This year has been a fantastic one for games thus far, with everything from big AAA hits like DOOM: The Dark Ages and Death Stranding 2 to surprise indie darlings like Blue Prince and The Atlers available to dive into. My favorite of these and my current pick for Game of the Year, though, is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 — and right now, the $60 game is just $43.49 at CDKeys thanks to an awesome deal.
You're probably surprised my top title isn't Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, given that it seems to be the GOTY frontrunner for nearly everyone who's played it. To be clear, I love Clair Obscur (I gave it a 4.5/5 star score in my review, after all), and it's definitely my runner-up. But KCD2, for me, stands out as an RPG like no other set in a time period I've been fascinated by since childhood. Thus, even Sandfall Interactive's masterpiece isn't going to knock it off my GOTY pedestal.
Why KCD2 is my Game of the Year pick
Again, if it weren't for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 would absolutely be my pick for Game of the Year. It's a gorgeous game with real-time dodge and parry mechanics innovatively woven into its turn-based combat system, and it has a beautifully written story that's sure to stick with everyone who plays it. KCD2 has a fantastic story and combat system of its own, though, and also remarkably impressive mechanics and dynamism.
Indeed, Warhorse Studios' long-awaited sequel to the original 2018 experience is distinguished by its systems-driven structure, with tons of different gameplay systems that facilitate reactions to player actions and NPC behaviors. For example, everything from the type of clothing you're wearing to how dirty or clean it is and what your reputation in an area is like has a direct impact on how characters view and treat you, which then has ripple effects on available quest solutions, the outcomes they lead to, how effectively you can persuade (or intimidate) others, the prices you pay in shops, and more.
Ultimately, Kingdom Come 2's simulated medieval world is incredibly reactive, especially regarding crime. It can be quite lucrative to steal, pickpocket, and even murder, but being heard or seen has major, serious consequences — though smart timing, dark clothing, and a silver tongue can help you stay hidden or get out of trouble.
Still, if you do find yourself caught by a guard and fail to talk your way out of it, you'll be met with hefty fines or forced to spend 24 hours clapped in the town pillory, and folk living nearby will grow less cooperative as your reputation worsens. Further infractions can lead to you getting branded — most people and shopkeepers won't speak with you at all until the mark heals a full week later — or even hung from the gallows, depending on the severity of your criminal activity.
Not everyone will enjoy how unafraid KCD2 is to push back against you, but as I explained in my review of the title, that's exactly the kind of "crunch" I look for in RPGs. Its systems-heavy structure drives you to think carefully about your actions, and also to consider a wide variety of solutions to the problems you encounter. And like any good RPG, Kingdom Come supports tons of different playstyles, allowing you to be whoever you want and build protagonist Henry in whatever way you see fit.
Combat is another pillar of the game with its own in-depth systems, including interactions between various medieval weapons and layer-based armors and directional melee attacks, blocks, parries, and counter-attacks. All of this is heavily inspired by real-world techniques, giving KCD2 a feeling of remarkable authenticity.
That extends to the Bohemian open world itself — a deceptively picturesque rendition of a land embroiled in an escalating civil war between several of the kingdom's lords and King Sigismund of Luxembourg, a man who usurped the crown from his half-brother Wenceslas IV. Every inch of the game's two maps (and ultimately, the game itself) was carefully built with extensive research guiding the developers' hands, to the point where locations depicted in-game look nearly identical to the real thing.
The personal story of protagonist Henry takes place in the midst of this adapted real-world conflict, with the young peasant-turned-knight pursuing Sir Markvart von Aulitz and Sir Istvan Toth — two of Sigismund's top men who orchestrated the razing of Henry's village in the first game. It's a complicated quest for revenge in which Henry attempts to toe the line between justice and all-consuming rage, complete with a stellar cast of characters, top-notch mocap animation, and excellent voice acting performances.
Put simply, it's a terrific game, and is right up there with the likes of Mass Effect 2 and Fallout: New Vegas as one of the best RPGs ever made. It's also one of the best Xbox games and best PC games, and has only gotten better with post-launch patches and DLCs that have added things like Hardcore Mode (with more to come later this year). Note that while the CDKeys deal spotlighted here is for the PC version only, it's also selling on Xbox for $49.99 at Amazon and on PS5 for $49.94 at Amazon.
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