Where the first Banner Saga focussed on preparing for war, the fatigue it has on society, and the pitfalls of leadership, the second deals with fleeing from devastation as refugees, and the dilemma of selfishly protecting your tribe versus working for the greater good during that journey. These omissions help keep the sequel’s pace moving quickly, but although the game does have some tools to try and help initiate newcomers and refresh returning players on key narrative events (a recap video and brief summaries of characters as they re-enter the story), they are short, and feel insufficient. But aside from a new centaur race, the Horseborn, the game doesn’t take time to introduce them as gradually as the previous did. The game paints a mythological Norse world of humans, horned giants called Varl, stone oppressors called Dredge, and the factions within them. But in some cases, the returning cast can be more than 15 playable characters, and I very quickly found a desire to revisit the original game to better orient myself. These characters maintain their level growth, statistical upgrades, and all items you may have collected. The Banner Saga 2 allows you to import a completed save file from The Banner Saga, bringing with it a cast of characters who you may or may not have helped survive the ordeals of the first game. Many plot developments and branching commitments, one of which players may have to make before the game even begins, are made more potent and morally complex with knowledge of events from the first game in the series. The Banner Saga 2’s mechanics, its layers of consequential decision-making, strategic management, and tactical turn-based combat are enjoyable within the confined context of this sequel, but the narrative events of The Banner Saga are intertwined with its mechanical decisions. However, this is not the ideal point to enter the series. The Banner Saga 2 presents a grand mythological odyssey and effectively conveys the hardships of the characters enduring it. It’s a game that looks and feels practically identical to its predecessor released two years prior, but the attractiveness of its presentation-inspired by 1960’s Disney-style animation-and the refined combat system still stand strong, giving it an air of timelessness. It feels like the central portion of an epic novel, torn straight from the binding. The Banner Saga 2 begins at “Chapter 8” and ends just as its engrossing plot begins to reach a tipping point.
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