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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 isn’t trying to be smooth or convenient and according to its lead designer, that’s entirely intentional.

From difficult combat to frustrating quests and complex systems, Warhorse believes “friction” is what makes the game rewarding. The idea is simple: if players overcome real struggle, the achievements feel real too.

In a gaming industry obsessed with streamlining everything, KCD2 is doubling down on challenge, immersion, and patience. But where’s the line between meaningful difficulty and pure frustration?

#kingdomcomedeliverance2 #kcd2 #rpg #gamingnews #videogames #gamers #warhorsestudios #rpggames #medievalgames

Source: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/action-rpg/kingdom-come-deliverance-2-lead-designer-says-friction-is-intentionally-in-the-rpg-because-when-you-overcome-the-friction-you-feel-better-about-yourself/

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Transcript
00:00KCD2 Lead Designer says friction is intentionally in the RPG because when you overcome the friction
00:06you feel better about yourself.
00:07I actually think KCD2 Lead Designer has a really strong point here, and it explains
00:12why the game resonates so deeply with some players while completely exhausting others.
00:16A lot of modern games are designed around removing friction, for example fast travel
00:20anywhere, but Warhorse is doing the opposite.
00:23Essentially they want actions to feel inconvenient sometimes because inconvenience creates meaning.
00:28And that's why so many moments in KCD2 feel memorable, as far as I'm concerned.
00:33For example, if lockpicking is hard, finally mastering it feels rewarding.
00:37Same thing goes with combat, and if traveling takes effort, arriving somewhere actually matters.
00:43That being said, there is a fine line between meaningful friction and wasting your time.
00:48Because some people will see certain things as an immersive roleplay and grounded realism
00:53while others will see it as tedious busywork, and both reactions are valid.
00:56I suppose KCD2 mostly succeeds because the friction feels tied to the fantasy of being an ordinary
01:02medieval peasant, not a superhero.
01:05You're supposed to struggle, and you're supposed to feel clumsy before becoming capable.
01:09And at the end of the day, when games trust players enough to let them struggle, the highs
01:13tend to hurt harder.
01:15You're supposed to be more.
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