Kingdom Come: Deliverance II - Brushes with Death

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Brushes With Death DLC isn't bad at all - it’s simply a bit threadbare as a standalone experience, and it didn’t feel like a strong follow-up to what had come before.

A new grounded and sometimes truly bizarre adventure across the well-known regions of medieval Bohemia sets our beloved Henry of Skaliz on a colourful path created by brushes and strokes of a mysterious painter. He's not interested in sharing, death follows him wherever he goes and his weird requests produce truly unique scenarios. Alongside a new story came a few gameplay elements such as shield painting, horse racing or even haircuts, which all eagerly await the return of the blacksmith hero!

Very enjoyable! Great value! Don't think about it - get it, play it, enjoy it. Thank us later.

Brushes with Death, the first major DLC for Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, unfortunately clearly falls short compared to the base game. While its plot offers some good moments and bears the hallmarks of quality writing from Warhorse Studios, it largely fails to effectively engage the player. With its tedious medieval fetch quests, a narrative entirely centered on an otherwise perfectly secondary character, an underwhelming new exclusive mechanic, and disappointing rewards, this is a picture that we believe will have a hard time selling, despite a rather reasonable price.

Brushes With Death is a low-stakes start to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's post-launch paid DLCs; non-essential but a decent side dish for first-time players.

I can’t say Brushes with Death is essential, but it does add an entertaining new side-story and character to an already richly imagined world. For its modest price, new players get even more KCD2 to discover. Returning players get an excuse to revisit Henry and his world, like playing catch-up with an old friend for a few hours. Brushes with Death definitely makes an already excellent game just a little more interesting.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II: Brushes With Death may not bring too many new things to the table, but it delivers a charming, whimsical side adventure that leans into the game's quirky strengths. While the lack of major new mechanics keeps it from feeling essential, the engaging (if bizarre) questline makes it a worthwhile addition, especially for the price.

Brushes with Death is a several-hour-long quest line with a strange but equally interesting master Voyta in the lead role. Story-wise, the DLC manages to keep your attention throughout its gameplay and raises several questions with interesting resolutions, just as it offers similarly interesting situations. But beyond the story, the first expansion for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 falls on the fact that entertaining content is hard to find here. Most quests are rather generic fetch quests, new gear is scarce, and of the gameplay mechanics, only shield painting is new here. It is nicely done, but you'll only see your shield occasionally anyway. Brushes with Death probably won't disappoint Expansion Pass owners, but the following two expansions must make up for it, especially in terms of gameplay.