Getting first-person melee combat right is something that few games have done. There are simplified versions in games like Warhammer End Times: Vermintide, which are more slash spam affairs and overly complicated systems that don't see the light of day, like the ill-fated CLANG. The way Kingdom Come: Deliverance is handling it though, it may just have nailed the sweet spot between easy to learn and hard to master.
A fantasy-free, singleplayer medieval simulator, Kingdom Come: Deliverance takes its combat seriously, but doesn't necessarily need to be concerned with balance and fair play in the way that a multiplayer competitive game might. That means that Kingdom Come's combat has a real heft to it, looks good and handles realistically.
There are slashes, stabs, hacks and smashes, five different areas of the body that can be attacked, combos and special attacks that can be triggered at different times, and an active stamina system that helps you take down more heavily armored opponents. Much like taking on larger or well-protected foes in real life, in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, one of the best ways to win is to tire your opponent out and then go for the killing blow.
To spice things up even more, there are various weapon types you can employ, including swords, shields, axes, spears and shorter bladed weapons as well.
It's a complicated system and could make Kingdom Come: Deliverance one of the deeper medieval combat games out there.
How do you guys feel about the way the game is shaping up?
