The previous two editions of Banner Saga by Stoic were rather large hits, so it only makes sense that part 3 would be in the works. It is and, if you were a fan of the previous two installments, you can help make it happen via Kickstarter.
For the uninitiated, Banner Saga is a fun-filled tale of vikings trying to save their clan from bad guys and world destruction. Or something. I’ll admit that the first Banner Saga didn’t really do it for me, so I didn’t get very deep into the story. That said, I’m the only person I know who doesn’t love this game, so let’s keep chatting. [After conferring with absolutely everyone he knows, Dave can confirm he’s the only one who didn’t get into Banner Saga. He can also confirm he’s an idiot. -ed.]
The games are tactical RPGs, which means combat takes place on a grid with action points and all sorts of board gamey mechanisms thrown in. The big selling point, however, is the overall look of the game which is done in a 2D animation style and feels like you’re playing in an animated movie. Not crappy animation like some direct-to-video Land Before Time bullshit, either. We’re talking Song of the Sea quality here.
The third entry will be the last, according to Stoic’s Kickstarter page:
Banner Saga 3 concludes the tale. Steel your nerves, step forth into the approaching abyss. Cross the threshold from daylight without end into untold darkness. Warped lands within threaten your sanity, and a writhing wyrm tests your mettle. But here, in the darkness, is where secrets are brought to light and motives are made clear. Are your friends who they claim to be? They all look to you. What story will your banner tell?
If you’re curious, head over to the Kickstarter and check it out. It just opened up with 39 days left, and they’re already at over $160K toward their $200K goal. You can even pledge for the finale and get copies of 1 and 2 in the process. The Kickstarter is only for the PC/Mac version, but both of the previous titles made it to mobile, so I would assume part 3 would end up there as well.
- The Banner Saga for iOS Universal, $5
- The Banner Saga for Android, $5
- The Banner Saga for PC/Mac, $20
- The Banner Saga 2 for iOS Universal, $5
- The Banner Saga 2 for Android, $5
- The Banner Saga 2 for PC/Mac, $20
How long are each of the sagas? They look interesting and challenging but I’m not sure if they will simply be too much for me. I tried XCOM several times, but after getting my team destroyed each time I just didn’t want to start all over again.
If I make mistakes early in the game (there will be mistakes) will I get punished mercilessly later so I’ll want to give up? Can I go back to previous saved games to fix what I messed up instead of starting all over again?
Don’t play Ironman in XCOM and you don’t have to start over again.
I know it’s seems like heresy to not play Ironman mode (where you can’t save), but for my first playthroughs (or maybe all my playthroughs, if I’m being honest) I play at an easier difficulty.
As for Banner Saga, I believe you can save the game and restart if things go south. The first Banner Saga takes anywhere from 11-25 hours to complete, and the 2nd one takes 11-18 hours to complete.
I haven’t played the first one in a long time, but I don’t remember getting frustrated due to being unable to save when things went south.
Honestly I found the asking price on Kickstarter way to high… To get a digital copy as reward, you’d pay as much as the Steam version itself would probably cost…
Just to be clear, I am not against “early access” or Kickstarter at all, quite the contrary. But this just seems ridiculous… What is really new here? The story! Ok… what else? Nothing really.
Seems more like a DLC then than anything else. The developers should not have any hard time producing this one, and they are going to produce anyway. And on top of that, it is most probably going to go on sale a lot, judging by the last episode https://steamdb.info/app/281640/
They do not need Kickstarter for that, or they should have asked for much less. It feels like fraud to me.