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. OneVoice
    Feb 22, 2014
    9
    If your in the mood to really play a game, you'll probably have mediocre to upper-mediocre feelings about this game. If your in the mood to sink into a story in the form of a game, then it is hard to get much better than The Banner Saga.
    For me, the essence of this game is the story, once it pulls you in, it keeps you right at the heart of it. I felt a sense of pressure with every    If your in the mood to really play a game, you'll probably have mediocre to upper-mediocre feelings about this game. If your in the mood to sink into a story in the form of a game, then it is hard to get much better than The Banner Saga.
    For me, the essence of this game is the story, once it pulls you in, it keeps you right at the heart of it. I felt a sense of pressure with every decision I had to make, and really felt like my decisions had gravity in the plot's progression. It almost felt like I was creating my own story. I can't think of any game I've ever played where I put so much consideration into every choice, internally weighing the pros and cons of various options. This is the highlight of the game for me. It's like an epic choose-your-own adventure role play story that happens to be interspersed with a strategy game-play experience.

    That being said, the other aspects of the game were not as spectacular, though still solidly good. The turn-based grid-style strategy battles were fun, though not amazing. I never really wanted to play this game for more than an hour or two at one sitting because of the repetitive nature of the battles. The character developed in a gaming sense was not particularly well developed either, but this only slightly detracted from my actual enjoyment of the game. By the time the ending credits were rolling, I was right there, living in this mythological fantasy nordic world, and I am eager to sink right back into that realm once the second part of the trilogy is released.

    This is a game that, though it shares a lot of game-play elements that are relatively common, the overall experience of the game is unlike anything else out there. It's the kind of game that should be played by anyone who loves and appreciates the art of the video game. And for anyone who loves reading a good fantasy novel.    … Expand
  2. Tsewe
    Mar 20, 2015
    9
    The Banner Saga is a unique kind of game and is really worth your time if you like dark viking settings.
    Pros:
    - dramatic atmosphere (especially the sounds, the few voice acting, the music and the art) - engaging story, characters and choices - reasonable playtime (between 10 and 15 hours) - unique and interesting "caravan playing" (which you do not really play) - difficulty is    The Banner Saga is a unique kind of game and is really worth your time if you like dark viking settings.
    Pros:
    - dramatic atmosphere (especially the sounds, the few voice acting, the music and the art)
    - engaging story, characters and choices
    - reasonable playtime (between 10 and 15 hours)
    - unique and interesting "caravan playing" (which you do not really play)
    - difficulty is challenging but not abusive
    - no obvious and really annoying bugs as far as I've played
    Cons
    - the combat system: while it is quite enjoyable, the lack of an option to rotate the camera can be really annoying
    - unable to create a banner of your own caravan, which is a bit disappointing since it's the whole point of the title; it would have been nice to be able to select some patterns as long as you progress ingame, and would finish with your own customized caravan banner    … Expand
  3. Soujirop
    Jan 29, 2014
    8
    The Banner Saga is not a brilliant tactical game. There's little variation of jobs, little variation of enemies, and the game is overall not very innovative. However, as RPG it is a pretty good experience, with a good plot that changes with the tons of decisions you make, which adds a very funny component to the game.

    The visual aspect and the music are probably the best of the game.    The Banner Saga is not a brilliant tactical game. There's little variation of jobs, little variation of enemies, and the game is overall not very innovative. However, as RPG it is a pretty good experience, with a good plot that changes with the tons of decisions you make, which adds a very funny component to the game.

    The visual aspect and the music are probably the best of the game. And as a counterpart, when the story starts to become interesting, it suddenly ends, leaving room for a sequel.    … Expand
  4. PeleTheS
    Sep 10, 2014
    9
    honestly this is one of the best stories I've had the pleasure of interacting with
    game play might need a little more balancing but the story is beautiful
    its one of those games you are going to remember
  5. JohnWitten
    Feb 1, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Concept: An enriching, tactics heavy turn-based role-playing game through a grim world, with interesting characters, battles, and a pretty bleak story as well. Also, vikings.

    Graphics: Makes me think either of the old Legend of Zelda cartoon or the animated movies such as The Hobbit and The Black Cauldron, in terms of the visual presentation. Whatever it is, it works.

    Sound: The voice work, haunting sounds of battle and melodies, and clash of weapons and twang of arrows all work well, sound great, and seem pretty realistic for the setting.

    Playability: You might not always get used to the unforgiving difficulty and the necessity of balancing so many tactical readings, but the controls and unit response work like charms and together resemble a well-oiled mechanic. Oh, and there isn't really a tutorial, so get ready to bring the pain or feel it.

    Entertainment: This is definitely a shining example of what a Kickstarted final product should resemble, as it's been pretty well-received, is pretty good in my mind, and is a fairly decent length for an experience as rich as this as well. It's no forty hour role-playing game by any stretch, but the replayability and grim outlook on decision making will have you wanting to replay it, or cowering in fear.

    Replay Value: High.

    Overall Score: 8.0    … Expand
  6. ratapwnz
    Sep 21, 2014
    10
    Probably the best game of last 10 years. Great story, great tactic, original combat system. However young gamers and casuals may have some problems using brain during this game.
  7. HectorofTroy
    Jul 11, 2015
    4
    I couldn't understand the reason of all the hype about this game. The story seems to be very railroaded and arbitrary at times. Contrarily to what most of the reviews say, there are no real decisions to be made. Feeding the caravan is useless, completely pointless. Combat is fine, but it will start to feel repetitive pretty quick.

    All in a all, The Banner Saga is not too bad, nor is it    I couldn't understand the reason of all the hype about this game. The story seems to be very railroaded and arbitrary at times. Contrarily to what most of the reviews say, there are no real decisions to be made. Feeding the caravan is useless, completely pointless. Combat is fine, but it will start to feel repetitive pretty quick.

    All in a all, The Banner Saga is not too bad, nor is it a good game. I played the game only once, got bored and never really felt like going back to it..    … Expand
  8. BatFat09
    Feb 3, 2014
    1
    Awful game is awful... The combat is slow, graphics style is ugly, and worst of all, I have to pay for a game I could already play for free... just plain dropped the ball on this one!
  9. naus
    Mar 24, 2014
    9
    A charming and thoughtful little game. Emphasis on story, and decision-making although I found the combat quite enjoyable too. Not quite like anything I have played before, and a definite recommend.
  10. DemKin
    Feb 20, 2014
    9
    The Banner Saga is a great game.
    Beautiful and inspired design, great story implying a lot of cool lore and ( sometimes unforgiving ) choices from the player, breathtaking for the genre,... It's one of the most original T-RPGs out there, and arguably one of the best.
    The game lasts for about 12-18hrs depending on the difficulty you play on, and there are chances that you come back to it    The Banner Saga is a great game.
    Beautiful and inspired design, great story implying a lot of cool lore and ( sometimes unforgiving ) choices from the player, breathtaking for the genre,... It's one of the most original T-RPGs out there, and arguably one of the best.
    The game lasts for about 12-18hrs depending on the difficulty you play on, and there are chances that you come back to it at some point due to the different paths you can take in the story.
    The dificulty and some plot twists might make some people cringe or leave to never return, but it has some very powerful moments that constantly encourages you to go on on this adventure, and even though the quality of the game kinda decreases after a while, it's still a very good and memorable experience.
    Tactical-RPGs players will probably love it. I sure did.    … Expand
  11. thedarklite123
    Jul 4, 2014
    3
    Nice art and music I guess,the rest of the game is dull and boring.Poor game-play , story and options. Do not waste your money on this overhyped garbage!
  12. usernamesux
    Jan 31, 2014
    2
    This game sucks!!!!! You start having no idea who you are or what you are doing. after 10 minutes, you just randomly fight people for no reason. No story development or tutorial where they could give you some background. Save your time and buy something better!!!!!
  13. The_Magnificent
    Mar 24, 2014
    3
    Oh dear oh dear ..... this game is like a surprising egg without the surprise! If you are having trouble falling asleep, this game might be for you. Looking at the same boring (but cool, at first) arts the whole time, no character or story development at all. Bored the crap out of me and i tried hard to like this game.

