I only partially understand my avid love for the Mount & Blade series so far. The first one came and went, all under the radar. I took a stab at the demo and found it unappealing. Warband was released and I almost didn’t jump on board, but the price was right and the forums reinforced my interest. That decision clocked me in at about 134 hours of fun so far. The blend of RTS and RPG really came together for me in a way I haven’t seen before. When I head about the stand alone expansion, M&B With Fire and Sword, I felt compelled to get it day one. The price was cheap, yet fitting. As we at the Herocast were told, the game is only a slight advancement over Warband and the world the story was set in wasn’t as expansive, but even so it still felt so like so much more.
The Present and the Potential
One of the things the M&B series represents for me is the concept of evolution. The idea that, if enough people like and pay for the core concepts and gameplay behind the visuals, we will be able to take part in the direction that both the visual presentation and gameplay functionality will take. For instance, Warband gave the player a fairly diverse sandbox to enjoy. A lot of it seemed to be along the lines of circumstance, but even so it worked. The world was built as a scale between large and small. Fighting in small scale was more for bandits and invaders, winning over the respect of villages and some nobles. The more grandiose the scale of fighting, the more impact it had on the world situation. It would eventually even allow you to take on the role of king. The social side of the game had a similar function. Trade was a little less in the forefront, but over time and patches it became more robust. With Fire and Sword has begun to fill in the gaps quite nicely.
The social aspect has been expanded upon, allowing you more interaction between village elders, city officials and even the royalty that guides the factions. This is actually more difficult than it was in prior games due to all the new functions focusing more on a realistic nature. It takes a lot for a member of royalty to respect you enough to listen to what you have to say. One of my characters has been actively helping the war effort for the Crimean Khanate, and yet their king still refuses to accept me as an ally on the battlefield. Nothing more than a mercenary. The battles have been greatly advanced as well. The old tactics used in Warband are only so efficient when faced with legions of riflemen. Not only that, but the new types of combat mixes up what was once a fairly wash, rinse and repeat concept. The enemies you face have a few more options of how they would like to engage you. Makes for some interesting judgment calls on the field, and I find that I have been using the hot key commands more often now than before. Not only that, but the very army you lead is now highly customizable. You can bend what was once a cut and dry method of army growth into whatever you want. The best advancement so far for this IP in my opinion is the economy. You are now given the ability to send caravans out for trade rather than just hoping that the AI have your best interests at heart. As well, weapons and armor and horses have all been given more realistic prices. Where as in Warband, I was able to buy a master-crafted long bow almost right away, I could see having to run my own part of a kingdom before obtaining the money to pull that off properly in With Fire and Sword. All these things add to the ambiance. The escapism. And with a fully realized story set in a true historic war backing all the new functions, With Fire and Sword is certainly an experience that shouldn’t go unchecked. It may not be for everyone though. The difficulty, even at normal, is a bit much. But that is where most of the fun comes from.
Its a Big World
Though I have a love-hate relationship with the multiplayer aspect of this game, it is still astonishing to see it in action. All the classic multiplayer types are there from prior iterations, but the factions are all based on the new ones and all the maps are fresh and ready to be stained with the blood of your enemies. My issue is how random it can be at times. One of my first M&B online battles was a 50 vs 50 siege battle. As I was a defender, I decided archer would be a good idea. Somehow I managed to crack a cavalryman in the head from almost entirely across the map. The thing is that was my plan. I lined up the shot and let it rip in the hopes the arrow would land right as he rode by the place I was shooting for. It worked. For a while there I could only imagine the frustration that player must have felt, but then it started happening to me. Wild shots managing to land easily. Swings only parrying some times. Blocks not always working. I feel its something burried in the game mechanics, but I also feel that latency might also play a crucial role in a game where there is only a split second to properly counter and adjust combat styles to achieve victory.
Baring that, I do find myself still having fun doing epic things in the arena that TaleWorlds has crafted for us. Climbing across rooftops to come in over the enemies heads and ambush them from above. Leap over some rubble on horseback while firing off an arrow that cracks some one in the mouth. Having epic duals with other players. All these things make M&B With Fire and Sword one of those titles that you wish would get more coverage over here in the states. I’m just glad Paradox Interactive and Steam have made the series so easily accessible.
