The Banner Saga Preview
Developer: Stoic Studios
Format: PC
Release Date: 14th Jan 2014
While Vikings may not strike as the natural fit for a turn-based strategy game, The Banner Saga is actually a surprisingly engaging game that is simply beautiful to look at. Development studio Stoic have put together a fantastic narrative, one which your decisions alter, but nevertheless compliments the gameplay perfectly in this, not-quite RPG, not-quite Strategy game. Bone-idle was given a glimpse at a preview of the game and here’s what we found so far.
Based heavily on Viking lore, The Banner Saga is a bit like Game of Thrones. With giants. You play as two races in the game, the standard human viking and the horned-giant Varl race. The Varls have an uneasy truce with the humans at the start of the game and as you progress through the campaign, you will discover how the fragile peace came to be and why it is suddenly becoming under threat. Its been expressed that you will play through the game with more than 25 characters and each will give a different insight into how the plot is unfolding. With each decision you make, the options available to your characters are altered and your interpretation of the story line becomes more biased. The world the game is set in is expertly crafted and has a remarkable mythology available to be submerged in.
What really needs to be addressed in this preview is just how good this game looks. Hand drawn art of this calibre simply isn’t seen anymore in a medium that is constantly striving for more realistic 3D graphics. From the incredibly detailed urban sprawls to the jaw dropping natural landscapes, Stoic have created a beautiful and picturesque world which captures the rugged life of the Vikings. As you interact with various characters, you’ll see the little touches of animation which add to the endearing quality of the game. The game very quickly establishes a “saga” vibe with this art direction and the addition of the soundtrack that deserves to be called epic for more than one reason. Artistically the game is one of the greatest entries we’ve seen recently with a definitive style associated with it.
The first few battles in the game introduce you to the mechanics and some of the specifics of how the game plays. Utilising a tile-based system, it doesn’t take long to get to grips with the basics, each of your characters takes it in turns to move and can perform a basic attack or a custom ability. The abilities are specific to each character and it is these that will inevitably be required to gain mastery on the battlefield. There is also a spirit system which can be used to enhance your actions, the amount of which is also unique to each character. While this system never gets overly complicated, it does ramp up in challenge after a while but never to the point that leaves the player stumped. Each battle can be tackled in a variety of ways and, sometimes disappointingly, the enemy tends to repeat their tactics so it doesn’t take too many attempts to outsmart your opponent. We can hope that this is a reflection of the fact that we’re dealing with a preview as the game could do with a bit more challenge.
In a nutshell, while the gameplay itself doesn’t stretch itself to become anything groundbreaking, where the Banner Saga truly excels is in its visuals. There are few games that can claim this level of art, and this should be acknowledged. A testament to the growing idea of video games as an artistic medium. If Stoic can manage to fine tune the gameplay just enough to give a meatier challenge, The Banner Saga could prove to be a total hit. Worth keeping an eye on even just for the eye candy.
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