The Banner Saga 3 Recap Video, Previews

Stoic Studio’s narrative RPG The Banner Saga 3 is set to launch on July 26, 2018 and conclude the epic saga of horned vikings, stone giants, and watching a caravan move across picturesque plains. And in case you’ve forgotten what the series was all about, the developers have put together a brief story recap video. Check it out:

On top of that, a number of outlets got a chance to play through a preview version of the game recently, and we can now see what they thought about it. Let’s start with PCGamesN:

The sense of desperation and hardship that the two narratives put forward, albeit in very different ways, are what The Banner Saga has always been about. Even at times of peace, when you look deeper into the world that Stoic has created, you see references to war, famine, and hardship everywhere you go. As the series comes to a dramatic head, it’s impressive to see that despite the fantastical threat looming on the horizon, the difficulty in scraping out a living that defines this world is still woven seamlessly into the game.

Then see what RPG Site has to say:

We’ve gotten a chance to try out the first few chapters of The Banner Saga 3, set to release late in July for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and the final game in this trilogy pulls no punches in its beginning. Almost immediately, players are thrust into a difficult battle wherein Rook’s (or Allette’s) army must break through the gates of the last bastion of humanity, trying to find safety from the all-consuming darkness. It’s a tense beginning, and it really drives home the desperation of the situation.

Rook’s starting chapters throw a new wrench in the survival of the clan–politics. It’s no longer simply about getting the group to safety and fighting the enemies that get in your way. Now, players have to carefully choose their words well, as the wrong words at the wrong time can have more disastrous effects than a Dredge attack. While a player’s choices and consequences mattered before, they’re even more important now as Rook faces the end of days and the chaos steadily making its way to his doorstep.

And here’s GameSkinny’s take on the demo:

We really enjoyed the strategic combat that the series is known for, and the art and animation are as beautiful as ever. On the downside, the music seems to be a little more generic than that of past entries, and we had a little difficulty with unit control on the battlefield (sometimes units will get hidden behind others, making it difficult to accurately command them). There are also some distracting grammatical errors in the game’s dialogue, but hopefully, those will be fixed before launch.

On the whole, we’re looking forward to finishing the game and seeing what the ending brings. With all the twists and turns that the first three chapters alone have had, we’re sure that the ending will be a treat to experience.

And TechRaptor’s impressions:

The Banner Saga 3 has shot up to be one of my most anticipated titles. The excellently crafted epic fantasy is currently in its crescendo, and I can’t wait to see it at its peak. I can’t say whether the story will end in a satisfying way, but the journey so far has been a joy to soak in. Combat has some good additions, and the density of meaningful decisions I’ve made in such a short time is much higher than at any point in the first two games. Everything’s on track for this to be an incredible end to an amazing series.

A few words from GameSpew:

It’s hard to play The Banner Saga and not draw parallels to Game of Thrones. They’re both gripping tales of bravery, politics and conflict. Unlike Game of Thrones, however, in The Banner Saga it’s you calling the shots. You’re the one making the hard decisions and living with them. But as we move into the final throes of both sagas we’re left with trepidation. There will be shocks, there will be surprises, and there will be deaths. But there’ll also be closure; good or bad. And you know what? I’m looking forward to it.