Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword

 PC
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 24
  3. Negative: 1 out of 24
  1. GameStar
    May 27, 2011
    72
    It's not as good as Mount & Blade: Warband. There may be a story driven campaign, but less complexity. The captain mode isn't what it's meant to be and there are still some bugs to fix. And there are better and free mods, so why pay for that one?
  2. GamingXP
    Jun 13, 2011
    70
    It would have been great if there had been a story and a greater variety concerning the quests. The well-made battles with many different weapons and troops are the only reasons for continuing playing.
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Jun 9, 2011
    70
    Rather satisfying post-medieval combat sim hidden behind jank, bugs, and general awkwardness. [July 2011, p.64]
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  5. Absolute Games
    May 31, 2011
    70
    With Fire and Sword is a definite purchase if you want to play Warband's multiplayer with a Ukrainian flavor.
  6. AtomicGamer
    May 8, 2011
    70
    With Fire and Sword adds difficulty without an equal level of satisfaction for winning, and the inclusion of firearms makes the results on the battlefield feel much more random than we've gotten in the past games in the series. If you're looking for a new multiplayer experience unlike any you've played, this is a good place to start, but if you want a complete, exciting, and altogether more "winnable" campaign, you might be better off sticking with Warband.
  7. Multiplayer.it
    May 11, 2011
    68
    The third episode of Mount & Blade has a setting and characters well defined, but lacks something that can truly renew the gaming experience.
  8. GameWatcher
    May 20, 2011
    65
    As engaging, addictive and fun as the previous games. Unless you really don't like firearms, it will appeal to fans of the series, and even newcomers might appreciate the improved degree of direction you're given at the beginning.
  9. Games.cz
    Jul 29, 2011
    60
    An above-average game from a time period that's really hard to find in current games. It is defected by several unfortunate design decisions and by sticking too much to its literary original. However, Henryk Sienkiewicz's fans and those 17th century warfare lovers should not hesitate to try it.
  10. Gamer.no
    Jun 23, 2011
    60
    With Fire and Sword is an expansion that adds very little to the Mount&Blade experience. It's still a solid game, but one would expect more innovation. Still, the hectic battles on horseback leave the player with a brutal appreciation for medieval combat.
  11. Gamer.nl
    May 18, 2011
    60
    The swordfights and expansive customisation options are interesting, but the repetitive gameplay and superficial conversations and choices make Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword only convince partially. The world does invite you to finish your journey from being a local hero to an international army-leader, but it doesn't turn out to be especially good or special.
  12. Edge Magazine
    May 16, 2011
    60
    But if you can ignore the plain looking game world and suspect AI and buy into the mercenary fantasy, there's enough fortune and glory here to give a warlord reason to make it a home.
  13. GameOver.gr
    May 11, 2011
    60
    This new addition to the excellent indie Turkish franchise constitutes the best and most complete choice for newcomers. Unfortunately, the veterans of the franchise won't find anything radical different that haven't already seen in previous installments.
  14. Eurogamer
    May 11, 2011
    60
    The worst accusation I can hurl at With Fire & Sword is also the kindest compliment I can pay it. Despite the new setting, infernal weaponry and bespoke story quests, most of the time the game plays just like Warband or the original Mount & Blade.
  15. GameTrailers
    May 12, 2011
    58
    Its biggest problem is that its core conceits fail to contribute to what the series is best at. If you're a newcomer, Mount & Blade: Warband is easily the better bet. Veterans will get a brief kick out of this powder keg, but we suspect they'll be reaching for the familiar steel soon enough.
  16. Bit-Gamer
    May 18, 2011
    50
    Everything it does has been done before, either in the earlier games or in the free mods on which this latest title is based. It's by no means a bad game, but its lack of ambition combines with the failure to improve old faults to create a merely average title.
  17. IncGamers
    May 9, 2011
    50
    WFaS still has the core of a Mount & Blade title, but it fails to distinguish itself as a standalone game. Everything feels too much like a retread of old territory, and it's questionable whether the addition of guns really benefits the single player combat system. The multiplayer side of things is as excellent as ever, but (Captain mode aside) unless you're eager to roleplay as a 17th Century Swedish musketeer, it makes more sense to just pick up Warband on the cheap and apply a suitable firearms mod.

