The Banner Saga 2’s wonderful balance of systems and their effectiveness in heightening the ongoing narrative can still be appreciated if you aren’t familiar with what came before-- but much more so if you are. Like the original game, the The Banner Saga 2 leaves you holding your breath, completely invested in the world, its inhabitants, and their struggles, anxiously eager for more.
Experience with The Banner Saga feels necessary for full enjoyment
Questionable obstacles
Expert reviews and ratings
85
By the time I reached the startling conclusion of the first Banner Saga, I was locked in for the sequel. Thankfully the wait wasn't too long as Banner Saga 2 is now on Nintendo Switch less than a month after the first game. The middle chapter of the...
Impressive effort with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth most people's time and cash. How we score: The Destructoid Reviews...
Tempus fugit How time flies. It’s been over two years since I reviewed The Banner Saga , but it seems like only yesterday I was fighting through hordes of Dredge in the perpetual sunlight with a squad of heroes formed of humans and giant Varl. The...
The Banner Saga 2 is familiar enough for those into fantasy, but Stoic manages to craft a complex narrative within those genre conventions. The combat sequences are elaborate enough to provide a sense of depth and reward that tricked me into having fun, but even battles won or choices that seem smart can't prevent things from ending horribly. Even though I tried to parse together the emotions I felt about the gameplay or the art design, I couldn’t get past the despair I felt when the credits began to roll.
Outside of its disappointing final battle, The Banner Saga 2 is a masterpiece of storytelling and engaging turn-based strategy combat. The combination of a dedicated sense of player agency and a stark moral dichotomy between the two sides of the narrative make for an experience that will immediately prompt thousands to start a countdown until The Banner Saga 3.
If you played the first Banner Saga, this is a must buy. If you missed The Banner Saga 1, consider purchasing it just so you can give The Banner Saga 2 a...