The Banner Saga

 PC
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 833 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 606 out of 833
  2. Mixed: 166 out of 833
  3. Negative: 61 out of 833

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  1. eroeru
    Jan 16, 2014
    9
    I originally wrote a 6-star review. The game was slow to start with. But digging into the text-adventure and choice-making part, I really got enthralled. Similar to stories as Game of Thrones, the game doesn't compel with action nor fireworks. It's in the on-going story, the characters, the hardships they face, and in choices to play around with, shaping your path. Once I finish the game,I originally wrote a 6-star review. The game was slow to start with. But digging into the text-adventure and choice-making part, I really got enthralled. Similar to stories as Game of Thrones, the game doesn't compel with action nor fireworks. It's in the on-going story, the characters, the hardships they face, and in choices to play around with, shaping your path. Once I finish the game, I might give it 10 stars. The game's like a better viking version of FTL.

    Here's my original review, if only to show how one can expect a change of mind about the game:

    "Well, though I was one to back the game through kickstarter, enjoyed the multiplayer component back when it was released and was overall enthusiastic about the game, now there's just a feeling of somewhat disappointment.

    The dialogue drags on and isn't written as cleverly or masterfully as one would expect, and it's the only thing you'll see for a few hours even. Aside the tutorial battles which are meaningless. Voice-acting is void and cringe-worthy, the expressions don't have variety and are sometimes pretty much derpy-looking, even though the art *is* pretty good.

    The art and the turn-based deep gameplay are probably the highlights, followed by the story. Yet facades of choice options and tediously on-dragging meddling in names and indifference-inducing history don't really meet expectations. If you're ok with Mass Effect or Dragon Age 2 style dialogue, yet even more simplistic in that mostly the NPC answers the same way, only without animations nor anything going on otherwise, then you could be fine with it.

    There's this caravan-thing in the game, which seemed intriguing at first, yet my first dragging-on experiments of only resting and starving out my camp proved otherwise. With my whole crew dead and us stayed on a spot for over a year in time, the next cut-scene I got was that of an old man being astounded of how many men I had with me. Talk about immersion-breaking. Aside this, the morale was highest still, even though everyone's supposed to be dead. To be short about it - the mechanic seems contrived and doesn't have the possibility of defeat. Even if it'd be possible to play countless of hours in the game without getting food, the game doesn't do anything of significance once you're all dead. It just keeps playing.

    For me personally, and as far as I've played, I'm bored. Maybe on the 7th hour the game will catch up. Yet I don't want to waste even more time on made-up yet messy and boring history with out-of-place hints to myths in pages of text to pan through, doing similar tutorials over and over for more than an hour. Loading screen after loading screen, the game's just waiting to unload void text on me.

    Will give the game more shots though. I hope it'll catch up and release some content and patches to make the world feel more aliveish. Would love it if they'd hire a writer who has style to his writing.

    Overall, I'd say the game seems as good as was Shadowrun Returns, the original campaign. A 6/10 personally, and given it's an indie, a 7."    … Expand
  2. Nomius
    Jan 14, 2014
    10
    The Banner Saga is such an incredible tactic game. It´s by far the best game i have backed on Kickstarter. It a must have if you like tactic combat game. And it´s a real choose - consequence game (not like TWD)
  3. Underpants158
    Dec 20, 2015
    8
    For much of this game I wanted to give it a 9. I was hooked in a way that it rare for me. I was in awe of what this game forced me to do but towards the end I took a step back and realized many of it's flaws.

    What is this game?: Imagine Oregon Trail and tactical rpg battles with a backdrop of norse inspired mythology that transpires like a text based adventure. You are the leader of a    For much of this game I wanted to give it a 9. I was hooked in a way that it rare for me. I was in awe of what this game forced me to do but towards the end I took a step back and realized many of it's flaws.

    What is this game?: Imagine Oregon Trail and tactical rpg battles with a backdrop of norse inspired mythology that transpires like a text based adventure. You are the leader of a caravan of men and varl (giants with horns) and you are on the run. You need to manage supplies, leveling up your characters, and like a telltale game you make decisions that can large effects on your caravan and the characters. The decisions are not black and white. Stopping to drink can boost morale but eat up supplies. Helping a stranger can backfire or he/she can become a valuable part of your group.

    Pros:
    -You feel the weight of your decisions. Characters you don't expect to be able to die can die. I found myself wondering about the choices I made and how they led to the death of one of my favorite characters.
    -And the game does a good job at discouraging you from simply reloading after anything negative happens. There are no manual saves only auto-saves and if you want to reload the game forces you to replay the battle before your decision.

    So/sos:
    -The combat system has revolves around strength and armor. Strength is not only attack damage but also health. Armor is what you imagine armor to be and you can either do strength damage or armor damage. The unique tactical aspects come from deciding whether to whittle down armor so the the enemy can go down easier or attack for strength damage so his attacks hurt you less. At least in theory this true. Practically it is almost always preferable to do armor breaking damage and then strength damage.
    -Every character has a special ability however only a handful are actually useful.
    -Renown (your currency) is accrued through battle and good decisions. You can use it to either buy food for the caravan or level up a character. However if that character that you leveled up dies you don't get a reimbursement of renown. This could be viewed negatively or simply as keeping up with games feel of attrition.

