Banner Saga 3

First of I'm not sure this game imports save games properly, I say as such because in the 2nd part I failed to achieve a special objective which would have given one character an ability and yet in this game he has the ability. Gameplay wise, it's pretty similar to the previous entries. Biggest addition is a waves system where additional enemies will come and you can swap out heroes for subsequent waves. This is a very good addition because it encourages uses the full cast of characters, that said I think there are still some heroes that almost never hit the battlefield in my games. Story-wise the ending is pretty satisfying, not over the top not disappointing just somewhere in the middle. I did find that the story didn't always respect the choices however, in one case the game adds a countdown to the game to finish a task- but this countdown is re-freshed multiple times, and at the initial time my countdown seemed to drop dramatically in a sequence where it was not counted. As such it just seems artificial, and idea, but with no consequence. Overall it's worth playing- but by the end I had certainly had my fill of this particular combat system.

In my playthrough so far I have encountered over 20 crashes. In a game that has been out for so long this is not acceptable. This does seem to be very common and is not isolated to me or my specific set up. Story is passable. Gone is the sense of dread that permeates the 1st 2 Banner Sage titles, although that is understandable due to the need to complete the story. The revelations the 1st 2 titles have been building up regarding the valka climaxes in a rather limp fashion. Gameplay is larely the same from previous BS titles minus the travelling. Combat similar and lacking in depth compared to SPRG heavyweights. Would be 3 stars without the crashes.

Reviewing in the context of all 3 games, given they take place in direct continuity, I have 3 thoughts about Banner Saga 3. Thought 1: the story and the variance in choices and who lives/dies makes for obvious replayability and is done really well. The characters are, albeit sometimes quite shallowly explored, often quite interesting. Thought 2: The core gameplay, which would be the tactical combat has very much outstayed it's welcome by the 3rd game, doing painfully little to keep fresh. Once I got to and booted up the 3rd game I was already tired of it and it had become a chore, almost. Thought 3: This game, unlike the other 2, crashes a lot - and not just for me. I've been googling the crashing issues and can find countless people online describing the exact circumstances of the crashes all the way since 2018 - 6 years ago. That means this issue will not be fixed. If you get crashes, too bad. And given they tend to occur just past a fight, forcing you to re-do it, playing the game becomes actually just tedious and upsetting. Conclusion: the sour reality of point 2 and 3 sabotages the replayability of the series that point 1 otherwise elegantly invites one to do. And I will be honest: I cannot finish this game and it upsets me a lot. I was willing to power through the combat, but not when I have to repeat it again and again due to crashes. And for the same reason, I actually recommend against playing the series as a whole. The other games, for me, was 4 out of 5, but this one I must situate at a brittle 1 out of 5.

If you like the first two games, there is a good chance you will love this one. A word of advice before I get into further detail: Playing this game does not make much sense if you have not played BS 1 & 2. Playing BS 3 on its own will confuse you more than anything. The best way to start the game is to import a save from BS 2 because then the game will keep track of the choices you made, the characters you got (not yet) killed and the items you collected. Just like BS 1+2, this game is a mixture of well-written, atmospheric storytelling and exciting turn-based combat. The visual and musical presentation is beautiful and most of the choices you make do matter. There is more combat in this game than in BS 1 & 2, which does, however, fit the setting. While there is a certain danger that the battles may become repetitive, I certainly enjoyed every single one of them. Due to the fact that almost every character you can control and almost every enemy you have to fight has different special abilities, strengths and weaknesses, each battle is a tactical challenge of its own. I think that the combat system used in all three games is excellent because it forces you to think tactically: Which heroes do I send into battle? How do I position them on the battlefield? Is it better to attack the enemy right next to me or to use a special ability to support a hero who is going to take a hit next turn? Another thing which gives this game a lot of replay value is choice and consequence: Not only can you experiment a lot with the choices you can make in this game, but depending on your choices in BS 1 & 2 some situations will play out differently. Characters you saved from death earlier on may sacrifice themselves to give you an advantage, or simply die when you screw up. And screw up you will. At times, this game made me feel miserable because of the deaths caused by my choices. But when I finally beat it after roughly 10 hours, I was already sure I would play it again.

ALL:::