Melee: Battlegrounds is a standalone, 100% independent game being developed as the spiritual sequel to the popular Mount & Blade Warband mod cRPG, with the intention of making the best medieval combat game available by using what was good and improving on what can be done better. 

Meet hundreds of other players on epic medieval battlegrounds. Control your warrior in Third or First Person View, battling it out in a reaction-based combat system. Various game modes for different playstyles ensure that there's something for you: duel, round-based teambattles, castle assault, competitions and a huge sandbox where both teams build castles on the fly and conquer those to seize territory control.

A heavy amount of work on the homemade engine has been performed which currently  features movie making and modding, including real time cloud based features where two or more people can work together simultaneously when creating a map.

"Everything you can see in the Kickstarter video is the result of hard, hard work over the last two years. This was all achieved with a budget of 45.000$ - money that the cRPG community invested into this project in January 2013! Those funds were used to develop the engine, all models, animations, sounds, gameplay, and pretty much everything you see." - Florian Hofreither, Creator and Project Lead.

"Lots of stuff needs work, but the foundation is there – now it’s a matter of iteration and improvement. For that, we need to move to one place, get an office, and work together full time as a team. Working remotely only works for some time - at some point, you need to interact heavily and tie all ends together. We are at this point now and need your support!" - Florian.

Donkey Crew has launched a kickstarter campaign, looking for $130,000, to finish development of Melee: Battlegrounds.

Key Features:

• Medieval combat - The combat is intense, direct and personal. Every player brings their own style to the battlefield. Try to anticipate your foes’ actions – outmaneuver, outplay or outsmart them! The 360° attack/block system makes combat easy to learn, but impossible to master - there will always be something new to learn.  
• Customize your character - There are no perfect weapons - you will have to figure out which one fits your playstyle the most. There are no predefined classes - pick whichever combination keeps you above ground and your foes six feet under.
• Upgrade your skills - Earn experience on the Battlegrounds. Unlock skills that allow you to enhance your fighting style and give you an advantage in combat. Use a clever combination of skills to strengthen your playstyle. 
• Build Castles - Construct your own fortifications and castles with your team. Make sure you allocate your resources wisely, because building is only half of the fun...
• Use Siege Engines - The other half is wrecking them again. Take full control over Catapults, Trebuchets, Battering Rams, Siege Shields, Siege Towers, Ladders, Ballistas, Tunneling and a few crazy things you’ve probably never seen before. They sure were creative back then to get from point A to point B, especially with point B being walled in. 
• Experience Massive Battles - The game can feature battles with over 200 players fighting against each other at the same time. Are you a lone wolf, or will you use the advantage of working as a team?
• Fight, Die, Learn - You will die – a lot. It’s part of the experience, so get used to it. A few of you may be gifted, but most will have to practice to become a renowned Battleground Warrior. 

Melee: Battlegrounds is scheduled to enter Alpha stage March 2015, followed by a beta in Nov. 2015.