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.
These stars may be more a reflection of my nostalgia than the quality of the game. I remember the game as being insanely awesome, every step of the way. Played it a million times as a kid and once as an adult. It's just a treat.
Bought this on a whim, because it was on sale and it was looking for a light game that easy to jump in and out of. Ending up binging it every possible free moment since purchase. An insanely satisfying game, not just when it comes to progression and exploration, but also in challenge and achievement. The Charm system (think: equippable perks) is a fantastic way to add to the layer of strategy, when it comes to boss fights. The entire game was down right excellent.
I really wanted to love this, but it's just so hard to engage with. The protagonist is a dud, with bad voice acting. The story is boring. The world is uninteresting. The missions design is meh... There's stupid technical issues with some of them too. The premise is so intriguing, but alas, there's not really anything truly engaging.
In my childhood, I played through Broken Sword 7 times. Got it on GOG as an adult and went through the Director's Cut remaster. The Nico additions were nice, but I didn't care for some pieces of changed dialogue. That aside: I have nothing but praise for this game. Story, characters, dialogue, art style, puzzles, mysteries, excitement, thrill, difficulty - all a 5! Nothing wrong, everything right. I love it. Must play. No Point'n'Click is as good at this (Longest Journey is #2, if curious ;) ) I recommend doing the original game first, before Director's Cut.
Plays amazing. looks amazing. Feels amazing.
Great follow and the only DLC worth getting. If you finished and enjoyed Dungeons II, definitely worth it. If you felt fatigued by the end, I'd let this one go. I enjoyed even more than the main game, as the new faction was my favorite so far.
Charming, hilariously narrated (think: Stanley's Parable), fun and engaging. I think it holds up well, where many other attempts at succeeding Dungeon Keeper fails. It's not genius in its design and it is very silly. It doesn't have the same dark tone as DK - more like a cartoony comical one - but it works! I can't say much more than it's entertaining and fun to play. The campaign length isn't long, but it's not that short either. And I feel like it wouldn't hold up, if much longer than it is. The story isn't great, the systems are easy to manage. It's not innovative. I give it 4 stars alone, because it is that entertaining and enjoyable on sheer gameplay and narration alone.
Played this for the first time in 2013 and had a replay in 2018 (Steam). I dunno about GOG, who tend to be amazing with this kind of stuff, but the Steam version required 3rd party software and a little patience to get working without technical issues, like mouse trailing. That aside... While I will always swear to Broken Sword as the best point'n'click ever, Longest Journey is a close second. Mysterious, grapping, filled with fascinating locations and creatures. Deep lore, great dialogue and a wonderful protagonist, whose role in the ongoing debacle remains mysteriously unclear and changing as you go along. Which is what you do: go along. Thrust into strange truths and new worlds, April can only go along and learn as she goes. It creates amazing pacing, which miraculously never overwhelms you. Insanely well written, long and awesome.
A clever puzzle game, in which you relive the same day over and over, slowly trying to uncover secrets and map out the daily routine of the mansion's guests and servant in an attempt to save the day. Mysterious and clever, this one had me for the few hours it lasted and left me thinking three things: (1) "That was amazing" (2) "How did I not hear of this ealier?" (3) "Why is there not more of this?" 100% one of my favorite game concepts ever. If there were ever to be a sequel, it would be an instant buy for me. Nothing like it.