    Cons:
    -No negative effects to letting your caravan starve.
    -Bland writing that feels anachronistic even though it's not an historical time.
    -Ending falls emotionally flat. Catharsis please!

    Overall:
    -I am psyched for the next installment in the trilogy. I have faith that this may be the mass effect 1 to the next games mass effect 2. Elements are here for a great success and I am excited to see if they improve.    … Expand
  4. Shootthemup
    Sep 3, 2014
    8
    Nice kind of a successor to old text adventure games. Really a great indie game, with awesome art and nice storytelling. You need a few hours to get used to the concept, that every decision u make will impact your main story and u cant go back. Combat is a bit lame but doable with its quirks and glitches. If u want to play a nice story driven adventure/rpg indie game, this one is for you.
  5. cptsoban
    Jan 22, 2014
    10
    After getting completely ripped off recently by Creative Assembly's Total War Rome 2, I was in a pretty terrible mood about PC gaming in general. Then I found this GEM. Amazing story line, great characters, lots of replayability and so immersive! For $25.00 it is a steal, I'm on my second play through and having just as much fun if not more. So refreshing to see a game company thatAfter getting completely ripped off recently by Creative Assembly's Total War Rome 2, I was in a pretty terrible mood about PC gaming in general. Then I found this GEM. Amazing story line, great characters, lots of replayability and so immersive! For $25.00 it is a steal, I'm on my second play through and having just as much fun if not more. So refreshing to see a game company that actually took the time to really make a quality product. I have encountered 1 or 2 bugs but with the frequent auto saves I've only lost a total of maybe 5-10 minutes of playtime. After the epic disaster that Rome 2 was I consider that more than tolerable. BUY THIS GAME.… Expand
  6. rozoga23
    Jan 16, 2014
    10
    Long story short: Amazing story (it truly is amazing), fantastic script and characters
    Beautiful art design
    Immersive and impressive soundtrack Challenging and exciting tactical turn-based combat Real choices and real consequences (not some Mass Effect-like crap) Yes...you can't roam freely in the icy wastes and "roll" through mountains but this game had only about 720k dollars    Long story short: Amazing story (it truly is amazing), fantastic script and characters
    Beautiful art design
    Immersive and impressive soundtrack
    Challenging and exciting tactical turn-based combat
    Real choices and real consequences (not some Mass Effect-like crap)

    Yes...you can't roam freely in the icy wastes and "roll" through mountains but this game had only about 720k dollars budget... Of course I hope there will be a lot of plus features (character customization, more freedom, longer story, more spells) in the sequel.
    I give this game a 10 because it hit me right in tha face with it's "overpowered" story characters, and the good combat system.    … Expand
  7. StaticSpine
    Jan 18, 2014
    8
    Well. I'll try to make it short.
    The game has a breathtaking visual art style, bravo for that. The music is decent, BUT totally unmemorable. The game lacks voice acting. Voiceovered characters would be more memorable, I believe. The combat is unusual, but that str/arm thing is pretty interesting, but the final battle can be very frustrating if you do not have characters with proper    Well. I'll try to make it short.
    The game has a breathtaking visual art style, bravo for that. The music is decent, BUT totally unmemorable. The game lacks voice acting. Voiceovered characters would be more memorable, I believe. The combat is unusual, but that str/arm thing is pretty interesting, but the final battle can be very frustrating if you do not have characters with proper abilities/items, that's a letdown. The other good part is the atmosphere of inevitable war and suffering, it felt really convincing. About the C&C - it's impossible to predict the outcome of your dialogue choice and it can end losing a character or something else this bad, I agree that this was not done in a proper way, it feels too random. Overall, the game is catchy, the ending is a big cliffhanger and Stoic makes it to earn money to make Episode 2 and considers all the feedback about game's minuses.    … Expand
  8. Dysp
    Jan 16, 2014
    9
    I enjoyed the game quite a bit. To start off one playthough takes about 10 hours.

    Since the game is fairly different than most games on the whole, I figured it'd be easier to point out the similarities it may have with some established games. The game's a little bit like: Fire Emblem - grid based combat, but individual unit turn-based with a strength as hp mechanic and armor -- you    I enjoyed the game quite a bit. To start off one playthough takes about 10 hours.

    Since the game is fairly different than most games on the whole, I figured it'd be easier to point out the similarities it may have with some established games. The game's a little bit like:

    Fire Emblem - grid based combat, but individual unit turn-based with a strength as hp mechanic and armor -- you can try out The Banner Saga: Factions, the corresponding free multiplayer game to try the combat,

    Oregon Trail - you travel along a fairly linear path making decisions as you go with a caravan nonetheless,

    Dragon Age - unlike Fire Emblem series where if you lose a character in combat, you lose him/her in the campaign, in TBS you can only lose characters through decisions you make out of combat -- falling in combat will only injure a unit for the next fight, unless you rest at camp or have enough time pass to heal the injuries,

    King of Dragon Pass - the decision system is similar and you will be given chances to wage war, however you only control the army by choosing one command, such as Charge, Formation, Defend, etc. which then prompts a regular combat scenario,

    ---

    The campaign affects combat in several main ways. Probably most importantly, it affects who you will be able to play as in combat and which encounters will be combat encounters or bypassed through resolution or avoidance. You can add new characters to your party or even accidentally, or purposefully, kill off members of your team.

