Feelings of Duke Nukem Forever intensify for some that have experienced the closed beta access of Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord, and that’s not obviously not ideal.  The follow-up of the tremendously difficult and enjoyable Mount and BladeBannerlords has been in development for what feels like an eternity.  The original Mount and Blade came out on September 16, 2008, and has become a hallmark of cult-classic with its open map and brutal combat, yet horrible graphics and iffy diplomacy.

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Bannerlords is the long-awaited sequel, and people have been chomping at the bit as developer TaleWorlds Entertainment has slowly dropped development blogs over the past couple of years highlighting everything from market exchanges and trading to army development.  Over the past couple of months, TaleWorlds has been sending invites to a closed beta for Bannerlords, and all reports thus far are that the beta has made them far less excited for the inevitable release of the game.

It’s important to note that the closed beta access only holds a multiplayer mode, where players engage in battle with each other across a map.  There is no campaign to explore, heroes, enemies, or any other staples of the franchise.  Yet combat is a decidedly large part of the title, as you’ll inevitably come across those that wish to make you part with your belongings, forcefully or not.

Still, others that have played the closed beta announce that while the multiplayer was ‘janky’, it was likely due to servers and other multiplayer specific aspects.  From arrows following your cursor, allowing you to bend bullets around corners, and hit-box registry being all sorts of wrong, it’s plausible that it’s simply the hair of the dog that comes from Early Access multiplayer experiences.

They’ve been going out in waves for nearly a year.

It’s only select multiplayer maps and modes and the gameplay is not very good compared to other medieval multiplayer games. It’s honestly hampered my excitement for the games. – u/okieweb

Granted we’re discussing a title that has been reportedly in development for over a decade at this point, and that hasn’t bode entirely well for other titles in the past; inevitably, technology catches up and then passes the titles, making them look decidedly dated and difficult to play.  So it’s entirely possible that the game simply isn’t up to luster, meaning either another decade of development or a much-anticipated title falling short.

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The good news is that you can decide for yourself if TaleWorlds happens to pull your ticket after you sign up for their closed beta over at their website.  They’re continuing to add members to their multiplayer-only closed beta, and you could be one of the lucky ones that get picked.