The Banner Saga 2

The Banner Saga 2 is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Stoic Studio and published by Versus Evil. It is the sequel to The Banner Saga, and the second part of a trilogy of games.

The Banner Saga 2
Developer(s)Stoic Studio
Publisher(s)Versus Evil
Writer(s)Drew McGee
Composer(s)Austin Wintory
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows, OS X
  • April 19, 2016
  • Xbox One
  • July 1, 2016
  • PlayStation 4
  • July 5, 2016
  • iOS
  • September 28, 2016
  • Android
  • September 29, 2016
  • Nintendo Switch
  • June 7, 2018
Genre(s)Tactical role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

A crowdfunding campaign for the third game in the series concluded on March 7, 2017, with 8,086 backers raising $416,986 of its $200,000 goal.[1] A sequel concluding the trilogy, The Banner Saga 3, was released in July 2018.

Gameplay
See also: The Banner Saga § Gameplay

The Banner Saga 2 builds on The Banner Saga's turn-based combat, adding depth with the introduction of new units, new talents, new enemies, interactive objects, and new objectives. It also introduces The Horseborn, a centaur-like race. Several heroes from the original return as playable characters, and many of the choices made in the first game have a direct impact in the second.

In a 2015 interview with Rock Paper Shotgun, Stoic's writer Drew McGee noted that combat in the first game was often criticized as slow and lacking in diversity.[2] The development team therefore prioritized creating new enemies and enemy types for players to face, giving them new abilities and buffs while also adding more win scenarios and variations in combat. The range and scope of choices available to the players - both in combat and in the overall narrative - has also been expanded.

Development

The Banner Saga 2 is developed by three-man indie development team Stoic.[3] The game was announced at The Game Awards on December 5, 2014.[4] Initially, the game was scheduled to be released for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2015.[3] However it was later delayed into 2016.[5] Windows and OS X versions were released on April 19, 2016, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in July 2016.[6][7]

Reception
Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
MetacriticPC: 82/100[8]
XONE: 84/100[9]
PS4: 78/100[10]
iOS: 87/100[11]
NS: 84/100[12]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid8.5/10[13]
EGM9/10[14]
Game Informer8.5/10[15]
GameSpot8/10[16]
IGN8.9/10[17]
PC Gamer (US)86/100[18]
Polygon8/10[19]
Hardcore Gamer4.5/5[20]
TouchArcadeiOS: [21]

The Banner Saga 2 received "generally favorable" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[8][9][10][11][12] GameSpot awarded it a score of 8.0 out of 10, saying "Like the original game, The Banner Saga 2 leaves you holding your breath, completely invested in the world, its inhabitants, and their struggles, anxiously eager for more."[16] IGN awarded it 8.9 out of 10, saying "The Banner Saga 2 is as beautiful and tactical as the first, but with greater variety in combat and story."[17] Hardcore Gamer awarded it a score of 4.5 out of 5, saying "Not only does The Banner Saga 2 meet every expectation that one could have following the first game, but it exceeds them in a number of tangible areas."[20]

Accolades
YearAwardCategoryResultRef
2016 The Game Awards 2016 Best Strategy Game Nominated [22]
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References
  1. "Banner Saga 3". Kickstarter. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  2. Warr, Philippa (July 9, 2015). "The Banner Saga 2: On Combat And Continuity". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  3. Phillips, Tom (December 8, 2014). "The Banner Saga 2 headed to PC, PS4 and Xbox One in 2015". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  4. Moser, Cassidee (December 5, 2014). "The Banner Saga 2 Announced". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  5. Purchese, Robert (November 6, 2015). "The Banner Saga 2 won't be released in 2015 as expected". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  6. Matulef, Jeffrey (March 23, 2015). "The Banner Saga 2 release date set". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  7. Dornbush, Jonathon (June 28, 2016). "The Banner Saga 2 Console Release Date Shifts". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  8. "The Banner Saga 2 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  9. "The Banner Saga 2 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  10. "The Banner Saga 2 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  11. "Banner Saga 2 for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  12. "The Banner Saga 2 for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  13. Rowen, Nic (May 30, 2016). "Review: The Banner Saga 2". Destructoid. Destructoid. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  14. Buchholtz, Matt (April 27, 2016). "The Banner Saga 2 review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. EGM Media. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  15. Tack, Daniel (April 19, 2016). "Two Tiles Forward, One Tile Back - The Banner Saga 2 - PC". Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  16. Tran, Edmond (April 19, 2016). "The Banner Saga 2 Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  17. Johnson, Leif (April 19, 2016). "The Banner Saga 2 Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  18. Schilling, Chris (April 19, 2016). "The Banner Saga 2 review". PC Gamer. Future Publishing. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  19. Velocci, Carli (May 6, 2016). "The Banner Saga 2 review". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  20. Whittaker, Matt (May 4, 2016). "Review: The Banner Saga 2". Hardcore Gamer. Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  21. Fretz, Andrew (October 7, 2016). "'Banner Saga 2' Review – Dredging up the Past". TouchArcade. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  22. Makuch, Eddie (November 19, 2016). "All the 2016 Game Awards Nominees". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
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