    Next, your caravan morale affects how much willpower your team has starting the match. Willpower allows characters to use their special abilities, deal extra armor break or damage, and to move further in a single turn. If your caravan morale is low, your team will start fights with less than normal willpower, but if they start with high morale, they will receive bonus morale.

    Lastly, from making some decisions, you can gain renown (the currency used to level up units and to buy equipment and supplies -- supplies are used to feed your whole caravan and maintain morale).

    ---
    On Combat:
    If you are not familiar with The Banner Saga's combat, I could see it being a fairly difficult game, as common strategic thought is to kill off units rather than leave them maimed and on the board. With TBS's turn-based system, one character takes a turn then control passes to the opponent to move one character. The order of character movement is established before combat and can be changed only by a few special characters once in combat. Although it might seem odd at first, this system requires much more strategy than just going from one side of the board to the other wiping out all enemy units. Each time you kill off an enemy unit, you are giving the opponent an advantage, slight or large dependent on the difference between both sides' total units.

    Personally, I now prefer TBS's combat system over other turn-based strategy games.

    ---
    Strengths:
    As you'll see stated in most any other review, TBS is a gorgeous game. The combat is equally good and quite strategic.

    The vast and detailed world map shows the scope of the game's world in the classic Tolkien fashion.

    The characters and decisions are very impactful. You can lose or gain key characters (and their equipment) based on your decisions. Some decisions will have immediate results, while others may show up long after you've made them.

    Weakness:
    The biggest issue I had with the game is that it felt lopsided on the decision system. If you made a series of a few bad decisions, you wound up always struggling to get supplies, and on the flipside, if you make a series of good decisions, you have a fairly easy time. This is because all of the systems seem to compound on eachother. I preferred to be struggling, because it kept the tension of survival prominent.

    I enjoyed the overall structure of the story and the many decisions I had to make along the way, however the dialogue sometimes was poorly phrased, such as by using modern colloquial slurs. Some characters would use lore-based expressions, while others frequently sounded like they were from the current era.

    This was an odd issue. Some character and city names I did not know how to pronounce, and so I didn't commit many characters and places to memory.

    Lastly, you're always moving forward, from point A to point B. Once you leave camp or town you continue back on your journey. Instead of directly choosing your destination, you're sent in the general direction the story tells you to go, able to take detours or backtrack only when an event decision occurs.    … Expand
  9. insanem0nk
    Jan 17, 2014
    8
    If you are wondering what kind of game it is, it is not exactly in its own genre. It has adventure/pick-your-own-adventure elements, with turn-based strategy battles, with some rpg features like party management with upgrading units, abilities, and items. I would say it is like Oregon Trail meets Final Fantasy Tactics. Because half the time you are in oregon trail travel mode, whilst theIf you are wondering what kind of game it is, it is not exactly in its own genre. It has adventure/pick-your-own-adventure elements, with turn-based strategy battles, with some rpg features like party management with upgrading units, abilities, and items. I would say it is like Oregon Trail meets Final Fantasy Tactics. Because half the time you are in oregon trail travel mode, whilst the other half you are playing in turn-based squad combat.

    I will begin with the positives of the game. The artstyle and music are perfect. And the word perfect gets tossed around a lot, but I really mean perfect. The artstyle is truly terrific and one of a kind, and there is a grammy-nominated composer for the soundtrack. Combat system and mechanics were refreshing and unique to the genre of turn-based strategy games.

    The negatives: for a story game, the story really was weak. It started out pretty strong, with introducing interesting characters, but later seemed to dip in character development and instead focused on 2 stereotypical characters (Rook and Alette). The ending was very disappointing, and without getting specific, it just ends abruptly, without resolving any conflict whatsoever. The entire story you are met with problem after problem, and at the end you feel like you haven't solved any of them at all, leaving the player with more questions than answers. The problem is that this story doesnt stand on its own feet, since it is one part of a planned trilogy. Although it does a good job of introducing the characters, world and the problems they face, it does not do anything past that. The story really does feel incomplete. I am sure the game will stand better alongside its other two parts, but I cannot recommend this to anyone looking for a standalone game, this is a piece of a great pie, but you are not given a vertical slice, but a horizontal one, and tasting only the crust you are left wanting.

