The Banner Saga 2

Disappointing compared to The Banner Saga 1.

I started off loving the game as much as much as the the first one. It has a lot of the same strengths: the art, setting, music and some aspects of gameplay and story. But as the game progressed, it got worse. It seems like in trying to develop the combat after BS1, they had a few hits but mostly overcomplicated it to the point of exhaustion, at least for me. There were many encounters (with Bolverk's group) that were really hard, while the encounters with the other group were generally pretty easy.

And then there's the final "battle", which was kind of lame in my opinion. The ending pulls a cheap TV-style tactic where they cut away in the middle of the climactic scene with the obvious intent to build hype for the next game. But it didn't leave me wanting to play the next one, it made me want to complain to internet strangers.

I also had some technical issues, including one crash and most of the prerendered cutscenes just showing a green screen.

It's not all bad, and it could be worth putting up with these negatives if you want to continue the story. But don't expect the same impeccable experience as the original.

I have never played a game that I wanted to love so much that tried so very hard to make me hate it. Well okay, you win, this game fucking blows. Such a shame.

I played the trilogy years ago and enjoyed greatly how the story was told. The combat is decent, but you dont play this for combat alone. If you dont like the combat of the first title you wont like the combat of the other titles.

The titles have solid soundtrack and visual design and the artstyle worked for me. Their greatest strength, I think, lies in the hard choices you have to make. The games are not necessarily difficult to beat, but many of the choices were hard to make and made me feel responsible for the outcome. I also played through them twice and managed to get two fairly different experiences. Recommended

Here is another game for which I wish Steam had a "meh" option. Banner Saga 1 was only a few notches short of a masterpiece, but its sequel fails to deliver on its promises in several key areas:
1. It fails to improve upon the flaws of the first in terms of gameplay mechanics, introducing a bunch of RNG-flavor stats which take slightly away from the strategy focus of the game. Since the whole point of a strategy game is to give the player the means to intelligently and deliberately overcome obstacles, by relying on his own agency, introducing a mechanic that takes away that agency is counter-intuitive. Banner Saga 2 also reduces player agency by failing to improve upon the events that spawn highly random consequences the player incurs from making seemingly innocuous choices. Most events don't seem to build upon something else. Which brings me to my second point:
2. Most events are b*llsh*t. Pop-up events don't rely on previous knowledge of the setting, or reward the player for paying attention to conversations, worldbuilding, the map, or anything that the player can use to infer solutions for various conundra. These events and the consequences for picking the "wrong" choice don't seem to have a coherent reasoning behind them either. You'd stumble upon a seemingly very suspicious set of circumstances, pick the one you think is the least risky, and end up incurring a lot of punishment, or vice versa, where you'd stumble upon something that could have no noxious outcomes, and still manage to incur losses. The game seems absolutely arbitrary, and the logic of the story keeps tripping upon itself. Early on in the game, for example, you see a fire consuming a barn and land your ships to check it out. Mind you, by this point you have around hundreds of warriors and peasants in your party. You lead your scouts to check the buildings out, but it all turns out to be ruse. In the meanwhile (despite having hundreds of people guarding your ships), you are informed that the thieves who set up the lure managed to steal a whole ship and a lot of supplies. You may be tempted to question the logic of this. You may be tempted to ask how this could happen. My advise: DON'T. The game's events are designed not to be logical puzzles for you to solve, or moral imbroglios where you have to make intelligent trade-offs between sacrificing different resources, which would reward intelligent play by way of having the player plan out his limited resources before time, but to rather punish you and show you how *bleak* and *grimdark* and *desperate* the world is.
3. And this brings me to the third problem. The first Banner Saga suffered from both of the above problems, but it at least had a logical story, where things happened for believable reasons. The Dredge suddenly appear out of nowhere and start attacking you? You pack up and leave for your provincial capital. The provincial capital is surrounded by a bunch of like clansmen and villagers, who all share your predicament? There is resource scarcity, so you have to improvise a way to get in Et cetera.
It made sense why things were bleak. You and your party were trudging it through the frontlines of an incipient interracial conflict between the sentient races and the unspeaking, seemingly endless hordes of Dredge.
But after the last game, you reach the heartlands of the kingdom and think your characters will finally have some respite. Perhaps the story focus will change. Perhaps you will have to ensure that your party, instead of reliving the same miseries and wrestling with resource scarcity, will instead have to balance army composition and juggle politics? Maybe your characters will learn how to negotiate a truce between warring factions to bind them together against the Dredge? Maybe your heroes will now take the fight to the front, just as how you had done with Hakon and Ubin in the first game' initial half?
Nope!
In fact, the second game, despite taking place considerably more southward than the first one, has our characters fight through the exact same conditions if not worse ones. The whole kingdom with its political, social and economic infrastructure seems to have not just collapsed in the matter of a few weeks, but also have done so faster than our constantly southward travelling party. How did this happen? How did a global disaster slowly spreading from the north cause so much and so quick a destruction for all of the civilised world, that our heroes who could cross a whole continent in about 250 days, still manage to not outrun it? Keep in mind that Hakon's party was the first group to run into the Dredge in the first game, and they return south now to bring the news (you get several dialogue choices along the way to inform others that the Dredge, the long-gone enemies of the realm, are back!). But somehow, everything now outruns you, and there is no rhyme or logic as to how this chain-reaction of panic, collapse and looting is supposed to have occurred. All of this, need I inform the player, happens for seemingly no reason other than the fact that the game devs wanted to continue the same "bleak" atmosphere of the first installment . This feels extremely forced, and brings me to my final point:
4. The game is designed around an atmosphere, story and characters, but the second installment fails them. The characters don't develop as much (except for Bolverk, and even then only if you pick the "right" choices). There isn't much that is added to the lore or the world, except the weirdly shoved-in revelation that Dredge actually have families and are just poor poor old refugees. The story has twists and turns that make absolutely no sense (such as the guy you almost kill and kick out of your group somehow managing to outrun you through a war-torn countryside on his own and reach the capital before you, become the leader of a disgruntled mass of clans, and then even organise a whole army against the king, all in the manner of a few days!). No matter what you do, your enemies have almost universal discretion (which allows them to pull off such unbelievably adroit schemes such as stealing hundreds of supplies from right under your noses), a luxury which you somehow never possess. Bands of enemies seemingly spawn out of nowhere, skip whole towns that lie on their path (the horseborn appear on the king's ford or whatever it's called, despite never having passed by or touched Finivik etc.), and seem to have been thrown into the story to create artificial tension because the plot cannot summon any itself by natural means.