    You must have very low standards to give this game a high score.
  14. At_Twenty_Paces
    Mar 5, 2014
    9
    This is quite simply the most beautiful game I have ever played... Visually sublime and hauntingly scored. Now about 40% of the way through the story, the biggest problem I have with the game is the fact that it will end! A 9/10 because nothing is perfect.
  15. dude12311
    Aug 25, 2014
    9
    Signed up specifically to write a review for this game. This is a kickstarter game and is a very good game, one of the best I have played in recent years. The story is great and the combat is fun. There can be many things added to this game to make it even better, but the game was great and I am not sure how it is rated under an 8 from anyone that is objective in their reviews. LookingSigned up specifically to write a review for this game. This is a kickstarter game and is a very good game, one of the best I have played in recent years. The story is great and the combat is fun. There can be many things added to this game to make it even better, but the game was great and I am not sure how it is rated under an 8 from anyone that is objective in their reviews. Looking forward to banner saga 2!… Expand
  16. boogaloobob
    Sep 21, 2014
    9
    Owning over 200 games in all genres I don't get to play through a lot of them, if at all.
    When I gave this a try it took me about an hour to get into it and it didn't let go of me untill the end credits.
    Wonderfully original, beautifully realised and truely inspired!! There are a few things that could be fixed in, I hope, a sequel. I don't know what the use is of keeping your fighters    Owning over 200 games in all genres I don't get to play through a lot of them, if at all.
    When I gave this a try it took me about an hour to get into it and it didn't let go of me untill the end credits.
    Wonderfully original, beautifully realised and truely inspired!! There are a few things that could be fixed in, I hope, a sequel. I don't know what the use is of keeping your fighters and caravan alive cause I finished with just my heroes and I didn't see any consequences for that. Only early on I needed them for a few army fights.    … Expand
  17. SuperkenGaming
    Jul 23, 2018
    7
    The Banner Saga
    Really good if you like reading
    The Banner Saga is the first game in a trilogy of turn based role playing tactics game set all in the world of Vikings… Though I feel like there’s an even more prominent genre to throw this game into.. And that a visual novel I was really looking forward to giving this series a shot and play through the trilogy, and while I see why so    The Banner Saga
    Really good if you like reading
    The Banner Saga is the first game in a trilogy of turn based role playing tactics game set all in the world of Vikings…
    Though I feel like there’s an even more prominent genre to throw this game into..
    And that a visual novel
    I was really looking forward to giving this series a shot and play through the trilogy, and while I see why so many people love this series...
    it’s just not very casual friendly and its really tough to get through this 8 hour campaign... not necessarily because the gameplay is hard…
    the gameplay is essentially party managements and turn based tactics.. As you play through the story you’ll get different groups of characters that belong to different classes all with their own special moves, and as you defeat enemies you’re bale to promote them and increase their stats… you’ll also get to know these characters during stops in villages as well as along your journey across the map…
    In game it’s all fairly simple, you take turns moving a certain space of tiles and attacking enemies within range, either weakening their defenses or going straight for their health...
    placement of your characters in battle is important as it is possible to lose party members... all of this is fine.. But eventually about half way through the game I was just over it...
    battles feel too Samey… and the story just wasn’t interesting enough to keep me going.. at first it is… it gave me a dungeons and dragons feel as I’m making choices and watching things unfold before me based on those choices, gaining supplies to feed my fighters, gaining items for my party to wear, watching my crew get annoying with other members and having to decide what to do with them to ensure moral stayed up…
    I felt immersed into the story… and then suddenly I’m with a new group of characters away from the group I was just getting to know and it broke the spell for me.. I stopped caring, I no longer cared about the consequences of my choices or what the interest of the characters in this game are…
    I just couldn’t follow along it was too much for me.. I just wanted to get to the end of this visual novel that felt like it was dragging on forever,
    there is good in the banner saga, I get that people love visual novels, but I just don’t... I want voice acting... if you want me to sit down and read for 10 hours your story better be captivating throughout... and it just wasn’t here for me…
    That being said im sure there are plenty out there that the idea of a visual novel meets turn based tactics rpg excited them…
    and for those people youre in for a great time… the banner saga is good at being just that…
    But its not for me..
    I give the banner Saga
    a 7/10    … Expand
  18. Gummiente
    Nov 25, 2014
    9
    Banner Saga offers you an interesting story full of tough choices in a setting far away from commonplace fantasy. Combat is a delightful change from other turn-based systems and upgrading your characters is very satisfying. The visuals are breathtaking beautiful. The only downsides are the scarce voice acting and the arguably rushed ending.
  19. itamarbudin
    Jan 2, 2015
    4
    This is by far one of the most punishing, depressing, boring games i ever played.

    Where to start, the game itself is quite beautiful on the eye but you will spend most of you time just watching the caravan walking on and on and on (I never found the "skip" button) The story is "good" but it has an overall depressing narrative to it. I might be missing smoothing here has I am not    This is by far one of the most punishing, depressing, boring games i ever played.

    Where to start, the game itself is quite beautiful on the eye but you will spend most of you time just watching the caravan walking on and on and on (I never found the "skip" button)

    The story is "good" but it has an overall depressing narrative to it. I might be missing smoothing here has I am not familiar with Viking lore

    Combat will occur 10% of times (the other 90% is “Wanted” in conversation and watching the caravan walk) and when it does, this game will punish you over and over again and it doesn't allow you setup you forces on the plane and there is a disturbing tendency for your characters to miss or die unexpectedly before they even had one turn to play.

    It like the developers wrote a piece a code that will always have the player in a disadvantage.
    Combined with the depressing narrative, you will find yourself depressed as well and wounding why the #$@#$@#$ you spent time and money on this game.

    I usually don't write reviews but man, this game really made me angry

    I really recommend the developer to understand that the most basic rule of a game is to have fun and unfortunately this isn't a fun game    … Expand
  20. thegreatbelow
    Jun 9, 2015
    9
    What more can be said? Awesome art direction and music. I really enjoyed the characters, unique landscape and mature story. Simplistic yet challenging.
  21. Malon
    Jun 16, 2015
    10
    Amazing art and Graphics and gameplay good enough to take you through the book level of good story.Choices actually do something.A hero can die and stay alive until the rest of the game depending on your choice.All playable characters interact with you and you care about them.
  22. I3ordo
    Jul 28, 2015
    4
    After the new XCOM game,, turn based games carved a place in my mind that is why i gave a shot at this

    this is new IP from a New studio and i dont think i am having fun because of the interface and the core mechanics...i dont think i can handle this game anymore. I am trying my self at normal difficulty but the real difficulty is from the UI. The interface most of the time, does    After the new XCOM game,, turn based games carved a place in my mind that is why i gave a shot at this

    this is new IP from a New studio and i dont think i am having fun because of the interface and the core mechanics...i dont think i can handle this game anymore.

    I am trying my self at normal difficulty but the real difficulty is from the UI.

    The interface most of the time, does not clearly convey what action you about to make, and you can not reverse the actions even before the turn is complete...

    The story is supposed to procedural, but sometimes it decides things on your behalf of you.
    In other words, if there is an event going on somewhere, it decides that you go there...and that is how it provides some plot twists...

    It is very hard to get used to the nature of this game but i dont think it s enjoyable enough to adapt.

