Mount & blade

The game does not have any specific plot and clear goal. All the tasks he receives are aimed at obtaining money and / or experience (with the exception of a few), affect either relations with lords or relations with cities, villages or entire states. Also in the game there are pretenders to the throne of one of the factions, taking the side of which, the player can unleash a civil war, create an empire and overthrow the king.

All events in Mount & Blade take place on the territory of the fictional kingdom of Calradia. There are 18 cities on the territory of the world, as well as a large number of castles and villages divided between five warring countries: The Kingdom of Swadia , The Kingdom of Vaegirs , The Kingdom of Nords , The Kingdom of Rodok ( The Kingdom of Rhodoks ) and the Kergit Khanate ( The Khergit Khanate ). At the head of each state is a king who can appoint a marshal, commander of the Lords during the military campaign.

In addition to the main fractions, there are neutral troops of various types: sea raiders, forest bandits, mountain bandits, thieves, deserters of all fractions, steppe bandits, bounty hunters (all but the last are hostile to you). In addition, peasants and merchant caravans travel along the roads.

The currency in the game is the dinar ( Denar ).

Character Creation and Development

As in many similar games, you need to create a character before starting the game. First, it is proposed to choose the gender, then the origin and past of the hero, as well as indicate the reason why he decided to go on a trip. All these parameters will affect the initial skills of the character, his equipment and the complexity of the game at the initial stage.

Killing enemies or completing tasks, the player gains experience. Upon reaching a certain amount of experience, the hero moves to a new level. When you move to a new level, you get 1 point of characteristics (strength, agility, intelligence and charisma), 1 point of skills (survivability, possession of weapons, horse riding, surgery, leadership, etc.), and 10 points of skill (one-handed, two-handed, pole, throwing weapons, as well as bows and crossbows).

Melee

The melee combat system consists of four different attacks (mainly a chopping strike from the left, right, top, as well as a stabbing strike) and four types of reflection. Melee weapons are divided into several types:

• One handed weapon
• Two-handed weapon
• Polearms
• Throwing weapons

Horse Fight

Horse combat is significantly different from normal. Strikes are carried out as in a foot battle. When the enemy attacks at high speed, the level of damage increases significantly. The same applies to throwing weapons. Damage can be done to both the player and his horse; subsequently, the player himself may lose his horse and will be forced to continue the fight without him or find another.

If you use a polearm on a horse, a "knightly strike" becomes available. To make it, you need to accelerate to a certain speed, the weapon becomes in a fighting position, if the enemy stumbles on the tip of the weapon, then a "knightly strike" will be done, causing significant damage.

Factions

The game has 6 fractions, the names of which may vary depending on the translation and version of the game.

• Kingdom of Swadia (Swad). The faction uses knightly cavalry, heavy infantry and crossbowmen in battle. The capital is Memmingen (Praven). King Garlaus rules this faction. Lady Izolla of Eidelberg (Suno) claims to the throne of this faction. Swadia borders on all factions. Type of robbers: forest (infantry) and mountain (infantry and light cavalry).
• The Kingdom of Vegirs (Vegir) is a fraction, most of which is located in the snowy areas in the east. The army consists of heavy cavalry, infantry and archers. King Yaroglek rules this fraction. Prince Valdim the Illegitimate claims to the throne of this faction. The capital is Breshti (Reyvadin). It borders on the Northern Kingdom, the Kergit Khanate and the Kingdom of Swadia. Type of robbers: taiga (infantry).
• The Kingdom of Rodokov (Rodok) is a fraction located in the mountains in the west. They have no riders: there are only heavy infantry and crossbowmen. King of Grave rules the faction. Lord Castor of Forville (Veluki) is claiming the throne. The capital is Flavia (Dzhelkala). It borders with the kingdom of Svadia and the Sarranid Sultanate. In addition to the Warband, the map was redrawn, and the kingdom of the Rodoks got sea borders in the west. Type of robbers: mountain.
• The Northern Kingdom (Nord) is a fraction located on the northern edge of the map by the sea. The army consists only of heavy infantry armed with large shields and one-handed axes, as well as archers. Some lords walk on foot. The faction is ruled by King Ragnar. Lethwin the Wanderer claims the throne. The capital of the Nords is Smerholm (Sargot). Bordered by the kingdom of Vegirs and the kingdom of Swadia. Type of robbers: sea pirates (Vikings, medium infantry with the best uniforms among robbers).
• Kergit Khanate is a faction located on the southern edge of the game map, in the steppes. The Kergite army consists exclusively of light and medium cavalry. The ruler is Sanyar Khan, the capital is Ugedei (Tulga). Dastum Khan is claiming the throne. Type of robbers: steppe (light cavalry).
• Sarranid Sultanate (only in the addition of Warband), the prototype for which were the Arab countries. The army consists of cavalry and light infantry. It borders with the Kingdom of Rodoks and the Kergit Khanate. Arva Zhemchuzhna claims to the throne of the Sultanate. The ruler is Sultan Hakim, the capital is Shariz.

