The collaboration with Warhorse Studios and the involvement of Calimacil in the game Kingdom Come: Deliverance

As the founder of Calimacil, I first fell in love with the creation process of Warhorse Studios even before the game arrived. Ever since the launch of the Kickstarter, Kingdom Come: Deliverance has fascinated me with its quest for realism. Disconcerting and innovative, KCD's unique combat interface quickly convinced me, echoing what I had learned in my 18 years of fencing practice. When I saw the fencing masters in action with Calimacil's Bellator swords on YouTube during a making-of, I was like, “This is it! We have to push with Warhorse Studios”. This was the beginning of the collaboration, motivated by the passion of committed designers in search of the ultimate experience.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance RPG

The RPG is set around a civil war in Skalitz in the Czech Republic in the year 1403. The life of the character Henry you play changes on the day of the sacking of Skalitz. Under the orders of Markvart von Aulitz, the proclaimed King Sigismund burns the town of Skalitz in retaliation against Sir Radzig of Kobyla for delivering the mined silver to the actual heir to the Bohemian throne, King Wenceslas IV. His jealous brother with questionable morals, Sigismond, hires mercenaries and scams to take power. The creators have recreated the towns and rivers in great detail. It is thanks to all these details, such as the height differences, the constructions, the costumes and even the furniture that one has the impression of living in an era that until then slept in libraries. In addition, the game shares an encyclopedia that reveals itself to you throughout the game, allowing you to delve deeper into the history of cities like Skalitz, Tallberg, Prebyslavitz, Sassau, Rattay. However, you can enjoy the story and their characters or just dive into this game where you'll be scared to die. What type of player are you? Villain or noble, your reputation will be built according to your actions.

Quest for realism, a game above all?

In his quest for realism, the creator explains that he has invested a lot of time in finding the right period of history that would allow him to draw the elements required for an interesting game. Throughout creation, the question remains: "Can a game of realism be captivating for players accustomed to popular RPGs?" What makes it a masterpiece in my opinion is the integration of the 2 well-crafted objectives that literally brings us to this medieval era of the 15th century through a game with multiple outcomes. The player evolves just like his character through the trials. For example, initially having very little eloquence, Henry has only a few simple lines that he stammers painfully with his interlocutors. As he interacts with merchants, lords and nobles, his eloquence evolves as does his confidence. It is the same with the handling of weapons, his ability to conceal himself or to open locks. Archery is very interesting and allows you to hunt and fight from a distance. The combat system is most appealing in my opinion. Three types of attacks are possible (Slash, Blunt, Thrust) on 34 targets differently protected with the armor combinations worn by the opponent.

Tapestry on the wall plate

Later came an exchange with Displate, a series of magnificent art prints on metal plates. Close to 60 high quality displates are availables, including weapons replicas from Calimacil.

The artbook: The Art of Kingdom Come

In this book, full of illustrations so faithful to the medieval style it seems like something out of a period tapestry, Dan Dabra explains his greatest challenges and the key to the success of his young Warhorse Studio team.

I particularly like the weapons, armor, clothing that are as authentic visually as they are functionally. The speed of strikes, the impact of a sword thrust against chainmail versus plate armor are all important and nothing has been taken lightly. Weapons specialists have done real tests on reproduction equipment to model the game score of weapon X against armor Y and combination of hits, momentum etc. A strike thrown from a galloping horse, for example, has more impact on the opponent.

In the game Kingdom Come we do not play the heroes who will save the world! The main character, Henry, will discover who he is throughout the story. The character evolves as he practices and gains experience along with the player. You have to pay attention to fight in Kingdom Come. The fear of dying is very real and saving does not happen all the time.

Even the interface immerses us in the medieval world of the game. Several concepts have been reinvented to enhance the experience. Immersion is never broken. The alchemy workshop allows us to brew potions, the lock picking as well as pick-pocketing systems allow us to practice and the character evolves through the experiences. The first attempts do not succeed, despite your talents for video games. Do not be in a hurry to finish up a quest, live the experience!

The cutscenes are rich and the quests varied. I advise you to take the full set with all the DLCs and experience the full adventure with your dog, side quests and the option to rebuild Pribyslavitz. Yes, Henry is not a hero at the start of the adventure, but he will be able to make his mark and regain his nobility!

The artbook brings to life the moments in history that shape the game environment. Appreciate the creative and research work of the team at Warhorse. There are villages, clothing and armor and of course weapons! A wide variety of small details like the freight elevators, the trebuchet which was used to destroy the defenses of Talberg accompanying the constructions makes us appreciate the historians and designers of Warhorse Studio in this quest for authenticity.

Calimacil’s contribution

Passion ignites passion! So much so that Calimacil also put its team at the service of realism to recreate the weapons of the game, starting with Sir Radzig's iconic sword of Kobila. The medieval sword for which Henry is motivated throughout the game to fight the Cumans and complete the quests. Henry's sword does not exist in the game, but its originality could not leave the Calimacil team indifferent. It was designed as a reward for the original Kickstarter campaign with its crest on the pommel representing the ideology of the project. We would have gladly done the whole collection, but to pay tribute to the game, we have worked hard on the weapons reminiscent of Kingdom Come and the inevitable Bailiff’s mace, a symbol of power that also charmed us with its effectiveness in the game against the best plate armor.