The Banner Saga

This game has a very nice visual and sound design, but the story feels like a chapter of a story that really should start after killing the last (and only) boss.

Until that point, it felt more like a presentation of the game, filled with some events that were starting to repeat themselves way too much, without adding uniqueness to them.

At a certain point, I was just skipping text of unnecessary lore of characters that substitute the ones that died by random events, in order to go to another generic battle that didn't add anything special. The story became a "survive" journey to wherever that adds some lore from time to time. When it looked like it was gaining strength, it ended.

I enjoyed more Ash of gods: Redemption (a "clone" of Banner Saga), but I have to admit I played that one before, thus these mechanics were no longer new nor a surprise.

These are some nice features:
- The sense of a journey: the scenes of the caravan moving; the lore and location of events in a map; the consumption of supplies and the triggered events with choices (which kill your characters, provide objects etc).
- An elaborated lore and characters, as well as intertwined storylines.
- A simple but nice battle design, with unique items and skills for each character.

Though relatively short, this game is steeped in lore and an easy to play, tough to master battle system that rewards you for playing smartly and understanding different character strengths and weaknesses. The persistent death part of the game, along with your choices having direct consequences keeps you looking for the best path through.

Dont sleep on this gem. if you like good story games and great tactical choices

Love the art style, the story, music, and combat. All are great. Dope game

Really like the plot driven game with a decent amount of combat but not overwhelming combat like BG3. Like the turn base combat too.

Rook takes the shot. Just keep that in mind, okay?
10/10

A norse-inspired epic. A turn-based strategy game/visual novel with some giants, some magic and some shieldwalls. Highly recommended that you get the other two games as well for the full experience.

Strategising the battles turned out to be very absorbing, after getting used to the mechanic of having strength be both HP and attack power. Combining different party members to try to make their skills work together was a lot of fun. The story is compelling and well told; narrative choices are hard to make and there's a sense that there are few good choices in a world that offers little hope and much darkness.

mediocre at most. everything in this game is just more of the same,

This is for all Banner Saga games. Yes you ABSOLUTELY should play all 3.

Banner Sage stands unique among games I've played. It's hard to describe: a narrative "choices matter" adventure game with TBS battle elements completely undersells it. Banner Sage is a legend you get to write. It's a beautiful and heartbreaking story of loss, hope, and... well, the rest is up to you. When I first played it I really had no idea what I was in for, and I still can't exactly describe it, but it was beautiful to the point of tears.

The game does an INCREDIBLE job of immersing you in the world. Every backdrop, every interaction with a person feels real and it feels like you're participating. What is a simple supply meter in other games here is your lifeblood, and that number went DOWN because you made a choice you are now questioning. The people fighting next to you on the battlefield are not units, but your friends that you've toasted with, argued with, and care for deeply.

I'm honestly not sure where choices diverge except with immediate consequences. I would suggest you do not look up decision trees - don't treat this like a game, treat it like composing your hero's ballad of triumph, or perhaps tragedy. History and legend play a key role here - in fact that's the entire purpose of the banner mentioned in said saga - and you're literally weaving it as you move.

As for the battles, they can get tough (I played "Normal"), but are doable. Don't go in expecting the traditional X-Com progression of weak to overpowered. The battles take place as story elements and can have incredible consequences. Like all things in Banner Saga, they are an additive part to the whole, and their stakes makes everything more intense. I find the skills and such balanced and every battle ultimately achievable. You'll get the hang of it eventually but there's a moderate curve to understanding how to fight in this game than in others.

As for the presentation, the videos 100% display what it is. The whole game looks like that, a "Dragon's Lair" type smooth animation. I, personally, love it. And while it may not be your particular cup of tea, in honestly it's not usually mine, it works perfectly here. A game as unique as The Banner Saga needed a unique aesthetic and after playing it, I'm not sure the sharper lines of more traditional contemporary animation would have worked. The novel style sets you up mentally for the novel nature of the game.

It does slow down a bit during the second and (part of the) third games. In those, the world becomes more complex and it feels like it might have been dragged out a little bit too long - the give/take momentum of the first gives way a bit to largely give. Maybe a better way to put it is that external conflicts turn into internal conflicts, resulting in a slower burn. But that's a minor gripe, and might actually be a positive for you. And for what it's worth, I truly believe the experience of deceleration is in large part because of just how phenomenal the opening chapter was.

Listen, I'm biased. The Banner Saga hit me, and hit me HARD. I don't expect it to impact everyone the way it did me, but if you let yourself go on the ride, even just a little, you're going to find something real special. It's a gorgeous, compelling, challenging, heart-wrenching story which is ultimately yours to tell. There are not many experiences like this, and you owe it to yourself to try.

Crashes constantly, None of their suggestions worked and I am not waiting for my refund to expire to try more. If you are on windows 10 or above don't even bother.

All the Banner Sagas are great, though 3 gets sloggy towards the end and 1 does not yet offer much.

Engaging story.

Great story.

A great series with a solid story with impactful choices, a unique world and simple yet engaging game play. My only real criticism is there are the setting options are very limited and the occasional crash which at this point I don't see the developers fixing.