    What i like most is the HP and ATK stats are being same thing. You should not be able to damage some creature critically if you are on the last drip of your HP.    … Expand
  23. PrimeHydra
    Sep 1, 2015
    10
    Amazing game with a unique style, beautiful visuals, deep tactics, and actual role-playing. It's Battlechess meets The Oregon Trail. That's right--the spirit of the classic Apple IIe title lives on in Banner Saga. But instead of running into enemies and watching helplessly as they make off with your loot, you--as the leader of a caravan of soldiers and civilians--will have severalAmazing game with a unique style, beautiful visuals, deep tactics, and actual role-playing. It's Battlechess meets The Oregon Trail. That's right--the spirit of the classic Apple IIe title lives on in Banner Saga. But instead of running into enemies and watching helplessly as they make off with your loot, you--as the leader of a caravan of soldiers and civilians--will have several non-obvious, interesting choices. Do you run into the woods to try and lose the enemy, or do you make a stand immediately? If you escape to the woods, do you set the forest on fire as they come at you, or do you create a diversion? (I've omitted many others--each choice typically has at least four or five options). Your every decision has an impact on not only the story but your band's well-being. Keep morale high, and you'll get bonuses in combat; let it drop too low and you'll face penalties.

    Making life-and-death decisions as you wend away across the continent is just the frosting, though. At the heart of the game is tactical chess-like combat that's is easy to learn, hard to master. You can't just "micro" and focus fire like in an RTS, or run at everything and chop it up like Diablo. You've got to think, and that's what makes victory so rewarding. Units have two stats--Armor and Strength. Depleting Armor makes Strength easier to knock down, and Strength--in an interesting tactical twist--is both the HP AND the offensive ability of a unit. In this way, it's smarter to disable stronger enemies rather than pig-piling an already-incapacitated threat. Mastering the wide range of special abilities is critical to success, as well. Each unit only has one special ability, but they vary so widely and combine so intriguingly that it's more than enough. Some abilities require carefully lining up opponents, others encourage keeping your allies close to form a shield wall, others taunt an enemy into attacking a highly-shielded unit, and so on.

    While it's very difficult, it's never outright punishing. In other words, no kill screens (that I've seen). You're better or worse off for having won or lost a battle, but you never have to play the annoying sub-game of loading an earlier save. Losing a fight brings disappointment more in the form of having let your contingent down, and suffering heavier losses. But you can always rest and face another day. You'll still get the bonus for each kill you managed to make in your last stand before allies managed to drag you to safety. As a gamer in the "hardcore" camp, this never felt cheap to me--because the combat is hard enough without having to restart the game because I made a mistake.

    If you're at all a fan of role-playing, tactical combat--or The Oregon Trail--don't miss this. Best title I've played in a while.    … Expand
  24. Cree26
    Aug 18, 2020
    6
    I wish I could rate it higher. Its such a beautiful game, with an interesting story line, and great music. Unfortunately there isn't much there in terms of actual game play. It felt like I was just along for the ride, a spectator rather than a character. The mechanics are pretty simple. The battles incidental.
  25. kezzyhko
    Jul 29, 2020
    9
    ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍
  26. Oshiri_Maeda
    Nov 17, 2020
    7
    Seems to be very good and stylish tactics. Too bad I didn't like the core mechanics.
  27. Rangard
    Jan 21, 2014
    9
    Its definitely not a "must have".
    And you have to be a gamer to feel this game.
    But yet, its a very interesting game, with some charming features of an old-school game, but without all UI and UX hardcore attached. Do not expect any revelations from this one, and you gonna like it. Music, meta-Scandinavian landscape, long caravan animation (that some complain) that give a feeling of    Its definitely not a "must have".
    And you have to be a gamer to feel this game.
    But yet, its a very interesting game, with some charming features of an old-school game, but without all UI and UX hardcore attached.
    Do not expect any revelations from this one, and you gonna like it.
    Music, meta-Scandinavian landscape, long caravan animation (that some complain) that give a feeling of long journey and makes you dive a bit deeper into the game, unique charterers (I mean really unique, with very few similarities in other games).

    But three most obvious features are:
    - Really uncommon and fresh system for tactical combat.
    You will have to understand it. And do not expect that you will level a kind of all purpose-tank or mega-sniper. There are none. Not even close.
    - Choices you make.
    Its not that kid-adopted type of options like "i do good things = I'm good". Its a bit more mature here. Few canonical good behavior patterns will do you good in this game. I see a house burning whit child inside, i'm a hero, I go rescue... you just die. You all who coming with you.
    - Story.
    Not there is something extraordinary. But its deep, rich with of details and well written tale.

    The only really fail I'd change about this game is to remove "save/load" to make player to think on what chooses he makes and not just probe each and everyone and see which one is better.    … Expand
  28. Lanky14
    Oct 15, 2014
    9
    Good story. Interesting combat. Great art. Fairly short. There isn't that much more to say about this game. It entertained me fully and at the end I wanted more. This is definitely worth a pass.
  29. georgio
    May 8, 2016
    6
    I am huge fan of turn-based tactic games such as UFO or X-COM for many years now. That is why I immediately boarded the hype train behind this game. And I have to say that I was very disappointed. Interestingly enough the game is not that different from X-COM in a way that it features "strategic" layer when you manage your caravan as well as "tactical" layer where you have to go throughI am huge fan of turn-based tactic games such as UFO or X-COM for many years now. That is why I immediately boarded the hype train behind this game. And I have to say that I was very disappointed. Interestingly enough the game is not that different from X-COM in a way that it features "strategic" layer when you manage your caravan as well as "tactical" layer where you have to go through various battles.

    The game tries to evoke a sense of dread, where your group is pushed from place to place barely able to survive. However the game mechanics are very crude and random events seem to be the main story tools for creators of the game. Imagine that after you almost starved once or twice so you invest into keeping your supplies up all the time. Then you face the "spoiled food" event that cuts your food supplies by half. There it is - several consecutive battles of preparing yourself were in vain.

    It seems as if there is a particular way the game developers expect you to play the game but they never lay it down for you. It is just that whenever you go away from "the script" the game punishes you. I don't mind hard games, but this is not the kind of "hard" you want to encounter. You either lucked out never to discover how narrowly you missed a catastrophic event or you are just screwed. No sense of accomplishment, just frustration.

    I believe the game has a potential but the execution is just bad.    … Expand
  30. iseeall
    Apr 8, 2014
    6
    This game has an interesting TBS mechanics, but at the same time has major faults and ends up a mediocre broken game at best.

    First, the tutorial battles push too much info on the player, leaving you confused. I had to re-start the game 3 times until finally I understood how combat works. Second, there are multiple problems with game controls. There is no "undo" command, so if you do    This game has an interesting TBS mechanics, but at the same time has major faults and ends up a mediocre broken game at best.

    First, the tutorial battles push too much info on the player, leaving you confused. I had to re-start the game 3 times until finally I understood how combat works.

    Second, there are multiple problems with game controls. There is no "undo" command, so if you do something wrong because you didn't know the rules (e.g. nowhere it's said that "tempest" attack also damages allies), there is no obvious way to replay or reload. The field is scrolled in tablet-style (dragging) and not by pushing the cursor to the edge of the screen. The whole battlefield get cluttered already in the second battle because the units are drawn using fixed-angle isometric 2.5D and overlap. The option to hide banners doesn't really help it. Mouse-over just doesn't exist here, and it would be much easier to play if there were handy tooltips like in Rome Total War 2, for example. But well, obviously the game was designed for tablets. So all hardcore gamers (like myself) have got a clumsy port from iPad or something. Not really fair for the asked $20+ price.

    The third major issue of the game is that the texts were written without any regard to the fact that there will also be non-native speakers (like myself) playing this game. In the first city I found myself failing to understand many of those low-frequency adjectives scattered around almost every phrase. Maybe the writer wanted to show off, but the result is that the text is hard to read (I suppose, even to native-speakers), it looks unnecessarily complex. Combine that with the pile of fantasy-themed names most of which you will see for the first time, and you have an mess of crap which you hardly have desire to dig thru. Even the voice-overs were done with such heavy accent (is it Swedish accent?) that I had to strain myself to understand what they were saying. Btw I'm not that bad in English. I read Fallout 2 texts easily as well as Baldur's Gate's texts, and watch piles of US movies in English without any problems. The runic font used on the map is hard to read, too.

