Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

Played more than 500hrs. Last time i played was three months ago and worked fine, now i updated the game and except the massive crash that had to power off the laptop to get it fixed, i cant even play multiplayer, constantly getting "disconnected from lobby", reinstalled the game checked firewalls nothings get it fixed... Pretty monotonous after some hours tho, but lots of battles and couple of good mods to make things better. Loved the 1000 Npc battles, siege defence or attack, good stuff fun times and online used to be fun at least when it worked...

In dev review - Yes, the M&B series isnt perfect, there is some level of jank, but it is the best medieval simulator you will ever play. For those unfamiliar it is a combination of RPG, strategy, and management game in one with amazing action combat. You begin with some companions and build a party to become a mercenary, a criminal, a trader, a lord for an existing faction to climb the ranks, or even make your own kingdom and become king. There is a world map where your party is represented and you move about to get to towns or castles and encounter other lords or criminals. You can interact with them, or battle which then moves into a battle map and you lead your troops. This time around they even added clans, which you form your own house, and other features such as blacksmithing. If youre in to RPGs or generally medieval times I would highly recommend it, watch a video or two and check it out. On top of an amazing medieval sandbox there are also some of the best mods. Right now they are in their early stages, but just check mods like Between Empires (19th century Europe with guns and cannons), The Last Days of the third age (LOTR total conversion), or any of the game of thrones or mods for warband. Bannerlord not only drastically improves and modernizes the graphics and sound and is a general great improvement, but also adds many features. With blacksmithing you can create your own weapons or sell them for money, you have your own clan to manage with relatives that can join your party or govern your castles and towns, much more advanced battle commands system, you can have children that will take your character's place when they die in combat or from old age, can start your own trade caravans, buy and start businesses in towns, start war parties led by companions, and so much more. Again, just check some videos if you are at all curious. The Mount and Blade series is the kind of game I waited my entire life for and Bannerlord is a vast improvement!

It's the same old M&B, but better, bigger, prettier more complex. Still at the beginning of the game, but already got some chills down my spine. This is the anticipation of the future great game!

Great game. I am a long time Mount and Blade fan and played since the first game came out. Bannerlord has really improved the realism. I love the horse combat, the way the horses move feels natural and realistic. AI has improved a lot from the way the AI charges through infantry and comes around for repeat charges, to horse archers actually keeping distance and running around infantry firing arrows into their ranks. I can just imagine that's how the armies of Ghengis Khan fought. So much better than previous where they just stop and get stuck inside infantry ranks. In short, horse combat feels more exciting, fluid and real. Same for foot combat, just better in every aspect. I guess you can see in the videos. They've made many improvements that on the surface appear subtle but adds so much depth. Hitting enemies just at the right "arc" in your swing for max damage, crush through, weapons getting blocked by ally or enemy limbs/bodies/weapons etc. if you time/aim/swing poorly, plus a lot more i wont mention. For those wanting to master the "art" of combat, there is a lot to work with here. Landscape, cities and towns, look great. Coming from warband that was my comparison, but still to me, it's a huge improvement and just adds to immersion. I'm really looking forward to what mods the huge modding community will come up with. That in itself will be worth the full price of this game many times over. Warband has many full conversion mods created by dedicated fans over the years covering many time periods/cultures (Samurai, roman legions, crusades, mongols, lord of the rings - you name it and it probably has been done). After playing Bannerlord (even early access), i'm confident the modding community will only grow. Can't wait to see the full conversion mods. I never write game reviews. But for Bannerlord I had to make an exception. Highly recommended!

Apart from the earlier Warband no other game touches the experience Bannerlord provides. From very humble beginnings you can take on entire realms, walk around villages, towns and castles each uniquely styled after their faction. Choose to wander the lands as you will, be a trader and run trade caravans across distant lands, become supreme Champion horn your weapon skills in the Arenas, choose to serve one of the Lords who hold power or become the one who unites all under your banner. Massive improvement from the earlier Warband in every respect and only set to get better as time goes on. Switch from 1st person to 3rd person as you lead your forces in massive battles and sieges. One of the very few titles nowadays thats can genuinely provide those Wow moments and provide an experience none other can touch.