As we mentioned during the introduction, the combat of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, while complex and satisfying for those with the patience to master it, was considered clunky and frustrating by a great number of players. Admittedly, some combat mechanics were simply unpolished and frustrating to contend with regardless of skill level, such as unpredictable enemy ripostes, inconsistent execution of weapon combos, and terrible target-switching between multiple enemies.

Thankfully, Warhorse Games seems to have received this message based on their recent combat showcase, which features notable improvements to the combat system compared to the previous game. The most obvious is the simplified strike radius, which has been reduced from a cumbersome five angles to four (the two downward angles have been combined into a single selection). This modification will probably feel more intuitive for players - especially newcomers to the series.

Less obvious, but very much welcome, is the improved enemy behavior in combat. Gone are the days of impregnable enemy defenses and kill-by-parry gameplay. Swordplay now looks far more natural, and the four angles of attack feel more relevant to the player’s ability to land a strike than they did in the previous installment, inviting closer attention to enemy tells and rewarding skillful movement. This was the intended design of combat in the first game, which sadly fell short of expectations, but now appears to work beautifully.

Switching between targets has also received some much-needed improvements, allowing the player to rapidly adjust to dynamic combat situations without the need for constant kiting of enemies. Gone are the days of backpedaling for miles in order to manage a group of bandits, eventually killing them, and then spending an hour in the woods attempting to locate and loot the corpses.

Some new weapons are thrown into the fray as well, such as the crossbow, polearm, and even medieval firearms. The addition of ranged weapons and spears is an interesting development with implications for more diverse combat, as presumably wielding a sword or a mace against spear-wielding cavalry would result in very poor outcomes and demand some flexibility in play style. To that end, players can now quickly swap between up to four weapons on the fly, rather than being forced to use the equipment menu.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is known for its variety of unique skills to level up, such as reading and drinking booze. New gameplay footage has dropped which provides the most detailed look yet at the skills available in the sequel. We’re happy to report that, for reasons which are mysterious to us, Drinking is still a measurable skill.

Evidence from the Saints and Sinners trailer a few months ago suggested that Henry might have a few new tricks up his sleeve, and some have now been confirmed, including Houndmaster and Craftsmanship. Scholarship and Thievery also appear, which seem analogous to Reading and a combination of Lockpicking and Pickpocketing from the previous game. There is also the surprising addition of Survival, which has an unknown purpose, though we can speculate that it might affect factors such as hunger and fatigue.

Based on earlier footage, the Craftsmanship skill appears to be related in part to smithing, which Henry mystifyingly did not utilize as a skill in the previous game despite being raised by a blacksmith. In any case, the ability to craft and improve weapons is an exciting addition, as it implies the possibility of weapon customization and new avenues for earning some groschen.

Cooking also appears to be a new mechanic, though not a specific skill, so we assume that this might fall under the category of Craftsmanship. Alchemy also makes a return, with little to no changes apparent.

Combat skills have also been tweaked with the addition of a Heavy Weapons category, which we assume is related to usage of maces and battle-axes. Polearms and Unarmed are two notable inclusions, while Warfare, Swords, and Marksmanship make a return from the previous installment. Stats themselves, such as Strength, Visibility, Conspicuousness, etc. have not changed in the sequel.

A few perks have been revealed for the Warfare skill: Evade, Feint, Perfect Block, and Riposte. Evade is a familiar skill for returning players, though it now utilizes both the jump and movement buttons to quickly dodge attacks. Perfect Block and Riposte (formerly Master Strike) have returned, and the addition of Feint suggests that the mechanic from the previous game, which required the player to change attack angles at the last minute before a strike, has been adjusted into a perk.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, like its predecessor, uses a customized implementation of CryEngine, a high-fidelity game engine which debuted in 2004 with the release of Far Cry. While the engine itself hasn’t changed, Warhorse Games’ budget has grown substantially ifollowing the financial success of KCD1. As a result, their manpower and technological capabilities have upgraded accordingly.

What was once a team of 120 people has doubled since the release of KCD1. More eyes on the sequel ultimately translates to more features, fewer bugs, and quicker patches - but it also means more technical talent to implement advanced motion and facial capture.

While KCD1 also implemented motion capture, Warhorse’s budget and talent pool were relatively constrained during its development, so the implementation was limited to standard body capture and did not include facial capture.

Fans of the first game likely recall the flat, listless quality of facial expressions of characters outside of pre-rendered cutscenes. This is not the case with the sequel, in which players can expect more expressive and life-like facial animation due to the introduction of facial capture, as well as improved body motion capture due to Warhorse’s enhanced budget.

Early gameplay footage has revealed improved graphical fidelity for the sequel. Colors are more vivid, and several notable texture improvements are apparent, particularly with vegetation, hair, and and clothing. In contrast, KCD1 had something of a washed-out pallor which led many to rely on mods for improved visuals. Luckily, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II already looks beautiful with months to go before its slated release.