There are not many big name and budget games representing Europe during the middle ages, without succumbing to the temptation of introducing a whole lot of fantasy and mythical elements. Kcd 1 and 2 are different in this regard, they do not fall into this temptation, and try to represent medieval Europe in an as accurate way as possible, allowing the player to immerse himself into the world of medieval Bohemia. This is the kcd franchise’s great strength and what, in my opinion, makes it great and stand out from all its competition. From the small villages, and minor nobles, to the fields and big city of Kuttenberg, you feel like you are really a man, living in medieval Bohemia, rather than a mere character.
However, despite this, the game is not without their faults. Part of what makes this game so compelling is their ability to immerse the player in a believable historical world. And it is precisely when the game fails to live up to this in obvious ways that could easily be avoided, that the game falls short. Likewise some of the gameplay choices in the game are frankly, subpar.
The biggest immersion break in kcd2 is, in my opinion, the inclusion of Musa. For those that dont know, Musa is a black sub-saharan African man whom you can find in King Sigismund’s camp, as a matter of fact you are forced to find and interact with him during the main story. Not only that, he also saves you during the mission where you steal the King’s silver. This breaks the immersion for me, and just screams of forced diversity. Is it plausible that there was a black man in Bohemia during the 15th century? I suppose it is plausible. But is it likely? No. And is it likely your character would run into him? Also no. Even the game director himself previously stated on twitter that there were no black people in Bohemia back then, but now he has apparently changed his tune (tweet from the game director). His inclusion, when I ran into him, made me immedietly find a mod that replaced him with another character model and voice, because it reminded me that the world was fake, not real, and that I still live in modern times. Which is exactly the opposite of what I want from a game like this.
Another thing I would like to set straight is the vilification of King Sigismund. He is in the game presented and thought of as the villain. But in real history, it is much more complicated. King Sigismund did in real history important and big things, such as fighting the Ottoman Turks, and trying to stop their encroachment into Europe. The game hints at this with Father Godwin having fought Turks, as well as Istvan Toth apparently being orphaned as a result of the wars against the Turks. Likewise King Sigismund played a part in mending the schism in the church that was ongoing at the time, by convening the Council of Constance. But that very same council also led to the execution of Jan Hus, whom we hear about in kcd1 from Father Godwin, who seems sympathetic to him and his teachings. My point is not that the game should portray Sigismund sympathetically, nor that his historical achievements excuse his actions in Bohemia. Rather, it is that the historical figure was considerably more complex than his rather simple and one sided role in the game franchise.
Forced stealth missions are a big part of the game. Especially in the second map. You will often be forced to do stealth missions, when I really dont like them in kcd, yet alone any game. My fantasy when playing the game is not being some secret agent, but rather being a knight in shining armor, extolling the virtues such a knight ideally would. Yes I know Henry (the main character) hasn’t actually been knighted, but that is beside the point.
A jarring part of the game, that made me lose most of my interest in it, was when I went from Trotsky to the Kuttenberg region. I had spent many hours getting familiar with the Trotsky map. Its locations, villages, people. Only to be taken to another map because the story demanded it. And said map felt emptier, with less life, and just, in general, less intimate, even though none of this is probably true, this is how it felt, after having gotten to know the first map extremely well, with all its nooks and crannies, only to be thrust into another where I had no such knowledge and no intimacy built up with it.
However, despite the game’s shortcomings, it is still a fantastic game. I recommend everyone with a deep interest, or perhaps a passing interest in history, try it out. It is the only game on the market that I know of that feels real, and where you can live out your fantasy of being the knight in shining armor, helping save your country.