Posted on: April 2, 2014

khaelenmore

Games: 748 Reviews: 16

Well done

I have just finished the game and have very positive feeling of it. Every part is done on a very high level starting from beautiful graphics and really good music to a detailed map(though, to be honest I didn't read anything). I played on normal difficulty. Some notes I wish to make: - Combat difficulty was mostly enough to keep them interesting for me, though some battles were too easy. - Choices during the journey have mostly unpredictable(or hardly predictable) outcomes(at least for the first playthrough. I'm not sure if they are totally predefined or not). - In the late part of the game choices become much more interesting (maybe it's just because I finally understood some of world background and got to know some characters better) - I can't say much about the game world because when I finally begin to understand something the game came to the end. - This is not an RPG: All characters you play are predefined, character development is very basic(five levels, few attributes/skills), no world exploration, etc.

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Posted on: September 24, 2023

Venus_in_Libra

Verified owner

Games: 835 Reviews: 74

Decent visuals, sloppy game mechanics

Now the art design is probably what will get most peoples attention to try out this game. Its quite nice, but not enough to carry your attention thoughtout the game. For that you need a decent story and decent combat/game mechanics. The story concept is fine. You are supposedly entering an apocalyptic scenario and you are trying to survive. Its told from several characters perspectives. I didnt play long, so I cant say how well it all plays out and works together. Accounts from other people vary. I can, however, comment on the game mechanics. The combat and story presentation. The combat is awful. It has several cripling flaws. Damage is tied to health difference. You lose health you hit less. Experience is only obtained by the person making the kill. So you use the same characters always. Combat has mandatory turn changes, meaning if you have 5 party members and the enemy 3, it will still be one move each until the enemy has 1 unit, then all your party members move first. This leads to a situation where its actually not efficient to kill enemies quickly, but rather let them live with minimal HP. Conversely, you are better off using 2-3 strong units then bringing a full party into the fray. Its complete nonsense. but thats how it works .... The other cripling issue is that you have little foresight into your choices. At one point I had to make a decision. I thought it was more safe, but it lead to a different playable character being killed off almost as soon as he was introduced. Whats the point of making decisions if you are going to get outcomes you specifically do not want? I read some other reviews and as well as from my own impressions I cannot say that the writing has inspired me enough to delve deeper. Its not thought out well enough to be worth the effort.

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Posted on: December 11, 2015

sayfullah

Verified owner

Games: 678 Reviews: 1

Why 5 stars

Aesthetics: 100% Game is heavily based on its aesthetics and name. Remember that Saga word? And it is amazingly beautiful - backgrounds, animations, heroes. Review could be finished here. But let's go through some rants. Turn-based combat: 90% One flaw. You cannot rotate camera. And at some point, when hero is surrounded by swarm of the enemies, you end up clicking somewhere, hoping that you chose exactly that enemy you want to attack. Everything else is a rant. It is turn-based combat and such is the rules. Devs tried to balance it and I think they've succeeded. Dialogues: 100% They exist. And give you choices. And sometimes these choices are difficult and may even lead to a hero's death (don't be afraid, these are not main characters crucial for the story). They are somewhat narrow and limited. But it is a saga, you've been told a story here. See aesthetics part. Small 2D sprites walking through backgrounds. It is ingenious. What is another way to decrease pathos? I had so much fun with it. And yes, see aesthetics.

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Posted on: August 20, 2019

Devean

Verified owner

Games: 581 Reviews: 36

Engaging, but somewhat lacking

The game's premise is very interesting, the world is beckoning, the story is engaging... but there's something lacking. The turn-based combat is fun, however some story choices are vague, and some events are illogical (or the most logical option is merely not there, and some stupid things are forced upon you). Because of these flaws, it's 4/5. But generally do try this game out, although maybe not at full price.

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Posted on: October 23, 2022

Lookda

Verified owner

Games: 416 Reviews: 53

Engaging world with hit/miss mechanics

Once the story in The Banner Saga develops, you’ll get involved in a Nordic land inhabited by humans, Varl (giants) and weird Dredge who represent the evil that you face. The music elevates the land to a mystical world. Characters, your heroes, have interesting dialog options and lead a caravan through a dramatic story. It is sad that the many references to a changing world are not visualized on the world map. The character backgrounds and the world’s lore, like the world eating serpent, carry the story. On the other hand, the unnatural Dredges seem a bit out of place. Sometimes characters change personality in extreme and unexpected ways, like the prince that goes from being a child, undertakes heroic actions, and then suddenly behaves like a naïve old grumpy man. The old man and young woman would have fitted better in the story if they would have switch personalities, and Hakon is suddenly a leader of people without any mention that he was on the path of becoming one. I mean, would you not take notice of a very charismatic person? The game is short. The end battle is a complete disaster, as it highlights a severe problem with initiative in the combat system. On the other hand, the concept of health and armor, where you need to consider targeting one or the other, is actually well done. Overall, I enjoyed The Banner Saga mostly for its story and interesting cast of characters (with extreme personalities). The game offers little replayability and the combat system is serviceable, nothing great.

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