Banner Saga is an emotional and epic turn-based story game set in a fantastical Norse world.
Great Characters
Great Graphics/Art
Great Music
Great Story
Click a title to learn more about each topic.
Story & Themes
The Banner Saga follows the plights of several main characters living in a world resembling that of Norse myth. Humans and the large, horned Varl inhabit this world as precarious allies, but they are threatened by the armor-like, mysterious Dredge descending from the north. The Dredge aren't the only threat, however; something darker and far more menacing approaches as well.
Notable characters include an elderly Varl who is tasked with recording events, a haughty human prince, a villager who must take up the title of leader in order to protect his people, a powerful widow who is sidelined because of her gender, a young girl growing into her own, and a Varl whose tormented past is catching up to him. In essence, the Banner Saga is a story about people, and these are only some of the well-rounded characters who appear in its telling.
The Banner Saga's themes include the cruelty of war, the meaning of right and wrong, sacrifice, and the incredibly difficult decisions leaders must make in times of strife.
Save Points
The game autosaves between screen changes.
Heads Up!
Violence The Banner Saga is violent, but no violence is gratuitous or included for entertainment value. Instead, players are forced to carefully consider the outcomes of their decisions, and even the baddest bad guys aren't completely de-humanized (despite being inhuman to begin with). Graphically the game is 2D animated, so any blood and gore is a cartoon depiction.
Scary Imagery The primary enemy, the Dredge, somewhat resemble zombies or Orcs—they simply cannot be stopped, and there seem to be hundreds of thousands of them. This may be unsettling or some players, but frightening might be too strong a word.
Strong Language There is some strong language, but mostly British and/or outdated ("bastard," for example).
Substance Use Ale is consistently present throughout the game, and one character appears extremely drunk.
Discrimination While there are a handful of great female characters in the game, all take support roles (healer, archer, mage, etc). None wield swords or shields, and none wear armor. They are also very much a minority compared to male characters. In fact, an entire race of people—the Varl, a horned, giant-like people—have no women at all.
All characters are white.
Online Community
Banner Saga has a spin-off title called Banner Saga: Factions which features multiplayer online play.
Conversation Starters
- Were you ever at a point where you truly didn't know what the right decision was? Why did you choose the path you did at that time?
- Many games have an obvious system of "right" and "wrong," where individual decisions are either good or evil, even when characters might exist in a moral gray area. The Banner Saga doesn't take this route, instead opting for a more nuanced decision-making mechanic. Do you prefer this kind of gameplay? Is it more realistic this way? Was it harder to make decisions when you didn't know what was the "right" choice?
- At first the Dredge seem like straightforward enemies, but by the end it's clear that there's more to them than meets the eye. Do you suppose this might reflect real life struggle between peoples?
- There aren't very many female characters in Banner Saga, and those that are there—despite being interesting characters—are all relegated to support roles. There aren't any female Varl at all. Keeping in mind that writers made those decisions, despite there being in-story reasons for them, is this still problematic? Does it bother you?
3 / 5
2 / 5
1 / 5
