It's mainly the little things that really give the game its charm. There also other additions to the combat engine, such as formations, although the command interface still needs to be improved. The AI - whilst never being that smart - seems to cope with the new weapons well enough, and you even start seeing Napoleonic tactics emerge - firing lines, skirmishes etc.

it can be a bit of a shock, to begin with, but once you get used to it you find yourself adapting to it easily enough. Armour becomes obsolete, troops don't last as long. Much as firearms revolutionised warfare in real history, so has it revolutionised warfare within Mount & Blade.

Obviously, there's also the inclusion of Gunpowder as well, which is a major change to the game's combat. The main 'story' within the game actually has multiple endings too, offering some replay ability, although since this game isn't really built for a core narrative, it can be a bit hard to 'find' sometimes. The game is based of two well known books in Europe - Alex Trubnikov's Black Hetman and Henryk Sienkiewicz's historical novel With Fire and Sword.

The new historical setting is arguably it's greatest strength - unlike Warband which was little more than what the original game should have been, With Fire and Sword gives a brand new map based on 17th Century Poland (and some surrounding areas), new factions and even a new storyline to follow through. For every step forward, there's also a step backward, and whilst it's not the end of the world, you are left with an experience that - whilst fun and familiar - is also tad dated.

but we suspect a combination of its past and the effect some things like the new setting means that some of the improvements introduced in Warband are missing as well. Thankfully, With Fire and Sword does improve the overall formula somewhat - there are changes, additions, improvements. Now it's finally been given a western release using the newer engine and some additional improvements, but again, if only it was that simple.ĭo you know what this game needs? Bayonets Despite having TaleWorlds name on it, this particular game was actually developed by a separate company in the Ukraine, and it was originally made for the first Mount & Blade game but was only released in Eastern Europe. If only it was as simple as saying Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword is the latest addition to the Mount & Blade franchise.

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