Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord review – The epic life of a knight

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a sandbox RPG that is the sequel to the popular Mount & Blade game. It appeared in early access two years ago, so the creators had enough time to debug it. You can read about how the final version did, what it stands out for and what it cannot boast of, in our review.

• Platform: PC (verified version),
• Publication date: . October 2022
• Developer: TaleWorlds Entertainment
• Publisher: TaleWorlds Entertainment
• Genre: Sandbox RPG
• Czech localization: Not
• Multiplayer: Yes
• Game time:
• Price: about 1230 CZK (couples)

Watch the empire fall from the front row

The story of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord takes us to the story of the first Mount & Blade. This work revolves around the fall of the old order. As in our history, in this universe there was a parallel of the Roman Empire, which, having captured most of the territory of this world, began to suffer from various ailments of great empires. Well, as it happens, she is unable to effectively resist them, which slowly leads to her breakdown, which you have the opportunity to intervene with your own head, as well as a properly sharpened sword.

You can’t decide much without violence, especially since you’re not really at the beginning or in a position from which you could do something like that. You are one of many who have the ability to change history, but you definitely don’t have the energy to start anything yet. It only comes with time. But before embarking on this journey, you must create your own champion with whom you will win the respect of all the inhabitants of the world of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord.

The very creation of the protagonist here, as in other action RPGs, is an element that is very important for your next minutes, maybe hours in the game world. You determine the nationality for your rake, followed by the choice of his past. Through family background, life history and a number of other decisions, you shape his statistics into six areas to focus on. In this way, you can create a deadly warrior with zero social empathy, a brave leader skilled in healing, or a mix that won’t excel in either direction, but won’t fail in either.

Through my decisions, I created a heroine based primarily on social skills. Because of this, she was able to lead large groups of soldiers, who were also able to train faster and thus promote her loyalists to higher levels of development more effectively. She also became adept at discussions with the inhabitants of the Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord game world, from whom she was able to learn a lot. The only pity is that interviews are not better written here and their processing in animations is also worth little.

The first steps in the Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord game world can be painful

A person usually does not even pass the first five villages and is already attacked by bandits or other mobs that interfere with the lives of God-fearing people. It’s just that life here from the very beginning gives quite hard lessons. Also, in quite a few cases, the party is large, so more than once it happens that you succumb to it. However, in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord there is always a chance to escape. From the start, you have a horse, some kind of cutting weapon, and sometimes even a bow. On higher difficulties, this is ant work, but you can say that this is a stress test, after passing which you will recruit the first group of villagers and begin to actively work with them.

And at this point, you practically become the leader of a small group of soldiers with whom you already need to work a little. At least not initially it was a hit in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. In fact, you can afford a maximum of peasants armed with pitchforks, for whom literally any situation is life-threatening, and therefore you often have to choose whether you risk injuring your hero or, conversely, losing him. Personally, after a while, I felt like Lord Farquaad from the Shrek anime with his statement: Some may die, but I intend to make this sacrifice. As a result, I didn’t have much of a choice.

Personally, what I like most in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is the final stage, in which you are no longer responsible just for the main character and a handful of warriors, but for the entire army and the individual parts of which it consists. The heavy infantry beautifully enters the front line, the archers follow them and ride off into the distance with the cavalry and wait for the right moment to use their favorite hammer and anvil tactics. The fights here are spectacular. In addition, you can actively tacticalize during them, so I came out of them not only as a big fan of arrows flying around, but also as a fan of the Total War series, where there is no shortage of such situations. Unfortunately, it is not possible to test them on yourself or at least in such a way as to enjoy working with a chisel or bow. In them, the player can control artillery.

The very concept of unit management has been improved, so Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord will offer you a better experience than its predecessor in this regard. Fighters can form better and, above all, be more effective in formations, which is useful, for example, when raiding fortresses, when advancing lines holding a shield wall can do more than foot soldiers in the past. I also really like the smoothness of the ride, this is a deadly tool that is unmatched when used correctly.

Siege battles and modifications will draw you to the monitor

I had a big problem with how the siege battle format was handled in the first game. The cities were more or less well defined, so it wasn’t enough to be more tactical as a result. It was enough to stand on the walls, and then take a certain position, shoot down the approaching figures and pray that the arrow that brings death would not fly. In this regard, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord has undergone significant changes. Because of this, sieges and clashes for cities are more difficult entertainment, really making you constantly plan for the next battle.

The besiegers in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord build towers in front of the city, prepare equipment and, as a result, deploy the army so that its attack is as effective as possible. Defenders, on the other hand, may be working on a form of defense that can take many forms. The more space the attackers give you, the better you can prepare for them, so after a few weeks of siege, the raid can turn into a decent slaughter. Cities are very well supplied, so starvation is rarely possible. The ensuing clash, like all the battles in this work, is an epic carnage in which the defenders face difficulties and either defeat them or, conversely, sweep them away.

So far, I have not condemned battles as such. However, I had one issue while playing Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. Totally unimpressed with handling raids against nests of bandits, deserters and raiders. The main idea is always based on the fact that you are attacking a territory inhabited by superior forces. This can be quietly eliminated, all the action happens at night precisely because of this. The main disadvantage is that the leader of the entire group never meets with the others, but only comes at the end. Personally, I find this pointless, because he should be with others, which would make the whole mission much more believable and would not lead to sad endings for sometimes less experienced parties.

Since I have already written about battles and sieges, it should also be mentioned that the overall experience from them can be enhanced with a wide range of modifications. Yes, you read it right. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord already contains a wide range of community creations, their palette lacking musket age-centric, fantasy, sci-fi or simple tweaks to elements that the authors simply didn’t fit into the base game. the game.

Anyone can become a captain in Bannerlord

Single player is one of its biggest strengths, but multiplayer can also be found here. It’s a component of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord that’s definitely done well. She even underwent a change compared to the previous part, which, like other innovations, brings her so many benefits that it can be described as positive. The basic concept of game modes will offer you more or less the same variety as in the past. We’ve got the classic Team Deathmatch, Skirmish, the impressive Battle Mode, as well as the Siege mode, which focuses on defenders versus besiegers.

The main novelty of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is the captain mode. In it, players are divided into medium-sized teams, where they always take the role of captains, in which they lead selected warriors into battle to destroy their enemies or hold important positions. And it was this mode that I loved, at least for myself, probably the most, because it’s a really innovative way where you don’t have to rely on others in the first place, and you can build part of the combat on your soldiers. For example, I liked the tactics of working with archers, with whom it is ideal to get into the rear of the juices.

Was Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord worth the wait?

I would definitely say yes. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord has gone through incredible development during development, which competitors should learn from that early access can really be used to maximize the potential of your work. In general, you will be offered a relatively interesting story, a giant game world stuffed with activities, epic battles full of the ever-present threat of death. There is also a great component of sieges and clashes for castles, the design of which makes them a real headache for any army. I would also commend the creator for a functioning economy or a set of units that can be recruited in the army. Also worth noting is the support of the modding community, which has a chance to push this game even further in the future.

As for the shortcomings, I think the most significant problem of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is the processing of graphics, character animations and dialogues, which are definitely not among the strongest elements of this work. Some players may be concerned about the lack of major innovations that version 1 brings. Personally, I have no reason to criticize in this regard. Therefore, I would recommend this game to all fans of the Middle Ages who want to experience the life of a hero living in this historical stage.