Survey participants given view of latest installment in series

Hear ye, hear ye, the “Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord” beta is here! Since 2012, TaleWorlds Entertainment has been teasing alpha gameplay footage and information on the next installment of the “Mount and Blade” series.

Finally, a bright ray of sunlight has broken through the clouds of secrecy in the form of the multiplayer beta.

The beta released last Friday to a chosen group of people who had taken the TaleWorlds Bannerlord Beta survey. TaleWorlds sent out Steam codes to the chosen testers and the world finally got its first glimpse at what is to come.

So far, the “Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord” beta is a bit of a mixed bag. There are some good and bad features.

This is not to say that the beta is the final game by any means but there are things to look at which need to be changed.

Positives of the ‘Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord’ beta

Two game modes

In the beta, there are currently two different battle modes to test out, being Captain mode and Skirmish mode. Both are exciting and require skill and strategy to win.

Captain mode pits two teams of six players against each other in an epic battle. The goal is to either capture three objectives on the map or eliminate the other team. This mode is the more classic version of “Mount and Blade” the beta has to offer.

For players of the beta, this mode offers a look at the updated command system TaleWorlds is introducing to ‘Bannerlord’. Unlike in the previous titles of the series, there are formations which can be selected to form troops into potentially more effective fighting units. From shield walls to arrowheads, there are many different choices to make.

Skirmish mode pits a team of six players against another team of six players. The goal is the same as the Captain mode, but a bit more personal. That is because there are no friendly troops for you to command. It’s just you and your fellow players. This means that knowing how to use the sword and shield on your own character is significantly more important in this mode. From having to quickly switch between attacking and defending, to deciding when to run or fight, this mode is all about making quick and skillful decisions in one vs. one combat.

Graphics

The first notable thing after jumping into any kind of match is the improved visual graphics.

As should be expected from a sequel in a game series where the last installment was nearly ten years ago, the graphics in ‘Bannerlord’ look much better. Sunlight glints off armor and weapons get coated with blood after every swing. Grass sways with the wind and even moves out of the way as you and your troops walk through it, offering a much more dynamic and realistic experience.

While the upgraded graphics are not necessarily top-notch like some of the triple-A games that exist, Taleworlds is not a triple-A game company, and honestly, that is by no means a bad thing. For having a much smaller development team, everything in the game looks very nice and that is all it really needs to be.

Physics

The physics system in the “Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord” beta is clearly much better and more logical than the previous iterations in the series. A good example of this can be seen in how the cavalry units traverse the terrain.

A horse is not a light animal and should not feel like one. From slowing down to make a tight turn or charging into the tightly packed ranks of infantry, horse units in this game give off the impression of having a lot more weight with more realistic animations.

Cavalry aside, hitting soldiers with a weapon can knock them down or can send them screaming over a cliff face. Examples like this show how there are many different kinds of outcomes that can take place in battle.

The new takes the old with it

TaleWorlds has kept a lot of what was in “Mount and Blade: Warband” and put it into ‘Bannerlord’ (regarding combat). Most of the controls and mechanics are easily recognizable as coming from the 2010 installment. Aiming your weapon, a certain way to lunge or swing, picking up items on the battlefield and using bash to stun enemies are featured in this beta. This old-style of combat brings with it a familiarity amongst older fans of the series and is still easy to learn for new players.

Things which need to be worked on:

Focus on multiplayer

Most games on the market feature a multiplayer mode for players who want to play together. This is all well and good, but while “Mount and Blade” have always included multiplayer, it was never the focus. The focus of the “Mount and Blade” series has always been its single-player adventure. So, it is a little disconcerting to see that the beta is only showing off the game’s new multiplayer segments. Many players from the chat in the beta and Youtubers who are knowledgeable about the game series have similar complaints. Hopefully, TaleWorlds will release more information about new modes for testing in the beta later down the road.

Beta chooses what you play

While there are only two game modes available in the “Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord” beta, it is hard to choose the one you like. This is because the beta will sometimes ignore your selection of a game mode and thrust you into the other.

This means that players who enjoy the Captain mode may end up in Skirmish mode and vice versa. In terms of the beta’s launcher, TaleWorlds should make sure it is working and is sending players where they want to go.

There are plenty of bugs and glitches which could be mentioned, such as fighting on horseback being harder than it needs to be and sinking into the ground as if it was not there. These issues, however, are not a representation of the final product.

Betas are a way for a developer to test out prototypes of their games in a population, to see what needs to be fixed, balanced or removed before the final product is sent out to the public.