The Banner Saga 3 - XB1 Review

The Banner Saga is a series that has seen an incredible journey. Started off by Stoic Studio and published by Versus Evil back in 2014, this "hardcore" Strategy RPG has had me in tears a few times because of hard to make decisions that could inadvertently have people you care for die on you. Simulating life's hard choices in a Norse-like Fantasy RPG, you can't go back once you've taken that step forward and you have to live with the consequences for bad or worse.

With the trilogy having now come to completion, there was only one way to dive into the third and final chapter. Taking it back from the top, settle in for a story as here is our complete review of the Banner Saga trilogy finally settling in on the third with the end finally here. For better or for worse, the long journeys, the sacrifices and the hard choices have all come to the end of the line for either Rook or his daughter Alette.

The Banner Saga 3

Having gone through from the beginning with Rook, I've seen him lose his daughter, try to die on the battlefield, fight against a pompous ass who doesn't lift a finger to help and finally when he starts to have his heart healed, ends of fighting on the walls of the human capital against the other houses that the King of the Humans would not let in. Your people are now safe, but for how long? Constantly under siege and the Darkness incoming? You hope that wherever Iver has gone to with the Valka (More powerful Menders that are essentially wizards), that he makes it there fast because The Darkness waits for no one.

In almost a go big or go home, Stoic have gone big giving us the best visually enticing experience yet. Cinematics are no longer a very rare treat but they are numerous and they are pretty speeding things up by being visually descriptive which is exactly how something is shown to you later down the line.

Another neat detail is that the world map that shows you where a certain protagonist is has also received an upgrade. Now instead of a flat panning map there's details and smooth transitions in a more 3D manner that works very well with the gorgeous black and purple hues that they've chosen to represent The Darkness.

If nothing else, The Banner Saga 3 wraps up the trilogy brilliantly. All your choices for either good or bad will come back to you and it's up to those choices as to whether or not they'll haunt you. There will be no more secrets, there will be no more lies, everything becomes laid bare and the reasons for everything are finally given to you.

*Super Spoilers*
The Gods are dead but that you knew. What we find out though is that they killed each other off because of one getting jealous of another and then it spiraled out of control. Left to their own devices, the races below did as they saw fit including having wars with one another. The Humans fought the Varl before coming to an understanding. The Horseborn slaughtered horses before leaving in their shame and their own horror. The Dredge thought to be defeated by the Valka were actually allowed to live in peace and learn but in a world apart from this one, an inner world as it exists in its own plane, until the love for one woman destroyed the world.

You meet Eyvind and Juno in the first. What you don't know at the time is that they are the cause of all of it. Juno, an apprentice of Eyvind and not the other way around, learnt the forbidden ways of the mind in order to cure Eyvind of his madness. Learning of this, the council of Valka sentence Juno to death and if she goes willingly, they'll spare Eyvind. Learning that they killed his lover, Eyvind goes off the deep end and harnesses the power of a Dark Sun from that inner world. The sun, was really an egg for a serpent that would eventually devour the world, released early, it doesn't have the power that it needs but it lets loose the darkness that twists everything in its path. This is why the Dredge attacked, because they thought it was an attack on them and a betrayal of their truce.

Setting on a journey to make it right, Iver, Juno and Eyvind head to put the power keeping Juno alive back in its place even if it means her death. As long as Eyvind is guided properly as he, and his madness, have other ideas.
*End of Super Spoilers*

*Kind of Spoilers*
Finally knowing the reasons behind it all make so many factors fall into place. At the same time though, had anyone just talked to one another, it may not have been so bad. In this, Stoic have honestly made a social commentary as to how bad we, as a race, can really be. The worst of the bunch are the humans. Even near the end, with the darkness on their door and the Dredge re-beat as the Sundr Ruin tried to annihilate you one last time, they will murder each other. They still try to steal from one another. The apocalypse is at their door and they do nothing allowing for other people to die while they can reap the benefits. Suing for peace, the world that Rook in knows I tried, I cried as humans killed Oddleif as she and Rook guided the Dredge inside of the walls to keep them safe that much longer from the Darkness.

