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The Banner Saga |OT| Here come the vikings!

RK9039

Member
I have one very important question in order to make my purchase: are all the party members unique? Or is it more of generic classes?

Played about 6 hours already, this is a great game. Looks like the choices you make do have major consequences.

ed: Yeah subtitles would have helped but I can understand them perfectly.
 

Quote

Member
I'm glad i'm not the only one that noticed the no subtitle thing. I do everything with subtitles so its a little jarring when I can't and rely on them.

I feel bad that this game is having its real release the same day Broken Age is having its backer release.

Two beautiful looking games though, thats for sure.
 
Not sure if many people know about this, but you can download the multiplayer mode of this game, The Banner Saga: Factions, for free on Steam. I'm downloading it now to see how I like the combat and stuff.

Really want to give this game a try but shouldn't be spending much money.

It's either this or Tales of Xilia for $10. Tough decision :[
 
Kickstarted this awhile ago and noticed this thread and was surprised it was finally coming out. I played about an hour and I am loving the final product. Great work Stoic team!
 

tmespe

Member
Just stumbled onto this thread. Thanks so much for posting the links to the soundtrack that really means a lot to me.

And thanks to you all for the nice words; I hope for those who haven't played it you check it out! I'm so stoked to have been a part of this thing. Stoic are fantastic game designers. I think it's a beautifully challenging game. According to Steam I've played about 220 hours between Chapter 1 and Factions ... so despite my bias as a member of the team, I gotta say I dig it as a gamer :)

-Austin

Wow! Didn't expect to see you on here. After Journey every game you do a soundtrack for is an instant buy. I was on the fence on buying this, but as soon as I saw you did the soundtrack it pushed me over.

Anyway the game is great so far. The artwork is amazing and the strategy gameplay is good, although I haven't played enough to say if it will keep up.

Just bought the soundtrack, such a great game thus far. Any idea how long it is?

From the reviews and general comments it seems to be around 12-16 hours.
 
I backed this, and wow, I need to grab it! I hope people enjoy the crest I made, I worked really hard on it:
heraldry_2765.png


Any other GAFers make crests?
 
2-3 hours in. Man, this is actually quite difficult on hard mode (seems self-evident, but it's not always the case!). I just got owned at the battle where
you try to buy time for the escape of the villagers attacked by the dredge
. It's interesting that the story continues even when you lose a battle. Now I'm wondering if I should continue like this, or load and try again, and/or switch to normal difficulty.

I hope people enjoy the crest I made, I worked really hard on it

Oh, very cool. I actually noticed this one while looking through the crest gallery, nicely done. I also like that it seems appropriate for a banner in the game setting, unlike some others...

Not sure what's the purpose of crests yet though, I don't think I've seen the one I chose displayed in the game up to now. (EDIT: Oh never mind, just noticed it's displayed in camp.)
 

Shiokazu

Member
oh man im late for this thread. dammit!

this game delivers the feels of ragnarok.


i mean FINALLY SOMEONE PULLS A RAGNAROK STORY WHERE THE SUN IS A ISSUE.

I MEAN

REALLY

FINALLY SOMEONE REMEMBERS ABOUT THE FUCKING SUN ISSUES! as if the old nordic people would go getting worried about beasts or a couple wolves there and there.
it was normal, fighting was normal, damn, even in order to grow crops it was a challenge, its cold, the summers dont last long, wild animals roam around, and the soil is not really the best around.
really, a harsh life was normal to the nordic people. but then when cosmic stuff start to happen, and " things " start to pop around and ransack all of your provisions, not even smirking in the process.
now something is not right.

+ doesnt it hurts when you get strenght damage? i mean, it hurts more than in other games when you get Hp damage.
 
So I've been playing like a goober and restarting battles once a member dies
Took me about an hour but I finally finished this battle with no casualties (fairly early)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hANkq1ShsU4&hd=1

I'm pretty far in, and I feel I should tell you to give up on the no injuries thing. At least on normal, this game has gotten extremely difficult. I've regularly ended battles late in the game with a single member left standing. It's possible I'm not playing well or something, but I feel as if the game is just difficult. Which is great, but I don't think it's realistic to expect getting through with no injuries on normal.

I really love this game. I've played 8 hours today and the game really has held up. The decisions are really difficult and often leave you with no good options. It hits the same sinking feelings of regret that The Walking Dead gave me. It's hard to know just how much of the bad stuff that has been happening to me is avoidable, but it feels like I could have avoided some of it, which is all that counts.