    The forth issue is with graphics. The drawings of the characters in the cutscenes look strikingly worse that the smooth backgrounds.

    On the plus side, the music and sounds are excellent, as well as backgrounds. What this game needs is an overhaul of the controls with more regard to desktop users. Also, someone should go thru all those piles of text you have there, make shorter sentences and replace low-frequency words with normal, high-frequency synonyms. At its current state, the game isn't worth the money and is no fun to play.    … Expand
  31. Klewer
    Jun 4, 2016
    8
    A really enjoyable experience this game, has a great feel to it and has some lovely visuals. A strong story which you can change slightly with your own choices and input. Combat is solid as a turn based style with unique abilities for your team. Worth a look.
  32. Purgatory1
    Nov 28, 2015
    5
    Overall good story with nice comic style graphics and good atmospheric music.

    Unfortunately that's pretty much it regarding the positive aspects of the game. My overall gameplay experience was pretty mediocre mostly because of the turn based combat system. I usually like turn based systems a lot e.g. the system XCOM uses is a very positive example. If your party in Banner Saga has 5    Overall good story with nice comic style graphics and good atmospheric music.

    Unfortunately that's pretty much it regarding the positive aspects of the game. My overall gameplay experience was pretty mediocre mostly because of the turn based combat system. I usually like turn based systems a lot e.g. the system XCOM uses is a very positive example.
    If your party in Banner Saga has 5 members and you fight a party of 2 enemies then the enemy characters get twice as many moves than your characters. And once you've killed all enemies but one it completely changes so all your characters get to move before the remaining enemy does. Which imo is illogical and annoying.
    The leveling system is pretty strange as well since you have only one resource in the game which has to be used for everything including your level progression and items. I didn't like special abilities of the characters either because too many of them are just useless during combat.

    I don't have a problem with linear story telling but Banner Saga tries to give you an impression of having an influence on the story progression while your choices actually don't have any or very little impact (with ONE exception near the end of the game). Furthermore most of the times the dialog system gives you a bad choice, another bad choice and a very bad choice - all leading to (you might have already guessed) a (or even the same) bad result.    … Expand
  33. Morgenstern72
    Apr 28, 2016
    8
    This is a wonderful approach to turn based stratetegy: the mechanics are simple, but it needs learning to grasp them. Tt's mastery is really rewarding. Combined with the second part this game is just awesome: wonderful graphics (if you like the style!), an intriguing story, challenging fights and some real hard decisions to make. Get this game if you like nordic legends and much moreThis is a wonderful approach to turn based stratetegy: the mechanics are simple, but it needs learning to grasp them. Tt's mastery is really rewarding. Combined with the second part this game is just awesome: wonderful graphics (if you like the style!), an intriguing story, challenging fights and some real hard decisions to make. Get this game if you like nordic legends and much more realism and grit than many other settings.… Expand
  34. Icinix
    Jun 3, 2018
    10
    Edit : After replaying it many times and the sequals - this game and it's series are total gems. It gets off at a cracking pace, so you might be a bit lost at first but the tactics are quick to learn difficult to master and incredibly satisfying once you pull off more difficult situations.
    Takes a little while to start putting together who is who and what is happening - so at first you    Edit : After replaying it many times and the sequals - this game and it's series are total gems. It gets off at a cracking pace, so you might be a bit lost at first but the tactics are quick to learn difficult to master and incredibly satisfying once you pull off more difficult situations.
    Takes a little while to start putting together who is who and what is happening - so at first you might not feel much connection with the characters or the story - but after a while a case of the 'one more turn' syndrome kicks in. You'll be watching those supplies and weighing up promotions, supplies and items while juggling the story decisions and their potential impacts.
    Well worth the price - with the only faults being in animation and voiced dialogue (the lack of it).    … Expand
  35. Gormph
    Jun 21, 2016
    5
    pros: looks great love the art style and the world, the controls work.

    cons: The game gets you into it with little understanding of its combat stats so you ether guessed on the correct stats right off the bat or your going to have a rough time. then every unit has to have a set number of kills to level AND you have to use renown to level buy items, and get supplies, which for my first    pros: looks great love the art style and the world, the controls work.

    cons: The game gets you into it with little understanding of its combat stats so you ether guessed on the correct stats right off the bat or your going to have a rough time. then every unit has to have a set number of kills to level AND you have to use renown to level buy items, and get supplies, which for my first play though meant i got to the end of the game with under leveled people because i had no renown to level them. the combat itself lacks depth once you understand the stats and is uninteresting, the game fakes being challenging but stacking everything in the computers favor ex. you get a turn then the enemy every round but the enemy out numbers you every time, has heavy armor no matter what, can move further, and does heaver damage and you basically just do the same thing in combat the whole game with no options, its as if the story was very important but the combat was an after thought.

    As for the story itself, it just kind of stops no real closure, nothing is broken down, you have very little understanding of what you accomplished and kind of feel like you wasted your time, it feels more like this was the first chapter of a book trying to be its own release and it just comes short.

    all in all its not bad but it could have been great with a little tweaking, its like plain rice, nothing wrong with it on its own but nothing to rave about.    … Expand
  36. hko2006
    Dec 6, 2015
    8
    The good
    The turn based battle is like chess with armor and HP.
    Unlike 99% of games, units with less HP do less damage ie HP is their attack value Dilemmas are good, give good immersion. Like in one dilemma, you are asked to wait someone to come but same as your character, you don't know when they will come if they will come at all. The bad Mostly 2 types of battles, either thugs or    The good
    The turn based battle is like chess with armor and HP.
    Unlike 99% of games, units with less HP do less damage ie HP is their attack value
    Dilemmas are good, give good immersion. Like in one dilemma, you are asked to wait someone to come but same as your character, you don't know when they will come if they will come at all.
    The bad
    Mostly 2 types of battles, either thugs or dredge (stone people), and only one fight vs varl (giants). I'm ok with the lack of fight with varl though.
    Caravan, while being one them of the game (protect your kin), it does not impact much on the game. I even tried resting even without food will actually boost your morale, while a dozen people are dying each day you rest.
    EDIT: Bad morale causes worse events to happen so staving/not resting does have impact.
    More on The Caravan: Let them starve thread
    TIPS:
    Specialize armor breakers to 3/4 armor break
    The flow is armor breakers break dredge's armor, then high HP weaken their HP and damage by attacking. As long as you keep dredge's HP lower than your armor, you are fine.    … Expand
  37. Type4101
    Feb 11, 2014
    9
    A great, stylish game for a reasonable price. At heart, Banner Saga is a turn-based tactical combat game, and it has solid mechanics that feel comfortable but also unique (not just wailing away on hit points). The icing on the cake is the bleak story it tells, about a world on the brink of disaster, as the sun has frozen in the sky. Also worth noting, this is a full game for a fairA great, stylish game for a reasonable price. At heart, Banner Saga is a turn-based tactical combat game, and it has solid mechanics that feel comfortable but also unique (not just wailing away on hit points). The icing on the cake is the bleak story it tells, about a world on the brink of disaster, as the sun has frozen in the sky. Also worth noting, this is a full game for a fair price....no awful DLC or micro-transactions. That alone makes it worthwhile.… Expand
  38. Boyinleaves
    Feb 6, 2014
    9
    The Banner Saga is an utterly unique undertaking in the gaming world. A beautiful, visually and auditorily driven tactical combat game that also incorporates strong decision making and a moving story.

    Much of the presentation of the Banner Saga is simple and intuitive, but allows for great depth. The character development is lean but allows for diverse tactical options. The combat is    The Banner Saga is an utterly unique undertaking in the gaming world. A beautiful, visually and auditorily driven tactical combat game that also incorporates strong decision making and a moving story.

    Much of the presentation of the Banner Saga is simple and intuitive, but allows for great depth. The character development is lean but allows for diverse tactical options. The combat is heavily focused on tactical positioning and clever combinations of character abilities.

