The Banner Saga Trilogy

The Banner Saga Trilogy: Bonus Edition is a special collection that contains all three entries in the series of strategy games The Banner Saga. The title was published by 505 Games. In addition to the games described below, the package features the following items: a miniature artbook, a soundtrack with best tracks and a unique digital item.

The Banner Saga

The Banner Saga is a turn-based RPG that takes place in a fantasy realm inspired by the Viking culture. It is the debut project of the independent studio Stoic. The studio was founded by Arnie Jorgensen, Alex Thomas, and John Watson – the three key developers of Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Plot

The story of the game revolves around a group of humans and giants. They survived decimation and now are trying to escape the doom. The game takes place in a fantasy world inspired by the Viking culture. The developers took advantage of their previous experiences and created a story that requires the players to make hard decisions. The game uses a visual novel-style narration – the text is accompanied by illustrations of characters that participate in the described events.

Mechanics

The Banner Saga is a tactical RPG with adventure game traits. A turn-based combat system is the heart of the game. The fights are played on maps divided into squares. As players progress through the game, their characters gain experience and become more powerful. In addition to winning battles, the players must take care of other survivors that aren’t participating in combat – the fate of the whole caravan lies in the hands of the protagonists.

Technical aspects

The game features beautiful two-dimensional graphics. The graphics designers were inspired by the works of Eyving Earle – an American artist known for designing the visual style of the Disney movie The Sleeping Beauty. Thanks to that, The Banner Saga features light colors and cartoon-like character designs. All of that was made in such way that it doesn’t undermine the serious tone of the story the game tells.

The Banner Saga 2

Plot

The Banner Saga 2 is a direct sequel to the first entry in the series. However, the story was designed in such way that it should be understandable even for players who haven’t played the previous entry in the series. Once again, the players are taken to a fantasy realm inspired by the culture of the Nordic people. There, the players control a caravan of people and giants who are trying to survive the end of the world.

Mechanics

The heart of the gameplay lies in a turn-based combat, fought on maps consisting of squares. The combat system is based on simple principles but it is also quite deep. Learning the basic rules doesn’t take much time, but the longer the player fights, the more relations and dependencies he or she discovers. In addition to fighting, the players must make hard decisions that impact the story. The game features a character development system – gathered experience points can be traded for new abilities and for improving statistics.

The Banner Saga 3

Despite the unsatisfying sales of the second entry in the series, the developers decided to finish the story. In order to do it, they asked the fans for financial support through Kickstarter.

Plot

The Banner Saga 3 is a direct sequel to the first two entries in the series. Once again, the players lead a caravan of brave warriors who travel through dangerous realm filled with fantastic creatures and magic. This time the end of the world is even closer and the players must enter the incoming darkness and participate in the ultimate battle with evil. As always, players’ decisions can impact the story and its ending – players actions can determine who will survive and who will die and what will the citizens of the world think about the protagonists.

Mechanics

The Banner Saga series combines tactical turn-based strategy features with RPG traits. While traveling through the game’s world, the players are encountering non-playable characters. Some of them provide the players with quests, others want to join the caravan. When fighting the groups of enemies, the players are commanding a group of warriors with varied skills and weapons. Between the battles, the caravan sets a camp in which the warriors can be trained and equipped with better items. The gameplay is accompanied by atmospheric music that references Nordic motives. The music was composed by Austin Wintory, the creator of soundtrack to the two previous entries in the series and to Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate.

Last updated on 13 April 2018