How Many Mount & Blade Video Games Are There?
Mount & Blade is a franchise of sandbox RPGs in which players take the role of a character in a fictional land torn by war. In Mount & Blade, players are able to adventure, gather troops, siege castles, govern fiefs and increase their power in various ways. The first Mount & Blade video game, Mount & Blade (2008), was developed by TaleWorlds Entertainment and published by Paradox Interactive. Over time, the Mount & Blade franchise included more video games, which expanded the gameplay and possibilities of each video game. Considering that there are different Mount & Blade video games and that each of these video games presents a unique experience, it is important to know how many Mount & Blade video games there are, their names and their differences.
There are four Mount & Blade main video games. The Mount & Blade video games are Mount & Blade (2008), Mount & Blade: Warband, Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword and Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. While there are other video games inspired by Mount & Blade (2008) and also modifications to the Mount & Blade video games, these four are the main Mount & Blade standalone video games.
Mount & Blade (2008)
The original and first Mount & Blade video game, released in 2008. This was the original and classic Mount & Blade video game, and the only Mount & Blade video game available until the release of Mount & Blade: Warband, in 2010. The original Mount & Blade video game features all of the traditional aspects of Mount & Blade video games, such as an overworld, the possibility of developing the main game character, recruiting troops, joining a faction., as well as owning and managing the fiefdom. Players who are new to the Mount & Blade franchise sometimes consider the original game to be more difficult than subsequent video games. Nevertheless, the original Mount & Blade is one of the most important video games of the franchise beecause all subsequent Mount & Blade video games were expansions or improvements in comparison to the first video game. The gameplay presented and introduced in the original Mount & Blade has also been an inspiration to video games of other franchises ever since.
Mount & Blade: Warband
Mount & Blade: Warband is a standalone expansion to the original Mount & Blade video game. While Mount & Blade: Warband retains the classic gameplay aspects of the original Mount & Blade, it also introduces and presents many new features, such as enhanced graphics, multiplayer battles, marriage, among other features. Mount & Blade: Warband was released in 2010, but years later it is still considered one of the best Mount & Blade video game experiences. This video game presents the classic Mount & Blade gameplay of the original video game, while also improving the original experience with these new features and more options. Even though Mount & Blade: Warband may not be the most recent Mount & Blade video game anymore, it is undoubtly a classic Mount & Blade video game that fans praise and enjoy.
Over the years, Mount & Blade: Warband has become a classic among Mount & Blade video game fans, and has become the go-to video game experience for both Mount & Blade veterans and new players. Mount & Blade: Warband presents all of the traditional gameplay aspects of Mount & Blade video games, while at the same time providing a deep and immersive gameplay experience, providing vast replayability or replay value.
Mount & Blade: Warband features the DLC (downloadable content) Mount & Blade - Napoleonic Wars, which adds multiplayer battle scenarios to the video game, with new nations and locations for the multiplayer battles. In general, this is considered a multiplayer DLC, as it adds content mostly for the multiplayer part of Mount & Blade: Warband.
Mount & Blade: Warband also features the DLC Mount & Blde - Viking Conquest Reforged Edition. Mount & Blade - Viking Conquest Reforged Edition is an update to the Mount & Blade - Viking Conquest, which is a DLC that features a singleplayer campaign set in medieval northern Europe. While Mount & Blade - Viking Conquest Reforged Edition also adds content to the multiplayer part of the video game, this DLC also adds content for the singleplayer part of the game.
Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword
Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword is a standalone expansion. Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword retains the gameplay of Mount & Blade: Warband, while expanding it with the introduction of firearms, which were not available in Mount & Blade: Warband. Unlike the previous Mount & Blade video games, which are set in the land of Calradia, Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword is inspired by the novel With Fire and Sword by the author Henryk Sienkiewicz. In general, Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword is set in a different time period and location than previous Mount & Blade video games. For this reason, Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword is an excellent choice for players who want a Mount & Blade video game experience that is not set in the same locations as other Mount & Blade video games.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
The sequel to the original Mount & Blade, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord retains the classic Mount & Blade gameplay while vastly expanding the original gameplay systems. Original fans and players of previous Mount & Blade video games will certainly recognize the gameplay of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, while at the same time this video game provides much deeper gameplay systems, immersing players even more in the world of Mount & Blade video games while also adding more possibilities for the gameplay. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is widely regarded by fans and Mount & Blade players as a deep and expansive upgrade and enhancement to the Mount & Blade gameplay, being at the same time coherent with the original video game while also upgrading it in many different ways. For these reasons, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is considered one of the best Mount & Blade video game experiences.
While Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a sequel to the original Mount & Blade video game in the sense that it upgrades, enhances and expands the gameplay of the previous video games, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is in fact set before the original Mount & Blade. For this reason, while Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is technically a sequel to the original Mount & Blade due to its various improvements, chronologically and story-wise this video game could be considered and described as a prequel to the original Mount & Blade video game.