    Many of the decisions regarding the game's development have clearly been directed at creating a strongly evocative experience.

    If you are interested in turn-based, tactical combat, and have a preference for roguelike games, give the Banner Saga a shot, and do your very best to continue playing without ever loading from a poor combat performance or a decision that wreaks havoc upon you. It will be an experience unlike any other game.

    Also, a unique setting and some of the most mature thematic writing I have seen, even if some of the content is a little hamfisted at times. The only reason it's not a straight 10 is that they dropped the ball with a few of the travelling and choice mechanics. Everything else is awesome.    … Expand
  39. Sky-Moondrift
    Jan 28, 2014
    8
    For a Low budget title, you won't get much better than this. It has imo the best grid-based combat system of any game which is really fun just by itself, but add great music, artwork and sound along with a heavily engaging story line and you get The banner Saga.

    The only drawbacks being some game mechanics haven't been fully implemented, which is a little confusing for a new player. TBS    For a Low budget title, you won't get much better than this. It has imo the best grid-based combat system of any game which is really fun just by itself, but add great music, artwork and sound along with a heavily engaging story line and you get The banner Saga.

    The only drawbacks being some game mechanics haven't been fully implemented, which is a little confusing for a new player. TBS would benefit from a more open world design and/or a less linear progression system.

    With some additional game modes and systems to support them, this game could be worthy of a full 10.    … Expand
  40. brian130
    Jan 21, 2014
    8
    Excellent artwork that thankfully proves you can go old-school without going 8-bit. Original storyline that feels a like you have many choices to make, although many of them feel like the (a) you lose and (b) you die variety. It does get tedious fighting dredge over and over with only a handful of unit types. Only a minimum of character customization, but that bare-bones style suits someExcellent artwork that thankfully proves you can go old-school without going 8-bit. Original storyline that feels a like you have many choices to make, although many of them feel like the (a) you lose and (b) you die variety. It does get tedious fighting dredge over and over with only a handful of unit types. Only a minimum of character customization, but that bare-bones style suits some people. I definitely enjoyed the characters and the text-only interaction didn't bother me at all. Overall this was a very good game, even the slogs across the country-side were fun to watch.

    Now if you could take this template, the tactical combat, caravan building, etc., and give it a sandbox style with a high fantasy setting....    … Expand
  41. 1nsider
    Jan 25, 2014
    9
    Beautiful journey into Nordic world in a game of quest/rpg/tactics fused together on a whole new level of quality, never experienced before. Simple, yet so powerful - the way the proper PC game is supposed to be. More, please.
  42. wiltshiregh
    Feb 6, 2014
    9
    This game is amazing. Compelling story-line, difficult choices with tangible consequences, interest and tactical combat, outstanding music. The music might actually be the best part of this game. It just takes all the other elements, which are great in their own right, and ties them together in a powerful way.

    With all that being said I hope to see some enchantments as more episodes    This game is amazing. Compelling story-line, difficult choices with tangible consequences, interest and tactical combat, outstanding music. The music might actually be the best part of this game. It just takes all the other elements, which are great in their own right, and ties them together in a powerful way.

    With all that being said I hope to see some enchantments as more episodes come out (I think this is an episode based game? if not then it certainly ends abruptly). The leveling system is good but perhaps a little basic. It stood out to me as a feature that could easily be improved.

    TLDR: I made a metacritic account to rate this game because i was pretty much blown away by how entertaining it was.    … Expand
  43. HenryDane
    May 24, 2014
    5
    Really fun game but BE WARNED! There is no saving during battle or in between battle phases and crashes can happen directly after a fight when you win, making you replay the entire thing over. This happened to me on the final boss (who is a real pain and a half, not to mention thoroughly plain as far as final battles go) and I would have happily given this game a 10 but the crashes areReally fun game but BE WARNED! There is no saving during battle or in between battle phases and crashes can happen directly after a fight when you win, making you replay the entire thing over. This happened to me on the final boss (who is a real pain and a half, not to mention thoroughly plain as far as final battles go) and I would have happily given this game a 10 but the crashes are INEXCUSABLE, especially right after a fight that takes easily 30-45 min a TRY!!!… Expand
  44. Gromloks
    Jul 21, 2014
    9
    The Banner Saga entführt euch in eine wunderbare Mythenwelt, die sich sehr an nordischen Sagen orientiert. Ihr bestimmt das Schicksal einer Karawane, führt Schlachten mit euren Hedlen im Rundenmodus und versucht zu erreichen, dass möglichst viele eurer Begleiter überleben. Das Spiel stellt euch vor manch schwierige Entscheidung, und deren Konsequenzen sind nicht immer sofort absehbar. SoThe Banner Saga entführt euch in eine wunderbare Mythenwelt, die sich sehr an nordischen Sagen orientiert. Ihr bestimmt das Schicksal einer Karawane, führt Schlachten mit euren Hedlen im Rundenmodus und versucht zu erreichen, dass möglichst viele eurer Begleiter überleben. Das Spiel stellt euch vor manch schwierige Entscheidung, und deren Konsequenzen sind nicht immer sofort absehbar. So können von euch gut gemeinte Entscheidungen doch zu einer anderen Katastrophe führen. Diese Entscheidungen, die das Spiel so prägen, machen es auch nach mehrmaligem Durchspielen nicht langweilig. Die Grafik ist comichaft, aber zugleich sehr ernst gestalten und erleichtet einem das Versinken in diese traumhafte Fantasywelt.… Expand
  45. Malaine
    Aug 24, 2014
    10
    The Banner Saga is one of those games that will stick with you for a lifetime. The setting of the game, combined with unique turn based combat is simply amazing. Growing up and playing games like FF tactics, Tactics Ogre: let us cling together, and advanced wars I can safely say this game is a MUST buy if you like any of the games I listed. This games shines the most on the hardestThe Banner Saga is one of those games that will stick with you for a lifetime. The setting of the game, combined with unique turn based combat is simply amazing. Growing up and playing games like FF tactics, Tactics Ogre: let us cling together, and advanced wars I can safely say this game is a MUST buy if you like any of the games I listed. This games shines the most on the hardest difficulties, the decisions you make WILL impact the rest of your play through. The combat is very challenging even when you find your favorite group of members to use one wrong move can and will cost you the fight. Decision making is extremely important, it can cost certain characters their lives and this means you may have spent a lot of time upgrading them only to see them fall permanently. With all of the mainstream games out there that aren't delivering The Banner Saga shines its brightest. I have played many games and paid the 59.99 only to put 8-12 hours in but I have over 80 in the banner saga! There are always different ways to play though the game. If you are on the fence at all about this game do yourself a favor and buy it, I guarantee you won't be disappointed, the developers are engaged in what the community has to say and between their team of 3 members they take active feedback and actually care about what their fans want!… Expand
  46. nabbone
    Jan 25, 2016
    9
    A game of incredible beauty! Aesthetically refined, based on iconography Nordic revisited in a modern way. A fascinating story as you will rarely see in games in the majors. Dark nostalgic atmosphere at the same time. Witty dialogue and difficult choices. Game system strategically interesting. I look forward to it the crowfoundin for The Banner Saga 2. From support absolutely!
  47. Derf3L
    Oct 1, 2016
    5
    This game does not have tactical combat: even if the enemies are 100 and your party is 4, you will still get one turn each (one you, one the enemy). The combat solely goes around looking what enemy will move next in the turns and make him weaker, until u have all enemies with 0 health. If u kill enemies first, then is bad for you...

    This is zero tactical, zero logical gameplay. If    This game does not have tactical combat: even if the enemies are 100 and your party is 4, you will still get one turn each (one you, one the enemy). The combat solely goes around looking what enemy will move next in the turns and make him weaker, until u have all enemies with 0 health. If u kill enemies first, then is bad for you...

