The Banner Saga 3

Honestly I didn't expect much but how wrong I was, what a game, the mass effect of the strategy RPGs in the way that a lot of your decisions impact the story. Great game

That last episode is honestly the 1 too much.
Repetitive, quite confusing, dragging in length.
I like the first 2, but I give up before finishing this one

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

A beautiful and captivating game.

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.

I know this is several years late and most people will probably disagree with me but I hate what they did with Bolvkerk. This is also basing off that all of your decisions are canon or at least the ones that you're kept your wits because even if you kept your "wits" there is still character development.
It was always an option to be a jackass and even be awarded for it with better bonuses and the achivement keep your wits. But it was possible to get that achievement by being kinder too, just harder which made it more rewarding. There are signs you could warm up but still stay in "character" like saving Bak's tribe, helping the valka, humoring nikyles, letting him fanboy over him, potentially letting him join, letting the miner's mine, saving the dredge, save the hawk child, and adding a boulder to the kid's monument as signs. I'll also go into more detail for example you have the option to kill those two brother varls to get a really good relic but you could still receive it by evacuating the mining town. He also has genuine moments of sorrow like feeling bad about damaging the god stone of that bird god. Also, the relationship between Spar him are implied to exist, at the bare minimum being ammused by him to liking him and that's not mentioning Folka. It's implied he's a surrogate father figure to her, considers her his second command, and respects her enough to command the ravens. Which is an honor he lets no else have. You also get the option to save more varl and if you didn't care about saving the world why bother (which I will elaborate on later). Yet another example of him being deeper than he appears is his conservation Sibjorn they have a conversation of what their goals are and one of the options is to get paid as always and he asks if you still enjoy or ever it enjoyed it. Which Bolverk responds that maybe at one point but it's all he knows and hasn't really thought about what else he could do since he's done this his entire life. That response show's a bond that's formed between those two and once again there is more under the surface. During the whole death march you're giving options to sally forth and help fight those characters which why bother if you don't care about them. Then once you finally reach the river town you're given the option to reassure Folka and that things can turn out okay while once again keeping your wits. Finally he mentions that the fact the humans are trying at all they made a difference.
Now on to Banner Saga 3 and what I believe to be his character assassination. First of all, behind the scenes, the dev's reason for not having Bellower return is because he was the main villain of the past two games. Which is why Bellower is absent except for one scene even if he is revived. It also undermines the game's promise of having your decision matter because if you were working to have Bolverk to develop into a genuine hero or at least a better version of himself the developers said no. It's a fact that I find unfair there should have been a redemption option in the similar vein in which Rugga betrays you, you staying in Arberrang, the varl staying with you, and finally the ending with evyind (Don't get me wrong I still like the games)
Next is the fact he is irrationally angry at the ravens for something that wasn't their faults. I comprehend the fact he is a berserker but throughout the games he shown to be reasonable when he isn't pissed off like listening to Folka, the Valka, him putting two and two together like finding water in the caves, etc. It's never developed past they betrayed me in a situation that wasn't their fault for hunting them like bloodhounds or that he doesn't care about the world ending. The rational jackass Bolvefk would have saved the world *then* tried killing them at the very least. Which I still think he wouldn't have to be honest, especially the bolverk that I knew, who developed, who was for lack of better words an ant-hero at least and hero at other times.
I think the developers really cheapend me *the strongest Bolverk fan* out of a proper ending for him. What I think they should have done is have Bellower being the villain again for the finale part of the game. But because of behind the scenes stuff I know they didn't want him to be the villain again so, they made Bolverk into it. Granted, they're probably few people who played Bolverk like I did but I still feel cheaped out of a proper send off with him. Finally, he kinda looks like my dad so, that's another reason for my rage.
Does anyone else know where I could post this so the devs would have a chance of seeing this?
BTW once again just clarifying I love the games and is the reason why I'm so passionate about this lol.

So, the third one of a game trilogy, so either this is the end of the road from which the saga will sit and enjoy eternal praise in the minds of fans and reviewers alike; or it will fall as per the curse of videogame strory-driven trilogies (you now who I'm talking to Bioware).

Welp, the curse is broken, I would assume that it has been for a while but that's part of the yank of reviewing an eight-year old conclusion. The story is good, even great, no character's nor fan's grave was spit in the conclusion, and it has multiple meaninful endings.

This was a great journey which will resonate with you for years if you have come to this point or you can buy this game because of my review, finish it, and then return to this post to comment how I know nothing about games or story-telling.
I hope it won't be the latter... I hope.

Honest review: 8.5/10

I really like this game.
Good story line, great art, kinda addictive to play, the game has a good unique combat style, plus the skills and items are interesting too.

Combat is turned base, you have armor that deflects damage from others strength/hp. You do as much damage as you have strength/hp. Which for some reason I didn't notice until The Banner Saga 2, about half way through.

To get the most out of this game, you should start with The Banner Saga 1. It continues the story line, plus you get to keep your party. Your choices matter from all the games previously.
I think they could make a 4th one, but seriously doubt they ever will. It doesn't leave ya on a cliff hanger, but i just really enjoyed it.

