With Backs Against The Wall, We Reach For The End – The Banner Saga 2 Review

Developer: Stoic

Publisher: Versus Evil

Release Date: April 19th, 2016 (PC)

Platforms: PC (reviewed)

*Slight spoilers ahead*

The immortal Sundr Bellower has been slain, but at the cost of a life. My daughter, Alette, sacrificed herself to save my caravan, but everyone touts me as “Sundr-Slayer.” I wasn’t the one who fired the arrow. I wasn’t the one who “slayed” the red-armored Dredge. I wasn’t the one who deserved this praise, but everyone looks to me for guidance. I cannot forget that nigh impossible battle, the grueling nature of it; I know everyone else didn’t forget it either, the supplies we wasted, the lives we lost. Am I really fit to be the leader of this caravan, of these people? There are individuals amongst us primed for leading, like the lighthearted varl, Hakon, or the century-old Scrivener, Ubin. I’ve lost so much, and so have these people; perhaps I’m all they have left to hold on to, perhaps I’m their only flickering hope in a world engulfed by The Darkness. But, why me? Why follow me, when I can’t even make a clear path to follow? How am I to take care of these people when I can barely take care of myself, let alone the daughter I couldn’t save? The Banner Saga 2 continues from where The Banner Saga left off, with more melancholy and bleakness than before, leaving you bereft of hope and impetus and tenacity as the Dredge—and something more sinister, The Darkness—nip at your heels.

Choices matter. Whether that’s choosing to aid or ignore disheveled folks on the side of the road during travel, or to charge headfirst into battle or form your troops to defend as many lives as possible, every decision yields a consequence. In the approximately 15 hour campaign, much like the beginning of the journey, I found myself torn at every decision presented to me. As much as I wanted to be the “just leader,” fairness often times lead to unruly behavior and unnecessary bloodshed. Contrarily, when I made choices that painted me as the “austere leader,” fights, betrayals, and the stench of death was more prevalent. No matter what decision was made, it seemed like I could never win. The Gods knew I did my best to lead, but maybe I’m truly unfit for this role. I didn’t sign up for this, after all. I was perfectly content living my life as a hunter, with my beautiful daughter, her long, orange-flamed braided hair, beside me…

But maybe it’s time for me to move on, for us to move on.

I found myself oscillating between two minds existing at the same time: that of the Hunter, Rook, and the Berserker Varl, Bolverk.  Rook and his caravan—consisting of Clansmen, Fighters, and Varl—have seen the depths of the Earth cracked open by an enormous Serpent, apt to devour the world to its end. Bolverk and his mercenary collective, The Ravens—also consisting of little  Clansmen, Fighters, and few Varl—are merely completing another job for coin, though there aren’t many jobs left, and coin won’t save them from the end of the world. As per mercenary custom, Bolverk and his intrepid Ravens have no tolerance for those who are weak or flatfooted—stand in their way and they will cut you down, no questions asked. Conversely, Rook is incredulous, cautious, always attempting to hear both sides to the story before reigning down a decision; simultaneously, he is doubtful of his own leadership ability, unsure whether he is capable to shepherd an entire civilization to salvation. Bolverk is uninterested in saving a mass of people; as long as he and his Ravens are paid, they will continue as they always have. As I imagined, tension would steadily brew between these two butting forces, which ultimately ended with them splitting, heading in different directions. Was that for the best? Should we have stayed together? They say there is strength in numbers. But I can’t stand myself sometimes, the smugness I emit, the prudence I show.

For a studio comprised of ex-Bioware devs (Mass Effect, Dragon Age, etc.), whose background largely consists of third-person action games and RPGs and MMOs, Stoic seem to have established a formula. Taking the feedback of The Banner Saga and refining it, The Banner Saga 2 feels like a natural progression in the series. With the introduction of new races and characters, as well as battle conditions, objectives, and strategies, The Banner Saga 2 retains its core design, whilst adding to its already well-developed tactical turn-based RPG gameplay in meaningful ways.

Much like The Banner Saga, The Banner Saga 2‘s graphics are beautiful. The Don Bluth visual inspiration is at an all-time high here, as the colors and animations are, again, straight out of a Disney animation. Interestingly, the color palette used this time around seems more vibrant than that of the previous title. Perhaps that could be the more varied locations—which demand different colors to make them standout—but the colors tend to pop a bit more here. Blues look more blue, reds look more red, purples look more purple—everything is just a more refined version of itself, much like the title. During the expedition scenes, when the caravan packs up and travels across mountainous terrain and thick woods, the game orients itself to landscape mode. Here, the graphics are extraordinary, with the breadth of the world’s detail on full display. Regrettably, many of the same graphical hitches from original game occur here as well; save for the stuttering animations, the blurriness when zoomed in presents itself in an almost taunting manner. Although the game keeps its picturesque qualities during dialogue, there are a few actual cutscenes here that are magnificent; it’s a shame there are so few of them. Furthermore, I encountered a few bugs that caused my game to not progress during battle, as well as a hard crash here and there, but these will undoubtedly be addressed. Austin Wintory is back with an even more impressive score than before, filled with deep drums, incoherent ritualistic chanting, flares of piano and percussion, and unsettling orchestral arrangements. Either he is a really despondent and crazed man, or he truly understands the tone Stoic is going for; whatever the case, Wintory creates the tonal cues necessary to give the narrative its punch. The voice acting is superb, but, like the original, mostly absent; the few times the grit of the characters’ voices percolates through the speakers, it ends as soon as it begins. Much like every good thing in the game, though, there isn’t enough of it, which is unfortunate because it’s so good; it adds much more weight to hear the melancholy and abjectness, as character facial expressions are usually stoic and, curiously, expressionless. Sadly, loading screens still permeate the title. For a game that doesn’t have much to it in the way of a AAA game, The Banner Saga 2 still finds it imperative to put in a loading screen in front of everything you do, even if it is as simple as looking at your heroes or accessing the market for goods and items. (Damn, The Banner Saga 2, back at it again with those loading screens.)

