Summary
In an industry chock-full of fantasy RPGs where players fill the role of a messianic protagonist with otherworldly powers, supreme intelligence, or the backing of a long-prophesied destiny fueling their success,Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2and its predecessor stand tall with one of the most normal, ordinary, and unexceptional lead characters the genre has ever seen. LikeThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion’s Hero of Kvatch,Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s Henry of Skalitz is nothing more than a blacksmith’s son whose choices and circumstances beyond his control have been the only things pushing him forward into who he is today.
While that might not makeKingdom Come: Deliverance 2sound very exciting to some, it’s vitally important to the game’s world and its immersion that Henry not be a legendary warrior, a noble-born hero, or an otherwise prolific “chosen one” imbued with divine purpose. Like the first game,Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2is grounded in realism, relying on history rather than fiction to make up its world and tell its story. As a result, Henry cannot be anything more than ordinary, lest that realism be compromised. However, it is this very detail that ultimately makesKingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s world an extraordinary and breathtaking spectacle filled with life and teeming with possibilities.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s World Thrives on Henry Being Ordinary
Henry’s Grounded Perspective Enhances the World’s Depth
Unlike many RPGs that begin with a protagonist who awakens to some grand destiny to save the world,Henry’s character inKingdom Come: Deliverance 2and its predecessor has little more than his wits, his will to survive, and his personal responsibilities at his disposal. In the first game, Henry began as nothing more than a simple blacksmith’s son with little more than a few loaned Groschen in his pocket, his duty as his father’s assistant, and his relationships with those in his village. However, after things go awry, he is driven into a quest that persists inKingdom Come: Deliverance 2, though that quest is still just as ordinary as he is.
It’s vitally important to the game’s world and its immersion that Henry not be a legendary warrior, a noble-born hero, or an otherwise prolific “chosen one” imbued with divine purpose.
Playing as agodlike hero in an RPGdoes have its perks, but these games typically place more of the focus on the protagonists themselves rather than the world around them. SinceKingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s primary aim is to immerse players in its realistic depiction of medieval Bohemia, it can’t afford to make Henry anything more than ordinary, as doing so would not only compromise the game’s realism but also take the focus off the world itself. Instead, it opts for a more grounded perspective that allows players to experience the world of 15th-century Bohemia in a way that feels authentic, with every victory hard-earned and every setback reinforcing the difficulty of medieval life.
Henry’s Ordinary Nature Forces Players to Engage With the World on Its Own Terms
In the end, Henry’s ordinary nature inKingdom Come: Deliverance 2forces players to engage with the world on its own terms, rather than placing them in a position to be a dominant and commanding force who can make the world bend to their will. Rather than being a game about a hero with his hand on the world,Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2is a game about a man whose fate is in the world’s hands. Henry’s personal struggle ultimately makes the world ofKingdom Come: Deliverance 2feel more alive because every victory actually feels significant, compared tofantasy RPGswhere victory is almost a guarantee.
Henry is so ordinary inKingdom Come: Deliverance 2that NPCs often treat him as though he is just another NPC as well.
Henry’s unremarkable nature inKingdom Come: Deliverance 2is precisely what makes his journey feel so rewarding and allows players to personally invest in it. By neglecting the traditional power fantasies associated with most RPGs,Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2offers a worldwhere struggle, growth, and perseverance are the truest signs of success. Rather than being a pre-destined savior, Henry is simply a man navigating the harsh realities of medieval life in 15th-century Bohemia, and that grounded approach allows players to fully appreciate and become immersed in the world around him.
