The action RPG Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is currently available on Steam for €30. This is a low price in the Steam Winter Sale.
Fans of the game spend hundreds of hours with the mix of strategy and RPG; Bannerlord is still being developed and receives regular patches. Christmas 2023 seems to be the ideal time to check out the game, which has been somewhat overlooked by many, says MeinMMO author Schuhmann.
What kind of game is it?
- “Bannerlord” is essentially a mercenary simulation: You are the leader of a clan in a fantasy land that resembles our Middle Ages. You hire companions and soldiers, can fight battles, solve quests, trade, and advance your rise and that of your dynasty in this world.
- Bannerlord launched in Early Access in 2020 and had a massive launch with 250,000 concurrent players during Early Access. Even today, it averages almost 19,000 players online – a testament to the game’s long-term motivation.
- On Metacritic, Bannerlord only scores 77%, but it is one of the few games where the user score of 81% is higher than the critic opinion.
Why should you get it now? Bannerlord is currently available on Steam for €30. This is a historic low price – the game has only been this cheap once before, during the Summer Sale 2023.
Normally, you pay €50 for it, or €35 if there is a discount.
Many people with 200 hours in the game are still thrilled
What stands out in the reviews? In the reviews on Steam, it becomes clear how much time one can spend with Bannerlord: Many of the people who recommend the game on Steam have spent 200 hours or more with the epic. Especially through mods, the game has the potential to be a long-term hit:
- A player with 211 hours writes: “I just opened the game, suddenly it was 2 hours later.”
- A player with 252 hours writes: “Do you remember when your army captured me and extorted my coins, and I then executed every ruler in your kingdom, until you were the last one left? What happened now? Oh, your head is rolling.”
- A player with 260 hours writes: “I can definitely say this game is just fascinating. The open world, the tactical battles, and the character development offer hours of fun.”
Bannerlord had its hype too early, suffers from Early Access
Why is the game not more well-known if it is such a hit? Bannerlord belongs to the games that suffered from Early Access:
- The vast majority of players on Steam had it in a much too early phase in April 2020
- When it was later polished and became really good, it could never reach that hype level again – around the release, in October 2022, it had just under 60,000 people at peak.
The rise from a common man to a warlord is motivating
What makes it appealing? Bannerlord gives you the satisfying feeling of achieving something in a world and playing a role.
You start with a few foot soldiers and are barely able to hold a sword yourself. But in just 20, 30 minutes, you quickly become a competent mercenary, wandering around with 20 people, hunting down smaller bandit groups and trading.
After 4.5 hours, you suddenly command 60 men, have infantry, archers, and cavalry, and some personal vassals who fulfill special functions in your clan: You start to think bigger.
In the end, you conquer your own castles, play a central role in the political struggle for power, wear shining armor, ride a noble steed, and behead fools left and right who dare to cross your path.
This rise motivates and keeps players engaged for hundreds of hours, as one can see.
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