Banner Saga sequel is edge-of-the-seat stuff
The Banner Saga games have so far felt like a warming high-fantasy series of novels - one that rewards long, ambling periods of story development and morally complex decisions with thrills and charm.
Set in a mythologic Norse world The Banner Saga 2 consists of humans, horned giants and stone oppressors. But aside from a new centaur race, the Horseborn, the game doesn’t take time to introduce them as gradually as the previous did.
These omissions help keep the sequel’s pace moving quickly, but although the game does have some tools to try and help initiate newcomers and refresh returning players on key narrative events (a recap video and brief summaries of characters as they re-enter the story), they are short, and feel insufficient if you haven’t played its predecessor.
Where the first Banner Saga focussed on preparing for war, the fatigue it has on society, and the pitfalls of leadership, the second deals with fleeing from devastation as refugees, and the dilemma of selfishly protecting your tribe versus working for the greater good during that journey. As the leader of a caravan, you slowly shepard hundreds of followers across the continent to what you hope will be safety.
The combat has seen a few interesting changes, largely driven by the handful of new unit types introduced. Both you and the enemy forces will have the option to take advantage of stealth, using relatively weak units that can do increased damage when landing a surprise attack. There’s a new poet class to consider which offers some pretty hefty advantages across the battlefield, but you’ll need to keep them well protected.
There are, unquestionably, some flaws in The Banner Saga 2. For starters, the combat can get a little dull once you discover that every battle follows the same tired formula. Combat calls on the player to damage, not kill, as warriors will always inflict damage proportional to the amount of hitpoints they have left. This means that it is always advantageous to reduce enemies hitpoints to the lowest value possible without actually killing them until the end of the battle. This ho-hum approach to battle gets very boring after a short while.
The Banner Saga 2 has a Disney-like charm to it, both in aesthetics and the beautifully sad storyline. This is a series for anyone who likes a good novel and a solid gaming experience. It’s edge-of-the-seat stuff and I can’t wait to see how it wraps up.