just cosmetic. If a merchant isn’t at their stall, they are likely eating or sleeping. This creates a living world but introduces massive edge cases for quest triggers—a classic dev headache where systemic freedom competes with narrative stability.

Systems

As a developer, I am naturally drawn to deep, interlocking systems. I spent a lot of time analyzing how the developers handled the alchemy and maintenance mechanics. The alchemy system is incredibly innovative, requiring the player to physically interact with the bellows, distillers, and ingredients in real-time. It’s a masterclass in diegetic UI design. Ironically, despite my love for appreciation for well-crafted systems, I found myself barely touching the actual crafting system. In any game, in fact. I acknowledged the brilliance of the implementation, but the sheer friction of the simulation—while thematic—meant I often preferred to find or buy my gear rather than engage with the labor-intensive crafting loop myself.

The save system, tied to the “Saviour Schnapps” item, is another polarizing design decision. It forces the player to live with their mistakes, which heightens the tension of every encounter. From a design standpoint, it’s a interesting way to prevent “save scumming”.

A Tale of Two Halves

The narrative starts with a personal quest for vengeance that masterfully anchors you in the larger political machinations of the Holy Roman Empire. The voice acting is grounded and human, which complements the gritty aesthetic. However, the experience stumbles as it nears the finish line. The final chapters feel somewhat convoluted and rushed, losing the intimate focus that made the early hours so compelling. The transition from a personal journey to a large-scale military conflict exposes some of the engine’s limitations in handling massive crowds.

Despite these rough edges and the late-game narrative hurdles, the project remains a masterpiece for those who value immersion. It is a demanding, beautiful, and ultimately rewarding journey through a history that feels alive, proving that sometimes, the most innovative thing you can do is stick to the truth.