

However, as open as the world is, it is the battles that Mount & Blade has become known for. Mix in your own character’s level progression and there are tons of ways to customize your party. There are all sorts of additional aspects to army management, like special companions to assist your party, the ability to take hostages and receive ransoms, and the importance of morale. You can recruit a variety of units from each kingdom, controlling their advancement and specialty to create a perfect fighting force, but you’ll run into moral issues if you start to put countrymen against their kin. Each kingdom tends to lean heavily towards one specialization: heavily armored knights or very talented bowmen. It’s all very fun, and the level of freedom is way beyond what you’d expect from an action RPG/strategy title.Ĭalradia itself is fictional but heavily influenced by stereotypes from medieval Europe. Become famous enough and well-liked by a particular country and they may even offer you a position in their army and your own fiefdom, allowing you to assist your new liege in wars and battles and help propel your country of choice to the dominant power in Calradia. With your tiny regiment you can start doing missions and deeds for nobles, or become a travelling merchant, or hunt down bandits and deserters, or even become a bandit yourself. By travelling to villages and cities, you can recruit villagers and mercenaries to your cause, slowly building up a larger band.

In the beginning, you’ll find yourself on your own in the world of Calradia, with little money and second-rate gear. You control a customizable adventurer setting out to make a name for yourself. The original release in the series, and therefore the game that set the unique gameplay in motion, Mount & Blade centers on a vast open world and the absolute freedom to pursue your own goals. Since the collection itself is made up of three games, it makes sense to divvy up this review between each of the three titles: Mount & Blade, Mount & Blade: Warband and Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword. Luckily, Paradox has just compiled all three Mount & Blade titles into one handy package for newcomers. With two additional releases and a massive community built up, it can be a bit daunting to join in on one of the most atypical action RPGs ever made. Mount & Blade has been a major series for Taleworlds dating back to 2004 and has come a really long way since then.