Combat from The Banner Saga carries over to the sequel; it’s the trite tactical turn-based battle system you’ve likely seen in games like XCOM, Total War, Final Fantasy Tactics, Invisible, Inc., and the like. Furthermore, nothing much has change about the battle system itself, though there are a few additions to the way battles play out. Instead of the “kill everything and win” mentality, there are battle conditions that change the way victories are achieved. Some battles require you to kill a specific enemy, while others demand you make a clearing for your caravan to pass through. Of course, you can kill everything, and then do the battle condition, but why when you could end the battle sooner? There’s no sense in dragging out skirmishes, especially when you and your comrades are already exhausted. The armor-strength system from the original makes it way back into this game with little variance, which is fine as it didn’t create too much exasperation in its first introduction; this gives the game its “uniqueness” and strategic element. Do you go for the armor now to do more damage later, or do you go for the strength to kill the enemy as soon as possible? This choice could be the difference between barely making it out alive and groveling at the feet of your enemies. Renown returns as well with little variance, which is a tad vexing: renown is both the game’s currency for purchasing goods and items, and the experience pertinent to leveling up your heroes. Why Stoic couldn’t have created two different currencies is a palpable question; this leaves the choice of either purchasing supplies or items, or leveling up a difficult decision, and one that could have serious ramifications later. Player choice and agency is the theme Stoic is going for, and they have nailed it yet again.

As a fan of The Banner Saga, I impatiently awaited for the sequel, curious to see what was next for Rook and company. When I caught wind the sequel was coming, I immediately pre-ordered it as soon as I could, essentially throwing money vehemently at my computer screen—literally. (Shut up and take my money!) The narrative of The Banner Saga 2 continues from where previous title left off. To show this progression, the game allows you to start from a previous save. However, if you don’t have a save from The Banner Saga—or you beat it on a different platform, like I did—the game immediately throws a choice at you: Alette or Rook. Choosing one means you start the game with that protagonist, while the other is killed off, such is the fate of one of the characters of the original’s ending. These aren’t the only protagonists though: Bolverk is a character you control, as well as Rook’s long friend who accompanied him on the first journey, Iver. And since there are multiple perspectives, there are multiple caravans to watch over and tend to, full of their own idiosyncrasies. Still, the same basic necessities of food, water, rest, and shelter never elude the travelers of the different caravans. The caravans continue to flee from the Dredge, the inexorable, bloodthirsty destroyers plodding from town to town, killing everyone and everything in their wake. As the caravans flee from the Dredge, the Dredge are fleeing from something known as The Darkness, an unstoppable force of energy swallowing the world whole. The end of days is upon us, and all matters of races emerge from different corners of the world. The Horseborn, centaur-like people with the torso of a human and the body of a horse, have uncovered themselves to fight for their existence. The Valka and Menders, spell weavers and ancient peoples trained in sorcery and witchcraft, have illuminated dark Valka secrets in the hopes of preserving the world for a few hundred more generations. Because of The Darkness’ discernible influence on the Dredge, they have morphed into undead creatures. (How do you make the immortal more immortal?) Not only is escape futile, but it seems surviving is futile as well—and everyone is beginning to begrudgingly and somberly accept this. The Banner Saga 2 is a tale about acceptance, a tale of loss, a tale of grief, and, ultimately, a tale of knowing the end is nigh, even if you reluctantly refuse to believe it.

Iver and I stood on a dock, the wooden, decaying floorboards creaking under our weight. As we stood there, pensively staring out amongst the mass of blue ocean in front of us, I became awash by an overwhelming sadness. “I don’t know how much longer I can do this,” I said to Iver, my voice breaking. “You’re all these people have left to hold on to.” Iver’s reply was as cold as the air whipping through my hair. “How can they follow a man who has risked so many? All those lives we lost back at Einartoft, all those men and women and children slain during the battle with Sundr Bellower…” My mind trailed. “How can they continue to follow me when the path I take is so tainted with blood?” Iver looked irritated, his demeanor more stony than before. “Look, I’m not going to go through this again.” His exasperation whipped my like a leather strap. “If you can’t see the number of people out there alive because of you, nothing I say will change the way you feel.” An uncomfortable silence filled the air, amassing all of the bent up feelings and thoughts I’ve felt for so many years into a few tears. Maybe Iver is right. Maybe me leading is right. Maybe I’m doing something right. Still, I can’t help but feel this unbearable sensation of being adrift, cast away on this vast oceanfront. Am I truly the right person for this? Aren’t there better people to follow than myself? Why not someone else? Why me? The Banner Saga 2 will implant questions that will manifest within you. More importantly, The Banner Saga 2 will displace you, instilling a fervent abjectness and despondency, but it is an experience worth going through. (Even if you walk away depressed.)