Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord Rides Out Today

Horses for courses

Nothing quite compares to the feeling you get when loading up a truly epic game for the first time. I don’t mean epic as in good, although that obviously helps, I mean epic as in “heroic or grand in scale or character”. There’s something enticing and addictive about that sense of anticipation when you’re not quite sure how long the game will be, what stories it will tell, or what kind of power fantasies it will fulfil.

While we get lots of open-world games, Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord manages to feel a bit different to them. Thanks to the mix of strategy and action, you get to see both the bigger picture and the finer details in each fight. It’s a feeling that makes you feel so much more important, and that’s always kind of nice in a game. Mount and Blade 2 promises this in spades, and it’s finally out in Early Access as of today, a full day earlier than was initially announced.

With the sense of scale and medieval combat that fans loved so much about the original game, you’ve also got a realistic economy, loads of skills to learn, and a huge sandbox to play in. There’s also directional combat to master, and the promise of a thriving mod scene thanks to the die-hard fans. It’s sure to be one of the most exciting games around at the moment, and you can get in on it right now. So, what are you waiting for? Go and pick up a (digital) sword or something.