All your choices come back to you. This woman, this amazingly strong woman, Alette's teacher, the former wife of the old chief and now your lover, followed you even after you said it would be better for her to lead. Why? Because "men would never listen to a woman". She was better than the rest. She wasn't just my best archer, she was the best part of the caravan and I made sure she was an equal voice when the times came. Back in the second I wish I had let The Governor fall because it was his people that kept this mess flowing. It was his people that killed Oddleif. And it was his people that took over the lower parts of the city.

If I could have let the lower parts of the city disappear? I would have. Instead, that was not a choice let to me, the player, to make in order to come back and haunt me.
*End of Kind of Spoilers*

Mechanically, one thing that was immediately noticeable after having re-gone through the first and the second Banner Sagas is that the user interface feels huge and takes up a lot more screen real estate when planning out your moves. It's not a bad thing but the shift feels a tad odd when the first two were identical with straight lines for the actions while this third entry wraps around the character's avatar a little bit. It's a nice touch on Stoic's part as it mean they didn't just leave everything as is for the final part of the trilogy and instead continued to put effort into this amazing trilogy as you can more easily select your actions simply by tilting your thumbstick instead of clicking left or right.

Combat itself looks as smooth as it's ever been but in some of the larger battles near the beginning, if you've chosen to ally Rook with the King at least, are a bit laggy due to the amount of details on the screen. Mathematics still rule the day with Armor needing to often be targeted first in order to deplete a unit's Strength that acts as both their attack and their hit points. How things play out however have remain unchanged making the entire Saga one almost seamless experience.

Like The Banner Saga 2 however, just when you thought it was safe and you knew what to expect? The Banner Saga 3 takes a set of beings out of the darkness and throws them at you. Having originally had but a single taste of them in the second, these darkness warped beings are back and holy hell, they are possibly the toughest things to take down yet and the Horseborne and Dredge hordes weren't a picnic either.

Speaking of Dredge, you can now have them in your party as even they will ally themselves with you against the warped being of The Darkness. These warped beings also showcase exactly why you should have been investing in the boosts within each stat as believe me they did. Often your warped enemies will be absorbing damage if you try to hit them directly so you really do have to go for their armor first. Because of how many there are you'll really be wanting to make sure that you start investing on chances to dodge or chances to ignore portions of their attacks because you're going to need it. In either case, the addition of these foes in the form of Humans, Varl, Horseborn, Dredge and Wildlife (Bears) makes for some pretty scary combinations coming at you from across the field.

In another bit of a twist, battles are no longer, or can no longer be, over once the last foe has been slain. Waves can now play part allowing for you party to keep on attacking if you think they can make it. Now while this isn't "new" per say as it played a bit of a part in the second, there are rewards attached to sticking around this time. If you decide to stick around there could be an item in it for you that will help bolster your chances especially when Iver, Juno and Eyvind have headed off into The Darkness and there are no more shops. The other difference factor is that if you decide to stick around, you can rotate out your party for fresh faces instead of the worn out ones. The longer you stay, the more renown you can get and you'll need it to level up your party.

For leveling up, now after hitting level ten, heroic titles become available in which instead of relying on points from leveling up, you can level these skills with the renown that you've amassed. These new skills are incredible and it honestly makes sense as to why you can only have one because in some cases they are game changers. Adding in on a standard attack the ability to drain strength for many turns ahead is just as amazing as having someone standing in a group and increasing their base armor and strength. Getting units to level 11 is easier than it was before as renown isn't as scarce this time around but you still need to be careful about how you do things, this is The Banner Saga after all.

My investment in the first and second were a little higher this time around because I had an idea of what was coming and in certain cases I wanted to know more about the other choices and the unknown. My investment in the third? Let’s just say that I sat down to it and finished it ten hours later. Not straight mind you as I had to leave the house for something, but in the same day. I needed to know how it ended. No, that’s not quite right, I needed to know how it ended for my Rook and Iver. I needed to know how they, or if they, would make it out. It was the end of my tale, of my decisions, and some of them will haunt me as I wonder if I couldn’t have done better. Others? There are a lot of decisions that I’m good with and that I would do all over again.