    This is zero tactical, zero logical gameplay. If you're fine with this, then go ahead and try to enjoy some nice music, "artstyle" and story.    … Expand
  48. Kargun
    Nov 29, 2018
    8
    Tiene un arte precioso y el sistema de combate es divertido pero no muy retante. A pesar de las múltiples tomas de decisiones no sientes que tengan un peso real más allá de perder algunos soldados o de conseguir víveres de los que tocan. A pesar de ello los carismáticos personajes te hacen querer jugar a la secuela en cuando te lo acabas. Unas 20 horas de juego.
  49. Blanel
    May 13, 2016
    5
    An ok, but frustrating game. The frustration does not come from tactical depth, which is fine, but the resource management as you stave off the constant threat of starvation, which gets old fast.
  50. Wiebe
    Feb 26, 2020
    8
    Great story, decisions are fun, combat is alright, but slow and not super deep, but has some fun elements
  51. Voyou
    Aug 8, 2016
    5
    It's pretty, and it's pleasant for an hour or two, but it's too shallow to keep me interested much longer: tactically poor and repetitive, 100% linear, fake choices ridden, devoid of dialog options, very weak on save/restoration, with a clunky and slow interface that is hard to read and makes it hard to know what you are doing.

    Meh, and I'm being generous.
  52. NexusTsunami
    Dec 19, 2016
    5
    - Vorwort:
    Die Entwickler haben versucht ein spielbaren Epos zu realisieren - ein interaktives Buch sozusagen. Eine Geschichte über Charaktere die in einer sterbenden Welt um Ihr Wohl und das Überleben Ihrer Sippe kämpfen. Gegen eine dunkle Bedrohung die Ihre eigenen Beweggründe hat und einer Umgebung die selbst minder tödlich ist. In diesem Spiel geht es nicht darum die Welt zu retten    - Vorwort:
    Die Entwickler haben versucht ein spielbaren Epos zu realisieren - ein interaktives Buch sozusagen. Eine Geschichte über Charaktere die in einer sterbenden Welt um Ihr Wohl und das Überleben Ihrer Sippe kämpfen. Gegen eine dunkle Bedrohung die Ihre eigenen Beweggründe hat und einer Umgebung die selbst minder tödlich ist. In diesem Spiel geht es nicht darum die Welt zu retten und die Dunkelheit zu vertreiben, sondern es stellt einen Kampf um das eigenen Überleben dar. Auf dem beschwerlichen Weg müssen viele tiefgreifende moralische Entscheidungen getroffen werden, die sowohl Auswirkungen auf die eigene Gruppe als auch auf deren Umfeld haben. Allgegenwärtig auf dieser Reise ist das Gefühl der Beklemmung, denn es wollen schwierige Kämpfe überstanden und rare Ressourcen effizient genutzt werden.

    Ich denke so ungefähr haben sich die Entwickler ihre fertige Trilogie vorgestellt. Aber schon im ersten Spiel haben Sie sich meiner Meinung nach übernommen.

    - Gameplay:
    In diesem Aspekt liegt meiner Meinung nach das Hauptproblem dieses Spiels.
    Das Kampfsystem will inovativ, schafft es aber nicht die tiefe zu erreichen die es selbst gerne hätte. SRPG typisch bewegt man sich, mit charakterspezifischen Reichweiten, auf einem Spielfeld. Es geht darum den Gegner auszumanövrieren und den Vorteil zu erhalten. Hierfür hat jeder Charakter auf dem Brett (auch die Gegner) zwei Lebenswerte: Rüstung und HP. Wird die Rüstung verringert, so wird beim nächsten Angriff auf die HP mehr Schaden verteilt. Wird der HP Wert verringert, so teilt ein Charakter selbst weniger Schaden auf HP aus. Mit einem dritten und begrenztem Wert können diverse Aktionen (max. Bewegungsreichweite, Schaden auf HP oder Rüstung) verstärkt oder charakterspezifische Spezialattacken eingesetzt werden. Ansich interessant nach einiger Zeit aber repetiv...

    Die Charakterentwicklung findet eigentlich gar nicht so richtig statt. Es gibt pro Char 5 Level die man aufsteigen kann. Nach Lvl Up erhält man zwei Punkte mit denen man diverse Werte steigern kann. Neue Spezialattacken sind Fehlanzeige. Man kann jeden Char mit Gegenständen ausrüsten die man entweder findet oder auf dem Markt kaufen kann.

    Die Reise durch die Welt findet automatisch und in der 2D Seitenperspektive statt. Pro Tag werden Ressourcen verbraten, die wenn aufgebraucht, ein Sterben der eigenen Sippe nach sich zieht.

    Und nun kommt der Knackpunkt der mich am meißten gestört hat. Für ein LvL Up, dem Kauf von Ressourcen oder dem Kauf von Gegenständen wird ein und dieselbe "Währung" benötigt. Diese erhält man durch Kämpfe oder getroffene Entscheidungen. Nur ist diese so rar gesät das es weh tut. Der Grund hierfür ist zwar nachvollziehbar aber zu erzwungen. Die Entwickler wollen, dass man mit seinen Ressourcen haushaltet. Jede Anschaffung will genau überlegt sein. Wäre ja ansich ganz interessant aber das Spiel überhäuft einen so dermaßen mit dem Ungewissen, dass man eigentlich grundsätzlich falsche Entscheidungen treffen muss. So levelt man Charaktere mit den wertvollen Punkten auf, nur damit Sie entweder tot umfallen oder einem Verraten. Puff sind die Punkte für den *****. Ab einem gewissen Punkt ist man nur noch damit beschäftigt, diese Fehlentscheidungen wieder auszugleichen, nur um wieder ein Brett ins Gesicht geschlagen zu bekommen! Das Leben in diesem Spiel ist kein Ponyhof. Dies versuchen die Entwickler auf teilweise nicht nachvollziehbare Weise zu erzwingen.

    - Charaktere:
    Ähnliches Phänomen bei den Charakteren selbst. Eigentlich wollten die Entwickler denke ich, dass durch den oben beschriebenen Mangel an Ressourcen, eine stärkere Charakterbindung eintritt. Das somit der Tot oder Verrat von Charakteren schwerer wiegt und einem nahe geht. Nur leider waren mir diese Ereignisse sowas von egal. Das Charaktertelling ist nicht wirklich tiefgreifend. Es findet kaum interaktion untereinander statt. Vorgeschichten werden nur angerissen und sind dann nur Standardkost.

    - Welt:
    Keine großen Umschweife wie es an Punkt A aussieht oder warum. Man sieht die Resultate dessen auf der Reise einfach. Die Umgebungen sind zwar schön, teilweise majestätisch gestaltet aber wieder waren mir die Umstände in der Welt egal.

    - Grafik:
    In einem eigenen, wirklich passenden fast Comichaften Stil gehalten. War schön anzusehen.

    - Sound:
    Auch hier wurde, wie in anderen Punkten in diesem Spiel, auf Minimalismus gesetzt. Kaum Musik, selten Sprachausgabe und hauptsächlich Hintergrundgeräusche. Hat mich aber nicht wirklich gestört denn es passte einfach in Ambiente.

