Many are eager to jump intoKingdom Come: Deliverance 2following a long seven-year wait since the release of its predecessor, with the upcoming project being expected to launch on February 4. Warhorse Studios has not shied away from detailing just how much more ambitious and expansiveKCD2is aiming to be compared to the original game, with a solid overview of the title’s major new additions now being known.
Alongside the introduction of things like new skills, weapon types, and a much larger playable area,Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2is also expanding the franchise’s RPG complexity with its romance options. The romance system of the originalKingdom Comewas fairly simple and only used a handful of times, and Warhorse has seemingly built upon this original mechanic to give the player more freedom than ever before.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s Romance System Could Be Missing One Big Love Interest
The premise ofKingdom Come: Deliverance 2sees players once again take control of Henry of Skalitzas the franchise’s main protagonist, with two expansive new maps showing players a different side to the medieval Kingdom of Bohemia. Henry will meet a wide range of fresh faces as he quests through these new lands, bringing up plenty of opportunities for friendships and romance.
While there were a few characters that Henry could romance in the originalKCD, Theresa was considered by many fans as the main love interest for Henry, although there has sadly been no mention of the character’s physical presence in the upcoming sequel.When considering that Theresa was even the protagonist of her own DLCand was very well-received by the game’s community, it is easy to see why her potential absence inKCD2would be disappointing to some fans.
Thankfully, there are many returning characters that are confirmed to appear inKingdom Come: Deliverance 2, such as Hans Capon, Father Godwin, Sir Hanush, and Henry’s dog, Mutt.
Freedom of Choice is at the Heart of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s Romance
Building from the first game, it can be assumed that there will bemany optional love interests for Henry tied to their own quests inKCD2, with Henry even being shown embracing a noble woman in the trailer for the game. The most notable change to the romance system ofKCD2compared to the first game is the introduction of male love interests for Henry, something that was absent from the original.
The inclusion of these male love interests even led torumors thatKingdom Come: Deliverance 2had been banned from Saudi Arabia, although this supposed ban has already been debunked by the title’s developers. Warhorse has maintained that every love interest for Henry is entirely optional, much like the first game, with the player having to pursue certain dialogue options, skill-checks, and quests to unlock romance options for certain figures. Many expansive RPG titles likeAssassin’s Creed ValhallaandCyberpunk 2077have taken this approach to romance with their main characters, ultimately allowing the player an optional sense of personalization toward the game’s protagonist.
The firstKingdom Comeoffered temporary buffs for successful romances such as charisma boosts, and it seems more than likely that these romance-tied rewards will be continued and even expanded upon inKCD2. Romance will seemingly exist away from the main narrative ofKingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and while it will be a shame if major love interests from the first game do not appear in the sequel, it is clear that Warhorse has prioritized player choice by bringing the romance mechanic up to the same level of complexity that made many elements of the first game so memorable.
