Detective in Quarantine
After the frankly "passable" (in every sense) story of the eccentric artist Vojta in Brushes with Death and the peaceful blacksmith's comfort with a touch of family secrets in Legacy of the Forge, Warhorse sends players on a "plague-ridden" journey behind the walls of the Sedlec Monastery, where a real detective story unfolds under the whisper of prayers and the ringing of bells.
At the request of Pan Pisetsky, Indrzhikh goes to the monastery with the eminent physician Albicus from Unichov. He hopes that the abbot will put in a word for him before King Sigismund and help him get permission to meet with the captured Wenceslaus. The mission seems simple, but upon arrival, the heroes discover that the monastery has been gripped by a mysterious disease, frighteningly reminiscent of the plague.
Several monks and one of the maids have already succumbed to fever — which in itself raises many questions. In particular, how did the girl, who is forbidden to enter the male monastery, get infected at all? And when the first patient dies, whose existence no one knew about, the abbot in panic orders the monastery to be locked down for quarantine. And who but us should take on the investigation of this case?
Thus begins a new side story, the passage of which takes about five to eight hours. The addition is organically woven into the middle of the main campaign, but once you cross the threshold of the monastery, there will be no turning back until the very end of the investigation. Moreover, due to the quarantine, Indrzhikh is actually locked inside: it is impossible to leave the monastery, and any attempts to move without permission immediately attract the attention of the guards.
However, unlike the Sasau Monastery from the first part, where you had to pretend to be a novice and live according to strict rules, here the player is given much more freedom. In fact, you can go anywhere — the main thing is not to be caught by the guards. Therefore, it is worth choosing practical clothes for stealth in advance: heavy armor and weapons will still be taken away at the entrance.
But such restrictions are not a reason for panic at all. Stealth here does not suffocate and does not turn the investigation into torment — the local guards still suffer from chronic nearsightedness and short memory, so even unsuccessful attempts to slip past the guard rarely end in a reboot.
Sometimes I even used it to my advantage: if you get caught by a patrol and say that you are lost, you will be safely taken back to the infirmary. In fact, it works like a "quick trip" (although those who are hunting for all the achievements should not do this).
And there are about as many battles in the entire addition as there are fingers on one hand for a milling machine operator, and this is, perhaps, only for the best. "Ecclesiastical Mysteries" lives up to its name, putting history, characters and immersion at the forefront, not fencing.
Monastery Secrets
The monastery turns out to be a surprisingly spacious and well-thought-out location. In addition to the main building with a refectory and cells, there are gardens and vegetable gardens, an extensive network of catacombs, a library, cellars and many other rooms without which the life of any monastery of the 1403 model is unthinkable. Thanks to the attention to detail — and, most importantly, their abundance — the space does not create a feeling of confinement, but on the contrary, immerses you in the lovingly recreated architecture and atmosphere of the era.
But the Sedlec Monastery is not just a decoration, but a living organism, a community of people with their own characters, weaknesses and little secrets that gradually come out as the investigation progresses. It soon becomes clear that the disease is only the tip of the iceberg, and the real infection has taken root in human hearts.
Of course, I won't reveal all the intrigue — you'll find out everything yourself. The Warhorse screenwriters have written a solid detective story with all the twists and turns: some are guessed in advance, others are really able to surprise.
At times, Mysteria Ecclesiae exudes "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco, but this is its homely, down-to-earth version — without excessive philosophical heaviness, but with the Warhorse charm, when even a gloomy medieval plot works to make the player feel at home in this world.
It is not so important how the story ends, but the very process of assembling the puzzle while immersing yourself in it. Imperceptibly, you begin to listen to every word, look for a second bottom, doubt and suspect everyone in a row — when you see that the confessor lives beyond his means, when a random maid knows more than she should, and you catch yourself thinking: should I tell the abbot the truth or keep it to myself for now?
In the best traditions of the main game, you are not led by the hand here and do not always point the way on the map, allowing you to understand what is happening on your own. From the point of view of narration, this is, perhaps, the strongest addition of all three — with high-quality cutscenes, dramatic twists and a share of not the worst humor in the spirit of the "old church". However, after passing, I also had some personal complaints, especially if you remember the developers' statements and how Mysteria Ecclesiae was presented in promotional materials.
There is blood. Where's the wine?
First of all, it is worth saying that Mysteria Ecclesiae relies exclusively on familiar elements, offering returning players neither new challenges nor mechanics. Even fresh items like the plague doctor's mask and a new sword are unlikely to stay in your inventory after completing the addition's plot — especially if you have already completed the game far and wide.
In addition, some side quests raise questions. In one of the quests, for example, there is an opportunity to catch crayfish to feed the patients. After finding the necessary book in the library and learning where this "salmon for the poor" is found, I went to the pond, believing that the task would be simple. But in my playthrough it was night and it was raining heavily, so visibility was close to zero. Due to the plot restrictions, I could not rewind time and was forced to blindly engage in "pixel hunting" — to no avail.
I turned the brightness to the maximum — it didn't help. Then I opened YouTube and found a video with the collection of crayfish, but even so, the extraction of eight pieces turned into a real test. It was possible to cope only in the morning, when the rain subsided and the sun began to break through the clouds — only then did the visibility finally improve. Perhaps this is just an unfortunate coincidence, and only I was so lucky: the weather in the video was clear. But in conditions where time is fixed by the plot, such dependence on random factors looks more like an omission, albeit more like a personal claim. (Note. ed. Apparently, such weather and visibility are pre-scripted — in my playthrough there was exactly the same problem!)
And finally, with all due respect to Warhorse, "Ecclesiastical Mysteries" is not perceived as the promised "final chord". Yes, the story is chamber and fascinating, but it does not pretend to be an epilogue — it is rather a side chapter that does not affect Indrzhikh's path. That is why it unfolds in the middle of the campaign, and not after it.
If we consider the DLC precisely as "final", then it almost does not affect the personal history of the hero. There is neither an emotional culmination, nor a final choice, nor a symbolic bridge to future events. Even the ending happens unexpectedly quickly: after the final battle, a couple of short dialogues follow, and Indrzhikh simply leaves the monastery gate. That's all.
And this is, perhaps, the most обидное. If Warhorse is really going to start a new chapter — with a different setting and new characters — then it turns out that Indrzhikh remained sitting on his полянка, indulging in thoughts about the path he had traveled. Honestly, Legacy of the Forge is much more suitable for the role of a real epilogue — an addition where Indrzhikh finally finds refuge and settles there. The only thing missing is a good girl by his side.
Diagnosis
Despite a number of complaints, Mysteria Ecclesiae remains a complete and strong addition. It is a compact but surprisingly rich story, reminiscent of what we loved Kingdom Come for - the atmosphere, attention to detail, people and their destinies. There are no new mechanics or large-scale battles here, but there is lively speech, confident direction and a sense of a genuine world where real human stories intersect.
Looking back, it is important not only that the developers have released at least three worthy additions, but also that they have continued to support the game all this time. Even with the release of "Church Mysteries", for example, it acquired full support for facial animation for all voice acting languages - and this is certainly nice. For the past nine months, Kingdom Come II has grown and improved before our eyes, only strengthening its status as one of the best role-playing games of recent years.
Returning to it now, you experience a feeling comparable to returning to Skyrim - it seems that this world will not get bored even after ten years. Therefore, I do not want to reproach Warhorse for not saying goodbye to Henry properly. Rather, I want to see this as a sign - a sign that his journey is not over yet. That we will see more of Indro's adventures - perhaps in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, or maybe somewhere else entirely.