FAQ
Mount & Blade: Warband
Format: PC | Genre: RPG | Publisher: Paradox | Developer: TaleWorlds | Release Date: 30/03/10 | RRP: £24.95
Continued…
Strikingly Different
[Continued] The grand battles you inevitably end up fighting have a great sense of scale about them. Dozens of soldiers on foot and horseback fill the battlefield, all sporting competent A.I. to keep things challenging and dynamic. Soldiers retreat if things get too hairy, and thoughtfully switch between ranged and close combat depending on the situation. It all comes across as a convincingly living and breathing world.
The environments are also well presented, with a good variety of terrain keeping things fresh on the battlefield. Unfortunately, settlements have a tendency to repeat layouts and textures, and although the scale remains impressive the overall effect is less so, with characters and vegetation looking artificial close up.
While a visual improvement over the first game, it’s certainly not up there with the grander titles from larger developers, but it’s in no way off-putting. Regardless of the presentation, the fundamentals – including the combat and premise – that make up the core of the experience are unique and solid enough to overshadow any superficial flaws. Without any doubt, Mount & Blade: Warband is a great game.
Pulling yourself away from the addictive singleplayer will prove difficult, but the new multiplayer options are well worth checking out. The majority of the game modes in multiplayer are a standard affair, with deathmatch and team-based objectives. But there are a couple more modes which use Mount & Blade’s medieval setting to great effect. Battle begins as a 
standard team deathmatch affair with no respawns, but after a set amount of time where neither teams suffers any losses, a flag will appear. Capturing this flag and holding it will then win the game for your side. Another interesting mode is Seige, a king-of-the-hill-style set-up with a castle surrounding the capture point, adding a fresh defensive element to take advantage of or overcome.
The fantastic combat system and unique medieval setting makes the multiplayer experience stand apart from many other titles. In a similar fashion to Counter-Strike, you can kit your character out with different weapons at the beginning of the match, and then, between respawns, purchase better equipment with money earned in battle. It’s nothing new and the even the modes have been seen before is one form or another, but the combat and setting makes it feel fresh, and the addition of multiplayer is more than enough to tempt owners of the original Mount & Blade into a purchase of this semi-sequel.
It’s an exceptional title, with such strong foundations that the experience can only get better as the series matures. Only minor changes separate Warband’s main game from the original Mount & Blade, but for those wanting more of the same and a multiplayer experience it’s well worth the money. For those yet to try this series, you’ll find a title the revitalises a long-forgotten genre from yesteryear with contemporary design and features. This is one game you won’t be able to put down for a long time.
5/10
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