Summary
- The new handgonnes in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 are intentionally bad.
- The firearms take time to reload and are incredibly inaccurate, just as they were in 15th-century Bohemia.
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has seen a very successful launch, with many already calling the title a 2025 Game of the Year contender.
Warhorse Studios, the developer behind the freshly released medieval RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, revealed that its new "handgonne" ranged firearms are purposefully bad. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was released to rave reviews, already seen by many as an early contender for 2025's Game of the Year.
The first Kingdom Come: Deliverance, as well as its sequel, are RPGs known for their extreme attention to detail. Food will rot in players' inventories if left uneaten, clothes and armor accumulate dirt and blood and need to be washed at a bathhouse, and swords need to be manually sharpened at a grindstone every now and again to maintain their lethality. Warhorse Studios also upholds a high degree of historical accuracy that extends to nearly all aspects of its two medieval RPGs. Thus, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's new handgonnes seem to have traded their actual accuracy for historical accuracy, as players have been reporting that these weapons are nearly unusable in combat.
How Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Makes Every Duel Feel Unique
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 makes leaps and strides to ensure every one of its duels feels unique, especially after the first game's static combat.
It seems Warhorse Studios has designed these new handgonnes to be unviable combat options on purpose. They take a while to reload and are incredibly inaccurate, just as they were in 15th-century Bohemia. Warhorse's PR Manager Tobias Stolz-Zwilling spoke to PC Gamer, explaining that the team wanted to make Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 as authentic as it can be. "We knew it would be a meme weapon, but we were cool with it," he said, referring to the type of medieval firearm.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Firearms Are Clunky on Purpose
Considering just how detail oriented the Kingdom Come games are, it makes sense that Warhorse would make the introduction of handgonnes as clunky as possible, driving players away from using them in most combat scenarios. These four ranged firearms are truly only feasible from a stealth position, and seem to only really be useful in attempting to scare enemies away. Players who do want to attempt to make serious use of them, however, should consider picking up the Thunderous Blast perk. While it doesn't improve the handgonnes' accuracy or reload swiftness, it gives nearby enemies combat and morale debuffs after the first shot fired in combat, giving players a small upper hand.
We knew it would be a meme weapon, but we were cool with it.
Despite a solid launch, there are sure to be some updates and patches that will roll out for Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 as the weeks and months roll by. Players shouldn't expect Warhorse to do anything to help improve the game's handgonnes, especially now knowing their clunkiness is intentional.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
-
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
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is an exhilarating Action RPG, set amidst the chaos of a civil war in 15th Century Bohemia.
You are Henry of Skalitz – an ordinary man doing extraordinary things – caught in a gripping tale of revenge, betrayal, and discovery as he embarks on an epic journey, 'from a humble blacksmith's forge to the court of Kings', searching for purpose in this beautiful but brutal medieval world.
From bustling city streets to lush forests, explore this open-world Medieval Europe through an unforgettable adventure filled with action, thrills, and wonder.
- Engine
- CryEngine
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Playable
- PC Release Date
- February 4, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- February 4, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- February 4, 2025
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action-Adventure, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
