The World Lives or Dies Here...This is it.
Please mark spoilers for each of the 3 games!
Platform: PC, PS4, XB1 and Switch
Release Date: July 26th, 2018
Summer 2018 (Physical Switch)
Price: $25 USD (The Banner Saga 3)
$40 USD (The Banner Saga Trilogy - Physical XB1/PS4)
$50 USD (The Banner Saga Trilogy - Physical Switch)
Player(s): 1$50 USD (The Banner Saga Trilogy - Physical Switch)
Format: Digital/Physical
Developer: Stoic Games
Publisher: Versus Evil
Physical Publisher XB1/PS4: 505 Games
Physical Publisher Switch: Gearbox Publishing
Physical Publisher Switch: Gearbox Publishing
What is the Banner Saga?
The Banner Saga is an acclaimed strategy RPG series that consists of three games that tell a sequential story where your choices, characters and stats follow you from title to title.
How does the game play?
- Traversal and management - A significant part of the Banner Saga narrative revolves around trying to reach a destination. You do this by, automatically, moving towards that place and in doing so you will use supplies. The main currency in the Banner Saga is 'Renown' which you gain through fighting battles. When you have made camp or are visiting a town you will be able to spend that renown on upgrading your units or buying supplies for your caravan.
- Conversations - The Banner Saga allows your protagonist to have an impact on the story by making decision throughout their journey. Some of these will be situations you encounter on the road with simple text prompts while others will feature character portraits but both can have significant consequences in terms of your supplies and party members.
- Combat - In a system that is slower than Fire Emblem but still faster than Final Fantasy Tactics you will command a set number of characters in turned based battles.
In speaking to the length of the already released titles the games are 10-12 hours long each.
Are the games hard?
The games have multiple difficulty options that you can use to lower the stats of opponents you face but, personally speaking, I don't find the games impossibly difficult on the standard option. Aside from the, now patched, final boss in the original game the only fights I had trouble with were optional objectives/fights.
Do the games have PS4 Pro and Xbox One X enhancements?
Not at the moment.
Is there permadeath?
As a part of gameplay? No. Characters who fall in battle will be able to be used in following missions but in a 'wounded' state with lesser stats until you make camp and rest for the specified number of days. Characters can be killed as part of the story though. Be that major narrative events or through your choices.
I fell off the first game at the final boss. Was that fight ever patched?
Yes. The fight against the final boss in the original Banner Saga was patched after the release of the second game to be far less random to give players a better chance of winning.
I found the encounters in the original game to be a bit dry. Has that changed with the sequels?
Yes. Following the release of the first Banner Saga there was an effort by Stoic to upgrade their tools to allow for more interesting encounters in TBS2 (be that mission scenarios or more varied party skills). This appears to have expended even more with the Banner Saga 3.
I've played Banner Saga 1 and 2 but need a refresher on the those games before I play the third.
Stoic has released refresher videos on their Youtube channel. Here they are in one playlist.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA-jTk_6NAwuT-41w30edgXy82mgAyGq9
What is in the Trilogy set (XB1/PS4)?
- The Banner Saga 1
- The Banner Saga 2
- The Banner Saga 3
- CD "Best of" Soundtrack consisting of tracks from the 3 games.
- Mini Art Book
- Collectible Poster
- Horn of Lichbaen In-Game Item
The Nintendo Switch release was a latter decision that is coming from a different publisher hence the later release date.
Do we know if all the games are on the cart for the Switch release?
TBA. Initial box art shows a white download bar but Stoic's Twitter said the plan was for all the games to be on the cartridge.
Do my digital saves of TBS1 or TBS2 work with the physical trilogy?
Yes. As long as it is on the same platform.
The Banner Saga: Opencritic: 80 | Metacritic: 80
The Banner Saga 2: Opencritic: 83 | Metacritic: 82
The Banner Saga 3: Opencritic: 85 | Metacritic: 84
The Banner Saga 3 Review Excerpts:
Gamespot 8/10
As things come down to the wire the two separate groups become more and more interconnected, the consequences of one group's choices directly affecting the potential of the other. This exemplifies the best part about The Banner Saga 3: the feeling that every action you've made in regards to your clan for three games--the friends you've kept and lost, the decisions you've made, and the battles you've picked--will likely influence how well this finale is going to fare. The Banner Saga 3 won't have the same kind of meaningful impact if you haven't experienced the rest of the series. But if you've taken the time to journey with these characters from the very beginning, this finale is a worthwhile and cathartic end to your long journey.
PCGamer 90/100
Though it refuses to pull its punches throughout—landing a few right at the death—this is a shorter conclusion than you might expect, lacking some of the range of its sprawling predecessor. And it's true that there's perhaps not quite enough visible evidence of Arberrang's deterioration, even with the sound and music team doing their best to amplify the turmoil. But with the world falling apart, it makes perfect sense to zoom in on its people—and their wildly different responses to their extraordinary predicament make for enthralling, wrenching drama. The result is a thrilling and affecting finale that closes the book on a bleak but riveting journey in fine style. It is, in short, the ending the saga deserves.
DualShockers 9/10
Like closing the final chapter on a thousand-page-long fantasy novel, The Banner Saga 3 delivers a dark and thrilling conclusion to remember. Though at times it might prove to be a bit more of a challenge than some might expect, The Banner Saga 3 is the culmination of Stoic Studio's four-year-long journey through a tense and memorable world that's entirely worth seeing through to the end. While I'm sad to see The Banner Saga series come to a close with its third and final act, The Banner Saga 3 finishes it all in a brutal and brilliant fashion. The story may be over, but The Banner Saga's world is one that I will surely yearn to come back to.
Xbox One
PS4
Switch
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