The Banner Saga 3
2018
- role-playing (rpg)
- simulator
- strategy
- turn-based strategy (tbs)
- tactical
- indie
- fantasy
- historical
- single player
The story
Banner Saga 3 is the final dramatic chapter in the mature, story-driven Viking RPG series which has won over 20 awards and has been nominated for 4 BAFTA awards. As the world continues to crumble around you, who can you trust, how will you protect your allies and what choices will you make as the Darkness draws near?
What it’s like
Hand-drawn and painterly, with flat, smoky backdrops of ash-grey skies, muddy fields and snowbound valleys, the game looks like a moving illuminated manuscript. Its characters are rendered in stiff, expressive silhouettes against parchment-toned landscapes, and the palette leans on rust, bruised blue and ember orange as the world darkens. The soundtrack is mostly low strings and slow war drums, with long stretches of wind and crackling fire. Turn-based battles unfold on a grid with a deliberate, measured pace, and the camp and travel sections move even more slowly, giving room to sit with decisions and the weight of who is still walking beside you. The vibe is elegiac and grim, with a quiet undercurrent of hope and warmth in the companionship. Violence is present in stylised, bloodless-looking clashes that feel heavy rather than gory, and there is loss and death among the cast that lands emotionally. Sexual content is absent. For players who enjoy strategy with a sombre, mythic tone and a story that rewards patience, and who want a grave, adult fantasy finale rather than something light.
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