The Banner Saga 2

The Banner Saga is a place where you encounter lots of decision making scenarios. It is all about trust and sometimes it is misplaced and that costs you a lot. You get the chance to control your own destiny but at times destiny seems to be out of your reach.

The thrust

The heart and soul of this game is the chance to make decisions that come with consequences that are unclear. Most of the time, you will be watching giants and men as they cross the landscape and also rest within the encampments and villages encountered. The journey is then interrupted by events which we require you to make some input. You may encounter things like murder where you will need to take a stand. You will also face obnoxious generals who want to question the way you lead and even threaten to run off with some men. In such a case, you will have to make a decision on whether to send him away or not.

This is not a game where you presume things. You may notice kindness ending up in disaster. Harshness can also result in great triumph. You need to be a logical thinker and follow instincts and then hope for only the best.

The approach is very intriguing as it combines storytelling and strategy and it works quite well. When you spend your day on a hike, your supplies get used up. When the supplies run out, you notice that you start losing your giants, warriors, and clansmen to famine. The resources for the supplies within towns are also used so as to promote heroes that have to be led to a battle that is turn based. You will need to make decisions so as not to cause the death of fighters as a commander. When you have much fewer fighters, you will face battles that are so much harder.

The story

The story of banner saga 2 depends on the choices that you make and it can give you a very good number of choices. The choices end up weaving a tapestry which is rather twisted and alliances that are highly unlikely. At the same time, you may come face to face with some betrayals that are totally disastrous.

With everything that you do, there are repercussions. What you will notice in the game is that some of those repercussions don’t manifest themselves there and then even though some do. There are those that will affect you much later in the game. It is really amazing to see the larger plot points change after you make some manipulations on them. This is a game that really goes out of its way so as to point out some intricacies that are its own. It also allows some events to just occur and this result in a decision making process that is much more organic than you would expect. This is much better thing in the unlike others that feel really contrived.

The game play

This is definitely the kind of game that you will fell like going back to again and again from time to time. It is so much fun to see the stories unfold and even more fun to be able to help in telling them. One feels great achievement when able to tell more and more stories and to be able to level all the complexities that this game has. One of the best things about the choice driven games is that you feel like you own the whole narrative and also you fell a connection with the whole game.

There are different effects that you can choose from and different characters that you can play but you are allowed to be your own man here. There are different routes to take but you can make your decisions based on what you really want. When you play with different decisions, you may diminish your own personal touch that the original play through has to offer.

The banner saga 2 has got a very diverse number of characters and this allows you not to be too invested in a particular characters destiny. When you lack that emotional connection with anyof the characters, you get inspired to go back and do to do it all differently since you won’t care much about destinies. This is a saga that doesn’t care much about the making of connections that are meaningful. It is rather more about the testing of your leadership and just what your limits really are.

The shortfall

In the banner saga 2, there are those times where you don’t feel the obvious and more consistent connection in relation to the results and the decisions made. In some cases, the story may already be coming to a close and you may create stories that just go off the rails.

You may find yourself loosing major points and you may be shocked to see the end come in so fast. The saga Is created in a way that it offers continuity at a future date but sometimes the cutoff points on some of the chapters can be rather random making it unfulfilling. When you are able to get a final better, you will feel some kind of closure which is a good thing. However, there isn’t that narrative climax that you would really expect in a game with so much potential such as this.

There are those high moments that you feel so much in control as if your destiny is in your own hands but there are yet others when destiny seems to be controlled by the elements completely. You will notice that there is a price to pay when you have power.

Battles

There are some battles that are held against the dredge and these occur on the grid. For anyone who has ever taken part on a game that is strategy and turn based, you will be much more familiar with all the basics. Just before you engage in combat you need to make a selection of the heroes that you should take into battle. It is always important to make you choices wisely and as carefully as you possibly can. There are different heroes who have got different special abilities to offer. When your heroes haven’t fully recovered from other battles they engaged in previously, they may not be as effective in the current battle as you would expect them to be.

Tips

You need to consider whether to take a rest in one of the villages as this could turn out to be a great idea. You should take a rest before you embark on travel because the heroes who are well rested actually prove to be rather powerful when they get to the battlefield. However, you need to know that resting will use up supplies that you could have used on a whole day. You also need to pay a lot of attention to the armor values when you are in the battlefield. The health values are also as important.

You also need to conserve willpower and spend it wisely because this is what allows you that extra power that you need for attacks as well as movement opportunities. The skirmishes of the banner saga are very much similar to the battle systems but there is a solid interface and different kinds of abilities which reward the cleverest positioning and this is what keeps the combat so compelling. This game isn’t so challenging initially but things change when you are approaching the final hour.

The atmosphere

The overall atmosphere of the banner saga 2 is the most compelling thing about it. The characters as well as the cel-shaded villages are to be applauded. The elements are reinforced in their viciousness by the caravan stretching on the screen and with a banner. The horned varl trudges on so wearily onward ad this whole aspect gives the game its own kind of uniqueness.

The soundtrack is also pretty amazing as the story touches stubbornness and personal sacrifice with sounds of the trumpets signaling great heroism. This game is totally beautiful and it has battles that are totally enjoyable and deals that you will find interesting. This is a game that reminds you what being a great leader is all about not just about speeches and acting like you are all high and mighty.

This is a game that has been ranked among the best and it is totally worth your time.