So, what are we left with? Great art direction, great music, great atmosphere, and promising characters. But all of these elements are marred and muddied one way or another. The "promising" characters are so numerous that the story can't develop any of them properly. The setting and atmosphere are great, but the background lore and explication of the world has stalled, if not outright regressed in quality through various plot contrivances. More than a number of the mechanics of the first game are completely useless here, such as the fighters to peasants ratio, which meant something in the first game since you had to fight these "wars" against huge armies of Dredge. Here, you may as well travel with only peasants, and a handful of fighters.
Add to all of this an incongruously cheap refugee/climate-change messaging (DUH DREDGE HAVEE CHILDREN TOO AHHHH, FORGET THAT THEY WERE SLAUGHTERING WHOLE VILLAGES OF HUMANS IN THE FIRST GAME-MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN-SHOWING NO MERCY EVEN TO BABIES!), and you get yourselves Banner Saga 2.

It is still a worthwhile game, though still frustrating. With some clearer direction, the game could have been as high quality as the first one, but it falls short in many ways, for which reason I give it a thumbs down, instead of thumbs up.

Good game

Its nowhere near the masterpiece banner saga 1 was, the choices dont hit as hard (even the final one), but the unique battle mechanics and the main/support characters keep you going.

Playing Boersgard lets you take the "evil" route and his dinamic with his supporting characters is good. The horseborn are kind of a silly and unnecessary faction, i would rather see man on horseback like the huns or something but ok

7/10 not as good as the first one but still good

⭐ 8/10 - A Masterpiece of Storytelling and Strategy! ⭐

The Banner Saga 2 is a stunning continuation of Stoic’s epic Viking-inspired saga. The game builds upon everything that made the first entry so compelling—deep storytelling, meaningful choices, and beautifully hand-drawn art—while refining its tactical combat and adding new layers of depth.

✅ Pros:
✔️ Gorgeous hand-painted visuals and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack.
✔️ A gripping narrative that adapts to your choices, making every decision impactful.
✔️ Improved tactical combat with new units, abilities, and more dynamic battles.
✔️ A rich world filled with lore, memorable characters, and emotional weight.
✔️ Choices from The Banner Saga carry over, making it feel like a true continuation.

❌ Cons:
➖ Some choices feel brutal, but that's part of the game's charm.

If you love turn-based strategy games with a strong narrative, The Banner Saga 2 is a must-play. It’s an emotional, challenging, and rewarding journey that will keep you hooked from start to finish. Highly recommended!

