Recent reviews by Apiks

big butt good

I'm shocked how good rouguelite poker is. Bravo.

Your time or your life, both are the same.

Do you sometimes feel so stressed that you wished you could just hide from the bustling hyperactive world in order to relax? If so then this is it.

Nearly 500 hours in and still can't remove kebab.

Edit: Still can't. Send help.

Edit: 1000 hours, conquered world as Ryukyu.

TL;DR: Huge battles between two or more sides squaring off and possibly deciding the fate of the world with a crazy amount of freedom and modding community.


Do you like combat? Do you like maps on which you move in real time? Do you like freedom? Have you dreamt of making your own adventure in a medieval world and forging you own fate?

Well then, M&B:Warband is the game for you. In the vanilla game you either start off as a poor noble or a peasant and you forge yourself in the world, along with your reputation and relationships with the various entities in the world. Want to be a bandit and harrass all the major empires, none being able to stand in your way? Done. Want to rise up to the title of ruler of all the known world and have everyone under your yoke? Done. Just a simple trader or mercenary? Also done.

You make your story in this game and your actions will influence the whole world which can progress dynamically just along fine without you if you choose to let it be. The graphics are a tad dated, however that doesn't get rid of the charm of the game. Combat is responsive and great, as each hit you make feels like it connects. You can change the difficulty of the game by changing combat speed, how much damage enemies do to you or you do to them. Want to go in a frenzy where you're a one man army? Lower the difficulty. Want to have a hardcore world where even a single shot will kill you as it is brutally realistic? Increase the difficulty. Both are fun to play and for the player that wants a normal experience, just roll with the default difficulty.

The true beauty of this game, however, comes with its modding community on its forums. There are hundreds of mods which improve, overhaul or add to the game in some way. From adding guns (even without Fire and Sword or Napoleonic Wars standalone expansions) to Ancient Rome to the Sengoku period of Japan. There are purely multiplayer mods which are extremely good and then there are single player mods which overhaul the entire world and create a new story, add events, give even more freedom to the player or make the world brutally realistic and hard as real life was.

Simply said, this game has a lifeblood and huge community that is not likely to expire any time soon. Tens of thousands of players have put in thousands of hours in this game purely simply because of the amount of freedom it allows, modding community and the community behind each mod as well. It is a genre of its own. Who doesn't like having hundred of his troops facing against hundred of an enemy's troops? There's even tactical mods to make you feel like a real general. In the higher difficulties you most definitely will need to stand behind your troops and hope you don't take an arrow to the neck.

The most enjoyable way to play this game would be to play vanilla and afterwards get into mods. Regardless of whether it's an SP mod or an MP mod, you will get your money's worth. Many a friendships have been formed through the MP mods. Some communities are very disciplined, other very lax and friendship forming. This is, after all, your choice of fun.

The way that the game plays is unique and might be boring for the more action oriented players but perfect for the players that love plots. It's an emotionaly gripping game that is sure to leave you emotionaly touched by the end. The humor of the game is also unique as it coincides with your 2013 gamer.