The modifications created for Mount & Blade are diverse: they change the appearance of objects in the game, houses, castles, replace all textures with better ones, add another and (or) new soundtrack, change the landscape of the world map. In many modifications, the gameplay changes: firearms, morale of troops are added, it becomes possible to become a leader of the faction, and much more. Modifications for non-installed versions of the game, including add-ons, are not compatible with the game, although they can be limitedly ported.

Mount & Blade reviews were mostly positive; Metacritic has a score of 72/100 and GameRankings has a 73% rating ^{[1] [2]} . Browsers recognized the great potential of the game, but noted the overall poor quality of the product. GameSpot concluded that “the game is rather underdeveloped than bad” ^[12] . Eurogamer wrote a review in a similar vein, noting that Mount & Blade “although it has interesting features, but in its current state the game has not come close to fulfilling its promises” ^[3] . IGN rated the game positively, calling it “the best medieval game” ^[4] , and PC Advisor described it as “the best medieval role-playing game” ^[7] . The system of skills and character development was also well received ^{[12] [13]} .

Especially highly rated by the observers were the fights in the game. Critics of Eurogamer, GameSpot, IGN and PC Advisor called the combat component of the best implementation of medieval battles ever created ^{[3] [4] [7] [12]} . But not all reviewers spoke positively about the combat system; PC Zone noted as a drawback significant differences in the implementation of foot combat and horseback ^[5] .

Mount & Blade has been criticized for repeated quests, dialogs and locations, as well as for the low quality graphics ^{[3] [8] [4] [12]} . Eurogamer noted that the graphics engine, however, "may attract players" ^[3] . GameSpot also called the dialogue with the NPC more like a “consultation on a guide to Calradia than a human conversation” ^[12] .

Fandom also received positive reviews from developers and critics. In an interview, TaleWorlds announced that they are proud of their gaming community, noting that “ Mount & Blade is one of the most successful games for developing various custom modifications” ^[14] . GamePro and Game Industry News commentators were also delighted with the number and quality of game modifications created during beta testing ^{[8] [13]} .

Warband

The official addition, the release date of which was postponed from the fall of 2009 to March 29, 2010 ^[15] . The game was released in Russia on April 2, 2010.

In Mount & Blade Warband, it became possible to play on the network (up to 64 players on the map) and a number of game improvements related to graphics and the gameplay as a whole. In particular, the territory of Calradia was expanded and the sixth fraction was added - the Sarranid Sultanate.

Also in addition was added the ability to manage your own state, surround yourself with followers from NPC subjects or bribe other lords to your side. There was also the opportunity to get engaged to any lady or lord (depending on the gender of the player’s character).

There were also changes in military subjects. Now, in battles with any faction, the soldiers of this faction (if they are in the player’s army) begin to desert, because they do not agree to kill their own. Warriors have morality, and now they can escape from the battlefield if they see the enemy's power advantage.

Fire and Sword

“Mount & Blade. Fire and Sword "- an addition to the game" Mount & Blade. The story of the hero. " The development of this game is carried out by Sich studio and the Snowberry Connection production fund ^[16] . The official publisher of the game are Snowball Studios and 1C ^[17] .

The game was released in 2011.

The game takes place in 1654 - 1655 on the territory of Eastern Europe and includes three different storylines. The game has five factional states: the Commonwealth , the Kingdom of Moscow , the Zaporizhzhya Army , the Crimean Khanate and the Kingdom of Sweden ^[18] .

• Mount & Blade on Absolute Games
• Description of the game on LKI.ru (Russian)
• Mount & Blade at Paradox Interactive
• Mount & Blade on Snowball Interactive