Kingdom Come: Deliverance won’t bother with magical lands of elves and dwarves – there’s plenty of captivating drama in legitimate European history.
When Kingdom Come: Deliverance arrives on next-gen consoles in 2015, you won’t find any wizards, goblins, or magic swords. What you will find is a medieval action-RPG with a nonlinear story, historically accurate details, and “revolutionary” first-person melee combat. This is all coming from the recently founded Warhorse Studios, founded by Mafia series creator and writer Dan Vávra.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance drops players into a bloody struggle for the throne in the late Middle Ages. This quest will span the Holy Roman Empire, incorporating period-authentic characters, themes, and warfare. That last part is getting a lot of attention – combat will be realistic for the setting, but still action-packed. Players will participate in large-scale battles, horseback combat, open-field sieges, and personal one-on-one fights on their quest. All this is framed by a sandbox world with “believable, real-world context and scope.”
Make no mistake, that’s a tall order. Many games have gone for the low-fantasy medieval setting, but even those titles tend to drop the “historical accuracy” component in favor of exaggerated action. Presumably there’s a way to achieve the best of both worlds, but every pledge of authenticity takes gameplay one step closer to the rather unheroic reality.
Warhorse Studios is placing Kingdom Come: Deliverance at a 2015 release date for next-gen consoles and PC. More information is coming soon – specifically, January 20 – so if accurate Middle Ages warfare is your cup of tea, keep an eye out.