Summary
BothKingdom Come: Deliverance 2and Baldur’s Gate 3 are two behemoth RPGs from recent times. Despite being set in two drastically different time periods and featuring different combat systems, they have a few things in common, namely prioritizing roleplaying elements over most other aspects.
Their definition of roleplaying is also a little different, with Kingdom Come: Deliverance focusing on realistic, historically accurate gameplay systems while Baldur’s Gate 3 leans heavily on character creation and narrative choices. If you’re wondering which one is better, there are a few aspects to keep in mind.
7Graphics
Winner - Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Visually, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a bit more graphically impressive. It features a lot of lush landscapes with high foliage density and a lot of detailed environments such as towns and settlements, and the lighting technology behind it is quite stunning.
Baldur’s Gate 3 also looks great, especially the character models and clothing, but the graphical fidelity of the various biomes isn’t exactly outstanding, and it has other priorities more in line with its art direction. But when comparing the two, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 edges it out slightly with its focus on more accurate, realistic environments.
6Narrative
Winner - Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 offers a much more expansive storyline, with a lot of branching paths and your choices having major consequences in how it all plays out. Your party members are a big highlight of the game’s strong narrative, and their character development as well as your relationships with them make the narrative a lot more compelling.
That’s not to say that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 doesn’t have a strong narrative; it does, but it’s a bit more linear andfocused more on certain charactersand aspects. It’s not as flexible or expansive as Baldur’s Gate 3, and that’s fine given the wildly different game designs behind these two games. But in comparison, Baldur’s Gate 3 takes the crown.
5Immersion
One of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s biggest focus is its immersion, and everything the game does to be as realistic and immersive as possible. Daily activities like eating, sleeping, and taking care of your armor and equipment are a big part of the design, and the game really focuses on these little things over convenience, which does immerse you in its medieval setting to a greater extent.
Things like wearing certain clothing and armor immediately affect your reputation and the likelihood of dialogue checks being successful, and your treatment of NPCs always plays a role. While Baldur’s Gate 3 also offers an immersive experience with its rich lore and world-building, its fantasy elements and a bit more lenient survival mechanics don’t quite ground you in the same way.
4Game Design
Winner - Tie
Both games have standout game designs, prioritizing certain aspects that are more in line with their genre. Baldur’s Gate 3 offers unparalleled freedom when it comes to gameplay and how you deal with certain scenarios, not to mention the extremely flexible quest design dependent on your dialogue and combat choices. It greatly innovates and expands on its CRPG roots.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 focuses more on creating a living, breathing world. NPC AI is very sharp and almost lifelike, with realistic reactions based on your crimes such as trespassing or stealing, not to mention assault and murder. NPCs remember every little thing you do, and it’s hard to outsmart them.
3Exploration
This is another aspect where both games are equally good. Both games offer rewarding exploration, and you always come across interesting and worthwhile things while going off the beaten path.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has two vast, seamless maps that feel a lot more open-ended and give youmore freedom during traversalfrom one town to another. Baldur’s Gate 3’s various maps are more linear or structured and not quite as open-ended, but they still have their fair share of secrets and dynamic activities to experience.
2Combat
Baldur’s Gate 3 wins in this regard since it offers a lot more options and flexibility in combat. There are various weapons, spells, items, and abilities that you can use, and the skill tree is overwhelmingly in-depth. There are a lot of options for various strategies and playstyles, and that just makes it feel more dynamic.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 focused far more on realistic swordplay where one wrong move can put you in a downward spiral that can result in your death, or being left gravely injured. There arecrossbows and firearms, but they’re rarely ideal. The melee combat is immersive and challenging, but it doesn’t offer quite as much freedom as Baldur’s Gate 3. That isn’t inherently an issue, but when compared against one another, Baldur’s Gate 3 wins.
1Verdict
Ultimately, your preference of whether you like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 more will depend on whether you lean a bit more toward turn-based fantasy adventures or rather a grounded and historical experience.
Both games are outstanding in their own rights, and a few of these comparisons might be subjective, but overall, Baldur’s Gate 3 ever so slightly triumphs over Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
