Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – Brushes of Death Review – Artistic Liberty

by

What stood out most in your experience with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? For you, was it perhaps the sense of immersion in a responsive world where even mundane activities like committing crimes or doing laundry held weight? Or maybe it was the authentic characters with intricate motivations and aspirations? The struggle alongside Henry, starting small but eventually finding yourself in grander-than-life situations? Perhaps it was also exploring the stunning scenery, appreciating the vistas, engaging in intense battles against both bandits and soldiers, and crafting your unique interpretation of Henry.

In addition to other factors influencing your experience, the story DLC for “Brushes With Death” could significantly impact how much you enjoy it. While we’ve had updates with Barber Mode, Hardcore Mode, and even horse racing, this developer is offering new stories and quests. They are providing a substantial offering at a reasonable price, though the consequences may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Where might we fit a DLC story that continues this grand tale across various cities and conflicts, ending spectacularly?”, or simply, “In what part of this expansive story could a DLC chapter be inserted?

The tale presents Henry encountering an enigmatic figure bound to a tree deep within the forest, seemingly engaged in conversation with a painted skull. Upon intervening and saving him from potential canine predators, this individual introduces himself as Voyta, an artist. He explains that his brushes were swiped by two suspicious characters and asks Henry, being the helpful soul he is, to recover them without resorting to violence. And so, our hero agrees to help.

Yet, it’s evident that the people involved in their interaction with Voyta tell a different tale. It soon becomes apparent that there’s a deeper mystery unfolding, as questions arise such as: Why does he converse with the painted skull? Whose skull is it? What is the significance of his requests for Henry to explore certain places, and why does he grow increasingly troubled? How does he know about the man from Skalitz who was a hero? Is this another act of deceit or part of something larger?

As I spend more time with Voyta, his demeanor transforms from playfully secretive to cryptically troubled, hinting at hidden struggles and hesitation about involving me in his journey. Naturally, my curiosity is piqued, and I feel compelled to uncover the reasons behind his turmoil, perhaps even helping him conquer some personal demons along the way. However, despite the allure of this mystery surrounding the painter, the emotional resolution doesn’t quite live up to expectations, especially when compared to the depth and intensity of Henry’s overall journey and the challenges he faces.

In terms of video games, a challenge arises when it comes to fitting additional stories as DLC (Downloadable Content) within an already expansive narrative that encompasses numerous cities and conflicts. The placement can be tricky due to the climactic nature of these games, yet some developers manage to weave engaging new tales with differing levels of scope and intensity to augment the primary storyline. For instance, consider ‘Hearts of Stone’ in ‘The Witcher 3’ or ‘Phantom Liberty’ in ‘Cyberpunk 2077’.

There’s a lot of seriousness in the presentation, but unfortunately, the storyline itself feels light. However, kudos to the development team for crafting some excellent dialogue.

Brushes With Death chooses to narrate a compact, intimate story centered around a man’s ethical quandaries. To enhance the experience, it could be beneficial if the disclosures had some significant influence on your odyssey or if Henry’s role was more substantial than just tagging along.

In this Bohemian journey you’ve been on, the main activities remain quite similar: moving from one spot to another, be it delivering goods, battling robbers, gathering resources, or chatting with locals. There are slight variations, as one of the characters might propose a game. However, if tensions rise and it feels justified, you can engage in combat with both characters and loot their possessions. Whether you choose to confess your actions to Voyta later or fabricate a story impacts your standing among the people, respectively enhancing or tarnishing your reputation.

A part of this mission requires you to encounter an elderly woman. Her memory isn’t as sharp as before, and you have two options: either sternly remind her or mimic her late spouse’s actions to help trigger her memories. Although the specific tasks like gathering Valerian flowers, mending her dress, and reciting verses (which might be off-key based on your abilities) may not seem extraordinary, it adds a charming touch to the side quest and offers an intriguing twist to the mystery. However, the subsequent steps of exploring three distinct locations on the map are more in line with typical open-world exploration without any particular standout features.

The story itself could be heavier, but the seriousness is well portrayed, especially through the dialogues. Kudos to the developers for that. Henry’s frustration and increasing doubt as he progresses provide genuine humor and suspense. And let’s not forget the outstanding voice-acting that adds to this experience. Voyta is another captivating character, with his gradual lowering of defenses giving us a glimpse into what hurts him deeply. Your skills in eliciting responses from Voyta are commendable, as it allows us to peel back his layers bit by bit.

The tale titled “Brushes With Death” takes its time to wrap up, providing an extensive journey and character development for Voyta that feels complete. While it doesn’t reach the pinnacle of the main game, it still serves as a decent addition to the overall experience, despite the fact that I wasn’t entirely convinced by his growing bond with Henry.

Brushes With Death can last from 7 to 10 hours. This time span involves frequent trips between various places, even with the quick-travel option, and engaging in what might seem like trivial chores. However, it also offers numerous captivating dialogues and well-articulated characters.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that the DLC expansion includes an engaging cosmetic feature: the option to personalize your shield with patterns, colors, symbols, and designs. While this might appear insignificant at first, the customization possibilities are quite extensive. If you’ve ever dreamed of displaying a unique image like Mutt carrying a fish or the iconic battle hare as your final sight for opponents, then there’s plenty of enjoyment to be found here. The best part? It’s free and allows you to change your shield design whenever you wish.

The game titled “Brushes With Death” can last anywhere between 7 to 10 hours. This duration involves frequent travels between different locations, even with fast-traveling, and accomplishing tasks that might appear trivial at first. Yet, this time span also offers numerous engaging dialogues and well-articulated characters. It’s certainly a good choice to add it to your collection alongside “Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2“, especially if you’re new to the open-world action RPG genre. However, you might want to hold off on playing until the developers release some bug fixes, as the latest patch has introduced a few texture glitches. While I didn’t encounter these issues frequently during my gameplay sessions with the DLC, they were noticeable in certain scenes.

Given the impressive success of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and its compelling conclusion to Henry’s journey, I’m curious to discover what the two upcoming DLCs – Legacy of the Forge and Mysteria Ecclesia – bring to the table. If they manage to introduce fresh mechanics that enhance the gameplay experience and perhaps some engaging, if ultimately insignificant, narratives, it would only serve to improve the game even further. However, the main storyline should remain the primary focus, capturing your attention more than any additional content.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Read More

2025-05-20 21:41