The_Onesin
First time out of the vault
What is this game?
- Mount & Blade is a sequel to popular Mount & Blade game released on 2008 by Taleworlds. Warband was released on 2010, and it is a hybrid RTS/RPG game with heavy emphasis on management and creation of your own empire along with large scale battles.
Setting?
- Mount & Blade: Warband features fictional medieval world with factions which are : Swadia, Nord, Vaegir, khergit, Sarranid, and Rodok. There really isn't much to say about the setting except that it is a pure medieval one.
Features
- Warband features variety of systems not only limited to character development and role-playing. There is an army management system in which you have to recruit and manage your army. There is also a faction management, in which you have to fulfill a certain role in the faction you belong to, including the role of a ruler if the faction is the one you have created.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc3IuoZ-zwM[/youtube]
I can also say that Warband features one of the best combat system in any of the action RPGs up to this date. The combat motions are realistic, with weapons which have clear pros & cons, and pacing of combat is extremely fluid. One factor which contribute to this excellent combat system is a mounted combat system. Horse plays extremely important role in Warband, including being able to outmaneuver most of the enemies, charge in to deal a killing blow, and increasing the world map movement speed. You will also fill the combat outside the screen. When you are hit or successfully landed a hit against an enemy, you will really FEEL it. Your character's skills also play important role in outcome of simple combat to large scale battles, and keeping those skills updated are crucial element of gameplay.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7SqnIwNiTo[/youtube]
Other than combat, the systems are pretty basic. There are no real complex tactics which you can employ, except for maybe ordering your troops to retreat, attack, or form certain formation. Kingdom management is also pretty simple in that you will still spend 95% of the time roaming the world map even though you have a kingdom to manage. Even then, such basic systems add up to the enormous amount of content this game offers, and just setting up your own kingdom may take 100+ hours depending on how adapted you are, and how efficient your actions are.
Warband also has an awesome multiplayer. Even though there are slight bit of balancing issues, your skills are mostly the one you can depend on, and the combat is fluid as it can get.
There are also huge amount of mods available for players who are bored with vanilla game, and some of the mods are really well made.
Some things that get in the way
- First, single player tends to get repetitive after long hours. There are not many events to participate, and you will spend most of the time training soldiers, engaging in battles, and expanding your empire.
Second, skills are not really well balanced. Some of the skills are absolutely crucial such as 'leadership' skill, while some of the weapon skills lose effectiveness as the game difficulty gets higher and gameplay moves on to the later stage.
Third, the factions are not too balanced as well. Some factions such as Swadia and Sarranids kick ass in the battlefields, while a faction like Vaegir is useless in everything else.
In the end..
- Warband I think, is one of the most significant RPGs in 21st century. Not only it showed successful integration of large scale strategy elements with great RPG elements (skill usage, choices & consequences etc.), but the game itself is extremely fun and challenging to play. I particularly thought that the way combat is handles is superb, and this should be one of the right ways in which the combat-heavy RPGs should follow.
Overall, an excellent title with extremely long hours to put into, and a lot of contents to keep you satisfied for long time.