To achieve the game’s unique sense of player freedom, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II employs a complex web of systems that sit largely unseen beneath your experience of the world. Through these systems, the world tracks your behaviour in granular detail, working to ensure that every decision you make is reflected in the actions and behavior of the characters in the world, which can unlock (or hide) dialogue options and even quest lines.

For example, and without going too much into spoiler territory, you’ll meet two men who are very aggressive (and probably plan on murdering you). Your natural choice is to remove them from the equation, with the use of a handy axe. But, if you spare them – despite their ill intent – they will then come back and assist you later in the game.

Even Henry’s interactions with his partner in crime, Sir Hans Capon, can take you down different paths, depending on if you address him like a lord or like an equal (Sir Hans doesn’t take too kindly to the latter).

Performing your more nefarious deeds in the shadows offers only limited protection from the consequences of your actions too. Your secret misdemeanours may not be directly acknowledged by the local population, but the world will react to your malevolent influence regardless.

Choose to unleash a secret reign of terror and the locals will become more fearful, arming themselves in the process. Guards will watch you far more closely and you can forget about any discount from local merchants. Push it too far and you may even be (literally) branded a criminal and the burn marks will make clear, to everyone who sees you, that you’re not to be trusted.

However you choose to navigate this complex medieval world, the solutions to many of the moral quandaries you’ll face are rarely a simple choice of good or bad. Indeed, the greyer the morality, the more advantageous the reward may prove to be; however the world will remember how you crumbled in the face of temptation and will judge you for it accordingly.

Many of the more visible systems in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II are built around the concept of mastery, rather than simply allocating stat points to gain an instant advantage.

Combat is deliberate and tactical in this world and deepening your skills with any given weapon class provides an unrivalled sense of accomplishment. Focus your efforts on mastering the darker arts of stealth-focused combat instead and you’ll find it easier to slip between your objectives unseen. Additionally, you can choose to invest more time into your crafting expertise and enjoy more potent potions and more effective equipment as a result.

As all these systems ebb and flow in response to your actions and your decisions, your experience of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II – and how your own Henry emerges from the story’s conclusion – becomes one that’s uniquely your own.

The skills you master, the decisions you take, and the way you behave all weave together effortlessly to form a deeply immersive and unparalleled RPG experience.