I enjoyed the game and its fairly challenging for turn based combat. I was so impressed that while its still on sale I grabbed banner saga 2 and 3. It won't blow your mind because of how unique or revolutionary it is but its a cozy turn based combat Nordic themed game full of mystery and lots of death.

Fyi. I've beaten the game and I'm fairly certain the your units can't be killed off during combat only during event sequences based off of which option the player chooses.

NIce story, art and music

It is a new strategy game that combines with a storyline. It is unique, challenging, and fun. The only disadvantage is that the characters do not have voice acting, so it may seem a bit boring. However, the storyline is intense and interesting.

Artful, resonant, bittersweet beauty...

The Banner Saga series is a rare kind of entertainment to find nowadays; it's not just another forgettable consumer product to occupy idle time—it's a worthwhile experience, one which will likely stay with you long after the story ends.

The art, the music and the story are all wonderfully crafted and nourishing to partake of. The combat system is a little different from anything I'd played before, but I was pleased to discover a depth and complexity which weren't immediately apparent (it's unfortunate that there weren't resources to preserve and further develop TBS: Factions). There are enough options in terms of party variety, items and ability choices in the later parts to allow for meaningful customization of one's approach to the combat. Plenty of substance to compliment the impeccable style of this series.

It's acutely obvious that this project was a labour of love in every respect, and I'm grateful for it. While this story has been told, I truly hope that this system and style will be deservedly revived for stories yet untold.

Great battle system and lovely theme. Would recommend to anyone who likes strategy battles and/or a great story

beautiful relaxing game

8/10

Pretty cool SRPG if you play all 3 games in a row.

Great art and fun combat

Beautiful game, great story.

If, like me, you've been waiting over 25 years for a game that comes close to scratching that OG Final Fantasy Tactics itch, then this is the game for you.

For some reason I put this game off for a long time, keeping myself busy with titles such as Disgaea, Tactics Ogre and Fell Seal. Boy, was I missing out. Whilst not as deep in the job/class aspect, the high stakes, compelling story and meaningful choices exceeded my expectations.

Don't let other comments put you off trying the hard difficulty either. Just finished my first playthrough on hard, injury free and immediately started a new game to experience the different outcomes of my decisions, so if you love a challenge then go for it.

Haven't felt this way about a game in a long time. See you in Banner Saga 2.

Like the atmosphere and the feeling that every decision counts.

Definitely worth a try for the story alone. Multiple play sessions are inevitable with multiple branching story paths, character fates and endings. The beginning of a very unique trilogy.

I've decided to put a review on the 500+ games I've played on Steam and never reviewed. this is #11

Banner Saga goes slowly, just like snow does. and it's a pretty good thing. The art is gorgeous. The battles are very precise. The decisions are important. And the universe is pretty unique and original.
Take it, especially with sales putting it very low. Right now it's 5€ for example.

Such a great RPG, incredibly underrated. Reminds me a lot of The Witcher Thronebreaker, another great and underrated RPG, and also Spiritfarer for some reason, but with some classic turn-based combat that is simple and fun. The music is beautiful, the choice and consequence is there, the story is pretty great and the world is interesting enough. Definitely worth checking out.

The first part is a complete disappointment. I have a lot of experience playing turn-based strategies. In terms of game mechanics, you need to look for a worse game. Pros: Beautiful art. Cons: Game mechanics - they are practically non-existent, AI almost always, especially closer to the middle of the game, has a significant advantage at the average level of difficulty. It has already been written about here - turn-based play is generally complete idiocy in my opinion, especially at the end of the battle. In the end, having a numerical advantage, you can easily lose to a weaker AI, or suffer serious losses. Artifacts actually do not work, resources are wasted. Leveling characters is long and ineffective. Don't even count on leveling the entire team - there will not be enough resources. Boring and long dialogues that cannot be turned off. A template, uninteresting and boring plot with a lot of dialogues. The system is kept peculiar and inconvenient - too much replaying with an inappropriate result. I really regret spending money.

Great Indie at release time.

Amazing art style, great writing, likeable characters, and fun (if not terribly deep) tactical turn-based combat. Managing your caravan is tough and satisfying. What a beautiful world the developers created with this series. I'm a big fan.

Having remarkable atmosphere with great visual, audio and lore, game is full of game-design flaws.

It wastes your time,
doesn't let you save normally,
battle system is clanky and tedious specifically on hard level,
randomised events have unpredictable outcomes,
same currency to get level ups, supplies and items which is just crazy unbalanced unless you go to the guide and check outcomes of the events.

I guess I would still like the game if I stopped on the first (easy) playthrough. But I went for 100% achievements and that's were I started to hate the most of it.

Nice chill game

Great story. Fun game mechanics. So far, I'm really enjoying it.

Indie gem. Wonderful art direction.

The entire trilogy is a pure gem, the gameplay and the narrative are equally amazing all throughout the story. Give it the try it deserves, this one's a classic in this genre.

