That's far from the only point where Warband struggles to fit gamepads into its world. It doesn't help that elements of the UI sometimes get lost off the edge of the screen. On Xbox One, I found it hard to control my warbands most of the time since barking orders at them requires using the D-pad to open one menu and then another, all while the opposing bandits or other opponent rains steel and wood on the confused masses. “Battles should be tough, but the controls make fights difficult to manage for the wrong reasons. More specifically, you're going to need a warband. As with many things in life, to survive in this cruel world you're going to need some help. The frequent autosaves for the single save file per character heavily punish mistakes or just bad luck, such as getting overwhelmed by too many enemies in chance encounters as you gallop across the world map. You’re not a superhero in this world, so captivity and failure happen often in the early hours, sometimes pulling you from near-greatness to crushing poverty within minutes.

Nor is it a place where a single dude can forge a place for himself in the world with pluck and plot armor alone. In contrast to the relatively static land of the Elder Scrolls, this isn't a place where the inhabitants wait around for you to do something before pursuing their own self-interests.

All the while you're out clearing bandits for lords or delivering letters for kings, the diplomatic relations of the surrounding kingdoms are shifting and evolving, possibly making once-comfortable jaunts a risky prospect but a few in-game days later. Few other combat-driven RPGs do such a great job of creating the semblance of a living world. “One of the best parts about Mount & Blade: Warband is that it's not just about you.

Mount & blade warband guide