After a long wait, Turkish developer TaleWorlds has finally lifted the curtain on Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, providing details, screenshots and the first video.
At Gamescom 2015, it was revealed that the game will be a prequel featuring an all-new engine. Here's the press release:
Set 200 years before the events of critic and fan favourite Mount & Blade: Warband, the game delivers on player requests for richer lore by including an optional storyline into the sandbox environment.
A long list of new features announced at Gamescom has also surfaced, including dynamically changing seasons, crafting, a working ingame economy driven by ever-changing supply and demand and much more.
While also making vast additions to the franchise, Bannerlord is sure to excite fans with its great improvements upon existing mechanics. Siege battles now feature a variety of machinery with full player control over how to breach the walls, catering for deep strategic thinking and dramatic assaults.
The game has been in development since the release of Warband in 2010 and features an all new engine, developed specifically for the game, by developers TaleWorlds. The engine will open up exciting new possibilities for the game and vibrant modding community, as TaleWorlds have stated they will continue their tradition of mod support.
FULL LIST OF FEATURES:
- Set 200 years before Mount & Blade Warband, during the decline of the Calradic Empire
- Optional main storyline
- Brand new game engine, developed in house
- Huge continent featuring multiple factions with rich, varied cultures and developed lore as well as NPCs that have unique personalities and back-stories
- Immersive towns and cities with many areas to explore and characters to meet
- Deeper quests with multiple endings and important player decisions
- Improved storytelling with voice acting and motion captured dialogue
- Dynamic weather and seasons create varied gameplay and important decisions for the player
- Intelligent AI compete and cooperate in the struggle for power against each other and the player
- Working economy with shifting supply and demand that has clear, measurable effects on the game world
- Varied siege weaponry, giving players freedom when assaulting settlements
- Greatly improved battle AI that reacts intelligently to surroundings, diverse fighting styles for different factions and parties
- Craft your own weapons with millions of possible combinations
Sadly, the fact sheet still lists Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord's release date as TBA (to be announced), meaning that it could be even further than 2016. Platforms aren't listed either; while PC is a given, there's no mention of consoles yet.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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