The Banner Saga 3

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Genre: Strategy
Publisher: Versus Evil
Developer: Stoic
Release Date: July 26, 2018

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'The Banner Saga 3' Announced, Launches Kickstarter - Trailer

by Rainier on Jan. 24, 2017 @ 10:10 a.m. PST

In The Banner Saga 3, players will embark on their final journey beyond the wall of Darkness to traverse the world unlike anything encountered in previous sagas.

The Banner Saga 3 will be the third and final part to this epic, story-driven saga.

The hand drawn Viking role-playing adventure will once again test the player’s resolve through epic tactical battles against deadly adversaries where a player's choice directly affects their personal journey. The lives of your clansmen and their families have never been more significant than in the final act of the series. Banner Saga 3 stretch goals for the Kickstarter campaign will aim to enhance the game further if the initial funding goal is met, ultimately this will include more content to help drive the story and add even more production value to the final game.

The 30 day campaign aims to raise at least  $200,000 to bring the award winning, BAFTA-nominated series to a worthy, climatic conclusion.

“We’re going full circle and returning to Kickstarter where it all began. In 2012, the backers were instrumental in bringing the saga to life, smashing our initial funding target that led us to increase the scope, fidelity and production values of Banner Saga, said John Watson, co-founder and Technical Director at Stoic. “We’re proud to be indie, and despite the stellar support we get from our publisher, Versus Evil, we’re not taking any outside funding to bring this series home, we’d love Kickstarter support to add additional features that are simply beyond our current budget”.

Battles in Banner Saga are turn-based, harkening back to the classic "Tactics" days of gaming. The combat is straight-forward and easy to learn, but after a few battles you'll realize the game's simplicity hides a vast tactical depth. Each turn is an engrossing challenge for even the most seasoned tactician.   

Build your party from a roster of over 40 unique characters, each with different abilities that interact in varying ways. Each unit has a combat style all their own, but it’s how they work together that counts and a well-chosen roster will equal more than the sum of its parts.

Banner Saga combat has a classic turn-based gameplay, with a strong emphasis on tactics over brute force and endless grinding.

Banner Saga draws heavily from Norse culture and mythology while creating its own identity. There is a low-fantasy approach to Viking themes. Giants - yes. Horned helmets - no.  

The choices you make as events unfold have a huge effect on how the story plays out - who survives, who dies, and what's worth saving. Add people to your caravan as you travel, or lose them when tough decisions arise. You're not just fighting to save nameless strangers, you're fighting for your neighbors, your family and your way of life. You’ll care what happens to them.  

Banner Saga 3 is a mature story for adults, which means forming relationships and making tough decisions; not sex, violence and swearing.

Travel through stunning landscapes that evoke films from the golden age of animation. Sweeping vistas straight out of a Norse saga will accompany an emerging storyline and pin the imagination squarely in the realm of a Wagnerian Opera. 

The Darkness plays a major role in Banner Saga 3 and your exploration of it will be unlike anything you have experienced in the previous sagas. Interact with the vast city of Arberrang and travel its streets. The gods may be dead, but their godstones and their world, remain full of wonder.  

Every scene in the game is painstakingly hand painted with the intent of transporting you into a bleak yet beautiful world.

As the heroes gain experience in battle you can modify their stats, gain extra abilities, equip mystical items, choose Heroic Titles and more!    

Individually, heroes can be strong, but as the game evolves you’ll devise new strategies on how they work as a warband. Playing off each other's strengths will turn what seems like a rout into a great victory. In camp, rebalance each hero to fit your evolving team dynamic.

Most combat animations are done using rotoscoped, frame-by-frame video shot in Arnie’s front yard. Each ‘hit animation’ may take 20 to 30 shots to get right and each ‘death animation’... well, pummeling the heck out of each other to make every action in the game look authentic. Our friends at Powerhouse Animation then take all the raw footage and add even more drama to the action. The cinemas are all done in 2D and drawn by hand using good old-fashioned traditional animation techniques. It all comes together to give the effect of playing a film from the golden age of animation. 


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