The Banner Saga 1

 Switch
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 65 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 65
  3. Negative: 7 out of 65

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  1. weasleye
    May 21, 2018
    8
    This is the most accessible version of this game. I have been having a blast revisiting the series via switch on my commute into work and on the go. no lag, good quality of life features for switch, my favorite being the ability to zoom in and out to enjoy the artwork while in game.
  2. 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
  3. bulger_paul
    Dec 30, 2018
    8
    The first installment of The Banner Saga does an amazing job hammering in a constant sense of complete and utter hopelessness. I can’t wait to see where it all goes.
  4. Reed618
    Apr 13, 2019
    10
    I was pretty sure I wouldn't like this as I'm not really a fan of tactical rpgs but I'm very pleased to say I was wrong.
    The combat is quite fun and allows for a lot of experimentation as you have such a varied cast of characters to choose from. I also found it wasn't too challenging on a low difficulty setting so for me it was easy to just keep playing for long sessions.
    The impact of    I was pretty sure I wouldn't like this as I'm not really a fan of tactical rpgs but I'm very pleased to say I was wrong.
    The combat is quite fun and allows for a lot of experimentation as you have such a varied cast of characters to choose from. I also found it wasn't too challenging on a low difficulty setting so for me it was easy to just keep playing for long sessions.
    The impact of player choice outside of combat is really quite refreshing too. Your decisions affect not only the morale of your clan and the number of supplies they have, but your choices can also lead to unexpected scenarios like a betrayal or the death of a character... and those moments can hit you harder than you expect.
    The overall story was very well written and feels surprisingly epic for an indie title. The artwork is really beautiful too and the characters are all quite interesting. I'd highly recommend it if you think this is something you might enjoy :).    … Expand
  5. boris_out
    Aug 22, 2019
    10
    Великолепное начало трилогии, оставляющее глубокий след в душе.
  6. Escargot
    Dec 30, 2018
    10
    This is one of my favourite games for sure. I've played all 3 games from the series. The artwork and plot are both amazing, and the battles require strategy. I just wish it was a bit longer!
  7. ijol
    Jan 10, 2019
    8
    Well crafted strategy game with compelling storyline (it has a bit of Game of Thrones vibes to it).
    I really hope they will get funded enough to polish the production of the story.
  8. Babutto
    May 5, 2019
    9
    The beginning of the story is really solid and drags you deep into the fictional world. You cannot really leave it until you see the final credits. Everything seems pretty balanced.
    Highly recommend.
  9. apeot2002
    Feb 28, 2023
    8
    The Banner Saga tells an epic tale with charming simplicity.

    In a land where the gods have died a long time ago, where a giant race called the Varl and a tribe of humans have settled into an uneasy peace and concentrate on carving a living out of the icy mountains and snow capped forests, the sun has stopped moving across the sky. The end time is near. If when reading the prior    The Banner Saga tells an epic tale with charming simplicity.

    In a land where the gods have died a long time ago, where a giant race called the Varl and a tribe of humans have settled into an uneasy peace and concentrate on carving a living out of the icy mountains and snow capped forests, the sun has stopped moving across the sky. The end time is near.

    If when reading the prior paragraph you feel like a flood of long-ships, mead and horned helmets has crashed right into your brain, you have an idea what starting up The Banner Saga feels like. Every pixel on screen, every mournful note out of the speakers oozes that specific Scandinavian kind of epicness. This game could only be more Viking if it smelled of mead and threatened to burn my house down.

    I was intrigued. And so The Banner Saga took me by the hand and introduced me to my two protagonists, human hunter Rook and Varl warrior Hakon, their friends and their two caravans making their way through these end times in hope of somehow staying alive.
    The game uses two modes to do this: Caravan mode and Turn-Based Tactics Combat mode. The first mode shows your collection of heavily armed men and giants traversing the 2D landscape, eating up supplies and depending on morale to keep going. Both these things and the number of followers you have are tracked by numbers you need to keep above zero by buying, finding or “borrowing” supplies, recruiting people you meet on the road, or throwing a feast or two. The chance to do these things are presented by pop-ups that tell of the things happening on the trail in terse but atmospheric prose and then give you a few options to react, and these reactions then change the numbers. Important story events are told by gorgeous anime style slides showing our protagonists and other important people conversing. There is no voice work, but the epic saga being told has no problems communicating itself through the excellent prose and the stunning art direction.

