Maybe I´m tapping into something fundamental about the human animal, but riding a bastard sword through a guy´s neck is fucking satisfying. It´s like the thwack of a Wii Tennis ball, the chime of a Tetris, the clink of gold coins being collected, the closing of a profitable trade; carnal base-hormones are triggered, edifying the beast, galvanizing the spine. This is core gameplay at its purest, an unceasing reinforcement exercise, like the thrust of procreation pushed on endlessly, taking lives away rather than risking new ones. Real visceral kind of fun, just like our ancestors used to have when they ran each other through with long swords over land and women, back in the day. When I made another pass on my horse and cut down two blokes in a row, I turned to my chica and said "this kind of thing happened a lot back then." At least, it feels like it should have.
Mount and Blade has been compared to Elite, but with a horse. It evolved out of a husband and wife team in Turkey, a land that´s seen lots of bladed warfare over the millenia. I bought a beta license back in 2005 and played the hell out of it for weeks, hundreds of players like me helped the spouses keep going, and years later we have the final release. Its design has evolved in tandem with the mod and forum community, its spires of achievement have risen from mere wealth and high level slaughter to full on lordship of towns, castles, and siege engines. We´re taking about the middle age Playmobile sandbox experience combined with a trading economy, min/max leveling, and simple yet gut busting swordsmanship. Your inner geek will be suckered by the smooth leveling hooks, the discovery of gear, the making of profits, the gaining of men, but will melt-down to infantile glee when the plank of your siege tower hits the wall of the enemy castle and you charge in with your friends, slicing up archers and chopping over shields. You will somehow find that you are role-playing a character, that the numbers are the garnish, not the main course, and though your character is still a relatively two-dimensional butcher with a civic streak, it´s the kind of role you deserve to play.
Critics have knocked the game´s visuals, and there are a few interface annoyances, not to mention the occasional feeling of juggling quests, but these things fade if you aren´t a completionist and let the chaos take you through battles and betrayals. What´s underlying, besides a great testament to procedural systems as the basis of gameplay, is a political reality that is as subtle as a sledgehammer kissing across your face. The entire game involves a region torn apart by stupid bastards who don´t understand the economic potential of trade, and all the interactions with written NPCs underscores the brutality of a world filled with bearded, grunting primates flinging around one kind of metal in search of another. What´s more, the class division between the armored, horse riding nobility and thier elite soldiers and the rest of the running rabble makes a point in gameplay the echoes through history: we have let ourselves be ruled by well-armed barbarians with fancy titles in order to have protection from less organized criminals. There´s a sense of social Darwinism as you rack up kills in the company of the noble thugs. It almost made me want healing powers and transcendental meditation abilities, but then my baser instincts take over and I lose myself again in a sea of blood and dopamine.
Moments of sheer brilliance
I've just started playing this myself. I'm still early on (and it seems difficult to get started) and yeah, the character graphics are a little ugly, but I'm constantly surprised to find that all the castles and towns aren't cookie-cutters and the 3d environments look good.
But when you're fighting on horseback, there are moments that are danged near perfect gaming moments. The rest is just great fun. What's not to like?
One of the more interesting
One of the more interesting things about Mount & Blade is its business model. I picked it up at around version 0.515 for $15. I got a basic game, with nothing much but combat, but as the game was developed, I ended up getting a fully fleshed out game. Mount & Blade really goes where not too many indies go in terms of scope and scale of the world that it takes place in.
Utterly addictive
Best $12 I ever spent on a game. :)
Mount and Blade made little sense at first -- there was little in the way of help or explanation that early in the beta. I sort of wandered my way into a combat with some river pirates. Finding myself outnumbered, I decided t remain mobile on my horse, and suddenly discovered that combat from horseback worked!
Running down my first enemy with a lance provided a moment of utter glee. :) That said, while you *feel* invincible on horseback, you soon learn that you aren't... those pesky peasants can cut you down to size if they kill your horse!
Add in the large and energetic mod community, and Mount & Blade has remained fresh and entertaining for years.
Feels good
I like how games of the "like they don't do them anymore" category are popping up everywhere, once you start looking. The game reminds me of some of the most classic war/strategy games of the early 90ies.
I love M&B
I've put over sixty hours into this game. I've heard critics complain there is no story. I have to laugh. Everyone who has played M&B for a few hours could tell you a unique tale of heroism and betrayal, glory and desperation. I read one review where the guy was complaining because it doesn't tell you which town to go to first. And these people call themselves gamers? Sheesh!
My only complaint is that you get to a point when you can win any battle easily, even when outnumbered six or more to one. At this point it gets boring, but by then you will have more than got your moneys worth from this unique gem of a game.
The Story
"I've heard critics complain there is no story. I have to laugh. Everyone who has played M&B for a few hours could tell you a unique tale of heroism and betrayal, glory and desperation."
That's a great point, Hendar. The story in Mount and Blade is the story of what you actually did while playing! It's like a sports game in that respect. ("I was down 10 points with two minutes to go. I scored a touchdown on a bomb, got the onside kick, and ran a 50 yard reverse with time expiring." There's your story.)
The only problem with the
The only problem with the game is the final game. Or its absence. You can grow to godlike stats and you will be doing exactly the same as before.
But apart from that? All other criticism is pointless. Yes, graphics are ugly. Yes, quest are repetitive.
But as the review says, it takes LOOOOOOONG to get bored of that "CRUNCH!" feeling when you impale somebody with your lance while riding top speed.
And the mod community is incredible, so after the month or more of hardcore gaming (this got closer to "I'm going to lose my job" than most games in 2008 for me), you may spend into the thing and then quitting, well, take your rest, then 3 or 4 months later go and see if there is a mod you like, and its fun again.