Mount & Blade II's insane melee combat playable for first time at this year's E3
After eight years, Mount & Blade is still an awkward, unwieldy name. But it doesn't matter because something about its stiff-armed melee combat still feels rewarding, regardless of how many times you have to circle back around on your horse to take another swing at that lone footman because timing your swings properly in order to take that soldier down requires an act of congress.
Well, the upcoming Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (release TBD) will be playable for the first time at E3 2017 (June 13-15). Mount & Blade II is the next in the series, after 2010's Mount & Blade: Warband, and 2011's Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword. The press release makes it sound like it'll be hands-on for journalists only.
Who cares if it's visually lagging behind the competition; this siege defense video is nuts. You're an archer manning the walls against an oncoming army. The attackers are putting ladders up against your walls while you shoot them down, or hack them down with an ax when they reach the top. The attackers are also pushing siege towers up a hill to get at you. Again: arrows, arrows, arrows, trying not to accidentally plunk one into the back of your ally's head. Great, now the attackers have pushed a battering ram up to your gates, and that thing is just going to town on your defenses. But hey, when you run out of arrows, you can even grab bowling ball-sized boulders to huck down onto your enemies' heads.
This battle is amazing. It's like having boots on the ground in a Total War scenario. For some reason, Mount & Blade II conveys the insanity of medieval combat better than so many other ways I've seen it depicted, despite its roughshod appearance and the obvious extra layer of polish it needs before launch. (Keep in mind that the video below is nine months old, though.) Watch this six-minute video and tell me that war isn't just the dumbest thing you've ever seen in your life. It eventually devolves into this writhing mass of yelling, metal hitting metal, metal chopping into skulls, and people gurgling to their death.
And yet. And yet I've got to get my hands on this one. Good luck at E3 2017, TaleWorlds Entertainment.
MOUNT & BLADE II: BANNERLORD PLAYABLE AT E3 2017
ANKARA, Turkey (June 5, 2017) – TaleWorlds Entertainment will offer hands-on demonstrations of its upcoming title to press at the E3 expo in Los Angeles, June 13-15. Attendees will experience Mount & Blade’s deep and intuitive combat system firsthand in an epic, large scale battle, featuring hundreds of on-screen combatants; supported by an all-new tailor made engine. Multiple gameplay videos will be shared during the event, giving fans a detailed look at the game’s field combat.
“We are excited to see how attendees react to playing Bannerlord and receive feedback on the game. Putting the game in the hands of players represents another major milestone as we work towards a release.”
Ali Erkin – Managing Director, TaleWorlds
This will be the first time Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord has been available to play outside of the TaleWorlds studio. A team of TaleWorlds developers, led by company CEO / Founder Armagan Yavuz, will be on hand to guide attendees through the demo and answer questions.
“Last year E3 was a tremendous success and learning experience for us as a company. This year, we have a great hands-on demo lined up and are thrilled to be giving visitors their best-ever look at Bannerlord.”
Armagan Yavuz – CEO / Founder, TaleWorlds
