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!
