Banner Saga

 iOS
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 70 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 70
  3. Negative: 18 out of 70
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  1. blaicefreeze
    Dec 4, 2014
    9
    The only reason this game is not a 10 is because of the lackluster ending (hinting at a sequel). However, the sheer amount of choices and characters make this game not a one-time play through. It will make you want more, and I usually never, ever do. Very great game, if questioning, don't disservice yourself. GET THE GAME.
  2. birdman3
    May 31, 2015
    9
    I spent a long time researching apps and games that aren't cheesy free-to-play, pay-to-win games. This game caught my eye because I read an interview where the makers made the comment that this game wasn't a $1 game; it wasn't going to marketed to a cheap audience. They wanted people to know this was a serious game. And this IS a serious game.

    What I got from this game was a deep,    I spent a long time researching apps and games that aren't cheesy free-to-play, pay-to-win games. This game caught my eye because I read an interview where the makers made the comment that this game wasn't a $1 game; it wasn't going to marketed to a cheap audience. They wanted people to know this was a serious game. And this IS a serious game.

    What I got from this game was a deep, tactical strategy game with a great (if maybe a little too cryptic) storyline. I really enjoyed the blend of Oregon Trail-meets-classic tactics gameplay. The system of armor and strength (when you injure a character, they actually get weaker! No way?!) made for interesting tactical battles where you sometimes make choices that don't seem to make sense- for example, you can choose to either kill a unit, or just cripple him so that the enemy has one more useless unit taking up turns on their side of the board. This kind of thinking really deepens the game.

    The caravan style of play adds to the game, but only so long as you feel involved in the wellbeing of your subjects. I say this because it turns out that it doesn't really matter how much of your caravan survives; you can really just let them starve and it doesn't have a dramatic impact on the state of your party- you're just a little weaker in battles. Otherwise, you can ignore your caravan entirely. But if you're engaged and feel an innate responsibility to them, it provides a challenging aspect of balancing the strength of your heroes with the lives of your followers.

    I played this game on an original iPad mini, which had issues with the loading screens. Some of them took upwards of 2 minutes to load, which was mildly frustrating, given the frequency of battles and cutscenes that would cue such a loading screen. Overall though the gameplay experience was more than enough to make up for this one shortcoming. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a serious gaming experience on a handheld device.    … Expand
  3. wishanem
    Dec 16, 2014
    10
    An artisticly beautiful and tactically deep game, set in a particularly bleak Viking variant on the general Fantasy setting. This game does not tell a happy story, and only covers the first part of an intended trilogy, but nonetheless it stands well above nearly all other offerings available on iOS.

    If you can play with headphones, do so, cause the music is excellent. Oh yeah, and the    An artisticly beautiful and tactically deep game, set in a particularly bleak Viking variant on the general Fantasy setting. This game does not tell a happy story, and only covers the first part of an intended trilogy, but nonetheless it stands well above nearly all other offerings available on iOS.

    If you can play with headphones, do so, cause the music is excellent. Oh yeah, and the game is half price on iOS compared to Steam.    … Expand
  4. themasterofbobs
    Dec 12, 2014
    9
    the game is amazing. great story with likable character. great strategy and of course looks great. although the reason i gave it a 9 because it is a little bad with control bud not that bad.
  5. rodericrinehart
    Jun 19, 2015
    7
    Beautiful game, good but depressing story, solid mechanics. I played on PC but saw this port in action. The game needed more diversity of enemy types and the combat got stale. This is no XCOM or Shadowrun, but it is a solid game if you can find it on sale and/or like the genre. I'll at least be checking out the sequel. Seems like a good studio.
  6. onetime40
    Dec 15, 2014
    10
    One of the best games on iOS. Please look at the review by "maco101" below. His type are the scourge of the iOS community, and the reason why so many real game developers are abandoning the platform and not creating actual games, but rather mind-numbing slot-machine apps for braindead people like him
  7. maco101
    Nov 24, 2014
    4
    gameplay is way too slow and the plot isnt that great as advised, I mean, compared to other plots like a decent anime plot or manga plot this is just too bland. On top of that it is expensive for a mobile game, my score would be better if the game was 4 free or something like $0,99
  8. drlowdon
    Aug 24, 2018
    6
    Set in a World inspired by Norse mythology The Banner Saga is a story focused RPG in which the player must lead and protect their caravan of people to safety from the dredge, an ancient foe intent on killing everything in their path.

    The game is essentially made up of two parts, the interactive story sections and turn based combat. The interactive story sections, likely due to the    Set in a World inspired by Norse mythology The Banner Saga is a story focused RPG in which the player must lead and protect their caravan of people to safety from the dredge, an ancient foe intent on killing everything in their path.

    The game is essentially made up of two parts, the interactive story sections and turn based combat. The interactive story sections, likely due to the budget restrictions of being funded on Kickstarter, unfortunately don’t have voiceovers which does means reading a lot of text but The Banner Saga is beautifully animated with sound design to match. Decisions made by the player rather than just being simply good or evil, as is the case with many games, are a lot more complex and you’re never quite sure whether or not you’ve made the right decison for your group of travellers.

    The turn based combat however isn’t quite as engaging. There are examples of turn based combat forming the core of a great game, the X-Com series being arguably the best in this regard, but The Banner Saga’s combat isn’t in the same league and quickly becomes quite repetitive. The main issue is that there is no real variety to the “maps” and enemy types you’ll be find yourself fighting and, on normal difficult at least, you can win battles using the same tactics from start to finish.

    Overall I enjoyed The Banner Saga but probably not quite enough that I’ll bother with the sequel, any time soon at least.......    … Expand
  9. Abisslake
    Feb 17, 2015
    10
    I didn't try the version of iOS.

    2014 was a year that indie games didn't shown as other years, but between all the games, considering it story, its mechanics and atmosphere, I consider The Banner Saga as the masterpiece of the last year. The plot is plain epic as the player had to make choices that, in difference like other games, here you actually don't know the consequences, affecting    I didn't try the version of iOS.

    2014 was a year that indie games didn't shown as other years, but between all the games, considering it story, its mechanics and atmosphere, I consider The Banner Saga as the masterpiece of the last year. The plot is plain epic as the player had to make choices that, in difference like other games, here you actually don't know the consequences, affecting you and your caravan. Visually is wonderful, taking inspiration of the Nordic Mythology and making a whole new universe. But after all my favorite is the music, which is inspiring, intriguing, with orchestral music that not overwhelms the ear but still makes the feel of adventure and greatness. If you have the money, pay the game, and If you not, please wait to Lord Gaben If you have a pc for a sale, because this game is a must be for everyone that considers himself a lover of video-games.    … Expand
  10. FogCityRoller
    Mar 14, 2015
    10
    This game is absolutely fantastic and the quintessential argument for video games being art. It does the turn-based tactical RPG genre a great favor by integrating a relatable culture into a traditionally high fantasy genre.

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best iOS Game of 2014
26
#26 Most Discussed iOS Game of 2014
8
#8 Most Shared iOS Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Hyper Magazine
    Dec 2, 2014
    80
    A gorgeous, compelling, exciting turn-based strategy game. [Issue#255, p.76]
  2. IGN Italia
    Oct 31, 2014
    88
    This isn't a game for all, but it's a real blast if you like story-driven adventure and powerful atmosphere. Its combat system is not as deep as it should be, but nevertheless it's fully functional to the narration, the real star of this game.
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  3. Digitally Downloaded
    Oct 14, 2014
    80
    The Banner Saga asks a lot of its players, especially in the early chapters, but those who stay for the long run will enjoy a mature, character focused story which is both challenging and memorable.
    Read full review
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