The Banner Saga, The Banner Saga 2 and The Banner Saga 3 make for one very fulfilling experience. From the very start to the very end, the quality of the writing, the animations, the visuals, the music and choices you make mesh to create an experience that others would be hard pressed to match. Would I do it all over again? Not tomorrow but yes. There are still loads of choices that I would like to know the outcomes to and I would like to see the adventure through Alette’s eyes.

Finally, Stoic Studio? The Banner Saga 3 is definitely on my Game of the Year list.

Game Information

Platform:
Microsoft Xbox One
Developer(s):
Stoic
Publisher(s):
Versus Evil
Genre(s):
Turned Based Strategy
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
Sony PlayStation 4
PC

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

Read More

The Banner Saga 2 - Revisited - XB1 Review

The Banner Saga is a series that has seen an incredible journey. Started off by Stoic Studio and published by Versus Evil back in 2014, this "hardcore" Strategy RPG has had me in tears a few times because of hard to make decisions that could inadvertently have people you care for die on you. Simulating life's hard choices in a Norse-like Fantasy RPG, you can't go back once you've taken that step forward and you have to live with the consequences for bad or worse.

With the trilogy having now come to completion, there was only one way to dive into the third and final chapter. Taking it back from the top, settle in for a story as here is our complete review of the Banner Saga trilogy continuing with a look back at the second.

The Banner Saga 2

The Banner Saga 2 starts right off where the first one ended. Having built the ships to escape the Dredge, even if the Sundr Bellower was defeated, Rook now sails towards the human capital with those that have followed him so far and those new to the journey.

In a lot of ways The Banner Saga 2 plays a lot like the first but smoother due to the refinements to the systems. The load times are shorter, the animations are smoother and it all leads to a more pleasant experience as you take turns leading both of your main protagonists Rook and Bolverk once they go their own separate ways. Like the first, it's a nice touch to see more than one point of view but more than that, it leads to different situations as Rook's group contain a lot of archers and a generally larger group off the bat while Bolverk has a lot of heavy hitters but they have to walk up to their opponents first.

One huge improvement compared to the first is that it requires less renown in order to level up. Now instead of costing a whopping 20 to level up from 4 to 5, which is a huge cost for leveling up, that cost has been reduced to 9 allowing you to level up two units for the same cost. Taking it a step further, most of your character's stats after the first adventure are near capped out by level 4 or 5 so now instead of having useless points, each stat type:

• Armor;
• Strength (also your HP);
• Willpower (how much you can amp an attack or move part your norm);
• Exertion (how much willpower can be added to an attack); and finally
• Break (how much base damage an attack against armor will do)

Can now all obtain boosts such as deflection bonuses or higher possibilities to perform critical attacks. While at first it can seem a bit "meh" for lack of better words compared to stating out a character, these new abilities can be life savers at times especially if your chance to not be taken out kicks in keeping your character on their feet.

Also compared to the first you are now in charge of exactly how your caravan operates. You need to find the balance of civilians and soldiers as just because some can't fight, doesn't mean they are useless to you. At least not anymore! Compared to the first, those that have joined your caravan will scrounge and collect resources for the rest so that they aren't just a burden on you as you move away from the dangers of the roads and the water. This allows a lot more liberties with your renown in order to level up while giving you just a little more leeway and less stress on the roads. At least from a supply point of view.

One thing that felt natural but didn't quite clue in until a few hours in this time around was how many "choices" you have to make. Unlike the first there are a lot more choices that will affect your journey and sometimes they keep hitting hard and fast making you wonder why they weren't more spread around. This isn't a complaint as it does fill in a lot more of those long caravan movement moments but it would have been better for these to be a bit more spread out than shotgunned one after another.

One thing stands out above the rest. While the journeys are hard, and the choices at times heartbreaking, there are some lighter moments if you can find them. In my case, I was able to finally bring some happiness to Rook with Oddleif if you've managed to keep her alive for this long as it is sadly possible to lose her in the first. Rook having had to watch his daughter die is a mess at the start and this starts to heal his heart. These moments are worth so much more than the rest because of how rare they are as it they aren't simply just another stab in the proverbial heart.

