Mount & Blade Preview
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To begin with, while M&B is a RPG, you can forget about wizards and magic. While the game does take place in the fictitious realm of Calradia, you quickly discover that the Calradians seemed to be modeled upon real world medieval empires. For example, there is the Khergit Khanate, a kingdom similar to the Mongols; the Germanic-styled Kingdom of Swadia; the Viking-inspired Kingdom of Nords; the Rus Kingdom of Vaegris; and the rough equivalent of medieval Spain known as the Kingdom of Rhodoks . Each of these five playable kingdoms has a distinctive look to its terrain, architecture and people, but none of them can claim a College of Wizardry or a single forest troll. In a genre so dominated by Dungeons and Dragons, this design decision is as radical as it is refreshing.
But that is only the tip of the innovation as M&B has taken a truly daring step in how the gamer interacts with Calradia. Gone is the third person perspective that is often the hallmark of a modern RPG. Rather, while M&B does offer an over the shoulder third person perspective, it has also paved its own path by offering a first person option, effectively transforming this game into the world's first medieval first person shooter. This decision radically enhances the immersion factor of the game. For example, touring the market district of a town becomes a wonderful experience as you walk the area and take in the sights which are brought to vivid life by the game's graphics engine. The locals come and go and you are free to approach any of them to get the latest gossip or to do a bit of business. Thirsty? Find the local pub and chat up the patrons who often have good business leads or are looking to hire themselves out as mercenaries. Being able to actually walk a town or castle and take in the sights with your own two eyes makes everything seem so much more realistic.
