Why Kingdom Come: Deliverance is Still Relevant in 2021

In early 2014, a small group of unknown developers under the name of Warhorse started a campaign on Kickstarter to fund a dream – to help the studio fund the development of a AAA quality medieval realistic RPG. In 36 hours the campaign fully funded it’s $300,000 goal. That modest goal quickly turned into 35,384 backers and four times the requested amount of funding. This groundswell allowed the studio to develop top-level in-house engines, and eventually hire over 100 staff members. Needless to say, Warhorse was no longer just a ragtag group of Czech developers. Expectations rose. 

When Kingdom Come Deliverance came out in February 2018 it was plagued with bugs that dented its otherwise successful launch. However, the developers worked through the issues, earned the communities trust, and won the hearts of reviewers. KC:D eventually went on to win Game Awards RPG of the Year & Game of the Year, with Warhorse taking home Developer of the Year as well. 

In 2021, there is still a dedicated community surrounding the game. From the active modding community to the subreddit that has over 100,000 members, the game has managed to have a lasting power that few open world RPG’s do. This game still has a lot to offer in 2021 – to both returning and first time players.

Revolutionary Gameplay:

Warehouse had one main goal with KC:D – to create an RPG experience unlike anything else out there. That goal was definitely successful at launch — thanks in part to the game’s unique realism features and its intricate combat system. 

A Focus on Realism 

KC:D is unlike most other RPG’s. After all, the main character Henry is not particularly special or powerful. Unlike other popular games, he is not a chosen one with magical power (Skyrim), blessing from the gods(Dragon Age Inquisition), or even powers that allow him to Deus-ex out of difficult situations. Instead, he is a  dorky immature young adult who has been thrown into a chaotic world as-is. This means that he is a squishy character who needs to eat, wears bandages, gets dirty, and forms connections through charm and hard work – not via innate prestige. 

This game plays like a choose-your-own historical fiction book. You get a small taste of what it might have been like to live, work, and bleed in historical Middle Europe. 

These mechanics are a breath of fresh air even three years later. Through Henry’s eyes, you get to experience the danger that a real-life Henry would have experienced. After all, nothing can be taken for granted in a real-life sword fight. KC:D does an incredible job translating that feeling from Henry’s sword arm to your controller.  

An Unparalleled Combat System

As an extension of Warhorse’s desire to create a more realistic RPG they created a unique combat system based on real historical sword fighting rather than the classic “click A to widely swing” that many games default to. 

During development, the studio consulted with experienced sword fighters, and motion-captured sword fighting to realistically capture natural swordplay. Using this information, developers discovered a way to produce something that would feel like natural swordplay within the confines of a controller/keyboard.

All of that work paid off. Kingdom Come features a combat system that replicates real sword-fighting that exceeds even the best VR games on the market. This realistic system forces you to pick your battles, strategize, and learn how to combat each individual weapon type. After all, when it comes to ordinary people with real swords, all it takes is one well-placed hit to take someone out. 

If you want to know more about the history behind the sword fighting in KC:D check-out the movie Warhorse made about it here:

Continued Support

Passionate Developers

Since the Kickstarter campaign launched 7 years ago Warhorse has made it clear – they intend to make the Kingdom Come franchise a major player in the crowded RPG market. Unlike many studios, they have backed that up from day one.

Warhorse is passionate about making the Kingdom Come: Deliverance experience as much fun as possible. To that end, they have released countless patches, updates, free content, and a few DLC’s over the past three years. The game has even been translated into 12 languages (with full audio support for English, French, and German). 

This team clearly cares about their game, as evidenced by the multiple full length movies they have released related to how the game was made. The documentary about the origins of the game can be purchased on Steam for 1.99. 

Dedicated Modding Community

The Dev’s of KC:D have fostered a wonderful modding community that helps to keep the game fresh even three years after release. There is even a Warhorse hosted Discord server that has multiple channels dedicated just to talking about mods – from how to make them, to the best ones available right now. 

Due to Warhorse’s incredible support of modding, the top mods for the game have been downloaded almost a million times. On top of that, there are mods for just about everything you could wish for.. Quality of life improvement modes like “Instant Herb Picking” help to eliminate some mundane tasks. Meanwhile, mods like “Roads are Dangerous” can help you ramp up the difficulty by increasing the likelihood you will encounter enemies while fast traveling. Finally, to help keep the game looking as modern as possible, there are mods that provide major graphics improvements like “Texture Streaming Improvements.” 

All in all, if there is something you wished was different about the game, there is sure to be a mod to satisfy your desires. 

KC:D in 2021

Kingdom Come might be 3 years old, but there is still plenty of action from both Warhorse and fans to keep it fresh in 2021. Whether it is your first time visiting Skalitz or a returning visit, it is never too late to pick up your controller and dive into Henry’s journey.