In regards to the proverbial heart however, if you didn't manage, I'm not sure if the cockroach can actually die mind you, to get rid of "The Governor", he's going to be a right pain in your side for hours to come. I should have let the douche drop off of the bridge when I had the chance. Did I? No. Why? Because it would have meant a greater loss of life and Rook is a better man than that. Well at least my Rook is a better man than that which continues to show how much effort was put into The Banner Saga. Your choices big and small affect a lot of different aspects and while they are "the click of a button", you have to live with them.

I was originally a little worried about how things to go from a combat perspective because the system was so well designed but, where does it go from there? Units have their armor and their strength which go into math in order to determine damage, units have leveled up further, new items are acquired, but wouldn't it all be more of the same? You take a turn, they take a turn and it's just the same song and dance, Human and Varl against Dredge or other humans. For the first little while it is but new unit types become introduced alongside new abilities and upgrades to existing ones before a new race joins into the equation. The Horseborn.

One issue with titles like this is that even when you get something new and shiny, you're often unwilling to modify what you already have because it works. The Horseborn? They are worth experimenting with. Because they are essentially Centaurs, these beings can move a lot faster and often work a bit differently than those you have been used to having or going up against. With some of their abilities they can move through units for damage before then hitting them in the back and then moving some more distance away. Poison attacks now really become a factor and I'll be damned is Canary (one of the Horseborn leaders) didn't become an immediate and permanent addition to my core party.

With updates to the system in order to make it all smoother alongside new additions in order to keep things fresh, I still maintain that The Banner Saga 2 is better than the first if only because of those reasons. The fact that it continues on with the same characters, if they've survived, and that it doesn't skip years, these two titles mesh so well together. The only thing is, because some choices have lead you in one direction, you'll have to go back at some point to see where the others paths lead.

With Rook finally making it to the human capital, another branching choice had to be made. Do you fight from outside and lose the Varl that you've held so near? Or do you bring everyone inside to fight against the siege? Needless to say, all roads lead to a single point and you had better be prepared.

Game Information

Platform:
Microsoft Xbox One
Developer(s):
Stoic Studio
Publisher(s):
Versus Evil
Genre(s):
Turned Based Strategy
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
Sony PlayStation 4
PC
Mobile

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

Read More

The Banner Saga - Revisited - XB1 Review

The Banner Saga is a series that has seen an incredible journey. Started off by Stoic Studio and published by Versus Evil back in 2014, this "hardcore" Strategy RPG has had me in tears a few times because of hard to make decisions that could inadvertently have people you care for die on you. Simulating life's hard choices in a Norse-like Fantasy RPG, you can't go back once you've taken that step forward and you have to live with the consequences for bad or worse.

With the trilogy having now come to completion, there was only one way to dive into the third and final chapter. Taking it back from the top, settle in for a story as here is our complete review of the Banner Saga trilogy starting with a look back at the first.

The Banner Saga

The Banner Saga is a turned based strategy RPG that will have you following along a caravan through trials and hardships as they try to stay alive and ahead of a horde known as the Dredge that would annihilate them all. Given several protagonists over the course of the adventure you'll eventually be given control of one in particular that has some of the most heartbreaking decisions that you'll ever have to make when the time comes.

Do you wield the weapon to end it all? Or do you let your Daughter? Having been there and done that, I let her be a hero all over again as it costs her her life. I wish I could say that it was the tip of the iceberg but that's only the end of the first chapter. How did things get that far? The Gods have died and a darkness is coming forcing the Dredge to flee where they've been hiding for some time. Why wouldn't they band together with those they fight to destroy? Because they hate the Humans and the Varl, a race of giants, who defeated them all of those years ago. With war once again upon the races, its fight or flight and often, it'll be flight.

Starting off at the beginning, you'll be introduced to several Varl on their yearly journey in order to collect taxes. Meeting up with another group that so happen to be the future king, it's not long before things go sideways and the two groups move forward together after the next would be king falls in battle. Changing views, you'll soon be given the reins to the human Rook's adventure as he starts to lead his people away from the invading Dredge and the long and arduous adventure that he's about to have.

