Have you ever imagined yourself as the sole survivor of a 15th century Bohemian village put to the torch by a band of mercenaries? Your answer is probably "no," but regardless, you'll be able to experience the thrills of war-torn Europe in Warhorse's upcoming RPG, Kingdom Come: Deliverance. You'll take on the role of Henry as you seek revenge for the death of your family and do your best to survive in such a tumultuous time.

The focus of the game is realism. Warhorse went out of their way to accurately represent Middle Europe circa 1400 and although it aims to teach about that setting, the game promises to be less dense than a history textbook. Castles and holdfasts are rendered in the CryEngine using photos of actual buildings and environments for reference. Everything from the heraldry on the shields to the dice minigame you play in town is true to the period. The attention to detail is appreciated and unique as far as RPGs go; Kingdom Come: Deliverance is not based on a license, it's rooted deeply in history.

The combat in Kingdom Come: Deliverance is equally as realistic. From a first person perspective, you are armed with period weaponry such as simple swords and halberds. Your stamina meter depletes with every swing and reading your opponent to determine the correct angle to attack from is the key to success. Despite their goal of intense, realistic fighting, this may be where Warhorse falls a little short. Your sword swings feel like they have little to no weight behind them and the realistic animations mean you tap the shoulder button, wait two seconds, and see if your blow found its mark. When you take a hit, the camera bloodies and shakes, and it's very disorienting like it would be in real life, but this is where it may be realistic to a fault. It doesn't feel very "gamey." This is by design, but that doesn't make for the most fun experience. Bohemia in 1403 probably wasn't a very fun place — that doesn't mean they couldn't spice up the combat a bit. The game is difficult; even the heaviest armor won't protect you if you get surrounded. However, it is hard to tell if this was a finely tuned difficulty or a janky "I have no idea what's going on" kind of difficulty.

The story follows real events and there is a finite ending, although the path you take to reach it is full of choices and consequences. Major conflicts can resolve in massive battles or meek surrenders. Dialogue options have direct repercussions. Fail at an attempt to threaten someone and you'll fistfight them right there in the street.

If the allure of a grounded, historical RPG is enough for you to look past some lackluster controls, Kingdom Come: Deliverance will deliver. The journey promises to be full of twists, turns, sieges, castles, and pastures. You'll be able to live out your European fantasy when Kingdom Come: Deliverance releases in February of 2018.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance knows what it wants to be. It has a confident vision of a historically accurate open world RPG set in 15th century Bohemia, which means you won't be seeing any dragons, magic spells, or uniquely dark forces trying to control the very fabric of reality. KC is trying to develop a realistic medieval simulator, and developer Warhorse Studios is doing their best to compete in a marketspace that continues to grow at an exponential rate.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that the countryside of Bohemia was simply another random town in an Elder Scrolls title. At first glance, everything seems familiar, though the brightness of the world helps KC to stand out a bit in the face of darker fantasy titles. You'll guide a character around in first person, talking to NPCs and taking quests on your way to knighthood. Even the first mission, which tasks you to find a mass murderer terrorizing the local citizens, features the numerous choices and options we've come to expect from a Bethesda-style RPG. You can infiltrate a local monastery to suss out precious clues, or maybe intimidate the local townsfolk into providing information.

It's actually easier to intimidate people if you take advantage of KC's unique armor and equipment system. Armor adds to a reputation system that keeps the world feeling alive and reactionary rather than set in stone and stale. Lowly peasants may freak if they see you walking around like The Mountain on Game of Thrones, and they'll really super freak if you're just carrying around a scimitar willy-nilly. Our demo driver was quick to point out how armor layers on your avatar to provide protection against the various pointy things trying to kill you in Bohemia. You can have up to four layers of armor that all link together in a way that makes physical sense. You won't be putting layer after layer of metal plates on, for example. You'll have to lay down some leather armor and then put on the heavy stuff, adding to the realism of the world. Be careful, however, as heavy armor will make you noisier and thus easier to detect.

This all plays into the game's realistic (boy, I'm saying that a lot) take on combat. Swords are great at cutting through leather armor and flesh, but they won't do much against a dude dressed in full plate mail. Instead, you're better off relying on a mace to drive some impact damage through that heavy metal cuirass. In addition, players can choose different swings in combat to target specific body parts on an enemy. You still have to hit your desired target, however, so player skill and reflexes are still crucial to success. It's my hope that combat can be a little more strategic and satisfying than what we've seen in Skyrim or Oblivion, but it's hard to get this right in first person. It's difficult to tell how things will work out without getting my hands on the latest build (I have an alpha build from a few months back, but my computer can't quite handle it).

Kingdom Come: Deliverance still has a long way to go, and the new release date of 2017 gives Warhorse some time to expand and hone what they've already put together. The game looks unique and inviting, but there are obviously questions about quest structure, combat, and variety that will hopefully be addressed in future previews and beta builds. With an actual historian on the team to make sure things stay realistic (again with that word!), I'm excited to see where things go for this title in the coming months.