Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword Reviews

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Written by WorstUsernameEver on May 14th, 2011

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So most of the gameplay and interactions are similar if not identical to those found in the previous games. The plot is easier to grasp, however; the focus is on five familiar historical factions. Now, instead of wandering in a totally freeform style, you can head to the nearest hamlet or town on the main map and accept faction-specific jobs right away to deal with taxes, keep the peace between feuding lords, and so forth. This lets you get right to the point and build a mercenary career posthaste. Some adjustments have also been made to financial matters. You can now establish highly profitable caravans (also defensible by moving them into wagon forts for those times you're attacked by highwaymen) and stick money in banks to earn big interest. Grabbing that cash with both hands and making a stash is a snap because you can clear tens of thousands of the in-game thaler currency in just a single trip as long as you find the right place to market your furs, velvet, and so on. Generally, though, you just need to buy in the south and sell in the north, so you can make a fortune without too much trial and error.

This greater concentration comes at the cost of some of the sandbox feel that is a hallmark of the franchise. Whereas before, you could take a break from the more story-oriented quests and go off to try to win a noble's daughter or get into a tournament either on foot or atop your horse, now, you're generally stuck working for the man. Just about all you can do here for recreation is hit up taverns for bare-knuckled brawls, John L. Sullivan-style. This extracurricular activity is fitting given how this grittier world has been stripped down to the basics of survival, although such one-note scrapping gets dull after a few bouts. Sure, life was pretty rough and hardscrabble in the 1600s. But it would have been nice to have that lesson taught in more involved ways than smashing some drunk's teeth in over and over again.

The game starts with the usual tutorial where you are introduced to the combat system. Mount & Blade veterans will be right at home whereas new players may find things a little stiff and unwieldy especially with respect to aiming. It's not as bad as say Gothic but you will spend a lot of time simply flapping your sword around not hitting anything until you get used to the pin-point accuracy and timing required. Veterans will be delighted when they get their hands on a musket however trying to fire the thing will prove quite tricky. In the tutorial you are told to shoot the lock off a gate which seems simple enough until you miss. You miss again and again until you realise that even at this range with a non-moving target the game requires pin-point accuracy with your gun so you actually hit the bar and not the lock. Take this forward to shooting from horseback and you can see the problem here. It is not uncommon to have a farcical situation where you are on horseback unable to shoot anyone while 12 to 18 people are chasing you on foot. Cue the Benny Hill Music.

When we previewed the game one worrying factor was the frequency with which the game would crash and the general lack of polish. Thankfully, the game seems to run well now with none of the random crashes or obvious spelling mistakes and AI bugs we found before. It remains a remarkably rough looking game plagued by interface diesgn issues and outright ugliness. Everything from the menu screens to the over-world map is functional but amateurish. Its only when the actual battles begin that you see some of the visual charm Taleworlds have managed to produce with modest technology.

As you enter a battle there's a thrilling sense of apprehension and excitement. Like the moment at the start of Braveheart (hold..hold) the enemies are often so far away you can't see them. As they crest a hill, they seem tiny but move fast. Whether the combat arena is a deserted moonlit valley or a sparse forest at sunset, the game engine conspires to make the movement and animation of the huge groups of NPC's and the dynamic combat look impressive. The behaviours of the AI controlled NPC's are generally convincing and at its best the whole spectacle can look like a battle scene from one of the LOTR's movies.

Trying to summarize all the things possible in this game would be an arduous task, for there is just that much to choose from. There are about 5 different factions on the map and each has lords or underlings that can offer necessary missions. From many simple fetch quests to battles to finding or hunting down people; it's a candy store of opportunity. Whether one's taste goes for trade or looting villages, escorting caravans or robbing these blind for a nation or as a free man; again the choices are all there. But to make sure this happens properly, men will need to be hired for protection, be fed and paid and thus will begin the cycle of economics.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a hindrance in this quest for thalers, being the current currency. The economy scheme isn't bad per se, but rather peculiar at first. It seems the only way to make any startup funds is to destroy people's lives. Trading requires funds in advance, hunting down and murdering bandits for loot is much too straining and most starter quests offer nothing more than troop wages. To survive, one of the available nations will have to yield and a village or two will need to be burned and looted to gain some coin. This wouldn't be so bad if anything wouldn't cost so damned much. With items all costing well over the thousands, it's hard to gain resources through legal means. Luckily, once started, it gets easier, but the fastest way will still be that which tramples innocents underfoot, so here's hoping on not so honorable intentions.

The Mount & Blade games are all about getting involved in the warfare and violent politics of medieval Europe in a very real way. The end game sees you leading your grubby band forth to siege cities, instigate rebellions, and even work with rightful (or pretend) heirs to out various kings and leaders to slot your boss in their place.

To start with, though, you're placed at the very bottom of the ladder. You are a dude with a shirt and a sword. And I'm going even lower.

For starters, there's an option in the menu, on by default, which causes your hero to take half damage in combat. I quickly correct that. Also, in character creation, I shunt all of my points into Intelligence and Charisma rather than Strength and Agility. I want to see just how bad a fighter I can take to the top.

If I listen very closely, I think I can hear the game laughing in my face.

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