Mount & Blade is an extremely popular and successful series of medieval simulation games in which you raise an army, conquer kingdoms, and engage in epic, intense battles with dozens of troops around you. From sieges to horseback rampages, it’s got it all. Tales of Glory is basically that, but in VR.
We first covered Tales of Glory way back in December 2017 — about two and a half years ago — and the developers, BlackTale games, have admirably been hard at work on it ever since. That’s a long time to be in early access and thankfully it didn’t wither away or linger in obscurity forever. In fact, since launch, there have already been additional updates.
Now, as of just about a week ago, it’s out of Early Access as a full launch for $29.99 on Steam with support for all major VR headsets including Rift, Vive, Index, and Windows MR.
Back when I tried it previously it was basically just poorly scripted AI running at each other in open fields while you waggled your weapons to try and emulate some morsel of intensity. It was fine, for the time, but I had honestly forgotten it existed. Until now.
With nearly three years of additional development time the solo indie developer has added a lot of new content and features. In the release trailer above you can see a two-minute long montage showing off how improved the combat looks, how varied the maps are, and the wide array of weapons at your disposal.
The most immediate comparison that’s easy to draw with Tales of Glory is obviously Blade & Sorcery. Both games feature physics-based medieval combat, but they have some major differences as well. Blade & Sorcery seems to have a much more reactive and realistic physics system and a wide mix of both melee and magical abilities. Tales of Glory on the other hand is less about simulating dueling and small group fights and more about cramming as many characters on screen as possible to reenact sieges and mounted combat. It’s not as accurate from a physics level, but it does offer a lot that Blade & Sorcery doesn’t.
The developer boasts that the sandbox-style campaign, War of the Five, offers 30 hours of content with its free form Mount & Blade style progression. There are 40 weapons to pick from, including swords, maces, flails, bows, and more, as well as horseback riding, mounted combat, and even jousting. Plus, 40 battlefields that range from coastlines, various castles, caverns, and more with a randomization system to keep things fresh.
We have not tried the launch version of the game yet as of the time of this writing, but you can expect impressions in the coming days. Reportedly, there’s a lot to try out here.
For more on Tales of Glory, check out the game’s Steam page, official website, YouTube channel, and official Discord. And don’t forget a sequel is already in development with a much different setting.