    After all is said and done, I am sure it is going to be a masterpiece of a trilogy. I would recommend it if you can take this for what it is, one part of a series.    … Expand
  10. Aleonymous
    Jan 17, 2014
    9
    The game is made up of three parts:
    (a) Dialogue & Role-playing -- You assume the roles of fixed characters and guide them through the story in a choose-your-adventure style.
    (b) Traveling -- You manage a viking caravan that's almost always in peril, with enemies constantly its heels. (c) Tactical turn-based combat -- You assemble your heroes (1-6 of them) and fight against various    The game is made up of three parts:
    (a) Dialogue & Role-playing -- You assume the roles of fixed characters and guide them through the story in a choose-your-adventure style.
    (b) Traveling -- You manage a viking caravan that's almost always in peril, with enemies constantly its heels.
    (c) Tactical turn-based combat -- You assemble your heroes (1-6 of them) and fight against various enemies in on a grid-board.

    The first thing you've probably noticed about The Banner Saga is the so special graphics visual style. That's fantastic, a straight 10/10. Just look, if you haven't. What you can't actually "experience", unless you actually play the game, is the excellent bonding of the music with the visuals and the atmosphere it creates. That's also unique and powerful, worth another straight 10. One more straight "10" that the game deserves is the combat system. If you've played Factions, the free-to-play offspring release in March 2013, you know what I'm talking about. The combat mechanics are very sharp and allow for great simplicity and remarkable strategy depth, a the same time! It's really this "easy to learn but hard to master" type of game. Finally, the last "10" I'm gonna give to the game is to the very beautiful lore and world they have created. It takes a lot off of the viking/Norse history but blends in many fantasy themes in a very successful way.

    OK, enough with the good stuff. Lets see the bad ones. Actually, what hurts most about this game is its own extremely high potential. I mean, it offers so much potential that seeing it come short of that is ofter enough to let you down. For me, the biggest problem about the game is that the final product feels a little rushed, kinda unfinished in the sense of consistency and balancing. There aren't big flaws in the core mechanics of the game, but it could use a lot more polishing. I'm gonna bring up some specific issues so that you understand what I mean:
    -- No subtitles : VO is really scarce (not a problem for me), so why ain't there no subtitles?
    -- Caravan/Survival balancing issues : Sometimes the game feels too hard for its own sake. I mean, it's supposed to be hard, about survival and all, but at some points it just feels wrong and fall out of perspective.
    -- Language & typos : In my opinion, the language used is often too "American" styled, something that hits bad in the viking theme of the world. Also, there's quite some typos and syntax errors. The game's text is enough, but not so much...
    -- Inconsistencies and awkward "story delivery" : The game is all about a branching story line, where each choice you make has consequences. That's fine. Problem is that it feels like some story parts don't quite glue together or the pacing of the story changes from Chapter to Chapter sometimes putting you off. That's more noticeable near the end of the game, where the pace dramatically picks up, and you are bombarded by a lot events all at once, that you barely have time to digest. Also, I could argue that the ending sequence is a little wanting in view of the climax that precedes it. Finally, it's quite evident that the game is just the part 1 of the proclaimed trilogy, so it leaves a lot of open questions.

    To conclude, I'm giving it a 9 because of the four very strong components (visuals, music, battle system, theme/lore) and because I believe that most of the problems I found can be easily addressed with patches without meaning that the game is "bad" in its release state.    … Expand
  11. Dkong08
    Jan 26, 2014
    8
    The story is a bit formulaic but with superb delivery. Visuals are great; Soundtrack immerse; and game play very fun indeed. The Banner Saga is a great game - go buy it.
  12. Turambar
    Mar 1, 2014
    9
    This is a great game, and a real breath of fresh air for the RPG genre, which arguably has been pretty stagnant for a while now. The Banner Saga boasts well crafted and fun gameplay to go along with an engaging story filled with a large cast of interesting characters, but the real jewel for me is the setting itself, and the way it's presented. The artwork, as most reviewers have pointedThis is a great game, and a real breath of fresh air for the RPG genre, which arguably has been pretty stagnant for a while now. The Banner Saga boasts well crafted and fun gameplay to go along with an engaging story filled with a large cast of interesting characters, but the real jewel for me is the setting itself, and the way it's presented. The artwork, as most reviewers have pointed out, is just outstanding, and it really enhances the aesthetic of an already unique and deep world.

    Gameplay: The gameplay could I guess be divided into three broad areas: the combat system, the caravan system, and the character advancement system, which sort of straddles the border between the other two systems.

    The combat system is rather simple, but very elegant in its design. It's the sort of system whose simplicity makes it easy to learn, but I feel like the more discerning gamers will note that there is a level of subtle tactics, which is not so easy to master, which can really enhance your effectiveness. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the combat is excellent, but it more than serves its purpose, and it kept me entertained.

    The caravan system is arguably the more essential part of the game. Throughout the game, the player is responsible for looking after a caravan of his clansmen. You're constantly making decisions, whether they be in the form of random events that pop up along the road and demand your attention, or in the form of making decisions regarding whether to spend your renown on supplies to keep your people alive, or equipment and level ups for your characters to make combat easier. There's a keen feeling of desperation, survival, and leadership, and I think it's a real key to what makes the game so cool.

