The strategy is key when battling your way through “The Banner Saga 3”. Tactics styled game with a very rich story, where the depth keeps growing. Before we begin I should state that I have not played the first two games, of which in ways sucks because of just how much I missed, like catching the last 30 minutes of a movie. At some point, I need to go back just so I won’t be playing catch-up again with my next playthrough.
Darkness is engulfing the land, where there is a single bastion of humanity left struggling to survive for just another day. While deep within the twisted shadow there is another group fighting their way that is trying to undo the spread and return the land to what it was.
Much of the story consists of the two suns, one overhead, and one hidden deep underground. Along with this journey, you are accompanied by the Ravens (a group, guild, or some type of following… I need the first two games), Valka (giant humanoids with ram horns), and Horseborn (centaurs), each with their own reasons to join in the parade.
Throughout there are several battles between both groups, where their companions are different enough that both require very different strategies in order to win. When someone falls in combat, it takes time (days of rest) to get them fully back into the fight. They can join back in the next battle but will be easy to take down, so rest when you can.
Leveling up characters shows another deep part of “The Banner Saga 3”. Characters can be customized with perks making them stronger in different ways. For example, some perks give them buffs in battle, while some of them are based around certain rules. On top of all of that, each character can equip a single item to help boost some of their stats, this is something that I didn’t realize on how important it was until about halfway through.
My biggest complaint when it comes to “The Banner Saga 3” is that there seems to be no loose point. What I mean by this is that I lost several battles, but the game and story continued on as if I did win…Personally, I would prefer having to start the battle over again until I figured out how to win the battle.
However, instead I lose a major battle against a boss, and yet somehow the boss is dead even though I didn’t kill them. Not to mention that there are battles which seem like you are supposed to lose… But then again, it may just be that I wasn’t good enough to win them (going back to my earlier point).
When attacking there are a number of choices to be made. Attack hit points or against the armor rating, to kill someone you have to take their hp down to zero, but attacking their armor will make it so more damage can be done and easier to hit. Then there are special attacks that can be done that can also have a large number of effects.
There really seems to be no end on what can be done in battle, making it so some strategies work well in one case and not so well in others. Then there are some that just makes mowing guys down just second nature. Nevertheless, at the end of the day. “The Banner Saga 3” is still with no doubt a very good and worthy ending to a great series.
That’s also why I would highly recommend that you pick up and play the game if you enjoyed the previous installments of “The Banner Saga”.
Pros:
+ Very nice leveling scheme
+ Stay on your toes tactics
+ Needing to change tactics on the fly
+ Very interesting characters with their own motivations
+ A story well told
+ The graphics and art style are on point
+ A rock solid soundtrack
Cons:
– There seems to be no way to really lose
Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound/music: 3.5/5
Controls: 3.5/5
Replayability: 4.5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Verdict: 4/5
“The Banner Saga 3” has you battling your way through two different campaigns, each having their own strategy in order to win. Furthermore, both campaigns is also having their own storylines, and does have an effect on each other along with several choices to be made along the path that can have positive and negative effects.
So one party will have ranged support while the other is severely lacking in this department. Aside from having no real lose conditions making your way through this tactical adventure may be very well worth your time.
Title: The Banner Saga 3
Developer: Stoic
Format: Nintendo Switch
Genre: Strategy/RPG
Resolution: 1080p
Release date: 2018-07-26
Difficulty: Normal
Spent time: +20 hours
Average grade internationally: 85% via Gamerankings.com
PEGI age rating: +16
Price: 24,99 USD via the Nintendo Eshop
Credit:
Robin Ek – Editor
P Albert
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @ThatDamnedGamer
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Tags: Indie games, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch review, Stoic Studio, The Banner Saga, The Banner Saga 3, Versus Evil