For just over a month, The Banner Saga 2 has been out on the PC, and will be available on consoles from July 26. From what we’ve seen from the game, it’s definitely something worth looking forward towards.
If you haven’t played the first game, this is pretty much the setting: A fantasy land with a lot of Viking and nordic elements to it, with humans and Varls (sorta hybrid Viking-animal giants) as the two playable races, both forced into a war of survival against the Dredge, once thought to be extinct, but now back in frightening numbers, slowly taking over the world.
The game, made by Stoic, is a tactical RPG, is special for a number of reasons: Not just the tile-based combat sequences, but mostly the story which draws you in, the choices you have to make with consequences influencing the next game as well, and the wonderful animation, influenced by Eyvind Earle’s art for the 1959 Disney film Sleeping Beauty, as well as the work of Ralph Bakshi and Don Bluth.
Personally, I think it’s one of the most special games around, and enjoyed playing the first one on the Xbox One when it came out there, and will get it in the summer, even if I’ve played it on the PC.
It’s available on Steam and there’s also a buy code on Amazon for the PC and Mac. Once it becomes available for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, we’ll let you know, but should be on Amazon and other platforms. I haven’t met anyone who has played the game and didn’t love it. Few games these days makes you feel this much about the character and the story (warning: It’s pretty depressing from start to finish, even when good things happen), so if you’re looking for something a little bit different, it’s worth a go.
One more thing that crossed my mind: The Dredge really reminded me of the Shanka in the First Law trilogy. I wonder if it also served as an inspiration.