Homecoming (first playthrough) - I thought for sure there’d be roving remnants of Sigismund’s army performing mop up duty. So, having f*ck all and worrying about defending myself ramped up the anticipation, anxiety and stress. Should I stay off the road between Rovna and Skalitz for fear of being seen by the deadly Cuman horse archers? Are a couple Cuman behind that Rovna hut? Will they divert their attention away from their current object of desire and look my way? Should I search for others and try to help out? Or, do I have to ignore the crimes against humanity in the name of self preservation? Should I leave all the corpses alone or should I look for something of value that could help me fight the enemy or keep me alive? So many thoughts flooded my mind. In hindsight, this was a simple minded quest that could’ve been legendary.
Mysterious Ways - The plot twist. The way Vavra and his writing partner interwove Henry’s mission with the backstory of Hus and pre-Hussite sentiment was both entertaining and well crafted. Godwin could’ve been a charicature but he turned out to be anything but. Talking over beer. Replicate in a mini-game, and you have a master stroke. Fun. Fighting. And fornication. Relatable to many adults.
Nest of Vipers - Simple. Go in under the cover of darkness dressed as a Cuman and sabotage what you can. Oh, how the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Watchman #1 dealt with. Watchman #2 history. Uh oh. A group of guys is coming, and I don’t have time to dispose of the body #2. Hide. The body is discovered, and the call to arms is out. This isn’t going to turn out well. I need to find a bottleneck.
Found one next to the dilapidated structure. Wave after wave came. Ever more damage taken but still manageable… until some archers showed up. Then, after getting lit up by the archer, i hid to escape up the roof and then into the creek. Thank goodness none of them followed me. It gave me a chance to load up on some marigold potions, and then get back to the bottleneck. Killed off the rest near the structure, and then stepped out into the open. Got a little reckless and paid for it.
In poor health, I walked up to the encampments and took care of the 3 or so still left. And, then took to sabotaging everything. It was the most challenging and rewarding battle for me in all of KCD by far. Still haven’t figured out my plan with the hardcore playthrough… other than use savior schnapps before I enter the area.
