Summary

• 2024 has been a disappointing year for new games, but there is one underrated open-world game that may be worth revisiting.
• Despite a lack of flashy cutscenes, this game offers players immense control over their destiny and gameplay mechanics for engaging battles.
• The only downside is the lack of frequent updates, but the robust modding community offers endless possibilities for new content.

This year has been an absolute drought in of new games and exciting IPs outside a few rare titles like the recent Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. And while one could argue that certain, lesser-talked-about games like Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, Dungeons Of Hinterberg, or even the First Descendant are worth celebrating (and they are), they just don't have that kick or general consensus appeal that games released in the prior few years have had. We're already in July, and from the looks of things, it doesn't look like it's going to get any better.

Outside of a few anticipated titles like Space Marine 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and Frostpunk 2 (notice the trend there?), there aren't many other games I'm looking forward to in 2024. Most highly-anticipated games are slated for 2025, with studios busy working on their next iteration of hardware. 2023 had the likes of Baldur's Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — and that's just scratching the surface, further illustrating 2024's flop status. That said, this drought has driven me back to one of my most beloved franchises of all time, and it's one that probably doesn't get enough attention — Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord.

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord Is The Power Fantasy You Need Right Now

A Medieval Sandbox Ripe For Exploration

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord is a 9/10 "Very Positive" strategy and action RPG on running their own kingdom and granting fiefdoms to the vast array of lords and ladies that make their homes in the lands known as Calradia. With skill trees, armor, and weapons that make players feel like Achilles from Troy, the game mixes action and strategy elements together in a fun way.

Originally released in 2022, the initial reception of Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord was generally positive, though it didn't receive the marketing push as other AAA titles and may have flown under the radar for some. At its peak (four years ago), it reached nearly 250,000 concurrent players but nowadays sees a regular playerbase of around 25K.

Although Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord does have a loose "story," what makes the game so great is the control players have over their own destinies, backed up by fun gameplay mechanics that produce engaging & massive all-out battles with over 300 units in the third-person perspective. In M&B, you can find a husband or wife, have children, and eventually hand over your holdings to your offspring so that they can carry your banner in their name. There aren't any flashy cutscenes or masterfully acted voice-acting, but there certainly is enough fun to be had if one can use their imagination just a bit.

It requires a bit of imagination, but it's also unintentionally the best Game of Thrones game without actually trying to be.

Eventually, you can call other families to you and pledge their fealty, create your faction, become a merchant, or opt for the evil route and accost and loot caravans all day. You can own your own bustling town center, or give it as a gift to a reliable ally, position your brother as mayor, or give it to a companion who earned it. Really, the beauty of the game lies in player choice and different things that can be explored.

I've Spent Over 2K Hours With The Mount & Blade Series

It Sounds Pathetic, But I Thoroughly Enjoyed Myself

When it comes to single-player sandbox experiences, I've never enjoyed a franchise as much as the Mount & Blade series of games. I currently have 587 hours logged into Bannerlord, much of which came recently due to the lack of fun gaming options out there for me right now. What's probably more impressive (or depressing, depending on how you look at it) is that I have 2,203 hours logged into its predecessor, Mount & Blade: Warband.

If you're wondering what would ever possess a human from logging over 100 actual 24-hour days into a videogame franchise, you're probably not alone. The abbreviated version is that Mount & Blade Bannerlord is the closest thing I've found that enables me to build a medieval empire and mixes in action and strategy elements together in a way I've always dreamed of. Mount & Blade melds together aspects of strategy RTS games with an action-packed 3rd person perspective where the main means of dispatching NPCs is riding on the back of a horse with a giant sword. To me, that equals fun.

It requires a bit of imagination, but it's also unintentionally the best Game of Thrones game without actually trying to be (though there are mods for that). Underneath the sometimes vacant expressions, strange one-liners, and recycled dialogue (hey, I never said it was perfect) is a deeper world of political maneuvering, intrigue, and family houses vying for power across the continent. Again, it does require some imagination since there isn't a huge variety in Radiant missions or dialogue, but it makes up for it in other ways.

I Wish The Developers Would Update Their Game More Often

The Only Downside

Since releasing in 2022, Mount & Blade: Bannerlord's developers, TaleWorlds Entertainment, have made some improvements over time. The sequel adds more mechanics than the original had, such as better siege mechanics, weapon crafting, and lineages. That said, returning to the game years later showed me that really not much has changed since I last played, and without an announcement for a M&B 3 or some sort of expansion, I've been eagerly anticipating an announcement for new content.

There have been complaints that hotfixes and patches break mods, so use them at your own discretion — or just buy Warband.

In my latest playthrough, I've taken over nearly the entire map, with just a few holdouts from Vlandia and the Aserai, which I could easily crush with my personal retinue of over 300 top-tier soldiers. There is a robust modding community, so even after I've taken every last settlement, there's always the potential to a full-conversion mod and try my luck outside of vanilla. If you haven't tried Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord yet and like medieval action & strategy titles, I highly recommend that you try it for yourself, especially if you're as unimpressed with recent releases as I am.

Source: Steam, Carolina Warlord/NexusMods