Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Reviews
Though Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord provides a fun outlet with its battles and the strategies you can employ within them, everything else is lacking in comparison. You might get a solid 5-10 hours of enjoyment out of the campaign before you it dawns on you that there's not much else to discover but a disappointing realisation.
Like Total War, when the players massive armies clash in battle it is a sight to behold, luckily the game offers the option to simulate battles and watch the AI troops clash. This, to me was massively more enjoyable than trying to struggle through the games clunky combat. While I loved the depth offered in the RPG elements of the world, I came away disappointed enough by the combat that is just made the whole experience feel like a chore to play; combine that with the lack of a real story and I Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord just didn’t turn out to be the total medieval simulator game I was hoping for.
A shallow grind of an overworld strategy game threatens to ruin enjoyment of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord's unique and sublimely gritty tactical action.
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord is a well-crafted, but too shallow blend of genres. While the 3D combat is realistic and immersive, the strategic aspects of the title lack detail, making the campaign monotonous and leading the player to repeat the same actions almost mechanically. You will have hours of fun if you like to take part in first-person shoot-outs, otherwise you might get bored quickly. In any case, I recommend playing the title in the PC version and not on consoles.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord continues to offer a unique mix of grand strategy and large scale 3D battles. The strategy aspect could have used more depth and variety, as well as a better designed campaign and a lot more tutorials. But it's the battles that steal the spotlight, with thrilling large scale encounters. While the developers couldn't deliver on all their ambitions, the distinctiveness of the gameplay still helps the sequel stand out.
I’ve never been a big fan of games that require you to invest huge amounts of time before they get good. Our time is valuable and while Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord does eventually get good, the uninteresting grind along the way and lifeless world didn’t do much to pull me back. Fans of the series will still have a great time and if you are willing to invest your time you’ll definitely be rewarded for it, but its frustrating to see so much potential for an even better game left unrealized.
Should you buy Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord? If you’ve got the slightest taste for big battles or an interest in medieval conquest, absolutely. Don’t expect the depth of, say, Crusader Kings III, but for fans of medieval warfare this is a real winner.
Mount and Blade 2 : Bannerlord is an ambitious game ready to make players lose sleep for months, although not everything is perfect. To give it a chance is to enjoy a deep and intelligent RPG.
Review in French | Read full review
My return to Calradia wasn't entirely jubilant, though Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord is a game I'll likely stick with, simply due to my love of the original. A wealth of new systems and activities help this sandbox strategy sim feel more alive than ever, though the busywork required to get anywhere can feel like a grind. Overall, existing fans will rejoice while newcomers may look on unimpressed, unsure what all the fuss is about.
Bannerlord doesn't excel graphically or in storyline, but makes that up in flexibility and scale. The vibrant world evolves even without the gamer and offers both opportunities and threads that can be exploited. This is a true mediieval sandbox where the player can act as he wishes, but always has to face the consequences. While much great effort is put into making this game playable on consoles, the sheer number of options, menus and controls make this better suited for PC.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Bannerlord is a layered experience, even played on console, despite some flaws with its controls.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The struggles and the slow work up in the medieval hierarchy are good enough to keep us glued to the screen until late into the night. Especially if you want to compete against other army leaders in multiplayer mode, you should definitely take a look here, because "Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord" is a gaming experience like no other despite its flaws.
Review in German | Read full review
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord takes you to the Calradia and then makes you drink wine from someone's skull. Good game but still has the potential to be better. I can't wait to see it.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord is the pinnacle of sandbox medieval RPGs. There is much to learn and master for those willing to spend hundreds of hours perfecting their command.
Bannerlord, in spite of its shortcomings, is a great game to play for tactics enthusiasts and players that love huge battles. Its simulation style of gameplay is fairly unique and keeps me coming back. An easy recommendation to all that love their sandboxes.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a wonderfully in-depth adventure RPG. You'll love its sprawling open world, and its time-sink campaign. Sadly, its multiplayer option isn't as captivating, but that matters not. With vast battles and folksy audio, this will impress you throughout.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a medieval RPG and strategy game with a realistic and challenging combat and army management, tons of different features and various gameplay styles. It's fun and addicting, but it's not without flaws. If you forgo the performance issues and minor bugs, you can enjoy playing the game for a long time.
Ten long years have passed since the announcement of the latest installment of Mount & Blade. Then the game was in early access, and now it's finally finished and fully battle-ready. Not all fans are thrilled with the result, as not everything is as it could have been, but it's still a trip worth taking part in.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord is a game that can swallow you whole and make you forget about everything else – including its own flaws. That’s the beauty of this series – the gameplay, and particularly the large-scale, real-time combat, makes us shrug off ugly face models, underdeveloped diplomacy, or dumb AI.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord combines RPG mechanics with grand strategy and features battles so epic they can be overwhelming at times. It has some rough edges, and the interface can be unwieldy, but at its core lies a roleplaying experience that is virtually unrivalled in scope - especially on console.