Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord is a strategy action role-playing game that lets you create your own character and lead your army in a medieval sandbox world. The game is developed and published by TaleWorlds Entertainment, and it is a prequel to the popular Mount and Blade: Warband. The latest update, 1.2.8, brings some new features and improvements to the game, especially for the multiplayer mode. In this article, we will review the patch notes and see what the players think of the game.
Overview of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord is set in the fictional continent of Calradia, 210 years before the events of Mount and Blade: Warband. The game features a dynamic campaign where you can choose your faction, recruit troops, trade, craft, siege castles, and engage in large-scale battles. You can also customize your character’s appearance, skills, equipment, and banner. The game has both single-player and multiplayer modes, with the latter supporting up to 200 players online.
New Features in Update 1.2.8
The update 1.2.8, released on December 21, 2023, adds some new features and improvements to the multiplayer mode of the game. Here are some of the highlights:
- Multiplayer matchmaking and custom games: You can now join or create multiplayer matches with other players online, using a matchmaking system that balances the teams and the maps. You can also create your own custom games with your own rules and settings, and invite your friends to join.
- Four game modes: The multiplayer mode now offers four game modes to choose from: team deathmatch, skirmish, captain, and siege. Team deathmatch is a classic mode where two teams fight until one of them reaches a certain score. Skirmish is a mode where each player has a limited number of lives, and the last team standing wins. Captain is a mode where each player commands a squad of AI-controlled troops, and the team with the most surviving troops wins. Siege is a mode where one team defends a castle and the other team tries to capture it.
- Improved graphics and combat systems: The update also improves the graphics and the combat systems of the game, making them more realistic and immersive. The game now supports ray tracing, which enhances the lighting and shadows of the game. The game also improves the animations, the hit detection, the collision, and the physics of the combat, making it more responsive and satisfying.
Player Reviews of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
The game has received mostly positive reviews from the players, who praise the game for its combat and command systems, its sandbox gameplay, and its modding potential. The game has a rating of 8.1 out of 10 on Metacritic, and a rating of 9 out of 10 on Steam. Some of the positive comments from the players are:
- “This game is amazing. The combat is so fluid and satisfying, and the command system is so intuitive and fun. I love leading my army into battle and seeing them follow my orders. The game is also very moddable, and there are some great mods that add more content and features to the game.”
- “This game is a masterpiece. The game is so immersive and realistic, and the graphics are stunning. The game is also very challenging and rewarding, and you can play it however you want. You can be a noble, a bandit, a mercenary, a trader, or anything in between. The game is also very replayable, and every playthrough is different.”
However, the game also has some criticisms, mainly for its shallow overworld strategy gameplay, its bugs and glitches, and its lack of polish and optimization. Some of the negative comments from the players are:
- “This game is disappointing. The game is so boring and repetitive, and the overworld strategy gameplay is so shallow and simplistic. The game is also very buggy and glitchy, and it crashes a lot. The game is also very poorly optimized, and it runs very slowly and laggy on my PC.”
- “This game is a mess. The game is so unfinished and unpolished, and it lacks a lot of features and content that were promised. The game is also very unbalanced and unfair, and the AI is very dumb and cheating. The game is also very expensive and not worth the money.”
Conclusion
Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord is a strategy action role-playing game that offers a lot of fun and freedom for the players who enjoy medieval sandbox games. The game has a lot of potential and a loyal fan base, but it also has a lot of problems and flaws that need to be fixed and improved. The latest update, 1.2.8, adds some new features and improvements to the multiplayer mode of the game, but it also leaves a lot of room for further development and polish. The game is still in early access, and the developers are still working on the game and listening to the feedback from the players. Hopefully, the game will become better and more complete in the future.