    - Schlusswort:
    Die Entwickler haben sich wirklich getraut mal etwas anderes zu versuchen. Die Betonung liegt allerdings auf versucht. Ich werde dennoch den zweiten Teil spielen. Zum Lückenfüller ist es dennoch geeignet.    … Expand
  53. Vicente_ao
    Apr 13, 2016
    8
    ¿Te gusta la cultura/ambientación nórdica? - compra este juego
    ¿Te gustan los juegos de estrategia por turnos? - compra este juego
    ¿Te gustan los juegos de aventuras de textos? - compra este juego ¿Te gustan las buenas tramas en los juegos? - compra este juego The banner saga es una propuesta fresca y muy bien llevada, ambientado en un mundo de cultura escandinava, con una historia    ¿Te gusta la cultura/ambientación nórdica? - compra este juego
    ¿Te gustan los juegos de estrategia por turnos? - compra este juego
    ¿Te gustan los juegos de aventuras de textos? - compra este juego
    ¿Te gustan las buenas tramas en los juegos? - compra este juego

    The banner saga es una propuesta fresca y muy bien llevada, ambientado en un mundo de cultura escandinava, con una historia potente, donde sus personajes llevan el peso de su historia a sus hombros.
    Gran parte del juego no estarás luchando, si no que estarás viajado y tener que tomar relevantes decisiones, decisiones que pueden traer consigo desastres, como la muerte de personajes, la pérdida de recursos, la baja moral, o por otro lado, conseguir recursos, reclutar gente para el clan, etc.
    El sistema de combate es muy fácil de aprender y es muy entretenido y a la vez te verás en sistuaciones muy dificiles de poder ganar.
    La historia como ya he comentado engancha mucho, quieres seguir jugando, la jugabilidad es muy entretenida, la MÚSICA, wow, punto fuerte del juego, es totalmente épica y bien llevada, el diseño de personajes y ambientes muy bello.
    Como aspecto negativo, se podría haber ahondado más en las historias de los personajes, el juego termina muy brusco (por suerte se sabe que saldrá la parte 2 que unirá me imagino que dará a entender o finalizar la trama) y la traducción, al menos la del español, es risoriamente mala, es como si hubieran usado google traductor para hacer la traducción del juego.

    7.8/10    … Expand
  54. ElTornado
    May 1, 2016
    9
    I'm not a fan of this kind of games, but I REALLY liked it. Great storytelling, great art, outstanding soundtrack, a little bit repetitive but interesting gameplay. And the best thing is that I have that warm feeling in my hurt when I think about this game.
  55. touchofheaven
    Jun 2, 2020
    8
    Nice game, visual novel with management elements and turn-based battles. The fights are interesting, not too hard, especially want to note the animations and sounds.
  56. cottandy
    Nov 3, 2016
    10
    An overall great game with brilliant gameplay, storytelling, art, combat mechanics. I found no cons in this game, though I made it through several times. Yes! One time is not enough for this one. Once you start, the game will suck you into it like a quagmire in a good way you know.

    And even though there is the second part "The Banner Saga 2", this game feels complete byitself, so does    An overall great game with brilliant gameplay, storytelling, art, combat mechanics. I found no cons in this game, though I made it through several times. Yes! One time is not enough for this one. Once you start, the game will suck you into it like a quagmire in a good way you know.

    And even though there is the second part "The Banner Saga 2", this game feels complete byitself, so does the story. And still you want to know what will happen afterwards. This great the story is!    … Expand
  57. kylemccoy131
    Jan 26, 2023
    10
    I played the whole trilogy back to back, so this is a review of all the games. There are some nitpicks I have such as the "maim strategy" limiting gameplay variety... but thats about it. Everything else I loved! I found that as the trilogy progressed, there were enough new challenges and moveset updates that it keeps you on your toes. The art style and soundtrack are unique and always aI played the whole trilogy back to back, so this is a review of all the games. There are some nitpicks I have such as the "maim strategy" limiting gameplay variety... but thats about it. Everything else I loved! I found that as the trilogy progressed, there were enough new challenges and moveset updates that it keeps you on your toes. The art style and soundtrack are unique and always a treat to experience.… Expand
  58. Dagrum
    Jan 21, 2017
    7
    A good SRPG mixed with Oregon Trail, set in Norse fantasy.
    - Looks amazing, but is also it's downfall, there's very little actual animation and instead just a bunch of pictures.
    - The music is alright, it does what it sets out to do but its not anything your going to listen to outside of the game - It's a very story heavy game, but they have the audacity to drop a major cliffhanger at    A good SRPG mixed with Oregon Trail, set in Norse fantasy.
    - Looks amazing, but is also it's downfall, there's very little actual animation and instead just a bunch of pictures.
    - The music is alright, it does what it sets out to do but its not anything your going to listen to outside of the game
    - It's a very story heavy game, but they have the audacity to drop a major cliffhanger at the end

    It's a good game, but the game-play is not better then other SRPG's, and if you're playing for the story your going to need to also play the sequel.    … Expand
  59. Laer
    Mar 14, 2017
    7
    El sol se ha detenido, los dioses han muerto, una nueva guerra contra los dredge se cierne sobre la alianza de Humanos y Varls, todo esto, mientras algo aun peor a todo lo anterior se lleva acabo sin que nosotros sepamos nada.

    Así se presenta la historia de The Banner Saga, donde manejaremos a dos grupos que intentan sobrevivir en mitad de todo este caos. Un sin fin de cosas nos    El sol se ha detenido, los dioses han muerto, una nueva guerra contra los dredge se cierne sobre la alianza de Humanos y Varls, todo esto, mientras algo aun peor a todo lo anterior se lleva acabo sin que nosotros sepamos nada.

    Así se presenta la historia de The Banner Saga, donde manejaremos a dos grupos que intentan sobrevivir en mitad de todo este caos. Un sin fin de cosas nos encontraremos en nuestro viaje hacia tierra segura, nos enzarzaremos en batallas cada cual más dura, toparemos con personas, cada una con sus problemas, virtudes, inquietudes, objetivos...

    La mayoría de las decisiones que tomemos tienen relevancia en nuestro camino, no así tanto en la historia. Algunas se llevaran a personas por delante, con otras podrás hacer pasar hambre a tu caravana, y en rara ocasión podrás disfrutar de una pequeña calma en tan duro viaje.

    Como habréis podido comprobar en el inicio de este análisis, sin duda lo más destacable del juego es su historia, como se lleva acabo, y las decisiones, que aunque no cambien realmente el rumbo de la historia, si que dan los matices necesarios para ver como ocurren pequeños sucesos por estos. Ademas, otra de las cosas que más destaca es su apariencia, y es que esta maravilla junto a la banda sonora, hacen que, simplemente ver a la caravana en movimiento, con tal majestuoso paisaje de fondo al sonido de una canción de narrativa épica, o al sonido de tambores de batalla, sea una experiencia inolvidable.

    La jugabilidad, en el tema de combates, posiblemente sea la peor parte del juego, que no por ello significa que sea mala. Cada personaje pertenece a una clase, cada una ofrece distintas capacidades como resistir, pegar, disparar de lejos... pero creo que falta diferenciar más cada una de estas, y mejorar las habilidades especiales de algunas, ya que en la mayoría de los personajes he acabado utilizando casi siempre el ataque principal por ser más efectivo.

    Otro de los fallos es el doblaje, se agradece que este en Español, pero se nota que en ciertos lugares no esta bien desarrollado pues hay frases que no significan nada, otras mal estructuradas que quitan fuerza a la situación y desde luego ambientación.

    Y por ultimo un pequeño apunte. El propio nombre del juego os lo indica "The Banner SAGA". Efectivamente, esto es el comienzo de algo más grande, esta primera entrega solo siempre, no penseis que aclarara ninguna de las dudas que crea.

