➤ Kingdom Come: Deliverance - Band of Bastards, the review 🎮

Band of Bastards it is the third DLC greater than Kingdom Come: Deliverance and if we want it is the third disappointment packaged by Warhorse, all the more burning due to the appreciation we had reserved for the base game, of which we had sensed the enormous potential behind a not exactly exceptional achievement. Also in this case, as we will see in the course of the review, the problem is in the contents, which are really limited. Said with all possible understanding for a non-gigantic team and at the first title like Warhorse, wouldn't it have been better to launch maybe just one bigger, more full-bodied and, why not, more expensive DLC?

True that not all DLCs can be Blood & Wine from The Witcher 3, but those from Kingdom Come: Deliverance are really poor, starting with From the Ashes, which if played with so many resources available would go away in a couple of hours , passing through The Amorous Adventures of Bold Sir Hans Capon, very well written, pleasant overall, but also made up of a handful of missions that would have been perfect for the base game, but which as an expansion did not mean much, if you passed them the expression. For Band of Bastards, exactly the same is true: we are faced with two and a half hours of additional content: basically a really well written mini campaign that ends in the blink of an eye.

History ... short

La history told by Band of Bastards it has quite phoned assumptions and takes place on the sidelines of the main campaign, putting us once again in Henry's shoes. The usual Sir Radzig sends us to Baron Kuno of Rychwald to hire him along with his band of mercenaries. The goal is to harness its strength to make Rattay's territory safer, but some events will make this decision more problematic than expected, with new shadows emerging from the past of the mentor of the Skalica blacksmith's son.

Basically Band of Bastards is a DLC designed to give more prominence and improve multiple fights, which in Kingdom Come: Deliverance have always been very weak. In fact, all the missions that make it up (five in total) offer clashes with a large number of enemies at the same time (relative to the standards of the game) and situations suitable for characters versed with weapons. The focus of the mini campaign is so defined that before starting it you are put to the test in a white weapon duel: until you manage to win you don't go on (it's not very difficult, but it's still indicative). As we said, the individual missions are not bad, especially in the narrative part. In one in particular, the writers gave Henry and his braggart side a great moment, without saying anything really new about him. The problem is the one already pointed out: Band of Bastards ends quickly and without leaving traces. It is true that during the missions some decisions must be made that make the DLC replayable at least twice to experiment with some alternatives, but we are still talking about a light content and that has nothing essential. Not even the new items, especially the new armor, add much to the overall gameplay experience, especially if you've already finished it or are particularly skilled in battle.

The multiple combat dynamics of them, while slightly improved, are far from perfect. The one-on-one clashes remain the most successful overall, also because they help to mask some of the inevitable heaviness of the game system. In short, you will have understood that we are talking about a DLC that will appeal only to the ultra fans of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, those who may have the constancy to restart the game from the beginning to better bring the new missions into the gameplay fabric. Everyone else can pretend it doesn't exist.

Comment

Resources4Gaming.com

6.0

Readers (6)

5.9

Your vote

Band of Bastards adds nothing to Kingdom Come: Deliverance and is very short-lived. In our opinion it is even less successful than The Amorous Adventures of Bold Sir Hans Capon, much more amused in writing and impromptu in the topics covered. However, it is a question of tastes, since this is also very well written, so much so that it is able to snatch enough for this reason alone. The most obvious conclusion is that it will appeal to fans, that is, those who continue to play Kingdom Come: Deliverance from the day of its release, but it will leave everyone else indifferent. Honestly, we'd like to see Warhorse focus on more relevant and far-reaching content instead of these DLCs, which are basically mini stories told through a handful of missions. We will see with the next if they can do better.