🛡️ Final Verdict: A beautifully crafted, unforgettable experience. 🛡️

Beautiful and captivating game.

Series starts good, sequel stays good. 10/10

Whether it is a story-book or a game is up for debate, however what is not is that this is an innovative and enjoyable saga. Choices matter and the story is engaging and different.

The entire saga is one i wish i could find the time to play again; if only i could stop buying games.

Probably my favorite in the series. I really enjoyed the new characters!

If you are here, I asumme that you come from the 1st The Banner Saga, if you don't I recommend you to play the first one as I would recommend you to play sagas such as Mass Effect in order.

If you already come from there and you are reading reviews to see if (as any story driven game) the devs just gave up and the saga just commits artistical suicide and butchers the story that was being written in the first game (again, I see you Bioware) then I'm here to the you that the curse is broken, the story maintains it's as good if not better than the previous game, taking into account what happened and raising the conflicts and stakes from what was left of.

In the mechanical side of things, the core mechanics are almost the same save for new characters and the overhaul of some minor mechanics that I think enchances the experience and the agency of the players. So, if you liked the first one, this is more and better IMO.

Great story, interesting battle. Amazing game

Still my favorite game trilogy ever.

The story, the art, the gameplay, I love it all.

Brutal epic. Incredible soundtrack.

Didn't have me hooked like the first game

Banner Saga 2 is a chunkier game than the first. Its everything a sequel should be: expansion of mechanics, units, characters, clans, story and lore. More beautifully hand drawn art and backdrops, and more animated scenes. A playthrough is roughly 8-9 hours and certain sections can feel like a grind sometimes. More combat, more politics, more decisions, more of everything that made the first game great.

The stakes continue to rise in this sequel, and players can carry all their previous decisions from the first game by importing saves. Do you have any regrets? Would you go back again and do things differently, or see the choices you made to the very end? Either way, the differences are worth multiple play-throughs. Don't sleep on this saga. Pick this up when you can.

It's hard to determine if this is my favorite in the series of gems but it really kept me wanting so much more in a good way. 10/10

mi juego favorito

Special in its own way
Among the best
A lot
Very much
Liked
Was cool
Managed to finish it....... had enough fun to give it a like though
I tried....

Cool aggressive second part.
Very accessible and fun tactics game.

boring story, ok gameplay

Worth every penny. Great story, lots of immersion.

7.5/10

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.

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More interesting characters then in first part

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

A great series with a solid story with impactful choices, and a WELL developed world. This game expands upon the last adding new classes and species with unique features. My only real criticism is the game challenges aren't expanded upon from the first game, and when they are the the goals often aren't clear. Also there are the setting options are very limited and the occasional crash which at this point I don't see the developers fixing. I would highly recommend going back and playing the series from the start. If you liked the first one I can't see there being any way you wouldn't want to continue the story through to the end.

It's a sequel that has improved, but it's more on the bad side. There's no point in upgrading the characters when their power levels are still capped. I personally like the first part more. The second part's story is more interspersed than Nolan's films, making it harder to understand than the first part (banner saga 1).

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 style and system will be deservedly revived for stories yet untold.

k

This series is a bit of a hidden gem

Very good sequel of the saga, the writing is excellent and the art may be even better than the first game, having more animations and scenarios. Sadly, some fights towards the end were boringly hard and I felt like an "undo move" button would've been highly needed

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

auyftweuytfuyasetefdc

Seriously fun game. I love the interconnectedness of the storylines, the ability to make choices which impact later games in the series, and the lore. The map takes the cake, though!

great

A nice new part to the story. It is interesting that clansmen can be trained as fighters in this sequel.

I was expecting more.

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.

Great storytelling. Plays like no other game for combat. Good stuff.

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.

After I didn't really enjoy the first one, I have no idea why I played this. At least with part three I was smart enough to skip it.

Darkness cannot prevail forever.

first game was great, love the narrative of this one, but littered with annoying game breaking bugs that make the game more frustrating than enjoyable

Dull and pretty buggy.

Does everything better than the 1rst episode, which is saying !
Sadly, there's also more bugs, even after all these years.

Having beaten the first game and thinking that I could not be thrown off guard with the following installment, I can honestly say that Banner Saga 2 is a worthy sequel. Decision making becomes even more difficult due to the unforeseen consequences and political intrigues surrounding your journey, just what a game man.

Banner Saga 2 is overall an improvement on the first. More cutscenes, somehow even prettier scenery, and better combat mechanics. I do slightly favor the story in 1, but it's a continuous thing anyway.