Joe Blade 2

Lore & Background

Joe Blade 2 took a rather different approach to the first game. Instead of being a soldier, Blade was this time a vigilante taking to the city to rid the streets of criminals, rescuing old-age pensioners along the way. Blade was no longer armed with a gun, and had to jump over villains, just touching them with his feet, to dispatch them. In order for the civilians to be successfully rescued, the protagonist was given a simple puzzle (called a sub-game level) of organizing the pattern of symbols. There were four types of these sub-games and all of them needed to be completed within 60 seconds.

Reader's Guide

Joe Blade 2 represents a notable shift in the Joe Blade series, moving from a soldier-themed shooter to a vigilante puzzle-platformer. Its significance lies in its experimental gameplay: replacing guns with foot-based enemy dispatch and incorporating timed symbol-matching puzzles. The game's reduced difficulty made it accessible, allowing completion in about an hour. Reception was mixed: some critics praised its playability and artistic quality, while others noted slow sprite movement and lack of variety between screens. The Spectrum version's inclusion of a playable Pac-Man-style loader added novelty. For historians, Joe Blade 2 illustrates how sequels in the 1980s sometimes radically reimagined core mechanics, and its reception highlights the tension between innovation and player expectations.

Did You Know?

• Joe Blade 2 is the second game in the Joe Blade series.
• The protagonist had to jump over villains, touching them with his feet, to dispatch them.
• The Spectrum version included a playable Pac-Man-style loader called Loada-Game, a third-party utility by Andy Severn.

Development & Release Journey

Mount & Blade: Warband was announced in January 2009 as a standalone expansion to the original Mount & Blade. The Turkish studio TaleWorlds Entertainment handled development, while Paradox Interactive took on publishing duties before the game reached players on March 30, 2010. Distribution spanned several channels: a direct download from TaleWorlds' own website, the Steam platform, a DRM-free option through GOG.com, and a physical DVD that required online activation. In July 2014, macOS and Linux ports became available via Steam. A significant corporate shift followed on January 31, 2014, when Paradox Interactive relinquished its publishing role and returned that responsibility to the developer. Warband eventually crossed over to console audiences, debuting on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in September 2016 across most regions, with Australia and New Zealand receiving the release on December 20, 2016. The title carries an age rating of 12 and up.

World, Factions & Political Depth

Set in the fictional medieval continent of Calradia, Warband operates as a non-linear sandbox with no prescribed objectives, though many players set their sights on conquering the entire land. The experience begins with character customization before the player is dropped onto the overworld map, traveling by simply pointing and clicking toward a destination. Encounters with rival parties trigger real-time combat, and each victory builds renown that gradually unlocks the ability to serve lords, establish fiefs, assault towns, and recruit additional soldiers. Companions scattered across the map can be recruited to add new capabilities to the warband. Warband expanded the original five factions—Swadia, Rhodoks, Vaegirs, Khergit Khanate, and the Nords—by introducing the Sarranid Sultanate as a sixth playable force. New political options let players influence lords and marry ladies, and an unaligned player can seize a town or castle to found an entirely independent faction.

Multiplayer Combat at Scale

The multiplayer component was the headline addition singled out in favorable reviews. It strips away the RPG narrative and overworld navigation, focusing exclusively on direct combat for up to 200 players split into two teams based on their chosen factions. Every participant receives a balanced template character drawn from three archetypes—Archery, Cavalry, and Infantry—that can be tweaked per server. Progression is limited to purchasing superior equipment with denars earned during matches; there is no leveling system and no connection between a player's multiplayer and single-player characters. Eight modes shipped at launch, borrowing from first-person shooter conventions such as team battles and capture the flag, alongside castle sieges carried over from the single-player experience. Melee combat features four attack directions and matching block directions, though certain weapons like specific knives are restricted to two attack directions or cannot block at all.

DLC & Community-Driven Expansion

Two major downloadable content packs extended Warband's lifespan well beyond its initial release. Viking Conquest, developed by TaleWorlds alongside the Brytenwalda team, delivered both single-player and multiplayer content set across the British Isles, Frisia, and Scandinavia during the Middle Ages. It offered a history-based story mode where player choices shaped outcomes, paired with a free-roaming sandbox familiar to the base game. Napoleonic Wars, crafted by Flying Squirrel Entertainment and released on April 19, 2012, transported the setting to the final years of the Napoleonic era. It supported up to 200 players across six nations—France, Britain, Prussia, Austria, Russia, and the Rheinbund—featuring over 220 unique units, controllable artillery, and destructible environments. The community built extensively on this foundation, forming regiments modeled on real historical units that organized line-battles, sieges, and competitive tournament leagues. Subsequent patches added sailors, marines, usable schooners, longboats, and medics.