Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord has released ahead of schedule and is available to play as an early access title, but be aware of bugs.
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord has been in development for a long time, and technically it still is. It’s been eight years since it was first announced and though it seems to be lacking the battle royale mode fans had hoped for, it has finally arrived in early access.
In fact, the medieval title has released a day earlier than expected, as explained in a blog post on developer TaleWorlds’ official website.
‘We want to take a moment to talk about the current coronavirus pandemic’, reads the post. ‘It probably goes without saying, but this certainly isn’t the scenario we envisaged for the release of the game.’
‘However,
we have tried to make the best of a bad situation and thankfully, with the help
of our IT team, have been able to continue work on the project from home. This
has come with its own challenges of course, but we are still very grateful and
lucky to work in an industry where it is possible to work remotely, which we know
isn’t the case for many of you.
‘It
might seem like a pretty ideal time to release a game (after all, everyone is
at home right!?), but we know that the current situation has placed a lot of
people in a difficult position when it comes to balancing their finances and
risking their health.’
TaleWorlds has also decided to make the game available for 10% off during the first two weeks of release, and that anyone who owns a previous Mount & Blade title can get an additional 10% off in select digital stores.
Part action role-playing, part strategy, and part sandbox, Bannerlord offers a single-player campaign mode where you can create your own character and either take on a series of story missions or explore the world of Calradia at your leisure.
A multiplayer beta will also be included and will come with four different modes: Skirmish, Team Deathmatch, Siege, and Captain. TaleWorlds has stated that it intends to continue supporting multiplayer with more modes and features.
However, TaleWorlds has also warned that, since it’s in early access, there will most likely be bugs, glitches, missing features, and reused assets for things like voiceovers and animations.
The blog post even adds that, if you’d prefer to experience everything the game will eventually offer, then you should wait until the game has finished development.
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord is available on Steam.
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