The Banner Saga 2 PC Review by BoxCatHero of We Touch Games
Genre: Indie, RPG, Strategy
Developer: Stoic Publisher: Versus Evil
Release Date: Apr 19, 2016
It’s here guys! The followup to Stoics acclaimed game Banner Saga is now out and there are some changes. For the most part, the game is practically the same as Banner Saga 1, but there are some improvements to the overall aspect of the game. In this mini-view, as I will call it, I will discuss only the changes brought to us in the second game. If you wish to know more otherwise, you can check out my Banner Saga 1 review here (Link to Banner Saga 1 Review). At the time of writing this, I have not beaten the game in full, but made a sizeable dent into it. Now there are quite some game changing mechanics introduced in Banner Saga 2 and I will cover all of them.
First up is the addition of a new class and that is the Skald, who are a powerful asset to your roster. They have the ability to grant a point of willpower to everyone if the Skald is within range when an enemy falls. From what I can tell so far is that they have two abilities, one of which is to insult the enemy, pushing them further down the turn order in combat. The other ability is to buff an ally for 1 round, adding 1 damage to their attacks for every 2 strength the enemy is above them. In addition to the new class we get a new race which is mentioned in tales in the first game but not seen, and that is the Horseborn.
The Horseborn are basically centaurs who have a different language from the other races, which causes some issues. However, they do speak a very small amount of the other’s language, so they can communicate somewhat. In addition to the new race and class, the training tent in the camp has seen some changes. In addition to being able to practice with your units, you can now do challenges which grant Renown if you complete the objectives for them. Also there has been a few changes to combat as well. There is now obstacles within the field of battle, as well as new enemies and the fact reinforcements for the enemy that can pop into the battle.
The final major change is to character progression. You can now level up to Rank 10 instead of 5. In addition to the new max Rank, once you reach max in a stat you can then put points into a talent that further enhances the stat. You, also upon reaching a certain point, get a second special ability added. Other than those changes, the game is just a better version of the first game. Only thing they didn’t change that I wish they would have, was that you still cannot choose when to save.
Pros:
- Gorgeous animations and artwork
- Voice work is outstanding
- A story that draws you in
- Unique and memorable characters
- Great followup to the first game
- Game save from BS1 carries over into 2.
Cons:
- Can not choose when to save
BoxCatHero gives The Banner Saga 2 a Drastik Measure 9.9 out of 10 (99).
http://store.steampowered.com/app/281640/