    Recomendado para todos aquellos amantes de los juegos por turnos, los amantes de la mitología o la ambientación vikinga, o para aquellos que quieran una historia épica por sus venas.    … Expand
  60. auditbadger
    Jul 30, 2017
    8
    I think that this is truly a unique game and I would recommend that if you are a fan of this type of genre then I think you should give this game a try.
  61. RagingPoet
    Jul 23, 2018
    9
    The Banner Saga got beautyful hand drawn style, great characters, impactful choices, solid tactical combat and intense atmosphere.
    It is not perfect: resource management is weak, numbers of people in caravan do not mean anything, some consequences of the choices are impossible to predict, images in dialogues and cutscenes are mostly static. But all those flaws are unimportant compared to    The Banner Saga got beautyful hand drawn style, great characters, impactful choices, solid tactical combat and intense atmosphere.
    It is not perfect: resource management is weak, numbers of people in caravan do not mean anything, some consequences of the choices are impossible to predict, images in dialogues and cutscenes are mostly static. But all those flaws are unimportant compared to how engaging The Banner Saga is.    … Expand
  62. jorgos4567
    May 10, 2018
    9
    Great tactics game with an epic story! The developer chose a very clever way to tell a story that will make you feel like in Lord of the Rings. The art style is beautiful and you will care for all the characters.
  63. TheSaltyPilgrim
    Jun 10, 2018
    7
    Story and Writing: 9
    Game Play: 8
    Music: 10
    User Interface: 7
    Optimization: 10
    Graphics: 7
    Replay Value: 6
    Would Recommend: Yes
  64. macibor
    Aug 14, 2018
    8
    My friend recommended me this game saying that it was his favourite game with mixed tactics, rpg and story. Of course I didn't believe him at first, but then I tried it. And it was good! The pace of the game could be a little bit quicker but other than that I liked it. I appreciate the graphical style and design of this game and the gameplay is good enough with variety of different moves per unit.
  65. HarrySatschel
    Nov 1, 2018
    10
    I absolutely love this game. It is a fantastic turn based tactical strategy game with a fantastic story. It is relatively short for my likely when taken on its own. However, when played as a part of the trilogy, the entire experience has plenty to offer.
  66. HDRip
    Dec 9, 2020
    10
    When asked about the games that have left the strongest impressions over the past 10 years, Banner Saga will definitely take pride of place among them. The scriptwriters of the game did a tremendous job, creating a very interesting world in which people and giants live side by side, fighting with each other and uniting in the face of a common enemy - dredges. But most importantly, theyWhen asked about the games that have left the strongest impressions over the past 10 years, Banner Saga will definitely take pride of place among them. The scriptwriters of the game did a tremendous job, creating a very interesting world in which people and giants live side by side, fighting with each other and uniting in the face of a common enemy - dredges. But most importantly, they have created an incredibly believable atmosphere of the impending inevitable end, from which the whole world runs to the ends of the earth, hoping to find shelter there. An atmosphere of despair and hopelessness, which forces people (and not only people) to reveal their true essences. Moral choices are one of the fundamental gameplay mechanics, but don't think that everything will be easy and simple. Is it worth saving those in trouble or walking by? Or maybe even finish them off and take their belongings? Whatever you choose, it is almost impossible to predict where it will lead, and the result may not be pleasant at all.
    Unfortunately, it was not without a small fly in the ointment. Tactical battles turned out well, but they have difficulty problems. On "normal" difficulty they are too easy, and on "high" difficulty they are incredibly difficult. do not forgive a single mistake. But defeat in the game is another unique mechanic! After losing a battle, you will not return to the save point, but continue on, but you will lose something important. The attacking robbers, if they are not repulsed, I can take all the supplies, leaving your caravan to starve to death. An unsuccessful battle with dredges, which ended in defeat, leads to the fact that one of the key characters has to take on the role of decoy and withdraw some of the enemy troops, giving the rest a chance to leave. The wrong choice, the wrong prioritization, can lead to a real disaster that will almost destroy the caravan. Does this game have the right choices?
    My verdict: This game is a real masterpiece. And I highly recommend it to anyone who loves quality, interesting, unique, story-driven games.    … Expand
  67. Crimert
    May 16, 2020
    9
    The first game of the epic trilogy! There are RPG elements and also it's a tactical game. If you are into Turn-Based strategy games, then you would really like this game! Your decisions matter in this Viking-inspired game! 9hrs on record.
  68. hileger
    Oct 29, 2022
    5
    Графоманский текст , рисовка класс но тактика говнище ................................................
  69. Versetty2005
    Feb 26, 2023
    9
    I was a little embarrassed by the absolutely stupid losses of the allies during the text episodes. Fights are cool
  70. Dustfoxx
    Oct 8, 2020
    8
    Good art. Good gameplay. Great music. Story is a setup for later installments but works well on it's own. I love it.
    Closer to a 9 than a 7
  71. nietzfk
    May 20, 2023
    5
    Please add the Turkish language support made for the game now. That's why I bought three games and I'm waiting.
  72. 34m2121
    Jul 4, 2023
    8
    Senaryo seçimlerimize göre cidden çok farklı noktalara gidebiliyor,çok iyi bir evreni var oyunun
  73. jfsre
    Sep 15, 2022
    6
    maybe it gets better later on but the start it was very slow and I lost interest in it
  74. TastieToasty
    Jul 21, 2023
    8
    Great story.
    amazing artstyle. (each frame is worth as a desktop wallpaper/screenshot)

    2 different groups with different struggles is a great concept.
    gameplay wise it is pretty hard (for me a noob)

    medium is hard for noobs
    and easy is way too easy.

    would have loved to change my own difficulty.

    will play banner saga 2 and 3 in the future.
  75. TheDJMC
    Nov 21, 2022
    8
    Story Outline:
    The gods (who are implied to be real, tangible deities) have disappeared, causing many to say that they are dead. The sun has stopped moving in the sky resulting in a perpetual daylight. Both Humans and Varl (horned giants) must once again rely on their tenuous collaboration between their people when the huge golem like race known as Dredge return from the north to kill and    Story Outline:
    The gods (who are implied to be real, tangible deities) have disappeared, causing many to say that they are dead. The sun has stopped moving in the sky resulting in a perpetual daylight. Both Humans and Varl (horned giants) must once again rely on their tenuous collaboration between their people when the huge golem like race known as Dredge return from the north to kill and destroy all intelligent life that they see. That is until it is noted that maybe this new Great War that the Dredge are starting isn't of their own choice, but is rather a reaction to something far more unfathomable: the end of the world entirely.

    Pros:
    A mix between FTL: Faster Than Light, any of the recent Telltale games, XCOM, chess and the lore of TES V: Skirym
    Two games in one! The game is split into two halves: scripted & random encounters with decision making and a turn-based combat system that's visually similar to a mix between chess and XCOM. There are also conversations that play out like they do in Telltale's games (e.g. The Walking Dead) which is where most of the character development occurs.
    The combat is good and does enough to keep it a game rather than just a "choose your own adventure" story.
    An engaging story with likable characters and emotional plot twists throughout. It seems to be set up very well for the recently released sequel.
    A constant feeling of urgency is present which greatly emphasises the feeling of importance that every decision that's made carries.
    Thematic music and good sound effects, especially at the touching bittersweet end scene.
    Phenomenal visual design and animation. This could have easily become a movie instead of a game.

    Cons:
    Because of the combat's simplicity, some people could find it repetitive and/or boring (personally I didn't).
    None of the characters are given enough time to properly develop/show their motives and relationships with one another, which leads to many likable characters becoming forgettable. Whether or not any of the characters can be considered memorable I think is in part determined by how quickly the game is played through. I finished my playthrough in roughly 17 hours (two consecutive days) with a few reloads (and toilet breaks XD) in that time and I found that most of the main characters were memorable. However, if you have very little free time then I can see it being much harder to connect properly with the characters.
    There isn't much actual animation which is a shame considering how good it is.
    The "war" mechanic was especially floaty and never gave much of an impression of change or importance aside from changing your numbers around.
    The music and sound effects aren't especially memorable or superbly epic like that of Skyrim (a high bar, I know).
    The first chapter is relatively dull compared to the rest of the game.
    There's an irritating inability to open the options menu during certain brief segments of the game.
    Maybe this should've been a movie instead of a game.

    Conclusion:
    A game definitely worth you're time and money with the potential to replay it multiple times to see what happens. I'm looking forward to playing number two!    … Expand
  76. WilliamTell
    May 27, 2023
    10
    Auburn hair, cerulean eyes and a dazzling smile that says you're mine. I LOVE THIS GAME!
  77. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    7
    Fun game with strong art style. Turn based strategy is engaging and story choices have some appropriate weight to them. Overall story is fairly forgettable but the moment to moment choices and the characters are great. Didn't leave a strong impression.
  78. Jamesgary
    Aug 5, 2023
    10
    The banner saga is the game of the rpg also the story write and the music is very good
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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]
See all critic reviews »