This is a big part of what makes the Banner Saga great as there's more than just a protagonist. There are several and each is given the reins to the adventure at different points in time. This gives you a good idea of what each person is like as you have to make choices from their points of view. Are they soft? Harsh? Somewhere down the middle? Those parts will be in your hands but the overall personality of a character will always be present giving you an idea of how a showdown will end once the protagonists come together.

In between this decision making, and often the result of this decision making, you'll be forced into combat. Choosing up to six of your current retinue, you'll have to face off against beings of immense power as the race known as the Dredge are big, rock like, and not afraid to drop the hammer onto both the humans and the Varl, a race of giants that cannot reproduce so losing them is costly. What Stoic have done here not only makes everything more difficult, but it makes you question your own tactics at times as this SRPG is a bit unique in how it does things with armor being there to defend yourself while your strength points for attack? They also act as your health.

All the way through to the second last fight of the trilogy, I can't actually count how many times my plans went sideways because of this system. Don't get me wrong, it's brilliant, but it's what makes The Banner Saga a bit more hardcore as there's no healing really until near the end so like everything else, what you've lost is gone. It really all becomes about the math. A unit's attack score can only do the number of damage equal to their damage minus the opponents armor. If the armor is higher, then there's a chance that you'll miss the attack. How do you take enemies out then? By targeting their armor first, then their health!

It really is easier said than done as the flow of battle of battle is always you, then them, until it's over. Taking turns allows for some creative solutions to your problems but there is "one" way around it. Rook has an ability to early enough activate what is known as Pillage Mode. This mode is only otherwise ever activated once either side only has one remaining unit. It no longer guarantees turns on a one to one basis but instead just let's the initiative take over. I'll be honest? I've never used it as I was always too busy worrying about what was coming next and using Rook's other ability. Mark Prey.

Alongside attacking a unit's armor or their strength (combined HP + Attack), units get access to abilities that all have their uses at different times. Mark Prey for example will damage an enemy's armor and also allow for everyone in range, Melee and Long Range, to attack that unit simultaneously. It's destructive. Other abilities are laying arrow traps on the field that if a unit passes through it they take damage and their turn is over. Others can set fire to certain squares so that any other unit passing through will take strength damage. Add in shield bashing and a few other abilities for removing armor, and both sides have their works cut out for them.

When not in combat, you'll be on the road which has its own set of issues. Parts of them are the decision making mentioned above while others are making sure that you have enough supplies to feed those that now follow you. The bigger the caravan, the more food required. At the beginning of this adventure it is often aggravating that you have so many clansmen and they do nothing but eat and don't really contribute other than to cause you logistical issues. It does get better but not until the second.

Supplies come in several formats. In some cases they can be picked up along the road due to foraging. Others they can be taken from people who decided it was a good idea to attack you. Needless to say in this case you won but more often than not, you'll have to buy supplies from various merchants with "renown" that acts as a currency. Not every location offers a fair deal and some of the worst places will simply offer you a one to one ratio making it completely unworth your while. The main reason for this? Renown is what you use to level up your characters for battle.

This has to be on the trickiest aspects to everything. What to use your renown for as the higher your character gets in level, the more that is required to level them up. There's a bit more balance to the level / renown ratio into the second and the third but in the first? It's brutal and often you'll have multiple low level units because you needed at least one higher one to use an item to give you a bigger advantage on the field. As items are based on character level, you'll want to level as fast as possible but with the food shortages? And bandits and thieves from outside and within? It's often a rough ride.

All of these elements combine to make a fantastic experience. Visually, The Banner Saga is gorgeous. The colors and the artstyles for both the 3D sprites and the 2D avatars work very well together and are only ever aided by the music scores in the background. The often haunting or adrenaline influencing tracks are always there just when they need to be. All around, each playthrough is a good eight to ten hours depending on your choices and how much time you want to take.

Worth it? Very! If I could change my score The Banner Saga would be sitting at an 8.25/10 instead of a 7.75/10.

Game Information

Platform:
Microsoft Xbox One
Developer(s):
Stoic
Publisher(s):
Versus Evil
Genre(s):
Turned Based Strategy
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
Sony PlayStation 4
PC
Mobile

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

Read More