    Finally, there's the character advancement system, which to me is one of the most vital parts of any rpg. Sadly, I think The Banner Saga is just a little bit lacking in this area. Your ability to advance your characters is constantly being hamstrung by the supply demands of your caravan. Yes, this does contribute to the survival aspect of the game, and I understand why the devs decided to design it this way, but it is a frustrating tradeoff for someone who really enjoys building and customizing his party. Still, the character advancement is much better than what you would find in many rpgs, so I was able to get over my quibbles.

    Story/Setting: This is where the game really starts to shine. I've played a pretty decent number of video games, especially of the fantasy rpg variety, but I was really caught off guard by the feel of this world. Early on in the game, you get access to the world map, and it is riddled with clickable landmarks (cities, mountain ranges, regions... all sorts of stuff, really) which each have neat little tidbits of lore. After spending just a little while reading the lore, I could tell that this was a really deep and well crafted setting, very unlike your typical Forgotten Realms esque high fantasy world. You really feel like you've been transported to a pre-Christian world of nordic mythic, and you get caught up in some pretty fascinating events of pretty epic proportion. A lot of the characters are also pretty neat, though you don't really get to know any of them extremely well, as you're too busy managing things.

    As I understand it, this is just the first chapter of a planned trilogy, and I'm very eagerly awaiting a chance to see what happens next.

    Presentation: While the story and setting certainly stand out from the crowd, I think that the look and feel of the game is truly one of a kind. The character art is beautiful. The cinematic backdrops that your caravan travels through are breathtaking. The music rules. I've really never experienced anything like it. Watching your caravan wearily journey through this lovingly created world is just awesome. It's hard to describe. You've got to try it for yourself.

    Conclusion: What a wonderful game. In the midst of all the gaudy, big budget, mass produced AAA titles, it would be easy to convince yourself that the future of gaming is bleak, but games like this renew my confidence in the industry. I'm so excited to see the next batch of kickstarter games, and of course the other two games in this trilogy. If you're as eager to see the progress of video games as a medium of storytelling as I am, and if you're the sort of person who can appreciate subtlety and art, you should try this game.    … Expand
  13. cwatz
    Jan 18, 2014
    10
    The Banner Saga is my early frontrunner for game of the year. Though it takes a half hour to really get comfortable in the world, once it does you are hooked.

    The game is split between a travelling caravan where decisions are made, and turn based tactical combat. Both systems are excellent, though I must admit I didn't get to flex the combat systems/characters as much as I would have    The Banner Saga is my early frontrunner for game of the year. Though it takes a half hour to really get comfortable in the world, once it does you are hooked.

    The game is split between a travelling caravan where decisions are made, and turn based tactical combat. Both systems are excellent, though I must admit I didn't get to flex the combat systems/characters as much as I would have liked.

    The caravan sections are also brilliant. While the adventure itself is "linear" in that you will always head to a per-determined city/location, everything along the way is gripping and taxing. Both the phenomenal main story moments, and the day to day caravan management. Its a stressful yet memorable experience.

    My only flaw with the game is its resource system. Renown is used to buy items, upgrade characters and buy supplies so you don't starve to death. While it serves its goal of trying to be a "tough decision" resource, it fails because it isn't fun. Those two sides of gameplay should not be linked.

    As a final mention, the art style is stunning, and very impressive for such a small team.

    Overall, if you open yourself up to Banner Saga, get immersed and let it sink its hooks in, it will be one of the best games you play this year.    … Expand
  14. Franklin0
    Jan 15, 2014
    10
    One word: stunning. Heavily influenced by Eyvind Earle, Ralph Bakshi and Don Bluth, the game's hand-drawn esthetic is something very rare, and it's carried beautifully. through the game. Everything is a joy to look at, and while there is little animation and primarily static scenes, nobody who appreciates art would argue that the game isn't vivid and alive.

    The story is wonderfully    One word: stunning. Heavily influenced by Eyvind Earle, Ralph Bakshi and Don Bluth, the game's hand-drawn esthetic is something very rare, and it's carried beautifully. through the game. Everything is a joy to look at, and while there is little animation and primarily static scenes, nobody who appreciates art would argue that the game isn't vivid and alive.

    The story is wonderfully subtle, with lots of lore to muse over, but primarily serving as a vehicle for the core of the game: the turn-based tactics combat. While there are plenty of great elements to the arc, some of the dialogue falls flat, or feels shoehorned into the greater story. As an avid reader, though, at no point was I bored, or felt the need to rush through dialogue. It's all wonderfully scripted, if not a little muted, and the rich lore adds a lot to the character of the settings.

    The game isn't for everyone though. I would recommend a more adult audience. If you're looking for an open world with lots of action and little story, this is not the game for you. It's a linear story, with static art, and a very humble tone. It's beautiful and engaging, but today's kids will probably nod off.

    The tactics combat can be very involved, with lots of passive and active skills and rules to muse over while taking your time in combat. This isn't a rushy game what-so-ever. Pour yourself a drink, read it all and take everything in.