Not really fun beyond easy difficulty but awesome Norse: Ragnarok story where all your choices matter. Make sure to leave one of the enemies beside the boss alive at the end otherwise you will soft lock your game. Wish they woulda fixed that after all this time but eh.

Gud gaem.

Even though I haven't finished the game I still think its good.
Nice art, good combat, interesting story.

Summer 2024, a decade after it was released, and with me having spent nearly as long honing my now "side-hustle worthy" rhetoric talents of talking myself out of this getting this game, because: 3 games, and blah blah blah. (Plus, if a game ain't turn-based, I don't play it, and that pool of game offerings, sadly, is about as deep and wide as the Hapsburg gene pool.) Hence, I kept looping back around to the Banner Sage games at various times during my continuing search for awesome games to play.) So it went until a steam summer sale coincided with a more prosperous financial picture. I finally clicked the buy button, and on the deluxe offering no less.

Holy tarballs! I am SO glad I gave this a chance, even if it sat behind a few other titles I got during the sale event. Now, in early November '24. The election cycle turning to worry for others, me being someone who doesn't vote for felonious candidates. I needed a damned good, damned engrossing distraction from this reality.

The Banner Saga delivered, big time. I'm sad that I snubbed this game it for so long, or am I? I'm grateful to know that I have another 2 games in this series (sequels, continuations? idk & it doesn't matter at all.) to experience, to be swept up in, to engage in some escapism with.

Also, if a grim-dark story telling tag exists or ever gets added (if it isn't already) to steam, then this is a tale for just such a label. Those are my favorite ones, no YA kumbaya drivel here! Who wants to play (read/watch) an epic saga where loss is just for the baddies? I mean, armor is great and all, but every protagonist being fully decked out in plot armor is boring as hell. This is quite grim-dark, in my estimation.

Still reading? Buy this game. Get all three. I have yet to even start with The Banner Saga 2, and I'm already recommending you buy all three, the world, and the narrative saga, are just that damned compelling.

Shoot. Get the deluxe bundle, and save some of your money, for the coming tariffs. Or maybe don't, this is that rare gaming experience that's absolutely worth full price. Hell, we're not even 5 days into this post-empathy & compassion 3rd world shithole that used to be the USA, and this game's still got me in here gushing like an excited mother-to-be having a life-threatening miscarriage somewhere down in Texas!

This can help you to escape from your reality, sadly, only for 35 hours or so, but hey! there's always replaying different choices, not to mentions parts 2 & 3, and I guess there's even an endless mode too!

Ignore my playtime, I beat the game through Xbox Play Anywhere on my PC.

Banner Saga is a fairly unique game that is part Oregon Trail, part turn-based tactics with a good amount of decision-making and old school Bioware writing.
The story is best described as apocalyptic Norse-inspired fantasy. You'll lead a couple different groups as they navigate the apparent end of the world and will have to make morally complex decisions; do you abandon other survivors to fend for themselves, or do you risk the survivors you already have with you by taking on strangers?
The animation is beautiful, the writing is strong. I've seen complaints about the gameplay, and while I enjoyed it, I think most can accept the gameplay if they focus on the narrative.
All-in-all a solid game worth playing.

Yes

One of the best indie strategy games I've ever played. Insanely good world building and character writing. Game is harsh but making mistakes and learning to go with those mistakes is such a good part of the game. Kick started this game years ago and never regretted it

good game, beautiful art and storytelling

The worldbuilding is incredible
art is amazing
almost made me cry

I couldn't get into this for the life of me, despite having great fondness for Norse mythology/stories.

On the strong side, the art is terrific, and it feels like a bit of time went into the battle system. Unfortunately, there isn't enough story for me to enjoy trudging through those same strategy portions, which make no mistake, are *ridiculously numerous*. As much as I wanted to let suspension of disbelief carry this game, the (often unexpected) battles always kicked me back out, making the graphics and what there was of a story all but moot. Battles are also impossibly hard, too, so if that's your thing, this is your game!

The "decisions matter" portion of the game seemingly never kicked in for me. None of the decisions I made felt as though they carried any real weight, and in fact most of the choices felt contrived and needlessly encumbered my enjoyment of the story. What story there was. I see a lot of reviewers saying it "broke their heart", but so far all I know is I don't particularly care for *any* of the characters in the first few hours of the game, which isn't a great start.

Given there are two more games in the series to purchase if you want to complete the trilogy, you definitely need to be heavily invested in this game and its battle system to enjoy it. I wasn't able to get there by a long shot, and am bouncing off this series at the outset.

In the end, this game is too difficult to warrant the often sluggish, cumbersome gameplay. The overly-difficult and poorly-explained battles left me bitterly discouraged. Banner Saga definitely feels more like work than a game to me: for some that's a plus, for me it's definitely not.

Wonderfully written story and an engrossing world sandwiched between rounds of a super fun strategy game.

Probably the best trilogy game that I've ever played. Gorgeous art, fantastic music and challenging gameplay will take you through the amazing world of Banner Saga that changes depending on the choices you've made.
One small con is that there's no voice acting, but then again the dialogues are easily readable.