The Banner Saga 2 Reviews
A handsome and brutal strategy sequel that benefits from a range of intelligent improvements
Gorgeous and mournful, The Banner Saga 2 is enriched by a story that meaningfully remembers the choices we've made.
The Banner Saga 2 doesn't change much of the experience that made the original such a well-loved surprise two years ago, and that's a good thing. The improvements may be small, but they're also substantial: the new combat units, the introduction of a second caravan story to follow, and the obstacles in the battlefield add up nicely. While beautifully written and populated with memorable characters and twists, the story does slightly suffer from a case of the "middle episodes" that may leave you eager for more. On the bright side, we know that more is on the way in a third and final installment.
More a new episode than a full-blown sequel, but the clever blend of strategic, tactical, and moral decision-making is as compelling as ever.
More a new episode than a full-blown sequel, but the clever blend of strategic, tactical, and moral decision-making is as compelling as ever.
A solid follow-up, but it gets bogged down in plodding encounters in battle and on the overworld
The Banner Saga 2 is a well-crafted, gut-wrenching tale
The Banner Saga 2 is a successful adventure whose world-building and tactical combat stands strong, and is enhanced by experience with its predecessor.
2016's turn-based Golden Age continues
Too often RPGs and turn-based tactical battle games are the domain of knock off Middle-earths. Of poor fantasy pastiches stitched together with wizards sporting wispy gray beards, dwarves slurring cheap Scottish accents, and knights brandishing impractical shoulder pads. It is a joy and a treat to spend time with a world so different, so unique and intriguing. Even if it is a dying and depressing one.
The Banner Saga 2 doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, it just makes the wheel bigger and keeps on rolling. Even with minor stumbles in the form of slow combat animation and initially overwhelming combat mechanics, it's a game that excels at what it aims to accomplish. Fans of the first game will love it, and entirely new players will come to love it. If you need a new tactical RPG in your life, make it The Banner Saga 2.
Like the first one, just a bit better: more units, more enemies, new tactical situations. Choices and consequences are soul-crushing as ever, but it's all part of the fun.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Banner Saga 2 continues the fantastic story or Rook, Hakon, Alette and Bolverk, with dynamic combat and the Horseborn keeping the battle boards fresh and unique with every fight.
The Banner Saga 2 is a beautiful sequel. There are moments where, as I watch the drama unfold in the dialogue and cutscenes, I almost forget I'm playing a game that came out in this decade. There's an evocative sense of timelessness about the story and world that few RPGs create.
Stoic's follow-up to its Viking-inspired fantasy is as relentlessly punishing as its Kickstarter-funded predecessor
The Banner Saga 2 is a stunningly animated game that sets a new standard for both presentation and narrative outside of the AAA sphere. The game does stumble with a poorly designed combat UI, and a claustrophobic battle system that doesn't offer much breathing room for different strategies. While monotonous, combat is serviceable, and doesn't greatly detract from what is otherwise a defining narrative tale.
The Banner Saga 2 is a must-have for fans of Stoic's acclaimed original RPG, continuing the series with an equally strong narrative, beautiful visuals, and addictive combat.
The Banner Saga 2 is a worthy sequel to a great franchise. Combat is vastly improved, and the narrative is deep and rewarding, even as the game punishes the player every step of the way. The game suffers from a unwieldy UI, and some poorly placed setpieces that obscure the player's vision in combat, but these drawbacks are minor. I'm already looking forward to the conclusion to this planned-trilogy.