Game is solid enough to play at least twice, which makes since why its kinda short in the scheme of things.


The worst part of this game is how it saves.
If you do find it crashing on you, which has happened to me twice, just turn off the steam cloud saves. That will fix the problem.

If you like honest reviews, hit that like button and have a great day!!!

Obviously, if you played the previous games, you'll want to see the ending.
As of 2025, there are a lot of crashes and infinite loading screens.

The third title, and conclusion to the saga. Every choice you made on this journey plays a part here. It's really impressive how many variations of interactions and events are to be seen here. The story does a excellent job conveying the struggle, strain, and desperation of holding out a siege, biding time, and a sense of pointless inevitability.

There is a less of a focus of caravan and maintaining supplies this time. Combat has expanded with the feature of enemy waves that focuses on knowing your strengths, weaknesses, and when to retreat. If you continue to fight, you are given the opportunity to swap out fighters in your roster, and reposition battle lines before the next wave. Victory grants you rare and useful items. Only draw back is that there is less opportunity to heal wounded fighters, slowly wearing your fighting capability. Renown is given out like candy, and there is only Items, stats, and the new feature of Heroic titles, to spend it on. In time, favorite fighters felt like demi-gods on the battlefield.

There are both good and bad ending to witness. The finale felt a little rushed, and experiencing the good ending feels slightly bittersweet, leaving me feel wanting. I believe that was the point. Based on all the decisions made throughout Saga 1-3, were they really the best choices made? Could I have chosen differently, and done better?

The Banner Saga is one hell of a story, and one hell of a ride. Pick these games up, wait for a sale if you have to, you wont be disappointed.

Third one and still damn brilliant gaming. Play these.

I love this series as a whole and although I found the ending to be amazing, it left me slightly wanting. Maybe it was the choices I made or how it all just played out for me. idk. Wonderful game still. 10/10

My review is with regards to the trilogy as a whole.

I'm not going to talk about mechanics, bugs or the story. There are many other reviews on those topics.

Holistically, the game is just boring. The characters you encounter rarely speak and it's hard to make them interesting. The caravan composition (clansmen, varl, fighters) is just a resource meter that doesn't play any part at all. For a game touted for its storytelling, it is just boring to follow along when the vast majority of the cast lack any sense of development.

Um bom final para uma série excelente. Vale cada centavo.

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....

You'll need to play 1 & 2
I came here for the ending and was rewarded.
Very accessible and fun tactics game.

6.5/10

The game keeps crashing after a certain fight in Chapter 21 so I literally can't continue playing the game, I've done the fight 4 times now and it keeps crashing every single time.

Amazing story and art that transports you to another world. Loved the decision trees and battle strategies.

An incredible story, with the atmospheric, world and story design to boot throughout the whole ride.

This game is definitely in its niche, being both a turn-based game, as well as a relatively challenging one. If that doesn't immediately turn you away, this is very much an adventure to be explored. Of course, being the third game, it's difficult to evaluate it on its own - for one con, I personally didn't enjoy the "one more wave" mechanic after some fights, which just felt like tacked on length.
As for an improvement for the sequel, I found myself more consistently engaged through these final chapters, where the 2nd game especially sometimes dragged - which shouldn't be taken too harshly either, considering these are ~10 hr games at most.

While calling this a game that everyone should experience would be a bit of an overstatement, the amazing skill and craft dedicated to creating the world here will make it unforgettable to me, at the very least.

.

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.

The other reviews commenting on the instability are correct - it will freeze up when loading new scenes or battles, and it's very frustrating. But if you've made it to episode 3 I suspect you're going to want to see it through, and it's worth it! The climax does not disappoint.

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

Do not purchase this until they fix this game.

It consistently crashes at the beginning of chapter 15 (the 1st in game) without fail.

None of the potential fixes I've looked into resolve the issue.
Reinstalling it does not work.
Disabling cloud saves does not work.

There shouldn't any issues playing this on a 3000 series GPU but for whatever this game is unplayable.

Stoic please fix this, it's an unbecoming blemish for what is arguably the final chapter of a masterpiece.

For the reasons stated above, unfortunately I cannot recommend this game in it's current state.

I'd love to be able to recommend this but the game crashes and soft locks and that is frankly unacceptable. I want to finish a saga years in the making but I'm sick of having to replay most battle 2-3 times and the current battle, one where a certain party member draws too much attention and you get attacked, I don't know if I can handle playing it a 4th time crossing my fingers that the game doesn't crash again :(

What is going on here? This isn't a complicated game! I shouldn't have to play the fights over and over and the fact the ancillary modes cost money separately is bothersome. I don't want to spend cash just to see that THOSE crash TOO.

Cmon now, Stoic, fix your games

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

Placeholder Review for the Steam Sale

Crashed multiple times.

