Slow and steady
It’s cathartic to see an upcoming release you’ve followed for years finally come out (or at least hit a major milestone). It’s not quite time for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, but my goodness, we’re getting there. The medieval sandbox RPG has committed to a March 2020 release on Steam Early Access.
Yep, it’s still tantalizingly out of reach. But hey, look, a new trailer for gamescom!
Why Early Access? “Since Mount & Blade II offers a vast, unique, and dynamic sandbox experience, it is only possible to test its limits by making it available to players. Also, Bannerlord‘s massive world requires time to create, giving each city its own identity and breathing life into every character.”
It’s been a hell of a long wait, don’t get me wrong, but I think Mount & Blade can get away with it as a series that leaves players with memorable, one-of-a-kind stories. Grand castle sieges, bitter years-long rivalries, armored horses running people over with reckless abandon – the sense of scale here rules.
If you can’t wait until March, heads up: TaleWorlds is hosting a multiplayer-only beta for Bannerlord.