The Banner Saga Reviews

The Banner Saga is ranked in the 83rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Jan 20, 2014

The Banner Saga will find its fans in gamers who love ploughing through fantasy novels, and in those who just love a good strategy RPG.

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Leif Johnson
Top Critic
8.6 / 10.0
Jan 14, 2014

The Banner Saga is a beautiful, brutal tactical RPG.

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Eurogamer
Top Critic
Recommended
Jan 14, 2016

Released on consoles at last, this elegantly grim adventure at the end of the world is that rare contradiction: a nostalgic original.

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Game Rant
Top Critic
Jan 22, 2016

Stoic's tactical RPG The Banner Saga makes its way to consoles, and still manages to deliver a fantastic, captivating story alongside a fun and challenging battle system.

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Recommended
Jan 14, 2014

The Banner Saga's strong mechanics are enhanced by a compelling storyline and characters as colourful as its visual palette.

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82 / 100
Jan 23, 2014

There are deeper strategy games, but few where you'll feel quite so invested in the outcome. Recommended.

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Jan 14, 2014

With a refreshingly unique aesthetic, well-written story, and challenging gameplay, The Banner Saga is an excellent adventure well worth your time.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jan 14, 2014

Fans of tactical RPGs can find a lot to enjoy here

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7 / 10
Jan 13, 2014

More often than not, the gorgeous and intriguing Banner Saga successfully balances the conflicting ideas of strategic control and arbitrary consequence.

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Jan 15, 2014

Stoic's debut strategy RPG succeeds far more than it falters.

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4.5 / 5.0
Jan 14, 2014

If you're getting tired of swords and sorcery, or just looking for meaty tactical battles, few RPGs will satisfy you better.

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Unscored
Jan 21, 2014

Yeah, I love the world and the existential agony of it all, but I just don't think it's a particularly well-realised strategy game too.

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8 / 10
May 24, 2018

If you happen to love Norse mythology or epic fantasy stories full of consequence and deft storytelling, then look no further than The Banner Saga. This is a beautifully crafted game that uses its intriguing cast, gripping tale and absolutely stunning artwork and soundtrack to transport you to a world filled with plenty of danger and surprises. The turn-based strategic battles might not be equally as thrilling to everyone who plays this, and the interface in this part of the game can be a bit clunky at times, but this doesn't detract too much from the collective offering.

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9 / 10.0
Jan 22, 2014

The Banner Saga is one of the most original games you'll play this year. That such a small team has managed to create a story that will be unique to every player is astonishing, and that the story actually makes you care even more so. Buy this game.

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9 / 10.0
Jan 12, 2016

An impressive RTS that offers a well written story, magnificent visuals and a stunning soundtrack that will stay with you long after playing.

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VideoGamer
Top Critic
7 / 10
Jan 13, 2016

The desolate landscapes, the constant fear of death, the beautiful artwork, it's all top notch stuff. I'm just not sure the core mechanics that make up the bulk of actual gameplay are strong enough.

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Erik Kain
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jan 17, 2014

As an audio-visual experience, The Banner Saga is hard to beat. Tough choices and an elegant combat system help make the game fun and engaging right up to the end. With a few tweaks to the resource management system and some real soul-searching on enemy variety, Stoic could have a really terrific game on their hands. They're not there yet, but they're on the right track.

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7 / 10
May 22, 2018

Some of the most difficult decision-making in gaming, both tactically and morally, but occasional rough edges betray the game's small budget and short development time.

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8 / 10.0
Jan 14, 2014

The Banner Saga is a dark and onerous experience, but it's one that draws you in.  I'll be waiting with bated breath to see which way this winding path darts next. Something tells me we're not out of the woods just yet.

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Jan 13, 2014

The battle system controls easily and is fairly easy to learn; those who see this game basically like chess will enjoy it. Those looking for a new RPG to get into, however, should look elsewhere.

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