Summary
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II's success may rival Skyrim's longevity due to authentic role-playing experiences.
- Gameplay and world design similarities to Skyrim contribute to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's potential for success.
- The mod potential of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 enhances its replayability, mirroring Skyrim's extensive lifespan.
2025 has promised the arrival of a considerable number of highly anticipated video games, but not many of those released so far have come close to leaving the same mark that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has. As the sequel to a game that has largely only been received as a cult classic, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's success is a bit surprising, though simultaneously not so, as it offers one of the most authentic role-playing experiences to be released in recent memory. While it is still only a little over a month old, its massive success may be a precursor to its longevity, which arguably has the potential to rival the likes of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.
Since the release of The Elder Scroll 5: Skyrim in 2011, no game like it has come close to replicating its lifespan, with it still retaining a healthy player count to this day. Even Bethesda's own Starfield, which the developer claimed would be the next Skyrim, has failed to achieve that due to certain flaws in its game design. However, while it has only been out for a little over a month, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 may have what it takes to finally be the game that matches Skyrim in terms of lifespan, as it shares a lot of similarities with the 14-year-old Elder Scrolls game.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Should Cast Its Line Toward a Popular RPG Pastime
Despite all of the fun and immersive things there are to do in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, it lacks a popular RPG activity that would fit perfectly.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Could Have the Lifespan of Skyrim
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Gameplay and World Match Skyrim's
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 may have a lot to offer from a visual and storytelling standpoint, but its gameplay and world design are perhaps its standout features, both of which happen to be quite similar to The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Like its predecessor, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 strongly emphasizes open-ended gameplay and player freedom, and perhaps even more so this time around. There is largely no end to what players are capable of in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, in addition to the fact that they can approach situations in a myriad of ways, all while never feeling forced by the game to do one thing or another.
This is a significant part of what has contributed to The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim's longevity, as it has essentially offered players a sandbox where they can experiment with different approaches and rarely encounter any restrictions. Furthermore, Skyrim's world is highly unpredictable, with the ability to constantly surprise players with emergent and unscripted responses to their actions, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is very much the same way. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's world truly feels alive and full of real people, meaning players rarely know what to expect, even after they've put dozens of hours into the game.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's unpredictability also gives it massive meme potential, as Skyrim's has for itself.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Has the Mod Potential of Skyrim
Something else that has added to Skyrim's extensive lifespan is its mod potential. Since players have nearly limitless resources in terms of mods, Skyrim is, more or less, a massive playground where fun and absurdity often come out to play. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 also allows players to create and use mods, which, when combined with its open-ended design and sandbox potential, give it a greater chance at finally being the game that rivals Skyrim in terms of longevity. In other words, as long as mods are being made for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, players will have continuous reasons to return to its world.
There is largely no end to what players are capable of in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, in addition to the fact that they can approach situations in a myriad of ways, all while never feeling forced by the game to do one thing or another.
If Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 continues on its current path, it may very well prove to be the first game since Skyrim to achieve the same kind of long-term success. Its deep role-playing mechanics, open-ended world design, and emergent gameplay give it a massive foundation, but its true staying power will likely come from the creativity of its player base. With a dedicated modding community and an endlessly replayable experience, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has positioned itself to be one of the most defining RPGs of the next decade.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- February 4, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
- Warhorse Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Deep Silver
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action-Adventure, Open-World
