I know there's already a post up on this, but it's 2 years old and I wanted to comment on this. I was on Steam looking for a demo, when I stumbled upon the most amazing game that I'd never heard of until then. It's called Mount & Blade, and it's something truly special. Apparently it's been around for a while, and people have been talking about this game throughout its development cycle. Apparently it was developed by a handful of people in Turkey, with 2 main developers, a husband and wife duo. It was officially released in September of 2008.
There are two things that really amaze me about this game:
1. The combat. It's fun and dynamic (if a bit unwieldy), and the mounted combat is like nothing I've ever experienced. It's totally thrilling to ride around the battlefield on a horse and taking out 9 guys on your own because you're mounted and they're not. It's not a given, the game definitely makes you work for it (a battle that size can last like 10 minutes), and it's entirely possible that you'll be overtaken. It's a ton of fun to spear guys with your lance, and, if you're knocked off of your horse, fighting for your life with sword and shield against the remaining foes. The different types of weapon configurations are really compelling, too. I haven't experience archery, too much, but from what I've seen you can become really effective, even atop a horse at full gallop. I tend to prefer a shield, since you can block more or less anything by just right-clicking, but if you don't have one, or it gets destroyed, you're forced to rely on your parrying skill (and I'm not talking about a number, I mean your actual skill at anticipating the blows and blocking them from the direction that they are coming). I've already mentioned how I prefer a lance/spear, though you can wreak some serious havok with a sword on your horse, too, but sometimes that's not an option. In fact, for tournaments, training, and various other encounters, your gear is totally randomized, forcing you to learn to use the wide variety of armaments in the game. You also must rely on your own resourcefulness. For example, I fought in a tournament today and was given a shield and a hatchet, but others were given a horse. This ended very badly for me, as I was charged outright, the rider's momentum allowed him to blow through my shield, nearly killing me in a single blow. But in this situation, you have to keep your wits about you and attempt to procure a horse that you or someone else has liberated from an enemy rider.
2. The second amazing thing about this game is its epic scale. Think medieval Spore. You start out as a lone guy on a horse. You've got a sword, crossbow, and some fish (to eat), and that's about it. From this point, you can go forth and make your way in the world however you see fit. You can perform tasks for others, collecting taxes, hunting bounties, delivering things, etc. You can kill bandits or attack traders. You can participate in tournaments, herd cattle, trade goods. There's tons to do. So right now it sounds more like medieval Freelancer, I know. But that's just how you start. Eventually you can raise your own band, and they'll level-up alongside you (have I mentioned this is an RPG, too?), or you can hire mercenaries and even some special heroes in the taverns. As your wealth, power, and fame grow, you can turn that band into an army and siege villages, cities, and castles. You can take prisoners, capture a castle, start your own fiefdom, and go to war with neighboring kingdoms. It's really crazy how far you can go, and the level of depth involved along the way. Battles can even get up to 1000 troops, all of them fully detailed, and singly engagable, and they're VERY dynamic. When you start a battle, you're a good distance away from your enemy, which you must find (before they find you), and you can order your troops to a number of positions and tactics. If you're on a horse (and you really should be), you're going to want to fight on a flat plain, so if possible, you'll want to lure your enemy to one (if you can find it). You put your archers on a hill overlooking the plain, set your spearmen against the enemy calvary, and use your swordsmen and calvary as you see fit (often with you charging alongside them). It can be very difficult, but even losing is fun, as the enemy will usually cut you down mid-charge (anyone can get dragged by their horse, an impressive, if funny, effect). I remember wanting to see what fighting traders was like, so I attacked some, expecting a bunch of businessmen on donkeys escorting a wagon. They were fully armored, all 32 on horses, and when I saw this, I fled, but they caught up to me. All the while, I was watching them charging after me with glee, as you really get the impression that you're about to be trampled by 32 horses.
This game is a ton of fun, and the full version is only $30. I highly recommend it. You can download it from the main site (linked above), or on Steam. The game is free to download and play until level 7, at which time you must buy a key. I've spent the last 3 days telling people about this game, and I've only come across one person who's heard of it. I'd love to hear other people's reactions, and if you haven't done so, spread the word. This one is really special.
