The Banner Saga Narrative Design Interview

IndieGameSource has published a short but dense interview with The Banner Saga’s lead writer Drew McGee, which understandably focuses on the narrative choices made for the original title and their repercussions on the upcoming two sequels. There are very significant spoilers for the first game’s ending, so if you haven’t played or finished the game yet, read at your own risk.

Here’s a snippet, just to give an idea of the tone of the full piece:

Jesse Tannous: Many games that have been commended for their strong narratives and character development (The Last of Us, Bioshock, Silent Hill) have featured father-daughter relationships. This type of relationship seems extremely important in The Banner Saga with Rook and Alette being the key focuses even in the menu screen. Why did you choose this type of familial relationship as a key focus, and what do you believe makes it so compelling?

Drew McGee: The father-daughter relationship pulled at us for a variety of reasons. Topically, it allows us to explore the importance of family versus clan versus humanity. Digging a bit deeper, it gives us views of gender in our Norse-influenced society. And beneath that, there’s the chance to glimpse a father’s knowledge – or lack thereof – of his daughter’s mindset and vice versa. These mysteries (and often, misunderstandings) are a timeless part of the human condition. The games you mentioned give us brief moments to consider empathetic views from various perspectives – powerful stuff that really seems to resonate with audiences on many levels. That said, if The Banner Saga comes close to The Last of Us, Bioshock, or Silent Hill in this regard, we’re just friggin’ lucky.