**** DO NOT PURCHASE THIS GAME****
past the 10 hour mark game becomes unplayable due to crashing loading and autosave issues.
**** DO NOT PURCHASE THIS GAME****

I thoroughly enjoyed all 3 episodes of the Saga, though I must admit I feel the first one had better narrative and was more immersive. I appreciate the changes introduced by BS2 and, to some extent, by BS3 as well, somehow. But I just hate how badly they tried to monetize on something as awful as Endless Mode and, more importantly, I abhor that a good 30-50% of the Achievements can only be obtained through those awful DLCs. I do care about completion rate for games that I like, and the fact I'm asked to purchase unnecessary DLCs to improve it really annoys me big time. Bad move. Could have at least given free access to additional modes to players who paid to own all 3 the chapters in the saga, or something.

Couldn't even make it through a single chapter before the game froze/crashed on me.

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.

The game constantly freezes. The problem is common, just look at the latest reviews on Steam.
I enjoyed the first two parts, but the third part is pointless to buy, you will not be able to complete it because of the bugs.

After playing through the first two games without a problem, this one in particular crashed multiple times - which is a huge problem in a game without manual saves (and autosaves can be over an hour apart).

Then I reached a spot about 2/3 through with two battles in a row (one a two part wave battle) which crashed on me three times in a row right after beating both battles.

At that point I gave up and watched the rest on YouTube, an incredibly unfortunate ending after playing through a trilogy where the story is heavily dependent on player choices. Ug.

Beautiful and cool game. Crashes a lot. It's strange being a developer, having created sthing this good, and then abandon it.

If I had a nickel for every installment of The Banner saga where my game crashed after beating the hard as hell final boss I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

It's more of the same as the first two parts, meaning beautiful artstyle and music, great characters and story and a unique atmosphere. Unfortunately it has the same cons too, the combat is still very clunky and the game crashes sometimes, for me once every couple hours but it's much more frequent for some.

Still, the pros far outweigh the cons, it's more than worth playing, if you finished the first two it's a must but then you probably already know that.

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.

Darkness cannot prevail forever.

Not a bad game, but the weakest of the 3 episodes still.
Of course anyone enjoying the series will play the conclusion.
However I can't leave a positive review to such a bugged game that the devs didn't care to fix.
It's disrespectful for players and fans.

Good conclusion.

A series of crashes and visual bugs that lead to an unsatisfying ending. This last chapter in the Banner Saga series has completely drained me of the desire I had to go through the whole saga again, choosing different paths.

gotta complete the saga bby.

What a frustrating technical mess, banner saga 1 & 2 never crashed. This one is like a 50/50 coin toss in every post battle screen. Verifying integrity, reinstalling, running in windows 7 compatibility mode, none of those matter.

Crashes all the time. The forums and Discord are full of others saying the same thing but their is no solution. Disappointing as I played and enjoyed the first two, but after multiple attempts to fix it and two reinstallations I've given up.

Softlocked, unable to beat the game not matter what I do. In chapter 21, a character will start talking and get your party into a fight. After the fight however the game crashes, making you reply the fight until it crashes again. I have fought that same fight 5 times now to no avail. Just keeps crashing. Worst thing is this bug has been in the game since its launch like 6 years ago and they haven't fixed it. I tried so hard to defend this game because of how good its story and art style is, despite CONSTANT crashes, pretty bad turn based combat system, and over all lack of dev support. But now you litterally can't beat the game, right at the end too. fuck this game, fuck stoic, theyll never fix it. Don't buy this game because you could be that unlucky 1/100 person who can't beat the damn game like me, and so many others.

Constant crashes after years of being released. Developers literally replied with "we ain't fixing it lol".

Even without the crashes this is the weakest one of the trilogy and by a WIDE margin. Impactful moments come and go without a second for you to linger on them, combat encounters feel way more random and tedious, story tries to go for a surprising twist but ends up being lame instead, your choices don't really matter and outcomes are very arbitrary and the characters are way more one tone than they ever were - feels like they repeat the same line every time they come up in dialogue.
I've been following this franchise and supported the devs for practically a decade and to get a third act this weak felt incredibly disappointing. They should have stuck to simple and obvious things rather than trying to shake everything up with live service-esque type of content. People who loved the previous two games just wanted more of that.

Fuck this game. All my friends telling me this series sucks have been vindicated. *TFU*

Still a very good game. Original and very artistic. However, the story is so pessimistic. It's a downer.

please play this series from the start to the end.

the ending I got sucks and I don't feel compelled to get a better one... and that's basically the gist of this game.

the first two entries were strong. after a few years of leaving this one on the backburner, I finally got around to finishing it. there's plenty of content if you enjoy this entry, but it feels like they stretched it way out (especially in the last act) and they don't do enough new or interesting things to make me want to revisit this part of the saga. I don't know if that's just because I waited so long, but it feels overlong and I kept rolling my eyes at the twists in the narrative. , the longer it went on, the less I cared what happened to everyone, which is sad because I started off so invested.

if you're already into these games, you'll undoubtedly feel obligated to play through the third and final entry, but this is definitely the weakest of the three in terms of story. maybe I'll change my mind someday.

to reiterate, it's commendable how much bonus content there is, but the core game is lukewarm, at best.
Don't Recommend, But I Don't Hate Or Recommend Against It Either. :(

The Banner Saga 3/5