The Banner Saga 3
The Banner Saga 3 is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Stoic Studio. It is the final installment in a trilogy of games that began with The Banner Saga (2014) and The Banner Saga 2 (2016).
The Banner Saga 3 | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Stoic Studio |
Publisher(s) | Versus Evil |
Writer(s) | Alex Thomas |
Composer(s) | Austin Wintory |
Series | The Banner Saga |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One |
Release | July 26, 2018 |
Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing |
Gameplay
The Banner Saga 3 is a tactical role-playing video game featuring turn-based combat.[1] The themes of the game are inspired by Viking culture.[2]
Development and release
The Banner Saga 3 was developed by Stoic, a studio founded by former BioWare employees.[1] Following the release of 2016's The Banner Saga 2, Stoic expressed interest in creating a third instalment, noting that the fictional universe they created had plenty more storytelling opportunities.[3] Speaking at the 2016 NASSCOM Game Developer Conference, Stoic co-founder John Watson, re-iterated their intention to complete The Banner Saga trilogy of games. He estimated the budget required would be $2M, and said that they had considered external funding.[4]
In January 2017, The Banner Saga 3 was announced with the launch of a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. The goal of $200,000 was achieved in less than a week, and the campaign concluded in March with $416,986 raised towards the game's development.[5][6] While the majority of the funding would still come from Stoic themselves, Watson said that the Kickstarter campaign would also create a community of enthusiastic testers.[7]
The game was published by Versus Evil and was released on Windows and macOS.[2]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | (PS4) 80/100[8] (NS) 84/100[9] (XONE) 88/100[10] (PC) 82/100[11] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Destructoid | 8.5/10 (PS4)[12] |
Game Informer | 8/10 (PC)[13] |
GameSpot | 8/10 (PC)[14] |
IGN | 8.3/10 (PS4/PC)[15] |
Nintendo Life | (NS)[16] |
Nintendo World Report | 8.5/10 (NS)[17] |
PC Gamer (US) | 90/100 (PC)[18] |
USgamer | [19] |
The game received generally favorable reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[20]
Awards
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | 9th Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Original Song ("Only We Few Remember It Now") | Won | [21][22] |
Golden Joystick Awards | Best Storytelling | Nominated | [23][24] | |
The Game Awards 2018 | Best Strategy Game | Nominated | [25] | |
Titanium Awards | Best Original Soundtrack (Austin Wintory) | Nominated | [26] | |
Australian Games Awards | Strategy Title of the Year | Nominated | [27] | |
2019 | National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards | Art Direction, Period Influence | Nominated | |
Game, Strategy | Nominated | |||
2019 G.A.N.G. Awards | Best Original Song ("Only We Few Remember It Now") | Nominated | [29] |
References
- Robertson, John (April 5, 2017). "The Banner Saga 3 Promises Closure as Trilogy Draws to a Close". IGN. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- Makuch, Eddie (January 24, 2017). "The Banner Saga 3 Confirmed With Kickstarter Campaign, Is The Last Game In The Trilogy". GameSpot. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- Makuch, Eddie (April 25, 2016). "The Banner Saga 3 Discussed, Dev Says Universe Is "Very Fertile Ground" for Storytelling". GameSpot. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- Matthew Handrahan (January 9, 2017). ""We set out to make this trilogy. We can't leave the story unfinished"". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
- Stoic (January 24, 2017). "Banner Saga 3". Kickstarter. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
- Chalk, Andy (January 30, 2017). "The Banner Saga 3 Kickstarter is now fully funded". PCGamer. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- Ligman, Kris (March 4, 2017). "Why the makers of Banner Saga went back to Kickstarter for their third game". ZAM. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
- "The Banner Saga 3 for Playstation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- "The Banner Saga 3 for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- "The Banner Saga 3 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- "The Banner Saga 3 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- Cooke, Caitlin (August 5, 2018). "Review: The Banner Saga 3". Destructoid. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- Gwaltney, Javy (August 1, 2018). "The Banner Saga 3 Review - A Brutal End to A Long Journey". Game Informer. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- Tran, Edmond (July 26, 2018). "The Banner Saga 3 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- Schmeyer, Dm (July 26, 2018). "The Banner Saga 3 Review". IGN. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- Doolan, Liam (August 25, 2018). "The Banner Saga 3 Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- Ronaghan, Neal (July 26, 2018). "Banner Saga 3 Review - Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- Schilling, Chris (July 26, 2018). "The Banner Saga 3 review". PC Gamer. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- Cryer, Hirun (July 27, 2018). "The Banner Saga 3 Review". USgamer. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- "The Banner Saga 3 for PC". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
- "2018 Music in Visual Media Nominations". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- "2018 HMMA WINNERS". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- Hoggins, Tom (September 24, 2018). "Golden Joysticks 2018 nominees announced, voting open now". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- Sheridan, Connor (November 16, 2018). "Golden Joystick Awards 2018 winners: God of War wins big but Fortnite gets Victory Royale". GamesRadar+. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- Grant, Christopher (December 6, 2018). "The Game Awards 2018: Here are all the winners". Polygon. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- "Titanium Awards 2018". Fun & Serious Game Festival. December 10, 2018. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- "Your 2018 Winners". Australian Games Awards. December 19, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- Lagumbay, Emmanuel (February 14, 2019). "2019 G.A.N.G. Awards Finalists". Game Audio Network Guild. Retrieved February 17, 2019.