Review by: Todd Brakke

Mount & Blade Warband isn’t so much a sequel to the original Mount & Blade as it is version 2.0. Whether or not it’s a worthy successor to the somewhat simplistic, but much loved original depends on what you wanted to see improved. If you wanted appreciably improved graphics, more political intrigue, or some fairly standard online multiplayer modes then this is your game. If you wanted the inclusion of a dedicated storyline (the game has none and it’s not intended to), a much needed re-thinking of the user interface, or a complete overhaul of the game engine, you’re not going to get your money’s worth here.

Warband is a game in which you create a lone character and arrive in the land of Calradia, a rather turbulent place consisting of six distinct kingdoms that in each game you play dynamically wage war and make peace with each other. This is not a fantasy game. There’s no magic. No gods or monsters. There is steel and horse and lords and ladies. Once you arrive on the shores of the kingdom of your choice the game all but turns you loose to find your own way in the world, trying to make your mark.

The most important thing to know about Warband is that it is not an easy game to get into. There is no story and, thus, no ending. It just goes. Your first job is to start taking on quests or errands that can make you a known quantity in whatever kingdom you choose to pass through (which is done using an Indiana Jones styled world map). To do that you need to build an army. To build an army you can hire mercenaries from city taverns (at significant cost, which you surely won’t be able to afford at the beginning) or you can take on raw recruits from surrounding villages. This takes time. To raise an army of forty, fifty, or more troops and engage in enough skirmishes to adequately train and level them up can take hours of traversing the map, looking for raiders, looters, and other nefarious yet relatively weak fodder. During this time you may find yourself wondering if that’s all there is. It most certainly is not.

What awaits those who stick out these early hours of the game is a world loaded with warring kingdoms, political infighting, and quests aplenty. In the grand tradition of Showtime’s The Tudors or the George RR Martin novel A Game of Thrones, much of what you do in Calradia involves securing your reputation with specific kingdoms and nobles in an effort to acquire power and influence. Become a vassal to a king and you may be granted a fief from which you can draw taxes to help pay the bills. (Trained soldiers to follow you don’t come cheap, after all.)

It’s a reputation-based system, but the beauty of it is that your reputation is not just based on your relations with specific kingdoms. Each and every noble has their own level of renown and controversy that determines how they feel about each other and about you. Ally yourself with the Kingdom of the Nords and it won’t take a lot of effort to find out that not all the lords of the realm feel a great deal of love for its king or to each other. If it’s power you seek, you’ll need to take sides. Choose poorly and it might be best to try your luck in a different kingdom or start building a kingdom of your own. If you can convince others to follow you, it becomes you who determines who lords over which territories.