What this article is not: a review, a recap, or a reflection on man’s inhumanity to man. What this is: a collection of some of my thoughts on Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which is made by Warhorse Studios and was released just yesterday. In addition, I will be a bit vague in order to avoid spoilers, so I ask for your patience if I seem a little withholding in the details.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a game that any experienced gamer will recognize. By that, I mean that this game borrows and evolves concepts and mechanics from several very popular and mainstream games.

On social media, people are comparing Kingdom Come to games like Fallout, Morrowind, Mount and Blade, and even Red Dead Redemption. I would agree in the sense that this game has the “it” factor. The game has also received some criticism online from those who have had technical issues, but in my few hours playing the game, I have not experienced anything I would consider a red flag.

So what’s special about Kingdom Come? Immediately this game dives into a very captivating narrative, and it’s a serious, well-constructed story. Voice acting and script are strong. The music also adds emotion during pivotal parts of the game and really sells the story. While this is a great feature, it wouldn’t be enough to make this game stand out. However, Kingdom Come: Deliverance doesn’t stop there.

From the first moments, it’s clear that this game has taken risks that few modern games dare to try. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is difficult. Not in a Dark Souls way, but in a way that matches the tone and composition of the world it’s set in. I was able to spend a good 20 minutes just reading the in-game CODEX and familiarizing myself with the mechanics of the game. I was glad I did because I had already seen social media-verse talk about how unforgiving Kingdom Come: Deliverance can be, and I wanted to be prepared.

This difficulty wasn’t a hindrance. In fact, I would describe it as a positive. This is one of the few games I’ve played in the last 20 years that managed to be difficult in the right spots — and in a way that actually made the game better and enhanced the tone. In particular, the Combat System was easy to learn, but hard to master. This is a game of patience, and it really rewards players who take the time to learn its mechanics.

Another strength of Kingdom Come: Deliverance is the way it embraces a sense of player freedom. From the start, it is clear that quests can be navigated and solved in many ways. Just glancing at the Kingdom Come: Deliverance Reddit sub, you can see several examples and discussions of how “Quest A” was completed and read anecdotes from several players discussing how they handled or solved the quest differently.

In short, Kingdom Come: Deliverance delivers.

I want to close with one final thought: Kingdom Come: Deliverance isn’t for everyone. Just like Monster Hunter World, some players might not have the patience for a few of the mechanics or quirky features in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. And that’s okay. If you’re not having fun, what’s the point? Not every gamer will like every game. But for those that revel in challenges and quirks, this game is a rare treat — and all the more special for the fact that it doesn’t hold anything back. It’s tricky, it’s challenging, and it’s damned immersive.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to storm a castle.