It's been almost a decade since Bethesda released a new entry in The Elder Scrolls series. Although playing through previous titles can be exciting, many fans are looking for something new to tide them over until The Elder Scrolls VI's highly anticipated release. Warhorse Studios' open-world RPG, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, may be able to satisfy fans' cravings until The Elder Scrolls VI makes its long-awaited debut.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance takes a realistic approach to The Elder Scrolls' iconic gameplay. Players take on the role of Henry, a young blacksmith with dreams of chivalry and adventure. Henry's fantasies quickly turn into a grim reality as Cuman insurgents raid his peaceful village, killing his friends and family in the process. After narrowly escaping the brutal invasion, Henry sets off to avenge his family and return peace to the once tranquil land.
Unlike The Elder Scrolls, Kingdom Come: Deliverance focuses on realism. The developers wanted to transport gamers to a life-like virtual replica of the Holy Roman Empire that portrays the strife and tribulations of the times. Players will need to maintain their nutrition levels by eating food, keep their weapons and armor in prime condition with repair kits and sharpening stones, and even bandage up wounds when bleeding out. Its complex gameplay might be offputting for some, but fans looking to break out of the high-fantasy world of modern RPGs might find Kingdom Come's realism to be a refreshing change of pace.
Due to Kingdom Come's hyper-realistic nature, it can be difficult to grasp everything at the beginning of the game. Henry starts as a simple blacksmith with little to no combat experience, making it near impossible to jump into battle right away. Learning a wide variety of sword, ax and bow techniques is vital to Henry's survival. He must practice with several combat trainers before clearing out the various Cuman camps scattered across Bohemia.
Unfortunately, mastering the art of combat can be quite frustrating. It's common to spend several hours in the practice arena before heading off to face the Cumans. However, the experience can be rather rewarding once Henry starts to develop his skills. Seeing Henry morph from a simple blacksmith to a gallant knight is well worth the tedious grind.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance has more in common with The Elder Scrolls than its gameplay, though. It also shares many bugs and glitches commonly found in Skyrim and other Elder Scrolls titles. Characters sometimes have trouble rendering, textures often take time to fully form and glitches commonly hinder gameplay. Although Kingdom Come is far from perfect, its thrilling gameplay and enthralling story more than makes up for its shortcomings.
It's important to note that Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an indie title that got its start from crowdfunding. It's incredibly impressive that an up-and-coming studio like Warhorse was able to create such an elaborate game without the help of AAA backers. If you are willing to overlook some of Kingdom Come: Deliverance's glitches and tedious introduction, you’ll find a fantastic RPG experience that will captivate you until The Elder Scroll’s VI finally hits store shelves.