The Banner Saga 3

The Banner Saga 3
Developer(s)	Stoic
Publisher(s)	Versus Evil
Writer(s)	Alex Thomas
Composer(s)	Austin Wintory
Series	The Banner Saga
Platform(s)	macOS Microsoft Windows Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4 Xbox One
Release	July 26, 2018
Genre(s)	Tactical role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player

The Banner Saga 3 is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Stoic and published by Versus Evil for macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the final installment in a trilogy of games that began with The Banner Saga (2014) and The Banner Saga 2 (2016).

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 macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.[2]

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	NS: 83/100[8] PC: 82/100[9] PS4: 80/100[10] XONE: 88/100[11]

Review scores

Publication	Score
Destructoid	8.5/10[12]
Game Informer	8/10[13]
GameSpot	8/10[14]
IGN	8.3/10[15]
Nintendo Life	[16]
Nintendo World Report	8.5/10[17]
PC Gamer (US)	90/100[18]
USgamer	[19]

The game received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[8][9][10][11]

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref
2018	9th Hollywood Music in Media Awards	Original Song ("Only We Few Remember It Now")	Won	[20][21]
	Golden Joystick Awards	Best Storytelling	Nominated	[22][23]
	The Game Awards 2018	Best Strategy Game	Nominated	[24]
	Titanium Awards	Best Original Soundtrack (Austin Wintory)	Nominated	[25]
	Australian Games Awards	Strategy Title of the Year	Nominated	[26]
2019	National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards	Art Direction, Period Influence	Nominated	[27]
		Game, Strategy	Nominated
	2019 G.A.N.G. Awards	Best Original Song ("Only We Few Remember It Now")	Nominated	[28]

References

1. Robertson, John (April 5, 2017). "The Banner Saga 3 Promises Closure as Trilogy Draws to a Close". IGN. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
2. 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.
3. Makuch, Eddie (April 25, 2016). "The Banner Saga 3 Discussed, Dev Says Universe Is "Very Fertile Ground" for Storytelling". GameSpot. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
4. 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.
5. Stoic (January 24, 2017). "Banner Saga 3". Kickstarter. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
6. Chalk, Andy (January 30, 2017). "The Banner Saga 3 Kickstarter is now fully funded". PCGamer. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
7. Ligman, Kris (March 4, 2017). "Why the makers of Banner Saga went back to Kickstarter for their third game". ZAM. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
8. "The Banner Saga 3 for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
9. "The Banner Saga 3 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
10. "The Banner Saga 3 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
11. "The Banner Saga 3 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
12. Cooke, Caitlin (August 5, 2018). "Review: The Banner Saga 3". Destructoid. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
13. Gwaltney, Javy (August 1, 2018). "The Banner Saga 3 Review - A Brutal End to A Long Journey". Game Informer. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
14. Tran, Edmond (July 26, 2018). "The Banner Saga 3 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
15. Schmeyer, Dm (July 26, 2018). "The Banner Saga 3 Review". IGN. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
16. Doolan, Liam (August 25, 2018). "The Banner Saga 3 Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
17. Ronaghan, Neal (July 26, 2018). "Banner Saga 3 Review - Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
18. Schilling, Chris (July 26, 2018). "The Banner Saga 3 review". PC Gamer. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
19. Cryer, Hirun (July 27, 2018). "The Banner Saga 3 Review". USgamer. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
20. "2018 Music in Visual Media Nominations". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
21. "2018 HMMA WINNERS". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. November 14, 2018. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
22. Hoggins, Tom (September 24, 2018). "Golden Joysticks 2018 nominees announced, voting open now". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
23. 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.
24. Grant, Christopher (December 6, 2018). "The Game Awards 2018: Here are all the winners". Polygon. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
25. "Titanium Awards 2018". Fun & Serious Game Festival. December 10, 2018. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
26. "Your 2018 Winners". Australian Games Awards. December 19, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
27. "Nominee List for 2018". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. February 11, 2019. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
28. Lagumbay, Emmanuel (February 14, 2019). "2019 G.A.N.G. Awards Finalists". Game Audio Network Guild. Retrieved February 17, 2019.

External links

• Official website