The epic story of the banner comes again to touch our sensitive inner self. The second chapter of the saga is full of pain, grief, anxiety, courage and heroism. Lets sit by the fire and sing again songs about heroic deeds, forgotten gods and the loved ones who were lost along the way. The Banner Saga 2 is all about feelings.
If you loved The Banner Saga there is no reason for you to miss The Banner Saga 2. It may not bring anything particular new to the gameplay, but it's still a great game with a compelling mix of narrative, strategy and visuals.
The Banner Saga 2 solves many of the most urgent issues from the original, creating a richer and more elaborate combat, not forgetting to add a greater depth to the whole game system.
The sequel to a great turn-based strategy game that does not disappoint, adding a new plot and brand new combat elements, but it's too iterative in its gameplay.
If you’re looking for an atmospheric, beautifully crafted, nuanced and thoughtful narrative experience, The Banner Saga 2 is a contemporary leader in all of those fields.
I played the whole trilogy back to back, so this is a review of all the games. There are some nitpicks I have such as the "maim strategy" limiting gameplay variety... but thats about it. Everything else I loved! I found that as the trilogy progressed, there were enough new challenges and moveset updates that it keeps you on your toes. The art style and soundtrack are unique and always a treat to experience.
Banner Saga 2 is gorgeous. The caravan mechanic and choices improved. Also the addition of new tactical options is nice.
But ... The combat system is bad, having more units is an disadvantage, and the new skills are way to few. The game also feels short, which is ok by its price range but because it's very linear it doesn't really have a replay value. There's definitely tons of potential here and that's what makes it frustrating
GAME GETS STALE THEN ABRUpTLY ENDS.
Yes, the art is AMAZING. Gorgeous.
The strategic gameplay is enjoyable too, AT FIRST. Same for the depth of engagement you feel for making fair decisions with the caravan and dialogue.
But **** quickly realise that the choices you make, besides minor impact on morale /food, makes ZERO difference. I repeat, ZERO difference. And then the gameplay becomes repetitive, characters only have a minor variation in abilities so levelling up isn't so much fun as just a chore, and even what I thought was the holy grail of the game, getting sweet items, those items themselves there's just not enough of them. So what does this mean? It means this is less **** and more of a "watching boring movie with occassional tediuos fight scene thrown in".
There's just not enough of this game either. I felt sick when I saw the credits appear. So that was the entree, where's the main or dessert? Seriously, this game should be sold as an expansion rahter than "part 2".
So I give it 3 big points for art, plus one for being almost there in concept. The rest of it just got stale o-too-quickly.
Go play chess online you'll have more fun.
DEVS - please do the game justice in part 3 in another 10 years. Make decisions really matter and have long-term consequences. Make a bigger variety of strategies and characters and items. Make gameplay and monsters more unique. pull your finger out!
As usual, there are no multiple saves. Only one single save game. I bet that should anyone bring this particular topic into the discussion then there will be those arrogant iron mode fans bashing him/her. I'm sick of seeing these kind of games where the developers don't care and don't give the users choice to play the game as they want - not as what the developers want; after all, the users are the ones who pay to buy the game.
SummaryThe aga continues in The Banner Saga 2. Continue your journey soon after the climactic events of The Banner Saga. The choices you made in the first game will affect who is alive and who is dead in this sequel.