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GC 2008: Mount & Blade Impressions

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By Brian Ekberg, GameSpot, Posted Aug 22, 2008 1:53 pm GMT

Leave the monsters and magic behind in this more realistic medieval combat game.

After being in beta for what seems like forever, the upcoming role-playing action game, Mount & Blade is due for release in September, bringing with it what seems to be a unique take on medieval combat. We had a chance to check the game out during a guided demo to see how it's shaping up just ahead of its release.

Unlike many games set in the days of brave knights and fair maidens, Mount & Blade forgoes the monsters and magic for a much more realistic take on combat in the Middle Ages. Here, you only fight against human beings, but the open nature of the gameplay means that the political intrigues in the world of Calradia will be constantly shifting. As a result, your allegiances will shift as well.

In Mount & Blade, you play as a warrior who's looking to make a name for himself. In the early goings, the game plays very much like a role-playing game, with you leveling up, earning new skills, and hiring soldiers from the nearby villages to help you with the many quests you can pick up during your travels. As the game progresses, however, there seems to be a strong strategy element that will develop, as different kingdoms vie for control and the political landscape continues to shift.

Your character will be able to carry and access a maximum of four weapons at a time (including a shield), though you'll have an inventory that will let you hold more stuff. You'll also be able to own and ride multiple horses; different mounts will have different attributes--some faster, some stronger--so it will be to your benefit to have different horses for different purposes. As you continue through the game, you'll earn experience that will let you level up, improving your personal and combat attributes.

As you make your way around the environments in Mount & Blade, sooner or later, you'll encounter enemies. Combat in Mount & Blade is all based on the physical direction and momentum of the players, as well as the weapon you're currently wielding. If you're charging on a horse against a static opponent and manage to blast him in the head with an axe, it will be a much more devastating attack than if you were merely standing still. You can fight both mounted and on the ground with a variety of weapons, including axes, swords, crossbows, and more.

You can hire soldiers and heroes to assist you in combat, resulting in some very large-scale battles (which can be tweaked with sliders, depending on the relative power of your PC rig). While basic soldiers are more or less cannon fodder, the various heroes that you'll meet in towns are a different matter. Not only are they more expensive, but they're also more effective in combat, and you'll need to keep track of each soldier's mood. One hero might look down on your insistence on looting towns and killing villagers; another might get grouchy if you forget to buy enough food for your latest mission. As your cadre of heroes grows, you'll have to constantly keep track of their different requirements to keep them happy and fighting on your side.

Its free-form nature might turn off players looking for some more structure to their fantasy gaming, but there's something to be said for the constantly shifting nature of the world in Mount & Blade that might appeal to those who are looking for something a bit more realistic in their medieval warfare. The game is due for release in September.

53 Comments

  • pwndOo

    Posted Mar 7, 2010 1:30 pm GMT

    lol many people forgot that this is more or less indie game...

  • OlharaK

    Posted Oct 14, 2008 3:09 pm GMT

    The devs should've worked on it another year imo
    Game is pretty fun and addictive but it feels unfinished.
    The quests are weak, there should be more items and armor diversity, and even the combat needed more work. You can't really make good strategies like in TW for example.
    With the much needed work this game could easily go from average to awesome.

  • mrcrotch1989

    Posted Oct 1, 2008 10:39 am GMT

    The game is defintaly better than the score it was given by Gamespot - sure the graphics arn't up to date, but gameplay > graphics.

  • mrcrotch1989

    Posted Oct 1, 2008 10:38 am GMT

    The game is defintaly better than the score it was given by Gamespot - sure the graphics arn't up to date, but gameplay > graphics.

  • Demon-Draco

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 1:50 pm GMT

    Been with it since .751, and bought it a week after playing that version for the first time. Long live M&B!

  • DeViLzzz

    Posted Sep 24, 2008 4:21 am GMT

    Combat in this game is really fun and as for people completely ripping the graphics I have seen worse. I will say that people that like NWN2 and the Witcher are supporting games that are not even as good as this with their buggy combat and poor camera angles. Yes this game could have been better but at least you can play it unlike the torture that is the other two titles I listed. That alone should raise the review score. This game is a 7 game for sure.

