Deliverance 2 Could Ask For
HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a pretty major tonal reset for Game of Thrones, and even though only a single episode has aired, that early impression is already doing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 a favor. The game saw a noticeable bump in Steam player count following the release of the show’s first episode, and that tracks; both stories deliberately trade the scale of traditional fantasy for the grounded, frequently humorous (or humiliating) reality of being a hedge knight. If the HBO adaptation remains even moderately faithful to George R. R. Martin’s novellas, a playthrough of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will complement A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms beautifully.
The show sets Dunk and Egg off to learn that an awareness of social hierarchy only goes so far without a little improvisation, and that honor is conditional and often inconvenient. The critically acclaimed Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is built on the very same tension, asking players to exist inside systems that don’t bend because they’re protagonists. For fans who can’t scratch that particular knightly itch enough, both stories can serve in tandem to portray medieval life without the romantic insulation.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Reframes Westeros
Unlike the original Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is not structured around dragons or white walkers or world-ending prophecy. The Dunk and Egg novellas the show is based on are intentionally smaller in scope, about tournaments and feuds, or the general hazards of moving through the feudal society of Westeros without titles or leverage. This new Game of Thrones show has only just begun, but its early tone suggests an effort to preserve that intimacy rather than inflate it into something more familiar.
That restraint is exactly why the show feels so refreshing compared to recent Game of Thrones releases like House of the Dragon; it’s a version of fantasy that values the texture of its world much more. Power is localized, personal, and largely foreign to Dunk, instead wielded by those with seemingly bigger destinies. Dunk’s destiny starts with cutting through those bureaucratic, reputational, and occasionally absurd powers that be.
Why Weakness Is the Point
Image via HBO
That philosophy underpinning A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is perfectly matched in Kingdom Come: Deliverance and its sequel, which treats limitation as a cornerstone feature. Henry of Skalitz’s competence as a protagonist is hard-earned through the player’s own effort. Though the former is still markedly more fantasy than the latter, in both cases, the meta-fantasy lies in characters learning how to exist inside inflexible systems.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Already Nails Medieval Realism
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 certainly doesn’t need A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to validate its approach, but the show helps contextualize it for a broader audience who absolutely should try the game. The game is uniquely brilliant in its similar rejection of mythic shortcuts in favor of social and historical realism that’s actually fun. Combat is dangerous, politics are opaque and immaterial to commoners, and failure is often more instructive than success.
Much like Dunk, players are forced to navigate Henry through situations where brute force alone would consistently prove a worse outcome than leaning into a knight’s position in the world. The two knights aren’t even truly capable of overpowering their place in the world at the start of their stories. It’s why their growth over time is even more engaging.
What Makes A Hedge Knight
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s authentic approach to history means Henry is not, technically, a masterless hedge knight like Dunk. But being so far from his home and lord in the sequel means the feeling of being a poor, employment-seeking hedge knight is no less profound in gameplay. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms encourages viewers to think about what this type of medieval life actually demands, and the game, through its mechanics, offers a deliciously uncompromising follow-through experience.
Why A Low Fantasy Vibe Feels So Timely (Even If It’s Not)
Years of prestige fantasy shows and games were defined by escalation and world-shaking consequences, so there’s something that feels modernly appetizing about stories that prioritize limitation. The reality, though, is that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a return to a space that the early seasons of Game of Thrones already dominated on TV. Kingdom Come: Deliverance has been committed to carving out a similar space in gaming since 2018.
Together, they remake the case for a kind of fantasy that got left behind in the rush, one that trusts audiences appreciate nuance as much as fantastic spectacle. High-stakes stories with even higher fantasy will always have a space, as they should. Media like A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms or Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 simply remind audiences that the two ends of the scale aren’t actually mutually exclusive.
Why the Latest Game of Thrones Show Is the Perfect Excuse to Play KCD2
With only one episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms available, it’s important to acknowledge how much of this rests on trust. The show’s success in this analysis depends largely on how faithfully it continues to adapt Martin’s novellas. Adaptations can never be one-to-one, but based on the vision set by the partnership of Martin and showrunner Ira Parker, there’s reason to have faith.
Should the show successfully continue down that path, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is the perfect companion piece. For returning players, the show offers a way to approach the game’s familiar systems in a new way. For newcomers, it can sustain excitement by allowing them to take the sword.
A Knightly Moment in the Culture
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms may not be HBO trying to sell a video game, and it hasn’t yet proven everything it’s setting up. But George R. R. Martin already laid the groundwork, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is the perfect supplement for fans wanting more. Both works understand that fantasy doesn’t need to escape reality to interrogate it; it’s a match made in heaven, and a very tidy answer for those who can’t stand the weekly wait for another episode.