Review game: The Banner Saga

The Banner Saga immediately adjusts to the correct way: “The gods are dead, the sun stood still.” Howling blizzard, to the towns and villages selected silent darkness – the end of the world is near, and our heroes are not going to save the world. They are going to die. Studio Stoic can exaggerate.

Brace yourselves …

System Requirements
Win Xp 32
Pentium 4 1.8GHz/Athlon XP 1700 +
GeForce 210/Radeon X600
512 MB ​​RAM
2 GB HDD
Recommended
Win Xp 32
E1200 Dual-Core 1.6GHz/Athlon 64 X2 4000 +
GeForce 9500 GT / Radeon X1900
1 GB RAM
2 GB HDD

In terms of gameplay Stoic also did not look for easy ways. The authors undertook to reshape the European style turn-based Japanese classics like Final Fantasy Tactics Brief information about the game , Shining Force and Fire Emblem. Caravan player wandering through a hostile world, the main route is set in advance, but your decisions affect parts adventure. Need to monitor the amount of provisions and mood squad withstand complex balance: rested soldiers fight better, but frequent halts deplete and slow motion. However, in a relentless search for a compromise and that it interferes with screenwriter. You only reluctantly going to do for the long-awaited finally halt, as suits his game itself. All anything, but this mechanic has to irresponsibility player. Developers lead him by the hand, do not give to stumble: “I forgot to relax? Well what are you! Here, sit down. ”

However, think in advance the whole strategy campaign still will not work. Plot surprises concern not only halts. The food is lost and soldiers run away and join the squad – all this is at the discretion of the writer, who, with his plans, of course, is not divisible. Own rational decisions, too, sometimes beaten in the back. “I took food from a merchant? Well, it will soon be spoiled! “- Fun humorists of Stoic. Well, when the game is a random event. Bad when they appear once per game, confusing, and not repeated – stop to think systematically. The Banner Saga – it’s pretty disturbing experience for strategists who are accustomed to be guided by cold calculation and logic.

Warhead, fortunately, is less dependent on the vagaries of the writer. Battles look typical of the genre: the heroes and enemies take turns walking the cellular field and bash each other. However, designers have come up with an unusual Stoic mechanics: they bound the strength and health in one measure. The closer to the soldier’s death, the less he has. It makes for better care of the ward – a wounded soldier becomes useless burden. Soon you grope unbeaten tactic: simply surround the enemies one by one and beat the crowds – so they die faster. Knocked one – moved to the next. Enemies do the same. Work on several sides, defense and other delights – it’s not about The Banner Saga.

“Well, maybe this is offset by the richness of the role system? Because the game did come from BioWare »- assume the attentive reader. But no, the role system does not differ too deep. Development path of each character determined in advance, the player can only emphasize some aspects. If the hero skillfully pierced the armor, it will make it even better, but he’ll never be “tank” and especially not retrain as an archer. You’ll quickly learn his soldiers, but to make a really unique unit can not.

… Winter is coming

In any other game mechanics such primitive probably would sentence – but not here. Sip of that icy darkness, which is impregnated with a script The Banner Saga, you’ll quickly forget that you think rustic gameplay. Role-based developers past makes itself felt: Stoic knows how to tell stories.

It’s not even in the plot – the heroes save themselves and the world, nothing special – but in the filing. Not what game so ably conveys a sense of total despair, “happy ending will not.” Carts broken subordinate escape blizzard veiled way, enemies surround – but the team still goes ahead to nowhere. Over the horizon in the meantime there are new and new Dredge – unfeeling killing machines, destroying everything in its path. At some point, even the heroes agree that the end of the world – is, in general, is boring: they die and so. This idea eventually come himself – it is difficult to be optimistic when each chapter ends with a funeral, burned cities or expulsion of your detachment from another shelter.

The Banner Saga quickly knocks you out of heroic pathos. You will do terrible things, and the game will emphasize that this is your conscious choice. You will take food from farmers. Take a squad of thieves and murderers. Deprive the protection of defenseless villagers. In choosing between a profitable and noble no good and bad choices. Hypocrites want to play? Please. Protect civilians, share food with passers – and see how your soldiers senselessly killed in battle, and their wives and children are dying of hunger.

Plot twists and turns breathes new life into the game mechanics scanty. Unpretentious stay and become part of a large-scale battle paintings, big stories. Drilling on a forest clearing brawl perceived as decisive Battle of Light and Darkness – the authors make literate liner to each battle and expertly tuned player on a gloomy mood.

And, of course, a special role in the perception of The Banner Saga plays its visual style. Stoic loves classic “Disney” – heroes silhouettes simple but instantly memorable, and layered landscapes make bow to the artist Eyvind Earle, who worked on the backgrounds for “Sleeping Beauty” . Graphics creates “good” fabulous tone that plays on the contrast with the cruel scenario. Under the guise of a “children’s cartoon” hiding a terrible story about death and loss of hope.

***
Should not take up The Banner Saga, if you want an interesting tactical game. Refer to better XCOM, Frozen Synapse Brief information about the game or, indeed, to the Japanese classics that inspire Stoic. In fact, this is not a tactical RPG, and an interactive story with the tactical, strategic and role-playing elements. This story, however, served so well that primitive elements not hurt the eyes – mechanics makes sense and gets interesting.

The Banner Saga is planned as a trilogy, and we look forward to continuing. The gods are still dead, and the sun still.