The long-awaited Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord finally has a release date of sorts.
The developer behind the highly anticipated sequel, TaleWorld, has announced the medieval action role-playing title will hit Steam Early Access in March 2020. Though it's not an official release, this will still be one of the first times fans will get a proper chance to play the sequel. Mount and Blade II was first unveiled all the way back in 2012, so getting the opportunity to actually sit down and experience the game is exciting news indeed.
TaleWorld provided a demo of the title back at GamesCom 2018, with a closed multiplayer beta also released earlier this year. It's been a slow and steady journey towards Mount and Blade II's Steam Early Access release.
For those unaware of why Mount and Blade has so many fans excited, the game lets player engage in large battles in a vast open-world. You'll be assuming the role of a leader charged with building a powerful army. You have to gain wealth, notoriety, and come out victorious after every battle to reign supreme. As a leader, you'll also be responsible for feeding your troops, making important decisions and battle strategies, and everything else a great leader does leading up to battle. It also helps that the combat is fluid and highly enjoyable, with the sequel also featuring an engaging campaign.
Essentially, Mount and Blade features all of the best aspects of a Total War game while letting players actually be in the middle of each and every battle. The first Mount and Blade title came out in 2008 for PC and was praised for its innovative combat and complex character skills system.
TaleWorlds gave a brief explanation for why they chose to release the sequel first on Steam Early Access, stating this will give the developer time to parse through any issues and feedback it receives from players. It plans on making the game's world more detailed as well, all in effort to release the best possible product further down the line. We still don't know when the game will officially launch, but at least fans can get their hands on it next March.