    Sometimes, talking isn’t enough, though, and for these times, The Banner Saga has brought a second gameplay mode: Turn-Based tactical combat. When it’s time to solve differences with violence, the game places six named characters in your caravan and of our choice on a flat grid, where the have the typical two action points. One is always used for moving, the other can be used to attack, using a special ability (which is mostly a special kind of attack), or rest.

    So far so rote for the genre. The Banner Saga’s claim to innovations is based on the fact that everybody on the battlefield has two kinds of health, which must be targeted separately: Armor and Strength. This quite unusual game system communicates itself quite intuitively on the battlefield and seems quite complex at first. You want characters with high armor rates to soak up the damage the enemies dish out, and high strength characters to then take apart the opposition. There are archers and support characters to complicate the matter and allow for quite complex strategies. On the higher difficulty, the game is quite brutal as well.

    Unfortunately, there is a dominant strategy. It isn’t completely mindless to pull off, but doesn’t require the use of special abilities at all. And because the battles are almost too hard to beat without it, even on the lower difficulties, most players will not make use of most of the tools the battle system gives you.

    What everybody will use is the levelling system. Your warriors earn both kill counts and renown, and both are needed to level up our characters, which means you are incentivized to allow all your characters the occasional killing blow. The system is simple, but the sweet dopamine hit of watching your favourite characters grow stronger never disappoints.

    Combat is fun for a while, but there are only two enemy factions and over time, the battles start to become samey and rote. Luckily, the game is short enough to hit its very satisfying ending before it overstays its welcome.

    Is it fun overall, then? For me it was, but my enjoyment mostly comes from the captivating plot and the very charismatic characters and less from the primary gameplay loops. Those have been done better elsewhere, very few games have told as epic a saga as The Banner Saga.

    TLDR: Do you yearn to earn your place in Valhalla by making it as far as you can through
    Fimbulwinter? Then don’t sleep on this very charismatic yarn of a game. Do you crave a deep and satisfying implementation of turn based tactics? You might want to look elsewhere instead.    … Expand
  10. DinboNomad2z2
    Jul 1, 2023
    8
    This game absolutely blows it out of the park with their story telling and old disney style art direction. I would have given this game 10/10 if Banner Saga 3 was actually playable. Banner Saga 3 being literally abandoned(Game crash, save lost, bugged UI for the entierely of it's release still as I'm writing this) makes the repeatability of this game 0 as I can no longer play through theThis game absolutely blows it out of the park with their story telling and old disney style art direction. I would have given this game 10/10 if Banner Saga 3 was actually playable. Banner Saga 3 being literally abandoned(Game crash, save lost, bugged UI for the entierely of it's release still as I'm writing this) makes the repeatability of this game 0 as I can no longer play through the series using 1 save.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

86
#86 Best Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Nintendo Insider
    Jul 23, 2018
    80
    The tale that this first chapter in The Banner Saga weaves will have you gripped from start to finish. The player is left to exist in a world that has been meticulously crafted, whether that be the breathtaking art direction, the riveting efforts at world-building or the gameplay mechanics that underpin the experience. It is the difficult decisions that you must make that let it become more meaningful, even if some of your actions will ultimately lead to heartbreaking consequences.
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  2. Cubed3
    Jul 16, 2018
    70
    Yes, combat wise, The Banner Saga does nothing new, but it does the basics very well, and the difficulty is well-judged for the most part. Clunky and poorly-explained HUD aside, this is a worthy addition to most Switch libraries, and fans don't have long to wait until The Banner Saga 3 is also released.
    Read full review
  3. God is a Geek
    Jun 26, 2018
    85
    Overall, this has a few slowdown issues but the ability to play with both touch and button controls in addition to being able to play it anywhere makes this the definitive version of the game for me.
    Read full review
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