More than Horses and Swords
From the rugged terrain of the Turkish countryside (Ankara, Turkey, to be exact) comes this fantastic medieval simulator. Sometimes to make a great game you need a lot of capital. Sometimes all you need is creativity. Polish is a foreign word in this game; just an eyes glance at the title tells you that. It has no place next to big name titles. That has been established time and time again, but it does have a place in the pantheon of great titles.
Traces of some kind of story could be dug up here and there, but really, there is no story in the single player. It drops you off on some fictional land and pretty well leaves you to your own devices. You level up a character, collect loot, gather NPC's to help you win battles and eventually you build up enough of a force to begin your very own nation and start you conquest. If you're a ruthless bastard like me you will raze every village in sight and slaughter every force you can afford. There is a level of choice, while not impacting any story, that is admirable. You can effect the economical systems, court ladies, climb siege towers, snipe fools with crossbows, spear them from horseback...generally, you can get medieval all over the damn place.
Story mode is fine and great, but multiplayer is what gives this game it's value. You and 250 of your bestest friends can slaughter each other in one match. That's the selling point. You are given a set amount of cash to buy whatever gear you want your chosen class of warrior to have, then you charge in and begin the onslaught.
The controls take some time to get used to. You click to hack with your weapon of choice (Be it ax, sword, spear) and use right click to defend with whatever "defendy" tool you have chosen. WIth a bow or crossbow, you click to fire, or draw a bow, and you have to account for the natural rainbow motion of an arrow. It takes a while to master, but nailing a head shot on some sentry during a siege (up in some tower) is far more satisfying than COD, or most other FPS'. The strategy is there, the combat is hard, but rewarding.
Enough banter. Final note: It's worth it. I've spent a good 70+ hours on it and it keeps me hooked, especially with an excellent and thriving mod community.
