I didn't think it would look this good. I mean, yes, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord has been in the works at least since its announcement in 2012. That was seven years ago, mathematicians. And yes, that's a lifetime in game-development terms. That's at least how long the embattled Star Citizen has been under development, and look at how cynical we've become about that game ever coming out.
But Mount & Blade II has an early access date now, at least: March 2020. So, in six months or so, we'll finally be able to get our hands on this medieval open world war strategy RPG. That's MOWWSRPG, if you will. (I assembled that genre by mashing together its top-five user-defined Steam tags. Let's move on.)
The trailer opens on a cavalry charge down a dusty sand dune. It looks like light Middle Eastern units armed with shields and spears. Hundreds of them. They just keep pouring over the hill. Then it cuts to heavier mounted troops, now glistening with scale mail, traipsing through the woods. Then it goes from open-field warfare to siege warfare on a castle. Catapults, battering rams and, the scourge of any medieval battlefield, archers. Blood is spraying, horses are whinnying, men are screaming—it's beautiful, beautiful mayhem. We're keeping our eyes on this one.
Again, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord early access is coming to Steam next year in March 2020.
