Have you ever wondered how it feels to wield a sword, lead an army, or even  kill a man? You can experience all of that and more in the game Mount&Blade. Published in 2008, it was reviewed as having bad graphics and having monotone dialects. However, it is more than that. From being able to become a lord, a mercenary, a bandit, or a merchant, this role-playing medieval game is an intriguing, magnificent work of art. It can get you addicted for the free roam and spontaneous battles that can occur at anytime which are a surprising and pleasant experience. You can fight in a tournament, plains, mountains, villages, and more. Be prepared to enter a world of war, death and pillaging, for that is what makes Mount & Blade special.
As it is an action, role-playing medieval game, it is an extremely fast paced game. It first starts by letting the player make choices for their character. They can choose who their father is, how they spent their childhood, and many other options. Then the player can decide how the character may look. You can change all of the characters feature where in which you can make some pretty interesting faces. When you are done with all of that, you choose the reason you want to become an adventurer, and you ride off to Calradia (the continent where the game takes place in).

The player may spawn in one of the four warring kingdoms, The Vaegirs, Rhodoks, Nords and the Khergits. Each have a troop that they specialize in, whether it be infantry, horsemen, or archers, so the player has the choice to choose either a massive, elite army to demolish other lords, of create a small pitiful army where some may find enjoyment in watching them get slaughtered. From then on, the player has to go to the nearby training camp which teaches the player the controls and how the game works. After going through the brief tutorial, the players are let out into the world of thieves, lords, and merchants. From then on you can recruit troops, trade goods and murder other bands.

Though the concept behind the game is fun and interesting, the game also has its flaws. Though most of the time the graphics are excellent in battle, the dead men sometimes have distorted body shapes. However, the sounds are decent from the death cries, to cheers. It is a dazzling experience that draws you deeper into the world of Mount&Blade.The developers went into great detail for every small piece of the game. For every village, castle, land, the battlefield changes. However, if you turn the parameters too high, the game has a chance to lag and glitch out.

The movement is standard with the conventional “wasd” for movement. Left click is to strike and right click is to block the enemy’s strike. Most of the game requires the mouse, from the dialect with the characters, to hiring men, and the direction of the strikes. The player can also press “r” to alternate from 3rd-person view to 1st-person. For projectile weapons, the player must hold the left mouse button and aim at the enemy. Depending on the distance, the player must lower or raise the crosshair.

Combat is fun, for it can easily get your adrenaline pumping. When the player progress’ further into the game, it slowly gets more complex. The player also has the choice to become a lord after getting a certain level of notoriety which is gained from battle. If equipped with a horse, the player can wield different weapons. The weapons range from swords, axes, bows, crossbows, and more. Better weapons cost more. There are also companions that they can hire to fight for them, but the player has to provide them with the equipment.
             

These are only some of the options in the expansive game of Mount&Blade. It has received multiple awards ranging from Editors Choice to the Best Indie Game. It is just another reason to play this extravagant medieval game. MountBlade is only one of the many versions, there is Warband, Firestorm, and many other multiple versions. For only $9.99, get prepared to get more than you paid for, as you play Mount&Blade.