Mount&Blade: With Fire and Sword

By: Derek Yu

On: May 4th, 2011

TaleWorlds has released a follow-up to Mount&Blade: Warband called With Fire and Sword that’s set in 17th-century Eastern Europe. The game features firearms, which is a first for the series, and adds some new quests and maps to its singleplayer and multiplayer modes. The full game is $14.99 and a demo is available from the website.

Mount & Blade: Warband

By: Derek Yu

On: April 1st, 2010

TaleWorlds is calling Mount & Blade: Warband a sequel, but perhaps “stand-alone expansion” is more accurate? In any case, Warband does add a lot of exciting new features: 64-player multiplayer battles, overhauled graphics and combat, political intrigue, and romance, among other things. What hasn’t changed? Sweaty, grunty, bearded bastards riding around on horses, stabbing and clubbing each other in a fashion more realistic than any other game you’ve played!

You can purchase Warband for $30 as a digital download – the original game is not required. There is a demo available from the TaleWorlds website.

TIGdb: Entry for Mount & Blade: Warband

Mount & Blade v1.0

By: Derek Yu

On: September 19th, 2008

At long last, the mighty Mount & Blade has reached version 1.0! You can now purchase it in retail shops across the United States and Europe, or as a download here, from GamersGate. The final price of the game is $29.99.

As usual, developer TaleWorlds is keeping mum on the changes from v0.960 (their front page hasn’t even been updated to reflect the new release). However, a quick peek around the TaleWorlds forums might glean some info as to what’s been added.

What is this, the banner year for independent gaming? Braid, Castle Crashers, Iji, and now M&B (to name just a few). I’m scared to think what’s going to pop up after the IGF submission deadline! …Maybe a beer angel?

(Source: Kieron Gillen, via Rock, Paper, Shotgun)

TIGdb: Entry for Mount & Blade

Mount & Blade v0.950 Released!

By: Derek Yu

On: April 30th, 2008

Image by Vanemuine, via the TaleWorlds forums.

The latest version of the awesome cavalry/siege sim Mount and Blade has been released, offering a slew of improvements, including new character models and animations, new towns and cities, new quests (with rehauled dialogue and descriptions), better AI, and more video options. The developers are claiming that v0.950 contains most of the features they want to add for v1.0, which will be published by Paradox Interactive later this year.

For a more complete list of changes (which is being compiled by players), click here. For more gorgeous screenshots, click here!

As before, you can still buy and play the game now for $25, which will also grant you access to the $39 full version when it comes out.

(Source: Kieron Gillen, via Rock, Paper, Shotgun)

Mount and Blade v1.0 Gets Publisher

By: Derek Yu

On: January 24th, 2008

…and a tentative release date of “Q2 2008” otherwise known as “coming this summer” in the Northern Hemisphere. (Actually, the developer is quoted as saying that they are “aiming for May” on their forums.)

Mount and Blade, the insanely awesome combat/cavalry sim by husband and wife development team TaleWorlds, has been in open beta for nigh 3 years now, and is currently at version 0.903. The official release of the game will be published by Paradox Interactive, best known for developing the Europa Universalis series of historical strategy games. Paradox is also publishing the next installment of the indie horror series Penumbra, titled Black Plague, which is coming out on February 12th!

Fortunately, this deal will not affect current players, who can still pre-purchase the game at $25 (final version $40) and look forward to new beta releases until 1.0.

Check out the official press release and also some new screenshots at Worthplaying.

(Source: Kieron Gillen, via Rock, Paper, Shotgun)

Mount and Blade v0.890

By: Derek Yu

On: September 21st, 2007

Mount and Blade, the incredibly realistic and detailed medieval combat game, saw a whopper of a new update last week. The last public version, which I believe was 0.808, was released almost a year ago!

Some of the more notable changes in this version include ragdoll physics for soldiers and horses, a graphics overhaul, and generally just a mind-boggling number of improvements and additions to every aspect of the game, from commanding troops to the faction system. Strangely enough, Taleworlds does not publicize the changes from version to version, so fans of the game are compiling a list, the most current of which can be viewed here.

If you’ve been waiting for a good time to try out this game, which was one of our 50 Really Good Indie Games, now is it!

(Source: Soldat Movies, Image Source: Antix from the M&B forums)