The Banner Saga 3 Accolades Trailer, Reviews

Stoic Studio’s viking-themed narrative RPG The Banner Saga 3 launched a couple of weeks back to some fairly positive critical reception, and to celebrate this fact, the developers have put together a bite-sized “Accolades” trailer. Check it out:

And if you’re interested in reading some of the currently available reviews, you can do so below:

Eurogamer Recommended:

The Banner Saga 3 ends up uncomfortably timely, as it confronts players with the fear of the other at multiple junctions, and fits in several pertinent questions without ever saddling you with answering them definitively. In this game, I met people for whom power was more important than helping to end suffering, and I had to deal with the certainty that those I left behind would likely die, but could also turn out to be a burden if I wasn’t careful.

It reminded me that squabbles for power and the fear of death are real, that all most people can do in the face of this is to take it one day at a time. That’s why in many respects, the ending of The Banner Saga 3 isn’t an ending at all, and I wouldn’t blame anyone for being slightly dissatisfied with it.

After everything is said and done however, you have the memory of meeting new friends and fighting some stressful battles, and I guess that’s really just what life is about.

Kotaku Scoreless:

The Banner Saga 3 is a relatively short game (much like the other two) that really ramps up towards the end. Or should I say ends, because there are multiple conclusions on offer here depending on decisions that were made not just in this game, but previous ones as well.

This could have provided some serious replay incentive, with folks encouraged to go back and see how the story could have turned out differently, but a combination of some contributing factors dating back to previous games, along with the repetition of the combat (and agonisingly slow caravan screens) is a serious deterrent to any inkling I’d have to rewrite history.

Then again, like other great decision-led endings (think Mass Effect 2), I don’t know if I’d want to replay this. The story I ended up with, with its highs and lows, felt like my story, forged by the calls I made in the stress of battle, and I own them. For better or worse. Not everyone survived that I wanted to, and the world didn’t end up the way I thought it would, but that’s the apocalypse for you.

USgamer 3/5:

On a mission to save the world that we’ve come to know over the past two Banner Saga games, one question begins to form: is this world even worth saving? Over the course of the three games, the characters we’ve journeyed with have faced horrors on the road—and that was before the world began to end in the third chapter of the series. Even three games deep into the series, the characters in The Banner Saga have never been properly fleshed out, and that’s pretty disappointing. We’ve only seen a snapshot of their lives, when they’ve all got their backs against the wall, no less.

Everyone’s miserable, and no one really likes each other, so why are we fighting so hard to save this world? Nowhere does this hit home more than in Aberrang, where instead of banding together, leaders of clans are still vying for control of the city, without a single thought for the horrors that await them outside the walls of the city. If this is the last stand of humanity, as it appears to be in The Banner Saga, then what’s even left?

CGMagazine 8.5/10:

At the end of the day, The Banner Saga 3 is a delightful experience that is rewarding to play. The game also like a solid end to the trilogy, with time put into polish and fine-tuning, and functions in a way that is engaging and enjoyable. Players get to strategically position their own forces to fight against enemies, as well as pick and choose who to level up, and, in some cases, who survives to fight another battle without having to rest.

COGconnected 88/100:

The Banner Saga 3 is a proud continuation of the games that came before it. You’re probably thrilled to hear that; you cared enough to read through this review! Well good news friend: while it doesn’t reinvent much about the series, the third entry in The Banner Saga pushes everything as far as it can go. Tougher strategies, higher stakes, and high production values are the order of the day. By the time the Saga is coming to a close, you’ll look back and feel your growth in an epic warlord.

RPG Site 9/10:

Many of the other mechanics, such as supply and caravan management, take a back seat in The Banner Saga 3. It has to–there are no supplies, morale is low, and the darkness is bearing down on the ravaged city. The fate of the caravans rely more on your choices than anything else here, trapped in a what is the last bastion for all the races.

Even if the battles can sometimes feel tedious, The Banner Saga 3 is largely a fantastic resolution to the trilogy. It’s bleak, it’s desperate, and you’ll finally see the end of the stories for these characters you’ve followed for three games. Whether it’s a happy ending or not, though, you’ll have to see for yourself.

RPGFan 92/100:

The Banner Saga is the series we need in this time of lackluster sequels, ho-hum prequels, and imitation games throughout. This is a tight trilogy with so few slow parts that I could barely tell I had sunk 13 hours into the third episode by the time I was finished with it. I could easily see myself returning to the series at episode one just to experience the story from an entirely new perspective. If you’ve played the first two games, I have to wonder why you’re reading this. Quickly, save the world from the dark! Or you know, some other choice betwixt saving the world and desolation.