    I'd recommend the game to anyone, with the preface that it's an artistic story, not a free-roam explosion fest. If you're not much of a reader, or easily bored, maybe go check out a different genre.    … Expand
  15. eberict
    Jan 15, 2014
    9
    The Banner Saga (Part 1) is an incredibly pretty game, an enjoyable game, and a game of deceits designed to stimulate self-narrative, immersion, and investment... and in that, it does its job exceptionally well through its visuals, story, and (Austin Wintory) music. Calling itself a game about choices is part of the deceit, as choices don't really have the power to alter the destinyThe Banner Saga (Part 1) is an incredibly pretty game, an enjoyable game, and a game of deceits designed to stimulate self-narrative, immersion, and investment... and in that, it does its job exceptionally well through its visuals, story, and (Austin Wintory) music. Calling itself a game about choices is part of the deceit, as choices don't really have the power to alter the destiny waiting for you. Instead, the choices you make in Banner Saga's story affect you and allow you, by the end of this first leg of the journey, to feel every difficult, terrible step of the long road and why and for whom you made those choices.

    My only complaint is that the simplified dialogue options suffer from the same issue Bioware's shortened responses do in that your interpretation of the simplification may vary wildly from the coded-in, intended interpretation. Thankfully this is not always the case.

    As for the tactical combat side of things... it's swell. Challenging -- and a huge part of the deceit.

    It is a game I am glad to have backed on Kickstarter. I heartily recommend it to all of you.    … Expand
  16. deadspacer47
    Jan 26, 2014
    8
    -GREAT gameplay and tactics with good items and well done heroes.
    -Awesome artistic design and soundtrack that leads to an Epic atmosphere.
    -Just looking at your caravan moving and travelling through towns,seeing godstones is something epic. -Good choices that affects the story. -Combat is really challenging with good variety of enemies and abilities. the bad things are: -the story    -GREAT gameplay and tactics with good items and well done heroes.
    -Awesome artistic design and soundtrack that leads to an Epic atmosphere.
    -Just looking at your caravan moving and travelling through towns,seeing godstones is something epic.
    -Good choices that affects the story.
    -Combat is really challenging with good variety of enemies and abilities.
    the bad things are:
    -the story sometimes is not explained well.
    -Lack of cutscenes.
    Totally this game is really good and brings new ideas and it's better than stupid RPG games like kingdoms of amalur.
    The game is 7 chapters and takes about 10 hours or maybe more to complete.    … Expand
  17. armoredchimp
    Feb 2, 2014
    10
    I made an account on this site just to say this is one of the best games I have ever played. I have been playing games since the early 90's and I would probably put this in the top 10 games of all time, it's that good. Perfect blend of gameplay + story. The game play is easy to pick up, but addictively complex and will make you want to keep playing to level up your heroes. Similar to FinalI made an account on this site just to say this is one of the best games I have ever played. I have been playing games since the early 90's and I would probably put this in the top 10 games of all time, it's that good. Perfect blend of gameplay + story. The game play is easy to pick up, but addictively complex and will make you want to keep playing to level up your heroes. Similar to Final Fantasy Tactics but simpler, which for a game of this style and length is appropriate. And the story....simply wow. I have not seen storytelling like this in a game in a long time, possibly ever. The artwork is simplistic but stunning, and the music fits perfectly. I was pretty sure I would like this game after watching the trailer and playing the factions multiplayer but this completely exceeded my expectations. Hopefully they will bring the gameplay in factions up to par with this, because as of right now the single player is much deeper.… Expand
  18. GreenDread
    Jan 16, 2014
    10
    The game is probably not for everybody, as it's a completely different experience than most of the RPGs released in the last few years. And it's not cheap thrills, like letting you slaughter hundreds of goblins just by giving your character high strength, the best weapon and healing him constantly. If you're looking for that, the Banner Saga ist not it.

    Instead we have a slow paced game    The game is probably not for everybody, as it's a completely different experience than most of the RPGs released in the last few years. And it's not cheap thrills, like letting you slaughter hundreds of goblins just by giving your character high strength, the best weapon and healing him constantly. If you're looking for that, the Banner Saga ist not it.

    Instead we have a slow paced game that relies on your fantasy/imagination to truly shine, but helps a lot with stunning graphics, sound-effects and the best game soundtrack I've heard in a while.

    If you're able to immerse yourself into the game, you will have a great experience. But it's not just a novel, as there are a ton of choices to be made on your journey. HARD choices. One of the big themes of the game is the hardships of being a leader.

    Then we have the combat system. And again, it's different, even unique as far as I'm aware. Every point in a stat matters. People complaining about a lack of customization are just wrong. Giving a D&D character + 2 strength gives him one more damage, which does not make much of a difference, in this system, it makes a medium threat into "I should look out for that one". Really, the stat system is genius.

    The Turn order system is unfamiliar, even to TBS fans. But it leads to way more tense battles, as it reduces snowballing by giving the party with fewer characters a kind of advantage. Not so much, that it always turns around, but it's something to look out for. The combat asks for thinking, it's often compared to chess and for good reason.

    But to bring this to and end: I could hardly be happier with the game!
    So if you think, you probably like the features mentioned, it might also be a great experience for you.

