KINGDOM COME: DELIVERANCE II

A bigger, better - and funnier Bohemian rhapsody

Developer | Warhorse Interactive

Publisher | Plaion Deep Silver

Format | PC, PS5, Xbox Series

Origin | Czechia

Release | February 18

As Freddie Mercury might have put it, given the chance: is this the real life of central Europeans circa 1400, or is this just fantasy? Historical accuracy has been the beating heart of Kingdom Come: Deliverance since its original 2018 release, and although questions were rightly raised about the ethnic composition of that game's population, nobody cast doubt on developer Warhorse's ability to conjure a place from the farthest reaches of time and paint it as vividly as the medium's ever seen.

That remains the most captivating element of this sequel, though it's joined by a raft of refinements. The most surprising of which, given the dour setting, is comedy.

But even setting aside the laughs, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II's storytelling immediately feels different. Playing the first game, you would hardly have guessed that studio head and game director Dan Vávra had previously led development on the Mafia series.

There, some excellent narrative grounding introduced you to protagonist Henry's family, his village and his simple existence before all three were razed to the ground, leading to a Skyrim-like quest structure within its open world.

KCDII, though, shares that sense Mafia and its sequel had of a vast, historically accurate space being used not as real estate for random collectibles and map markers, but as a lavish backdrop for tightly scripted linear sequences.