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A true masterpiece.

And unlike many people, I don't use that word often, if at all. Only a few games truly deserve such praise in my opinion. So when I say KCD2 is one of them, then you can be sure I was truly impressed by what I saw. KCD2 is basically KCD1, but 5 times better. That's why you can refer to my KCD1 review and multiply every positive I pointed out by at least two. Everything is bigger, better and more entertaining than before. Steam forces me to cut every review in half every time I want to praise or criticize a game, so I'll try to be as brief as possible, although this games deserves at least an essay on how great it is.
Story
One of the greatest improvements I've seen. KCD1's story was decent, but it was mostly just... there. It did what was necessary, provided what was needed and wasn't filled with logical errors and stupid discrepancies. It wasn't something to write home about though. But now? Now we have a proper great story to rival and surpass many other of my beloved games. Absolutely no spoilers here though. You have to experience it for yourself. You'll love these characters, dialogues and overall storytelling.
Role-playing
Another greatly improved aspect. There are so many ways to finish most quests that even giving one as an example would eat all the space I have here. You can talk your way out of things, you can sneak, you can fight, yada yada yada, all that other RPG stuff (true RPG, not starfield, veilguard or elden ring). But there are also soooo many details and non-obvious ways to finish most of the quests, it honestly stunned me, and it still does. It looks as if the developers thought of almost everything, so if you use your imagination and deviate from the given objective while using logic, more often than not you will find that Warhorse have thought of that, and such things can even influence dialogues during this and further quests. NPCs remember what you did, they comment on it, they comment on what you do, how you act, how you're dressed, are you smelly or drunk, etc. TES games had things like that, but they pale in comparison honestly.
Music
Another great improvement. KCD1's was decent. KCD2's is great.
Combat
You guessed it, another big upgrade. It's smooth, it's not frustrating, it's easy. Honestly, too easy for my taste. Master Strike once again solves everything. Maybe Hardcore will fix it, but I didn't like KCD1's Hardcore, so I'm not holding my breath. But even like that it's still highly enjoyable, and you can lose if you're too cocky. Also, only swords have Master Strike now, so that's something. Turning off indicators is a fun way to make things more spicy, but I had to use a mod for that.
Open world
Yep. Again. Another big step-up. Just riding through the forest is interesting in this game, and this is the greatest praise I can think of. Games like Witcher or Bethesda games rely heavily on POIs such as caves, castles, monster lairs, etc. Almost none of that here. Does this make exploration boring? It doesn't. Because so many space that would be empty in any other game is filled with random encounters (the best I've seen in games so far too) and neat little discoveries that are also sometimes referenced by NPCs, but play no real role in quests.
One example here: there was this wine merchant's wagon I found that crashed near a small river. I took some wine for myself and left. 10-15 hours later I was tasked with tracking down some bandits, and one NPC said that I can find them near said wagon. Since I already knew where it was, it was easier for me to navigate and find those bandits. This will be even cooler when Hardcore is released, because such landmarks will help you find things when you can't see your position on the map. This was neat in KCD1 as well, but here it's much more detailed, and almost every NPC during most quests will give you clear enough instructions to find things you're looking for without relying on a map or even compass.
Interface
Didn't think I'd praise something so trivial, but here we are. The only other game I can think of that impressed me with it's unique interface was Persona 5. Here, it's also uniquely stylish and authentic. It was also improved from a practical point of view, you can access your horse's inventory from the same place as you own, for example.
Graphics
Also not something I praise often, but holy moly, this game is absolutely beautiful (and well-optimized!). I fully expected it to be just like KCD1, maybe slightly better. But it surpassed every expectation I had. It's at least as beautiful as RDR2 (kinda sad that a 2018 game is the one I'm comparing this one to, as most new games are far laggier, and at the same time far-far uglier and technically inferior to RDR2).
Issues
Surprisingly, almost none. I had a few bugs, but 95% of them were visual. No broken quests. The only big issue was when I needed to chase an NPC, but didn't have the best horse, so I had to try ~20-30 times before I actually caught up with him. If my horse was at least a little bit slower, I'd have to reload an earlier save and find a faster horse to be sure. This was a story quest too, so bummer. Still, I caught the guy, so that's something. I just wish it wasn't a flat out "You lost" screen when I failed, but rather an alternative development for the quest, as is the case in many other quests, but oh well, can't have everything.
Other than that, the game has some minor issues, but that's all they are. Minor and negligible.
I'd also like to point out that realism in this game is not that tedious. Many people criticized RDR2 for such things, but I honestly think that RDR2 is more tedious than KCD2 in this regard. Almost no 10 minute horse riding, easy access to fast travel, animations aren't as slow. It's also much easier to access Savior Schnapps than in the first game, as well as food. It may not be for everyone, but I'd say that it should not stop you from trying the game if that's what you're afraid of. And if that's still an issue... mods exist. Don't like to rely on them to make the game playable, but it's not like that. The game is fully playable for a casual player, far more than KCD1 was. It's just extremely easy to install mods, so just know that you have that option.
Summary
This is a great game, and one of the greatest RPGs I've played in a long while. It may not be for everyone, and that's a good thing. More games should be "not for everyone". This is what AAA games are supposed to be. What every miserable small indie company like ubisoft wishes to have. A game with soul, made by people who love their work, people who have something to say and show. This is probably not only my Game of the year, but rather "Game of the last 4 years", since the last time I fell in love with a game this much was when Ghost of Tsushima released, and when I played Persona 5.
Also, much love to Tom McKay and Luke Dale. Not only are they great and passionate voice actors, but great human beings as well, and I love every moment of their presence in-game, on social media and in game-related materials. I love these guys <3
Now come on, you peasants. Your father's sword won't retrieve itself! To the task!