Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 - Brushes With Death Review

I'm inactive not sick astatine each of galavanting astir Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's idyllic Bohemian countryside adjacent aft the much than 100 hours I logged successful February. So I was delighted to beryllium fixed a crushed to instrumentality to it with the archetypal communicative DLC, Brushes With Death. I was greeted with much of the beardown dialog penning and open-ended adventuring I've travel to expect, truthful I’m not overly disappointed. But I wasn’t wowed, either. The substance of this low-stakes communicative managed to support maine entertained, but it doesn't basal particularly beardown connected its ain played extracurricular the expansive model of the main campaign.

You tin commencement the DLC quest arsenic aboriginal arsenic the extremity of Act 1, erstwhile Henry's destiny becomes intertwined with that of the eccentric and enigmatic creator Voyta. But I chose alternatively to load up an endgame save, picking up close successful the aftermath of KCD2's climactic capstone events, and I deliberation this whitethorn beryllium a little than perfect mode to acquisition Brushes With Death. But it is the mode I fishy those of america astir anxious for much medieval Czech adventuring volition spot it for the archetypal time, due to the fact that who wants to spell rooting astir their aged saves looking for conscionable the close spot?

For 1 thing, particularly if you've already resolved the main campaign's conflict, determination isn’t overmuch connected the enactment present to marque it consciousness similar it matters. All of the basal game's champion broadside quests, including the ones that I bash deliberation could basal connected their ain amended than this one, benefitted from being carried connected the existent of these sweeping, historical, life-changing events happening each astir them.

It's not that Voyta's plight lacks intrigue oregon payoffs. It's much that it comes crossed arsenic a filler occurrence erstwhile the past happening I retrieve doing was confronting an service and having a cathartic affectional reckoning with the Henry I had created. And the post-main quest satellite doesn't ever consciousness similar it’s reacted arsenic overmuch arsenic I'd similar to the events that person taken place. There are definite areas the caller quest sent maine that shouldn't truly beryllium accessible to maine astatine this constituent for large crippled reasons I don't privation to spoil.

The pacing, also, is conscionable a small spot unusual erstwhile playing done it successful a consecutive changeable with nary different distractions similar going retired of my mode to uncover much of the representation oregon discovering a full caller settlement. It took maine astir 12 hours, and you could astir apt sound it retired a bully woody quicker if you don't believe, similar I do, that indulging successful the temptation of accelerated question is 1 of the 7 deadly sins of open-world RPGs. Running done these objectives feels a small plodding astatine times, and determination are a fewer excessively galore quest steps that simply necessitate you to thrust determination and get an point oregon speech to a guy. That mightiness not person been arsenic overmuch of an contented if I hadn’t already finished everything else, truthful there's nary much anticipation of getting caught up successful a wholly unrelated, unexpected escapade on the way. Those moments were a large portion of Kingdom Come's charm.

But let’s unreal that wasn’t a concern. If I were comparing this communicative to what I would see the champion broadside quests successful the basal game, it would beryllium adjacent the apical successful presumption of scope, and astir apt supra mean successful presumption of writing. The histrion voicing Voyta lends a batch of quality and vigor to the proceedings, too. On the different hand, successful presumption of the creativity successful the quest plan and the assortment of activities Henry gets to prosecute in, it's truly conscionable adequate. And going astatine it with an endgame quality decked retired successful costly gear, each of the fights but for the past 1 felt beauteous trivial. Even the 1 satisfyingly pugnacious brag didn't consciousness similar helium got an due lead-up oregon climactic backdrop fitting for his position. It's conscionable different skirmish successful immoderate random spot successful the forest.

There isn't thing present arsenic memorable oregon clever arsenic the Mouth of Hell oregon Fifth Commandment quest chains from vanilla KCD2. There are nary heart-pounding moments of enactment oregon play to vie with those of the main quest. It does contiguous Henry with immoderate nuanced decisions that tin person a notable interaction connected however things wrapper up, though, and a concealed accomplishment I got for getting Voyta to archer maine much than helium primitively wanted to – I won’t archer you however – hinted to maine that helium mightiness not beryllium truthful forthcoming if I had done things differently. That's cool, due to the fact that I felt rewarded for talking him into lowering his defenses. But adjacent then, the relationship that developed betwixt him and Henry seemed rushed and unearned erstwhile each of these quests are played backmost to backmost with nary accidental to bespeak connected their quality development.

The different neat happening this DLC adds different than a caller storyline – and thing you’ll person to retrieve it by if you’re moving connected to different things successful the satellite – is the quality to get Voyta to overgarment your shields. This is simply a invited small spot of customization and medieval flair that adds to the feeling I'm creating a caller bequest for Henry, not simply pursuing the orders of immoderate pampered lords. I similar the period-inspired designs and colour schemes rather a bit, and it's particularly satisfying that you tin unlock a fewer caller designs based connected your exploits from completing circumstantial quests.

Again, I deliberation I’d person reacted to Brushes With Death overmuch much favorably if it had been 1 portion of a caller playthrough alternatively than a precocious summation I was returning to months later. Its relationships would person had much clip to brew. I would person spent much clip pondering its mysteries portion I was retired exploring successful the wood oregon getting distracted by different quests. And its decision mightiness person felt much satisfying if it didn't person to travel the full show-stopper that was the past respective hours of the main story. But alternatively of it serving arsenic a bully small seasoning to a three-course meal, I was conscionable emptying the full capsicum shaker into my rima aft cleaning my plate.

I bash besides person to notation that this spot introduced a caller graphical bug for maine that was rather persistent and distracting. Especially successful and astir castles and towns, full buildings and stone formations would flicker retired of beingness arsenic higher item versions loaded in. I'm playing this connected the nonstop aforesaid hardware I utilized for the basal crippled (RTX 4070 Super, Ryzen 7 3700X, 32 GB of RAM, and a SATA SSD), with the latest Nvidia drivers, and I've ne'er seen this earlier I loaded up Brushes With Death. Try arsenic I might, I couldn't find immoderate operation of graphics settings that would get escaped of it. Hopefully it gets fixed soon. But I tin lone archer you astir my experience, and it was decidedly affected by these unfortunate, caller tech issues.