2025 has been a year of very unique games. That’s partially a symptom of many triple-A releases skipping this year to avoid GTA 6 (we’ll see next year if that bearishness comes back to bite them), but even amongst the biggest hitters, they all seem to have a bit more personality than we’re used to. And maybe the best example of a major game doing things its own way is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
A lot of games seem desperate to reduce friction as much as possible, but in the aims of ease of experience, they become forgettable. They do your thinking for you, skip over anything that might challenge you, and fade into the background of your memory. Not so with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
You’ll be travelling arduous journeys on horseback, painstakingly mix concoctions manually, and there are no shortcuts to be found. It’s not entirely unique – it is a sequel, after all – but there’s little else like it in gaming. While these pain points are a big reason the dedicated fanbase was hooked, they do put some people off. In 2026, there’s a game that offers the vibe of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 but without the grind.
Blight: Survival Could Be The Surprise Package Of 2026
Blight: Survival does not instantly fill the void of KCD2. It’s a PvE action horror where you can play in a party of up to four, though it can be done solo. It’s a far cry from the slower, more methodical approach of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. But that’s also sort of the point of this – there isn’t going to be a game like KCD2 next year. This is the closest they’ve got.
It Would Suck If Every RPG Was Like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Recent comments by Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 director Daniel Vávra have me reflecting on the future of RPGs.
But this PvE takes place in a medieval world reminiscent of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, for those looking to get a similar fix. The game explores two rival medieval kingdoms in perpetual war. This war is maintained by the fact that a blighted plague causes deathly zombie-like creatures to patrol the land, which must be pushed back by period-accurate weaponry.
Another taste of medieval zombies coming in 2026 will be delivered via God Save Birmingham, though that’s a little looser with the historical tone.
If you were put off by some of the more fiddly elements of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 but want to explore the world, Blight: Survival may have the answer. It’s not going to be plain sailing – as a PvE extraction shooter, there’s definitely going to be some mechanics with a lot of depth – but it will offer a bit of an easier pathway into this world.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance Cannot Lose Its Personality, Even If That Makes It Hard To Play
I’m not saying that Blight: Survival is selling itself as a dumbed down KCD2, nor should it. They are not the only two games to embrace a medieval aesthetic. But there was a general tone around the KCD2 last year of people saying they wanted to like it, but didn’t quite get it. Blight: Survival might give people exactly what they’re looking for.
The worst thing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 3 could do is appeal to these people. Well, that’s probably not the worst thing, given game director Dan Vavra’s stance on generative AI usage and the chaotic public facing attitudes coming from the studio, but you know what I mean. Monster Hunter Wilds saw the popularity of its predecessor, World, and tried to capitalise by watering down the game’s complexity for greater mass appeal, and ended up being a game made for everyone and loved by no one.
That’s why Blight: Survival feels so charming. It’s immersing itself in this world without asking you to. It doesn’t take the KCD2 route of having you do it all on your own, but it still embraces the grit of the world. There’s nothing quite like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 in 2026, but Blight: Survival might be the closest comparison.
- Released
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February 4, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
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Warhorse Studios