Awards & Rankings

73
#73 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
85
#85 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 254 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 111 out of 254
  2. Mixed: 105 out of 254
  3. Negative: 38 out of 254
  1. Zargham
    May 17, 2011
    10
    Fire and Sword is great and a heck of an addictive game, although it is little similar to older mount and blades but i am still enjoying it.Fire and Sword is great and a heck of an addictive game, although it is little similar to older mount and blades but i am still enjoying it. Bring of firearms in action has increased a lot of gameplay, Rifles and muskets really makes the scenario more challenging, just one shot and you are dead. the Grenades are probably the most fun part of the game, Although i would appreciate if we could hold more than 12 of them. The storyline is neither great nor bad. Although the reason i am giving this game a 10 is because of the multiplayer. which is extremely fun to play....Its just awsome, and because of the new items in the game, the multiplayer just gets better and better… Full Review »
  2. Estarrol
    May 3, 2011
    9
    Fire and Sword is a unique take in the series, it could be considered the "Empire Total War" of the Mount and Blade Series, the introductionFire and Sword is a unique take in the series, it could be considered the "Empire Total War" of the Mount and Blade Series, the introduction of Firearms drastically changes the gameplay, players can't charge headlong into musket/rifle fire, as bullets/musket balls can pierce all armor save the most expensive ones yet slow to reload. This forces the player to have a nice army composition, and plan out how to defeat the enemy. Castle and city Sieges/Defenses have been revolutionized. Players now have a wide range of actions he/she can do in order to capture a city they can bribe the guards to gain control of the gates, poison the water supply, blow a hole in the walls, and other particular actions. yet despite these advantages combat will mostly favor the defender as the range damage would instantly kill any heavily armored unit. The political intrigue of 17th century Eastern Europe provides a unique and interesting back story to players who read the Fire and Sword series, and the general historical events will enjoy trying to recreating history and appreciate the unique "What if" scenarios that the game creates. The only downside of the game that i am experiencing is difficulty curve when fighting range units, as a well placed musket shot can and will knock you out instantly in the beginning of the game, money "Talents" are much harder to get then the previous games, players will have to take on more quests and side jobs in order to pay for their armies, as Tournaments no longer exist (or i have yet to discover them). Armies are also harder to recruit, as the player can only recruit mercenaries via Taverns, and Mercenaries camps until they join a particular fraction. then they can recruit units traditionally, which is more historically accurate. Aside from That, I would recommend this to fans of previous games and those that are interested in 17th century eastern Europe.… Full Review »
  3. EwOkSeXsLaVe
    Mar 12, 2012
    1
    GUTTED FISH. Ideas/efforts were decent, but in the end, frustration. If you played M&B Warband, you will just become frustrated and notGUTTED FISH. Ideas/efforts were decent, but in the end, frustration. If you played M&B Warband, you will just become frustrated and not like this game, because as Warband was an "onion" with layers and layers of game play and multiple aspects to enjoy overlapping each other, relevant to the 'big picture', With Fire and Sword removes those layers and becomes only a core, a rotten one. Warband had A LOT of potential, many things could've been added additionally to that type of game (and the map)... Bandit chasing/killing could've been improved and expanded on.... more quests could've been added.... the romance/dating options expanded.... etc.... This is what people expected with the next Mount and Blade game... instead they backtracked and gutted it all out, focused on 'guns' and new multiple tiers of junk gear and loot with mostly all COSMETIC features. The 17th Century theme of the game is fun to play and the new clothes and whatnot look snazzy... the guns and bombs can be fun, but without these loved aspects of the game that MADE, Mount and Blade, what is it? No character customization at the beginning or self-created story... you get a premade character to start with... which is acceptable (but why?) and the FOCUS seems to be trying to inject you into Feudal Combat or "Vassalage" as soon as possible. It seems to be the main focus, as other aspects of what it's predecessor was, arenâ… Full Review »
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