Mount & Blade has been sleeping for too long. Chronicles: Medieval challenges the iconic historical series

I've always wondered why so few devs have directly challenged the Elder Scrolls series. Today, writing about Chronicles: Medieval, I'm pondering a similar issue in the context of Bannerlord hit the market (although it spent half of that time in early access), and TaleWorlds studio's sandbox still attracts crowds, as no direct alternative to this game has been created so far. However, this will change in 2026.

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Then Chronicles: Medieval (initially in early access on PC) will enter the fray, developed by the Danish team Raw Power Games, which was founded in 2022 and currently has over one hundred developers. Among them is more than one industry veteran, such as the senior gameplay designer Andrzej Zawadzki, who worked at CD Projekt RED from 2013 to 2021. He was the one co-presenting the project presentation I was invited to at the end of May.

Chronicles & Blade

Even though the creators of Chronicles: Medieval didn't directly reference Mount & Blade during the event, describing their game simply as "a mix of action and RPG on a strategic scale," I couldn't help but draw parallels between the two games throughout the entire presentation. Let's take the gameplay structure with two layers, for example. One is a quasi-strategic exploration of the "living" world map (in this case, Europe from the 14th and 15th centuries) from a bird's eye view, and the other is third-person control of your character in selected locations: settlements, cities, castles, and especially on battlefields.

We start the adventure by creating our own character, who can take on any role, not just a hired hand or a bandit, but also a craftsman or a merchant. As one of the key features of Chronicles: Medieval, the developer points out the freedom to shape the fate of the main character. If we want to, we can live a simple life, like a blacksmith or a mercenary in the army of some nobleman.

We might as well climb the path to the top, recruiting troops, fighting battles, conducting sieges, and taking over territories until we stand at the head of our own kingdom. Raw Power Games underlines that we shouldn't expect extensive options for strategic management of our properties. The gameplay is primarily supposed to revolve around the fate of the individual, and according to the creators, this is the key difference between Chronicles: Medieval and Mount & Blade, pointed out when the question about it came from a journalist. The Danish game is supposed to be more "personal" and "immersive."

History

Cultural references should also make a big difference. I suppose that many players will be drawn away from the fantastic world of Calradia by the more unique atmosphere of real Europe. This atmosphere will be influenced by the presence of historical figures and events unfolding in the background, such as the Hundred Years' War.

We don't know yet how much of the continent the game will cover, but I saw a camera flyover of the scaled-down British Isles, and the press release also mentions and German lands.

The devs emphasized their commitment to realism, stating that there are no fantasy elements and revealing that the combat system is being developed with the help of experts in medieval fighting techniques. However, they are focusing on playability rather than maximum authenticity. I saw some gameplay clips that showed brutal fighting with enemies using swords, shields, or halberds. We will also lead historical units into battles.

Presumably, the graphics will be the next lure for players. Chronicles: Medieval uses the Unreal Engine 5 technology, ed by Raw Power Games' own Asgard engine, and the early gameplay footage looks way more spectacular than M&B. Let's hope that the nice-looking graphics won't cause performance issues, like with many games powered by UE5.

Mods and co-op

The Raw Power Games team understands why Mount & Blade is so popular, which is why they announced that they will provide for mods from the very beginning and will nurture their community of mod developers. They straightforwardly stated that the Middle Ages are just the beginning for Chronicles, and the goal is for the title to eventually evolve into a platform that can accommodate all kinds of universes and historical eras.

For similar reasons, the co-op mode is also important for the developer. At the beginning of early access, we'll only see it in non-standard battle mode, but in the final version, which will be available on unspecified consoles in addition to PCs, we'll be able to play the whole campaign with friends.

Strong claims

And that roughly concludes the specific information about Chronicles: Medieval revealed at this moment by Raw Power Games. It seems like the players won't get their hands on this game anytime soon. This is indicated by the small amount of material shown on the game engine and the creators' reluctance to discuss the details of various aspects, such as the character development system, the role of religion, or the final stage of the gameplay.

That's why it's impossible to even guess today whether Chronicles: Medieval will be successful and effectively steal players from the Mount and Blade series in the long run. It's clear that Raw Power Games has a strong vision, big ambitions, and a substantial budget. They even managed to get Tom Hardy to narrate the "cinematic" trailer, which was officially announced during the Summer Game Fest. Is this enough? We will find out at the start of early access in 2026.

Chronicles: Medieval

2026

Want It!

• Overview

• strategy games
• Middle Ages
• RPG
• Summer Game Fest
• PC