Mount & Blade: Warband Console Port Reviews

Given Mount & Blade: Warband received a console release last week, we thought it would make sense to see what the specialized press thought of this release of the game and rounded up the reviews we could find. Opinions seem mixed, with criticism including reviewers not buying into the concept of the game, the new control scheme, dated graphics, and a lack of the Napoleonic Wars and Viking Conquest expansions.

Gaming Respawn, 20/100.

None of the downloadable content is present here, meaning console players will miss out on the Neopolianic Wars and Viking Conquest add-ons. Judging by the quality of the gameplay, it’s doubtful it would have made much of a difference apart from adding more factions and quests.

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Mount & Blade: Warband is quite possibly the worst RPG I’ve ever played. It may have been a hit on PC, but I fail to see why. The game is rife with clunky, stiff combat both on horseback and off plus a barebones, meaningless story and god awful graphics. It’s definitely a Marmite game, you either hate it or love it.

PlayStation Universe, 8.0/10.

A true curio in the most literal sense, Mount and Blade: Warband will sharply divide PS4 players according to the premium that they place on aesthetics. For those who can look past such failings though, hundreds upon hundreds of hours of play awaits with a game that combines medieval combat, strategy and role-playing quite unlike any other. Just don’t stare at it eh? It’s rude.

PlayStationing, 2/5.

Mount & Blade: Warband is quite a unique game, and that is what it has got going for it. It’s fun to play because there’s nothing really like it on the PS4, but it is a very niche game. If you’re a fan of Skyrim for example, you won’t necessarily like Warband, but you might. There’s quite a lot of depth in the gameplay aspects that take a while to get into, which is pretty fun to learn, but it’s definitely not for everyone. It’s disappointing that this port doesn’t add anything new, but it’s price point means it might be worth trying for RPG fans, however I can’t say it is for everyone.

This Is Xbox, 7.5/10.

Behind its tattered cloak lies one heck of an adventure game, combining RPG, RTS and SIM. Mount & Blade: Warband might not be able to feast with the big boys on looks but its cup overflows with ambition and the multiplayer looks to be a lot of fun if it can sustain enough of an interest with those that pick it up. The medieval battlefields might not look as stunning as Battlefield 1, but whacking each other with swords sure is fun.

The Xbox Hub, 3.5/5.

From sieging castles, looking after any fiefs (a town or castle you own or have been granted), to raising a massive army and stomping on anyone who gets in your way, there’s plenty to do and an expansive world to explore in Mount & Blade: Warband. A satisfying combat system always feels fresh and there’s also a multiplayer component with a large mix of different game modes to play to keep you occupied both on and offline.

For only £15 it’s a bargain that contains dozens of hours of fun.

The Sixth Axis, 9/10.

Mount & Blade: Warband is a tough game, but at the same time you’ll lose hours to it just through trying to rise through the ranks in Calradia. At the beginning so many lords will look down on you that you want to prove them wrong. It is a game where you will face multiple setbacks, but with each a lesson is learnt. The tasks may seem menial at first, but when you get in your first proper big battle with all the chaos of swords clashing, archers firing arrows, and cavalry charging the game just comes together. Mount & Blade: Warband is one of the hardest games I’ve played and that just makes it so very satisfying when you succeed.

Xbox Achievements, 75/100.

While Mount & Blade: Warband hasn’t really gained a whole lot in the jump from PC to console, it’s great that such a deep and sprawling game has found a home on new platforms after so many years. It looks dreadful, but scratch beneath the surface, and Warband is an enormously rewarding RPG/strategy/medieval warfare sim-type thing that’s becomes more and more compelling the more you play. Chaaaarge!

TrueAchievements, 2.5/5.

Mount & Blade: Warband features some innovative ideas that many other games in the genre haven’t explored. The focus on the political nature of warring countries as well as the actual combat gives players multiple ways to play. It is unfortunate that many of these features are left largely unexplained, though, and they require more than a small amount of trial and error to figure out exactly how to proceed. The steep learning curve and low production values may put many people off, although its open-endedness offers players far more replayability than many other games in the genre.

We Got This Covered, 2/5.

There’s no doubt that some will be hooked and find ways around the bigger problems, but while Mount & Blade: Warband promises a lot and is truly ambitious in scope, this console version falls well before the battle is over.