The Banner Saga 2 Reviews
The game is a present packed into a tidier gift box than the first game came to us in.
Overall as much as I enjoyed the first Banner Saga I enjoyed the second even more so. With the small adjustments to the graphics and the visual elements in general, it felt like an even better packaged experience. I don't think that I need to mention it, but, I'll be eagerly awaiting the release of the third and final entry into the Banner Saga.
It's the decisions that bind the experience; enabling The Banner Saga 2 to transcend its videogame construct. You're left with an experience that feels not only alive, but alive with the complexities of the real world.
While very much an extension of the previous title, there are several welcome enhancements that should put the game on the radar of any serious turn-based fan.
An ambitious and yet more elegant evolution over the first Banner Saga, The Banner Saga 2 fires on all cylinders and provides one of the newest and most enthralling strategy series money can buy with an absolutely belting middle act. Much like the horned, Norse warriors that make up the rank and file of its cast, The Banner Saga trilogy is shaping up to be a fearsome entity indeed; its place in the pantheon of great strategy games already comfortably established.
Stoic's follow-up to its Viking-inspired fantasy is as relentlessly punishing as its Kickstarter-funded predecessor
The tiring exposition of the writing and the lack of visual coherence to the storytelling are obvious from the start.
Builds on an already brilliant indie hit
Where The Banner Saga stands head and shoulders above most other role-playing games is that the world created by Stoic Studio here feels truly on the precipice of collapse. So often when we play role-playing games we're given a rag-tag band of heroes who must join together to overcome a seemingly insurmountable threat. But for all the apocalyptic histrionics of games like Skyrim, Persona 4, or one of many Final Fantasy titles, there's always amusing side-quests to take part in or brief moments of levity to break up the tension. The Banner Saga 2 is a story about the end of the world, and few games do a better job of constantly reminding you of that fact.
The Banner Saga 2 is a superb tactical RPG, standing shoulder to shoulder with the best that the genre has to offer.
It's clear that the combat is secondary to the story and serves as a feature rather than an integral mechanic
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.
If you're a fan of the genre and new to the series, The Banner Saga 2 is absolutely worth your time, just make time for its predecessor first.
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.
All this and what I'm saying is if you don't have this game already installed on your PC or Xbox One, you should, especially if you're an Xbox Live Gold subscriber. After the final cutscene faded to black and I saw the game logo, I couldn't help but jump for absolute joy, as The Banner Saga 2 has achieved what many games have tried and failed time and time again to do: Provide true player choice, make them matter, and make you care about every single person in your caravan. I felt like I truly accomplished something great in a video game, a feat, almost, which is a feeling I haven't felt for years.
The Banner Saga 2 is an actual testament to what a great game can achieve, regardless of its precedence. On top of that, the game feels extraordinarily well written, actions actually do matter, decisions carry on and the graphics and music are amazing.
The Banner Saga 2 is like moving through a still-life painting of swords and spears and ice and hunger. A few thoughtful gameplay tweaks make things a little bit better for players, and a whole lot worse for characters. Now I've got to see how this thing ends. Get here now, Banner Saga 3.
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.