Once, a few years ago, when playing the beta for Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord, I called it a “historical” game on Reddit and was absolutely lambasted for the comment. So I’ve learned my lesson. It’s not a “historical” game, however it is clearly based on medieval Europe. It’s not an accurate geographic depiction of Europe, but it does resemble the continent. The combat is not completely historically accurate, but it captures the essence of fighting in the medieval era. It is a really great “fantasy” game that feels quite historically connected to medieval Europe. Here are the five best things about the game:

  1. Balance between the over map (strategy) and battlefield (tactics) – Mount and Blade feels like many different games rolled into one. There are elements of strategy moving around the overarching map (that is NOT Europe, but resembles it) of Calradia. Then, also interesting, are elements of tactics on the battlefield. It is not necessary to master both of these, but all successful bannerlords will be proficient at both parts of the game. Being able to guide your troops across the map from towns, to cities, and castles then eventually into combat feels satisfying. Once on the battlefield, there’s nothing quite like beating a numerically superior force with your own army.
  2. It’s fundamentally an RPG – Mount and Blade essentially feels like a role-playing game. As you level your main character, you can be virtuous or not, hero or villain. You can choose faction and play style. You can choose weapons. You can outfit your character in all manner of outfits. You can spend your time in one region or roam the map. It’s really quite versatile and allows you to develop the play the way you want.
  3. Combat is fun – Sometimes in the 21st century we get so caught up in how competitive or addictive a game is, we forget that games should just be fun. Bannerlord has this with the combat system. Whether you want to grab a two handed battle axe and go lopping off looters’ heads… or you’re a speedy horse archer circling your enemies… there’s no right way to do it. Leveling up the different combat aspects of your character is addictively fun.
  4. Raising an army – Although you can play the game without firing a single arrow, fundamentally it is a game about conquering the world. The troop trees in the game are really deep, so putting together the perfect army is a lot of fun in its own right. You can take different types of soldiers from the various factions across the map and create a force that is perfect for your own play style. Players can even mix proper soldiers with bandits and mercenaries. The mix is really fascinating when out on the battlefield.
  5. Addictive replayability – As soon as something happens, good or bad, the player immediately gets the sense to keep trying. If you win a big battle, you want to go on to the next one. If you lose a big battle, you immediately want to raise a new army and try again. There’s something deeply satisfying about the game’s feedback loop. I continue to come up with new build ideas long before I reach the end of my current playthrough.