LogFAQs > #923618056

#19: The Banner Saga 3

#18: The Banner Saga

#17: The Banner Saga 2

I'm just going to go ahead and lump all of these together.

This series is basically oregon trail mashed up in a final fantasy adventure with an artfully executed norse theme, western sensibilities and extra choose-your-own-adventure segments. Probably my favorite RPG in recent memory.

The characters are believable as shit. No anime tropes. No excessive posturing or overly hardcore grimness- which is surprising given the premise and events of the game are ridiculously grim. Everyone has their own distinct personality without acting crazy. The worldbuilding continues steadily as the series progresses and new mechanics are slowly introduced in every title.

About that- saga 2 starts exactly where 1 left of, not only in terms of story but in terms of gameplay complexity. And 3 starts where 2 left off. So the third is probably my least favorite of the bunch, just because it tried so hard to turn all the strategies you had been learning on their head. I guess I just was so absorbed in the story I didn't want to deal with all these new stipulations...

I'm not a big fan of turn-based games, but this is somehow the exception. So keep that in mind.

And the story! Important characters can die, leave your party and fight against you, progress into better versions of themselves. You'll have favorites among the larger cast and it's really cool. Characters you're unlikely to have recruited in 1 will slightly change how things go if you still have them in 3. Narrator perspective will change and time will pass.

The Banner Saga has a creative and well executed setting as well as tone, and I think makes other games just look lazy.

And you're caravanning it up across this world, making oodles of choose-your-own adventure decisions along the way. I love that stuff.

I got the bad ending and didn't even feel that bad about it. There's no surprise Ex-Death or super abstract ending to distract from the series' premise, even if it had drifted far from where it started. I wish more RPGs were like this one.

Oh, and I rank them 2 > 1 > 3. This is because 1 introduces everything well and sets the stage, reaching a good narrative climax towards the end. 2 just builds on top of it, adds to the world, and brings us to even greater heights. Three just throws in the kitchen sink and gets the tiniest bit repetitive and too difficult for my tastes. But story-wise it was a satisfying conclusion and does not drag down the trilogy.

This game also technically has multiplayer and it's okay.
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You did indeed stab me in the back. However, you are only level one, whilst I am level 50. That means I should remain uninjured.