    Skâl :)    … Expand
  19. samgiga
    Jan 27, 2014
    10
    pro:
    + beautiful art and music
    + well-designed combat system
    + your choices DO have consequences
    + immersive story
    + not post-apocalypse, but the beginning of the end

    con:
    - lack of voice acting
    - very hardcore (some might consider it a pro)
  20. hierax
    Jan 23, 2014
    10
    This game is art ! This game is fun ! I can recommend it to everyone. I love the story, the artwork, the gameplay. Worth every cent ! Im looking forward for addons :-) If you like round based strategy, set in an medieval "nordic" fantasyworld you will love this.
  21. Boobaloo
    Feb 26, 2014
    10
    Not much to be said after all the reviews posted here.
    All I can say is that this is a unique game, with a fantastic setting and Lore, where you feel the helplesseness of a catastrophe that has descended on the land
    Few games can capture the despair the way this one does.
    10/10 for this unique game, the only slight is it´s lengh.
  22. daskind
    Jan 17, 2014
    10
    arguably one of the best games i´ve played in a while and once again worth a short review: if you like the great nordic atmosphere, are fond of comic style which is beautifully drawn, can handle tough decisions with results impossible to foresee and if you like the gentle character drawing and definition, this one is for you ..
  23. tnkltnkl
    Jan 14, 2014
    10
    The Banner Saga is definitely in the top tier of games that have been Kickstarted. It has a very deep, involved plot from multiple perspectives and is filled with surprising revelations and heart-wrenching endings.

    The graphics are a refreshing departure from the norm. The conversation scenes are reminiscent of Fire Emblem's static conversation scenes, while the travel and cut scenes    The Banner Saga is definitely in the top tier of games that have been Kickstarted. It has a very deep, involved plot from multiple perspectives and is filled with surprising revelations and heart-wrenching endings.

    The graphics are a refreshing departure from the norm. The conversation scenes are reminiscent of Fire Emblem's static conversation scenes, while the travel and cut scenes are truly beautiful. The animations during battle are enjoyable to watch, as your character pulls off such a powerful hit and damages nearby enemies as well, or when your archer nails an enemy from across the map after their careful aiming.

    The music in this game is just beyond words. Austin Wintory does an exceptional job on the soundtrack. The audio cues seem to hit at just the right moment to strike a chord of fear into you, or even to set the mood for celebration or sorrow. It's not often that the audio of a game ends up being my favorite part, but The Banner Saga really delivered.

    The story is very involved and changes based on the decisions you make as you go along. This means that I'll be completing several more playthroughs before I'm done with the game. The choices can really reward you, or even end up in a death if you're not careful. I haven't gotten more involved in the well-being of a game's characters in quite some time, though in this game I find myself desperately trying to make the best choices so they can be happy, or even survive!

    The combat, though it lacks variation, reminds me a bit of chess. It would benefit greatly from anything that could introduce deviation from the repetitive battles (though some specific battles can be exciting and different). My favorite point of the difficulties though, is that if you choose to play on Easy mode, you can play through the entire story without having to worry about battles, as some can be even skipped! If you choose to play on Hard mode, it is ACTUALLY a challenge. This is a nice change from "hard" modes on games lately not actually challenging their users.

    This game is worth the full price, and more. I look forward to any sequels that come out from Stoic.    … Expand
  24. Esett
    Jan 15, 2014
    9
    This a game that you will love or feel uneven about. There is no middle ground. At first i hated it. I did not like the lack of animation through the dialogue parts but after about 30 minutes of actually playing the game i don't know. It grew on me. I started to care about characters, about the fact supplies will not last, about the fight for survival. This a game obviously done on aThis a game that you will love or feel uneven about. There is no middle ground. At first i hated it. I did not like the lack of animation through the dialogue parts but after about 30 minutes of actually playing the game i don't know. It grew on me. I started to care about characters, about the fact supplies will not last, about the fight for survival. This a game obviously done on a budget but if you let that slide(and in today's AAA gaming market we let a lot slide for bigger games) you will find an actual game with actual choices, engaging combat. To me that is meaningful. It could use more polish, and better voice acting but for the little money they had you can't blame them.… Expand
  25. KarlMao
    Jan 16, 2014
    8
    If only they could add more character customization and make the map more useful (e.g. a map you can choose where to go next). It could be a great game, but the dev has just missed the opportunity, too sad.
  26. JonAM
    Jun 21, 2014
    10
    This is a clever mixing of tactic RPG, fantastic novel of the kind of "choose your own adventure" and an extremely simple resource management system. It is set in a world with ingredients of nordic mythology where there are 3 races: humans, varls (some kind of "giants" with horns) and dredges (creatures with mechanical appearance).

    The main development team was composed of 3 people and    This is a clever mixing of tactic RPG, fantastic novel of the kind of "choose your own adventure" and an extremely simple resource management system. It is set in a world with ingredients of nordic mythology where there are 3 races: humans, varls (some kind of "giants" with horns) and dredges (creatures with mechanical appearance).

