Those of us who remember the initial announcement know what all this Bannerlord hype is about, but it's easy to forget that there are even more people who don't have any idea why this is interesting at all. Mount & Blade is a niche, after all. Everything we've seen of Bannerlord so far makes it clear that it won't break the franchise's status quo. Naturally, fans don't want that to happen anyway, but it's good to keep in mind that this is, in fact, a hardcore RPG at its core.

We'd like to focus on Bannerlord hype today: its ebb and flow. How it stayed alive and well through all these years, too. Along the way, perhaps we can explain why this game is as important as it is to so many people.

In order to do that, we'll go through the developers' recent promises and announcements. After all, the Bannerlord release date is close now, and we don't want to miss out on the festivities!

Why should you be excited for Bannerlord?

It's crucial for us to drive home that, first and foremost, Bannerlord is a systems-driven experience. Few things were ever scripted in the previous Mount & Blade titles, you see. Instead, the games let the player go wild in the sandboxes they offer. You either are or you aren't a fan of this type of gameplay loop, so we bet this is going to put some people off right away. That's fair, of course! Not everything is for everyone, after all. In any case, Bannerlord will bank even more heavily on its sandbox qualities.

For example, if you played Warband through to what is arguably its endgame, you know that NPC warlords kinda cheated from time to time. They'd either received large numbers of military back up out of the blue or even respawn right across the map. No such thing in Bannerlord, it seems: "Unlike our previous game, Mount & Blade: Warband, in Bannerlord, NPC lords are bound by many of the same restrictions and rules as the player. This change in approach to NPC parties meant that we needed to ensure that NPC lords not only create and react to events in the world but can also perform many of the actions that players are required to do to maintain their party and ultimately progress through the game."

Why is this so exciting? Well, for one, AI will behave in accordance with the same rules as players will! This will make for a more interesting and natural clash, when push comes to shove. No matter where you turn, it seems Bannerlord will simply offer more than its predecessors. More depth, more strategic interest, more options, more gameplay to fiddle with.

Is Bannerlord hype truly warranted, though?

When Mount & Blade first hit the stores, it was practically unprecedented. Not only were medieval RPGs (without fantasy elements) quite rare, but the game's free-form qualities and sandbox gameplay made it a truly unique experience. Then came its incredible modding scene, which allowed the community to flourish. Expectations are high, to be sure, but it was never going to be any different for a new Mount & Blade game.

From what we've seen of the game so far, we can't help but feel that there's plenty to be excited about. It really is a Mount & Blade game through-and-through, with all the bells and whistles. And then some! Developers seem to have taken each and every one of the original's core gameplay mechanics and expanded them with loads more content and mechanics. Even still, everything seems more polished than it originally was! Far as graphics go, it's pretty! We could hardly say that about any of the previous M&B offerings. It certainly seems like everything's coming together for Bannerlord at long last, that's for sure.

Why excitement and hype, then? It's simple! We're about to play a modernized sandbox medieval action RPG that's unlike anything else on the market. Who wouldn't be excited about something like that?

Surely there is some competition for Bannerlord, right?

Now, you might be thinking that - surely - there must be some competition out there for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. The short answer is that there really isn't. Ticking all the boxes that Bannerlord ticks is either too much effort or not financially viable for most game studios, and it's hardly secret that the game's been in development for quite a long while at this point. Further, any contender would immediately be compared with the M&B franchise off the bat, which is unlikely to go favorably for them. Perhaps, one day, this niche will develop into a full-fledged genre. In the meantime, though, we'll be more than happy with Bannerlord!

In case you missed it, we put out an information-heavy Everything-We-Know article for Bannerlord. We suggest you consult it if you'd like to find out more about this fascinating project, especially when it comes to the technical side of things. The game is coming out on the 31st of March, and you better believe it we'll keep you posted with all the most important info about it.

Just stay tuned, and check out previous M&B games to get a sense of how Bannerlord will function in practice!