Bannerlord is a hard game to review. There are many things I really like about it, while there are a number of things that really, really bother me. The game has a large world. The developer has been reworking many of the locations, making them unique. I like the concept of traveling through the world in a 3D-map style, while switching to a 1st person view for the battles. The medieval battles are one of the main highlights in the game, being unique and having the potential to be in a really large scale. Meanwhile, there's very little interaction with this large and beautiful world. The quests are always the same bunch of repeated chores. There are almost no unique NPCs. Lords react to your actions in a very limited and robotic way. Many times, it feels like you aren't really in control of your troops. For example, you can create parties, but there's no interaction to direct their efforts. The lack of these interactions and the repetitive nature of the quests makes the world feel like a large, but half-empty bucket. Personally, I would have preferred that the developer invested more time in filling the world with noteworthy interactions first, so that we could have a smaller, but full bucket. And of course, there are MODs, many of which are really good. But I'm reviewing the game and not the MODs. Personally, I don't see TaleWorlds changing the course of their development in the near future, if at all. That's if they don't "finish" Bannerlord and go for M&B 3.
One of the best games I've played. Story rich, beautifully crafted world, creative storylines. Now I'm quite hungry for KCDII.
