Want to build your own mini-empire, accompanying your soldiers into battle? Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord could be right up your dusty, medieval street.
The game has been in Early Access for a while, but has now launched onto PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. Sequel to Mount & Blade: Warband, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord has you trying to stake your claim in the middle of a civil war.
But it’s not just a case of sending troops out to kick bottom – you can join them in combat too. Want to direct their actions? Go ahead. Or maybe you feel like just yelling “charge” and seeing what happens? That’s fine too, assuming you don’t mind being the last person standing.
We’re not kidding, either. We had a lot of fun with Bannerlord when we previewed it couple of years ago, and having a battle go badly is one of the memories that’s really stuck with us. At one point we ended up galloping around the battlefield, labouring under the mistaken impression that we could defeat the hordes ourselves, Dynasty Warriors style. You can probably guess how well that went.
You can pick up Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC. It’s priced between £39.99 and £44.99 but, right now, it’s 20% or so off on Xbox and PC (via Steam).
Just remember, there’s no shame in a tactical retreat.
