The Banner Saga Reviews
The Banner Saga is a challenging game that is as frustrating as it is rewarding. It has its flaws, but is overall a compelling, fantastically written and beautiful game that makes you care deeply about the actions you take, whilst reminding you powerfully of the thanklessness of leadership in a difficult and dangerous world. Depending on your decisions, the game takes around 7-15 hours to complete, and yet whilst the entire narrative may not be that long, it sucks you into its fantastical Norse would and leaves you wanting more by the end. Stoic has projected a trilogy of Banner Saga titles; if the sequels live up to this first episode, the series will no doubt have a dedicated and very well-deserved following able to more than live up to its Kickstarter campaign.
The Banner Saga is an absolutely gorgeous, engrossing RPG that features well-balanced and pleasingly tactical turn-based combat. It's a linear journey, but one that's definitely worth taking.
Ultimately, the steep learning curve and focus on statistics management which could be considered a hindrance is vastly outshined by The Banner Saga's absolutely memorizing production value.
If you've got a hankering for strategic role-playing and an epic narrative with plenty of player choice, The Banner Saga should become one of your priorities on PS4. The combat, while a little uneven difficulty-wise across the game's campaign, nevertheless manages to hit the sweet spot between simple accessibility and strategic depth. You'd also be hard-pressed to find an indie with as much artistic inspiration: gorgeous character art, painterly backgrounds and an exceptional put to rest the misguided notion that indies can't turn out aesthetic appeal on a limited budget. Sure, it's not always perfect — the game's lack of guidance, difficulty spikes and voice acting may occasionally leave you feeling a little lost and alone — but perhaps that's just in keeping with the unforgiving Norse world that inspired it.
A riotous, non-linear RPG with great turn-based battles and a delectable 1980's style cartoon veneer, The Banner Saga is the first truly essential strategy title on PS4.
The Banner Saga isn't what you'd strictly call "fun." Instead it's interesting and challenging, more like a chess match than death match. But there's an incredible satisfaction when you take on a gang of armored monsters that by all rights should trample you, yet you're able to hamstring their health then line them up for execution. It's also comforting to know that although you can't outfight a towering Varl, perhaps you can out think him.
Fans of tactical RPGs can find a lot to enjoy here
The Banner Saga is a beautiful, brutal tactical RPG.
The Banner Saga comes to Nintendo Switch via a fantastic and faithful port, its dire tale of survival and strategy completely intact. It plays well, it looks fantastic, and every battle and dialogue choice is here for the taking.
Distinctive writing, nuanced combat and impossibly beautiful art headline The Banner Saga. Strong workmanship went into the character builds. The rethought turn-based tactics are unique and sensible. And I just couldn't slow down the insistent narrative of this brave world and the bold new legend it's sewing together.
The Banner Saga is just as good as it’s ever been on Switch and maybe even better thanks to the Switch’s portability.
With an authentically illustrated ambience of harsh winters and closely followed characters, its story seen through tough conversations becomes that much more captivating. Offering simple yet fully symbiotic combat options as an active counterpart to text, this game leaves little to be desired, except the will to survive.
In spite of the gameplay’s apparent limitations and the lack of excitement of reading the story when you could hear it or live it, the game is a must-play for any fans of the genre, the Norse mythology, compelling and mature narratives, and videogames in general.
This game is undoubtedly a dream on the Switch. Perfect for the console's mobile nature, there's just something soothing about watching your caravan trundle along when you're on a commute of your own.
The Banner Saga, while not absolutely perfect, ticks many boxes of what makes an RPG great. The story is deep and emotional, and the combat, marching and decision-making all have their own systems in place that work well by themselves and perfectly with each other. A game that will stay with you long after you finish.
The negatives aren't that big of a negative for me, however, I do love role-playing games where you actually control your character and can move freely around the map. This game is one of the best tactics rpgs I have played in my life. I would recommend this game to anyone who wants to try it out whether you get it for Switch or not.
The Banner Saga's combination of well-designed strategy gameplay with grand storytelling make for an exceptional title.
Anyone who plays games to get lost in a world and its story will love The Banner Saga.
The Banner Saga is a beautiful, exemplary game that you owe it to yourself to play.
If you're getting tired of swords and sorcery, or just looking for meaty tactical battles, few RPGs will satisfy you better.