When I was growing up, I played Lords of the Realm 2. Most nowadays might not have heard of it, but you may know it better by the games it inspired; the Total War franchise. In this game, you had to essentially run a kingdom. Make sure there was enough food and ale, set taxes, draft peasants into the military, equip and customize them so they'll function in battle, and conquer neighboring territories. It also included some degree of diplomacy, with you being able to communicate with local kings and lords.

Now I ask you, does this game sound familiar? I have no doubt that this is the game that inspired M&B. It added a lot to the formula that I desperately wanted in LotR2. I wanted to get involved in the action, instead of this kinda boring (to me at least) tactical interface. I wanted more diplomacy and politics. I wanted to woo ladies, serve lords, spite peasants, and live the Medieval life. M&B brought me that, and added even more.

It's, in essence, a combination of a Medieval life sim with a focus on building armies, and some deep RPG-inspired undertones. When you create a character, you can decide on a background and origin for this character, and that determines your starting gear, starting cash, and stats. And as you continue, you can pretty much play any way you want. Want to be a bandit and rob caravans? How about become a vassal of the king and strike fear in the hearts of your enemies? Maybe try for lordship yourself? How about conquering the world? Maybe be a wealthy merchant with a savvy ear and a sharp tongue? Wanna joust? Join feasts? Ride beasts? This game is more of an RPG than Skyrim ever was. It actively encourages and cultivates player choice. We are not a feather to be blown about by the nearest quest and lazy peasant, we are an active force in this world, and ultimately the world's deciding factor.

Combat will feel awkward to the unitiated. The closest examples would be The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall, and Dark Souls. Daggerfall for the directional combat resulting in different accuracy and damage, and Dark Souls with the combat centered around blocking, countering, and timing attacks. It takes getting used to, but it's probably the most realistic combat we've seen in a game yet. As an example, if you swung a spear it'd do next to no damage, you'd have to stab with it. Momentum also carries into attacks, so if you "swing" the camera further back, before spinning it back to unleash the attack, you will get a "speed bonus", which will grant you extra damage. This means that swinging a sword from horseback will net you extra damage, provided you swing the right way. It also works in reverse, if you "swing" the camera against the swing, the damage will be close to nil because you barely moved the weapon. It's not easy to master, but when you do it's about the most satisfying tactical experience you could encounter in a game of this nature.

The customization also deserves a mention. There's a staggering variety of armors, weapons, shields, bows, crossbows, and horses, each with modifiers that can add bonuses or penalties. A "cracked" wooden shield against a "sturdy" wooden shield. Think Terraria in this case. Each weapon also has their own delay, swing recovery, swing arc, damage, and blocking ability. Crossbows are also viable and different enough from bows to stand out on their own. What they lack in max accuracy they have in damage, and what they lack in fire rate they have in range. Each weapon feels distinct, with its own degree of mastery required.

The map is huge, with each city, village, and castle having their own attractions. Villages have elders with more minor, easier jobs, peasants to draft, and food and supplies to buy. Cities have taverns (sell prisoners, recruit mercenaries, discover heroes, and learn rumors), guildmasters (more intermediate quests, that pay well and provide decent experience), local forts that house Counts, and marketplaces (armor, weapons, tradegoods, and horses), where you can keep an ear to the local market, to see where you can make the best buys and sell for the best prices (for you at least). Castles just house Lords and Ladies, and a prison, but if you wish to conquer the fief (area) in the name of your King (or yourself), you need to defeat the heavily defended castle and the heavily equipped garrison within.

Now for the faults. The graphics are not bad, but definitely not anywhere close to decent. The UI is pretty rubbish, with plenty of clutter and buttons occasionally hidden in the margins of the screen. There's an overall lack of voice acting, and a huge abundance of text, which may be a turn-off to people who just wanted to play a game, instead of read a book. The AI sometimes outright ♥♥♥♥♥ the bed. Too many times, in the beginning, I had my one mounted unit charge ahead of everyone else and get slaughtered. These flaws were no actual bother to me, especially with the abundance of mods. But I find it unfair to judge a game solely by the content that others have made for it. And speaking of which.

The mod that I recommend above all else is the Diplomacy mod. I personally do not recommend that Vexxed mod if you desire any kind of challenge.

Overall, my final verdict for this game is an 8.5/10. I normally despise decimals in declarations of quality, but I didn't find 8 sufficient to account for the parts that do work, nor 9 sufficient to account for the flaws. Undeniably, there are flaws, but they are not enough to bring down the game. This is about the best Medieval RPG and life sim that you could find. You owe it to yourself to at least try it, especially while it is on sale.