It's been over ten years since The Banner Saga was released in 2014, and it remains one of my favorite games of all time. I love the entire trilogy, but there is something special about the first game. The timeless hand-drawn visuals are stunning. The art direction in this game remains unique to this day. Couple this with the incredible soundtrack and you have the groundwork for an amazing atmosphere.

I cannot stress enough how good the story and writing is. It grabs you from the first moment and does not let you go until you finish the game. As you flee danger with your caravan, you are always on edge, never feeling safe and rarely getting moments to catch your breath. Every decision you make has lives at stake, and even seemingly minor choices can have major consequences. Over the course of your journey, you will come to love the characters in your caravan, which makes losing one of them all the more devastating. The world building in Banner Saga is fantastic. It gives you just enough information to feel familiar with the world and make you want to know more, without just lore dumping you.

The turn-based combat is solid. All characters have their strengths and weaknesses, allowing for many different tactics and character rosters. The Battles can be quite challenging even on normal difficulty, but never feel unfair. Hard difficulty will punish you for even small mistakes, so if you want a game where you really have to think about every move, this is for you.

After all these years, I still have not found a game that comes close to Banner Saga's unique formula. You can usually pick up the entire trilogy on sale for around 10€, which is a bargain for the quality you get. I have nothing but praise for the game and hope that Stoic will return to the Banner Saga universe one day.

It's been over ten years since The Banner Saga was released in 2014, and it remains one of my favorite games of all time. I love the entire trilogy, but there is something special about the first game. The timeless hand-drawn visuals are stunning. The art direction in this game remains unique to this day. Couple this with the incredible soundtrack and you have the groundwork for an amazing atmosphere. I cannot stress enough how good the story and writing is. It grabs you from the first moment and does not let you go until you finish the game. As you flee danger with your caravan, you are always on edge, never feeling safe and rarely getting moments to catch your breath. Every decision you make has lives at stake, and even seemingly minor choices can have major consequences. Over the course of your journey, you will come to love the characters in your caravan, which makes losing one of them all the more devastating. The world building in Banner Saga is fantastic. It gives you just enough information to feel familiar with the world and make you want to know more, without just lore dumping you. The turn-based combat is solid. All characters have their strengths and weaknesses, allowing for many different tactics and character rosters. The Battles can be quite challenging even on normal difficulty, but never feel unfair. Hard difficulty will punish you for even small mistakes, so if you want a game where you really have to think about every move, this is for you. After all these years, I still have not found a game that comes close to Banner Saga's unique formula. You can usually pick up the entire trilogy on sale for around 10€, which is a bargain for the quality you get. I have nothing but praise for the game and hope that Stoic will return to the Banner Saga universe one day.