Whereas in the first game I felt like battles were a means to an end in pushing the plot along, here they feel more natural to the flow of things. Speaking of which, the grid and turn based combat system got a great shot in the arm from the aforementioned classes, enemies and controllable party members, as they add curious new elements and win conditions to the table. There are new addendums such as different classes, enemies and controllable party members that help enlarge the world as a whole. Firstly, the different and shifting perspectives are interesting and do a good job of waylaying your expectations as you change perspectives. I’d like to gloss over most of the plot in general because I feel like it’s in your best interest to shape your own story. For those who chose to skip (and I’m not sure why you would) the first chapter, there is a recap to get you up to speed and a fresh party for you to, ah, start your journey with. As should be of no surprise to anybody, the story for The Banner Saga 2 picks up where the first left off, with decisions and ramifications carrying over. The Banner Saga 2 is the middle piece to a larger tale of eking out an existence in a world that is becoming ever more inhospitable. Sure, it’s a bridge between question and answer, but it gives any good story the context it needs to be a worthwhile experience. The middle is the most important part of any story, even though it doesn’t get the props it deserves. In the end you have development, resolution and closure. In the beginning you have intrigue, characterization and a set-up. An engrossing and - in its own unique way - beautiful experience.As far as stories go, the middles are always underrated. But because of this, it does manage to hit a good middle ground between depth and accessibility in order to appeal to strategy fans of all skills with the brutality and desperation of its dark world. This gives a boldness to the world, while retaining a coldness that sits perfectly with the overarching feel.Ĭompared to some strategy RPGs on the market, The Banner Saga's gameplay is not the most complex. An odd blend of a Saturday morning cartoon animation and block color, mixed with a muted palate that is lifted from traditional Viking art. Its brutality doesn’t stop The Banner Saga looking and sounding stunning. For those who immerse themselves in the narrative of this deliberate world, however, the random finality of these moments rings true to the fiction's reality. It is a mechanic that may frustrate some, as there is seemingly no way to predict the outcome of these decisions. My decision ultimately saved Alette, but lost me another party member. But the huge attacker proved too much for the boy, smashing his shield and leaving him limp on the ground. Unaware of the danger, and now distracted, the Dredge was about to kill her when a young warrior from my party blocked the attack. I selected the first option, but the result was my companion, Alette, simply becoming confused. I was able to call out, dash to her aid, or fire an arrow. This really struck me during an early Dredge attack where I had to choose how to warn an unaware ally of the impending assault. The somber, oppressive tone spills over into every part of the narrative, with various decision you have to make during character interactions also resulting in you losing your weary warriors. Outside of combat, the brutality of the world does not let up. At times, this tempted me to revert to an earlier save to “rescue” a character, but something about the harsh severity of The Banner Saga's fiction forced me to live with the outcome. Watching them, and then the rest of my team, fall was frequently heart wrenching because it was hard not to become attached to the melancholic giants – especially when I had spent time leveling them up. Which fighters I would lose in these situations seemed random, but too often it seemed to be a Varl whose power I had overestimated in the face of a Dredge onslaught. Losing a battle can result in a character's permanent death. Keeping my ranged warriors at a distance and creating a wall with my more powerful troops may seem obvious, but it can be easy to forget that - despite being well armored - a human will quickly fall to a larger enemy's blows. Learning to balance the frail agility of humans with the tank-like Varl saw me lose a good handful of fighters before I learned how best to organize my troops. This gives an almost chess-like feel to the turn-based combat, as you learn how each character moves and fights to minimize your losses during each confrontation, while also choosing between the merits of directly attacking opponents health, or wearing down their defenses. Battles are strategic affairs, which play out in gridded arenas.
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