TaleWorlds brings us yet another iteration of the highly innovate Mount & Blade series. Gone is the fictional land of Calradia, replaced by 17th century Eastern European factions vying for supremacy. Making a debut in the series are firearms, and given which end of a gun you are looking at, it can be either satisfying or frustrating. With the same old engine of its two predecessors, With Fire & Sword introduces some new features while removing some old.
At first glance, Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword looks and feels like the previous two games, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For one, the innovative sword combat and horseback gameplay is as fun as ever. You still have some fair degree of freedom to roam about the land and raise an army as you see fit. However, since the core campaign is based somewhat on history, a lot of interesting features had to be removed. For instance, there are no more tournaments, which was my biggest disappointment. In the original or Warband, it was always a nice change of pace to seek out tournaments and clear waves of enemies in the arena. Character creation has been toned down too, perhaps too much. Before, you had to answer some questions which added bonus stats to your character based on your answers. Now, you simply modify your stats, create the appearance of your character, and step into the game. The lack of gender options is also slightly annoying. It doesn’t change a whole lot, but I felt it was a solid option they should have kept. My biggest disappointment has to be the lack of option to become a king. While this makes sense in terms of the historical relevance of the game, it was one of my favorite features in Warband and added a whole new depth to the game. Now, all this does is lower the replay value of the game.
However, don’t get the impression that the game is all bad without those features. This is still a Mount & Blade game, and the introduction of the firearms creates a whole new wave of possibilities. A lot of people complain that insta-kills by guns are anti-fun. In my opinion, this is very realistic and makes you think twice before charging your whole army against a line of gunsmen. Muskets and grenades now make you think more strategically. Also, just because they can insta-kill with direct hit doesn’t mean these weapons are broken; the reloading time is simply too long, and I found it highly satisfying to lance an enemy to death as he was fumbling with the bullets to reload. It is equally satisfying to kill enemies with one hit, because aiming is hard. And the reloading time makes it feel very rewarding, and gives you the sense that each shot should count. These small touches enhance the gameplay of Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword. Another interesting feature is using caravans to erect mobile defenses. No longer do you have to succumb to overwhelming enemies when you can’t outrun them. Now you can create walls with caravans and fend off enemies more strategically.
The latest Mount & Blade game returns with Multiplayer too, introducing a new mode called Captain DM, where two human players control an army of AI bots. Siege mode is back and is as intense as ever. However, firearms do make sieges more challenging, and more often than not, the defending army usually has a greater advantage; even more than before.
Is With Fire & Sword a better Mount & Blade game? It depends. Personally, Warband had more features and had a more sandbox feel to it. Whereas, With Fire & Sword remains true to its name and introduces firearms to the already popular formula. Keep in mind that the price of With Fire & Sword is half of that of Warband. If you want more features, and want a complete open ended game, then play Mount & Blade Warband. But if you want to step into the shoes of 17th century Eastern European soldiers, go through historical politics, and gun down enemies with muskets, then With Fire & Sword is what you want. There are far superior games on the market, but for the price, I believe Mount & Blade With Fire & Sword delivers perfectly.