  • IXIWhistIXI

    Posted Sep 13, 2008 3:45 pm GMT

    All you need to know about this game is though it does have some frustrating things in it, it's overall quite fun and hopefully will help show these nextgen kids that graphics don't make the game.
    So what if you can't see tiny nicks in your sword, does that really make a game better for anything other than nice looking screencaps?

    I wish more people would create games on their own, with the internet now days, it's not very hard at all to sell your game yourself from your webpage. Obviously you'll have to do all the advertising work and the other stuff, but the end result is an actually fun game, not one that's just a copy of what made a lot of money the previous year.

  • RedRiver80

    Posted Sep 10, 2008 7:32 am GMT

    Brian totally forgot to mention that a player can join a faction as a mercenary or a vasal... get his own fief and take castles/towns as well as join a rebelion against any faction... in the end it's all 'bout how ya wanna play the game. but if one wants to *win* it has to be by conquest.

  • thingta42

    Posted Sep 8, 2008 5:45 pm GMT

    The game isnt ment to have a storyline its ment to have Sanbox gameplay allowing you to do what you want.

    Although the land you play in does have quite a bit of back-story and so the the fractions.

    The grahpics are pretty good also. all in all 10/10 for the game

  • TA127

    Posted Sep 8, 2008 8:06 am GMT

    The only thing that bothers me is the lame graphics and the not- existing storyline.
    Besides that, the game looks amazing.

  • Corey_Larson

    Posted Aug 29, 2008 9:17 pm GMT

    I cant wait for the full version, the beta is f**king sweet, and i cant wait to see the full game!!

  • Corey_Larson

    Posted Aug 29, 2008 9:17 pm GMT

    I cant wait for the full version, the beta is f**king sweet, and i cant wait to see the full game!!

  • kweeni

    Posted Aug 28, 2008 2:13 am GMT

    the game rocks and im only talking bout the beta, it might look simple and nothing special, which is what i thought at first, till you actually play it, its tons of fun! love the beta cant wait to get my hands on the full game!

  • madman23

    Posted Aug 27, 2008 9:01 pm GMT

    No I guess the box art isn't really cruddy. It's well done technically. My gripe is the guy's expression is kinda indecipherable and if I had to categorize it, I'd say he looks very very very mildly amused.
    But you've given me pause, because that's exactly how I feel when I've lost everything in the game; especially my most recent battle, have been taken prisoner and escaped, my once-great army is dead on the battlefield or locked in the enemies Stone Lonely, and the bastards got my Warbow. My friends are scattered.
    So I guess the guy on the box art really looks like he's down on his luck.
    But don't count him out.

  • Gromul

    Posted Aug 26, 2008 9:55 am GMT

    One of the best games EVER. And that's the beta we're talking about Can't wait for the final version...

  • SocEgalla

    Posted Aug 26, 2008 12:30 am GMT

    Duuuuuuuuuuuuude. I played the demo for this so long ago, and it's rad as all hell. You honestly wouldn't expect it to be that cool, but for some strange reason, it's an insane ammount of fun. I've turned a lot of people onto this game and have been waiting to buy it since I first played the demo.

  • rockatanski

    Posted Aug 25, 2008 5:43 pm GMT

    The cover art is not cruddy. It is suggestive and royal in my opinion. The best independent game ever made.

  • madman23

    Posted Aug 25, 2008 4:19 pm GMT

    The cover artwork on the box is really cruddy. That's the only knock I have against this game. It's easily the best game I've ever played - you really need skill just to play it, but when you feel competent with the myriad weapons you actually feel quite accomplished and they are all very nuanced. The in-game artwork for the load screens is MASTERFUL and should have been used for the box art. Oh well. Mount&Blade is a Big Bad Warhorse.

  • Demon-Draco

    Posted Aug 25, 2008 2:26 pm GMT

    Bought it back when it was .751

    Must try.

  • jazilla

    Posted Aug 25, 2008 11:28 am GMT

    I am absolutely hooked on the beta. it needs some balancing and some stuff done to the dialogue for it to make sense, but it is a fantastic game. can't wait to get the full version when it comes out.

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