    The main development team was composed of 3 people and the game got ahead thanks to a kickstarter campaing. The lack of resources can be appreciated in many aspects, although most of the time it is graciously disguised. The game experience is like reading a book where you'll be asked many times what decision to take. Some of these decisions are resolved automatically with more text, but others will take you to a tactic combat scene.

    If you are able to get over the impression that you have bought a game 8 years old (dialogues have no voice acting and they just show you a beautiful image of a character that blinks from time to time), you'll enjoy a great story worthy of being compared to Game of Thrones for its depth and quality of characters.

    The soundtrack has been composed by Austin Wintory, "Journey", I don't need to say more :-)    … Expand
  27. GolovA
    Jan 4, 2016
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Although i want to i cannot call this game an RPG. I think it can only be described as a QUEST genre! :)

    I was not impressed by the game's tactical combat - it is too simplistic - no one retaliates, there are no covers (even from the ranged attacks), and no one ever misses pretty much. Having said that, the combat is still a joy - it is well animated, dynamic, and simply fun.

    As for the story - boy oh boy was i confused in the beginning. I did not feel like the story drew me in smoothly. However, as i played more, it grew on me. Well written, solid, albeit unpolished. This brings me to my main complain/confusion - so how come the story ends (SPOILER!) like in the middle?! What?! Who was that huge snake? What is the Darkness coming from the North? What happens to the human Prince? Etc. The story really left me hanging - and i would take 2 points right there, because i see a planned "Episode 2" release - don't we love this latest trend in games today? I LOVE IT! Anyway, i am not taking any points off, because The Banner Saga still brings many hours of good play to the table; i also suspect that this is one of those rare genuine cases where the developers had to hurry the release, faced with many constraints.

    Overall, beautiful artwork, colorful characters, pretty elaborate branching story, interesting quest-like mechanic during travel.

    RECOMMEND.    … Expand
  28. Tubey
    Nov 15, 2014
    8
    There is so much to admire about this title - the art style, the turn based strategy which has a fairly unique strength & health dynamic, great characters, decent story, decent (if unfortunately largely irrelevant) resource management... but there's a glaring fault here; the game itself is just too damn short!

    It reminds me a high-end, turn based strategy version of the fantastic tower    There is so much to admire about this title - the art style, the turn based strategy which has a fairly unique strength & health dynamic, great characters, decent story, decent (if unfortunately largely irrelevant) resource management... but there's a glaring fault here; the game itself is just too damn short!

    It reminds me a high-end, turn based strategy version of the fantastic tower defence RPG Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten, and that's not a bad thing, but it ends on a cliffhanger a mere 8 hours or so into the game, and for that points have to be marked off.

    But technically it's very good. I grabbed this in a sale for £6 and it's great value at that price range.    … Expand
  29. level5dwarf
    Jan 22, 2014
    9
    Solid tactical turn base game, not dissimilar to chess. As folks mentioned, the game is essentially Oregon Trail outside of the combat. The story is dark and engaging, and while you could fault it for being about 10 hours that wouldn't be fair as the price is set appropriately for the play length.

    If you are a fan of factions, i'd suggest starting on hard difficulty.. normal would be    Solid tactical turn base game, not dissimilar to chess. As folks mentioned, the game is essentially Oregon Trail outside of the combat. The story is dark and engaging, and while you could fault it for being about 10 hours that wouldn't be fair as the price is set appropriately for the play length.

    If you are a fan of factions, i'd suggest starting on hard difficulty.. normal would be a breeze for you probably.    … Expand
  30. delusionn
    Jan 22, 2014
    9
    This game does several things well that I usually don't care for - cut scenes and dialogue heavy among them. This game is, effectively, a tactical RPG meets Oregon Trail meets a high quality animated adventure story. Usually, I'm loathe to write favourable reviews for games because they're generally so overhyped (particularly the critical reviews), and I was very happy that this gameThis game does several things well that I usually don't care for - cut scenes and dialogue heavy among them. This game is, effectively, a tactical RPG meets Oregon Trail meets a high quality animated adventure story. Usually, I'm loathe to write favourable reviews for games because they're generally so overhyped (particularly the critical reviews), and I was very happy that this game lives up to the praise I've read. The game's difficulty is adjustable, at at "normal", it's quite challenging. I'm in my second play-through - I learned the strategy via the first play-through which I eventually failed at, and like it even more the second time around.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

64
#64 Best PC Game of 2014
35
#35 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
51
#51 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 74 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 59 out of 74
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 74
  3. Negative: 0 out of 74
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    May 11, 2014
    85
    Banner Saga is a fine - but towards the end a bit repetitive - turn-based viking adventure. [Feb 2014]
  2. games(TM)
    Mar 12, 2014
    80
    It's an outstanding start for a trilogy, and one that we can't wait to see to its end. [Issue#145, p.116]
  3. Hyper Magazine
    Mar 9, 2014
    80
    A fantastic combination of fantasy storytelling and RPG tactics. One hell of a debut from Stoic. [Apr 2014, p.62]
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