Few years ago, the Banner Saga games were originally released on both the PC and game consoles. But if you missed both titles, now you have the chance to get the complete pack along with a brand new downloadable content!
To those who are unfamiliar, Banner Saga is a tactical turn-based RPG with a Viking theme. The story involves two groups of travellers who happen to cross at the Nordic landscape and are trying to stay alive in a dog-eat-dog world as they face off against this ruthless army of black-armoured warriors.
The Banner Saga complete pack obviously includes the second game of the title, which follows shortly after the first one. Here, you are still on the run from the army and making life -or-death choices as you lead your group. There are characters both old and new, which is a good transition especially when you have a pack like this. The nice thing is that you can take your progress of leveling up from the first game and continue on for this sequel.
When you get into battles in Banner Saga, that’s where the fun and action are. You’ll be fighting off in a turn-based fashion against your opponents. In particular, you may have to break through your enemies armor down before you can kill them off. The battles offer varying degrees of challenges depending on the map that you are in. There are obstacles that can help or hurt your characters if you get in contact.
What also makes Banner Saga engaging is the notion of leveling up your characters as well as being able to switch them up with new characters you come across during your adventure. This adds diversity to the gaming experience, but despite that, the gameplay can be repetitive in due time if you continue on the turn-based battles.
One thing to note is that there is going to be quite the amount of dialogue during the game when you are between battles. This unfortunately can make the experience feel all dragged out and such. On the flip side, the dialogue isn’t just empty filler. Your responses during the dialogue can greatly influence the outcome of the story along the way. And this in effect can change your characters fates and affect your group’s morale.
A wonderful addition to this Banner Saga Complete Pack is the new survival mode content. Here your objective is to take on forty battles sequentially, which you would begin by choosing six warriors from the roster of characters available to you. They do level up as you progress further and you do collect items as you slay your enemies. But the challenge is that you only have three lives to get through this whole ordeal and that you have a limited time to make your move.
In terms of presentation, the graphics are splendid to look at with the color arrangements and detailed artwork. The animations are smooth while the sound effects really brings players into the field of battle. Furthermore, the music fits appropriately with the game’s Viking theme and is surprisingly memorable. As such, the design and all are well executed here.
If you never got the chance to play either game of the Banner Saga series, now is the chance to get the complete pack along with an additional survival mode. The gameplay could get tedious, but the overall experience is one that players will remember. There’s plenty of characters and opportunities of leveling up that gives this PS4 title its value.