Is there anyone near what seems like the end like I am?
Fighting Bellower. This fight seems not very fair. It doesn't help that I gave the silver arrow to Allette before realizing it forces me to take her and she doesn't really fit into my main team. But the fact that Bellower can one shot basically anyone if he's at full strength and he also moves so far that it's impossible to chip away at his armor safely kinda makes this frustrating. I'm gonna try a more defensive strategy this time and see how that goes.


EDIT: So I just finished it. No real story spoilers here, just my thoughts on the game as a whole.

According to Steam took me 10 hours. Really solid all the way through. The combat is satisfying and tactical, the art is of course stellar and like nothing else, and the narrative is overall pretty solid, mostly held up by a fantastic world realized better than most. Game is worth every penny and I really hope it does well for them so we can get more of it soon.

As for complaints, I would say there is a pretty severe lack of variety in battlefields. 90% of the battle stages are just flat squares of snow. I'm okay with it because the world outside the battles is so well realized and beautiful, but it definitely feels like they spent most of their time on that and it can make the battles a little boring to look at. As far as the gameplay, I feel like it's pretty good, although I kind of wish they allowed you to switch the specializations of the characters. I hope that in forthcoming games they will open up the party composition aspect of the combat and allow me to play with the classes I want. As for the gameplay beyond the combat, the caravan management felt really weighty but I'm not sure if there really is any weight behind it, systemically. Often taking on more clansmen is really just a burden. It's fine because I believe a game can present you with moral decisions without backing them up with systems that reward you for making the hard choice, but some players might feel like they are being punished for doing good things. (Because often, they are.)
 
I'm with you. I think the deadline was something like December 6th. I submitted mine December 8th but I think the deadline was a hard deadline. I noticed the email in my inbox late and a few interesting personal weeks prior.
I don't know if they still have the "include your own crest" option, but you had to go to stoic's site and upload it from there.

They've said they'll roll late submissions into future builds/releases of the game. It'd be fucked up to charge people a high price for that type of backer reward and then not provide it unless people met a specific deadline when it's something that can be patched in so easily.

The uploader's still live on their site.
 

dejan

Member
Just gave this a quick run yesterday to check if the game runs fine. I've already spend a couple of hours with Factions before, so I'm familiar with the battle system and I like it a lot. Pretty excited to give this some proper attention this weekend. I'm actually currently more excited about this than Broken Age, which is also already installed and waiting for me in my Steam library. Good times.
 

Savitar

Member
Game looks quite interesting, watched a review and it's definitely a game I'll get at a later date.

I'll add my voice to those who say it has beautiful art.
 

tmespe

Member
Being in a cold place in Scandinavia now, and not having seen the sun in what seems like months, really helps with immersing oneself in this game.
 

VoidZero

Banned
Does this game have a permadeath option or a difficulty setting that offers it, I'm not sure if that's the right name, what I mean is: if a character falls in battle is he dead or only unconscious?
I read some reviews, but none mentioned it.
 

Mdk7

Member
I'm usually not into these kind of games (i suck at them, having no strategic mind... i'm all about the action!), yet i decided to impulse buy it yesterday evening, struck by the terrific art direction.
It instantly clicked with me, and that cold, ancient universe is so damn fascinating.
Plus i do enjoy the gameplay a lot.

Great, great purchase, i can't wait to get back home to play some more tonite.

Oh, btw one quick question: i'm at Chapter 3, is that normal that usually at least one of my men falls in battle (and sometimes a couple) or do i just plain suck? :D
Thanks!
 

Kuro Madoushi

Unconfirmed Member
Does this game have a permadeath option or a difficulty setting that offers it, I'm not sure if that's the right name, what I mean is: if a character falls in battle is he dead or only unconscious?
I read some reviews, but none mentioned it.

Didn't see a perm death mode..maybe when you finish? Though I'm having a hard enough time on normal being outnumbered. God I hate it when games just always outnumber me with enemies...

When a character falls, they temporarily lose str/hp but get it back if you rest.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
Wow the visual style in this game is pretty amazing. Gameplay seems totally not my cup of tea, but I might go for it just for the artstyle. So cool.


Edit: o snap Austin Wintory did the soundtrack [he did the Journey soundtrack, for those who don't know him]. Must grab.
 
D

Deleted member 102362

Unconfirmed Member
I backed this, and wow, I need to grab it! I hope people enjoy the crest I made, I worked really hard on it:

Any other GAFers make crests?

Very nice artwork.

Well, I now have this and Broken Age sitting in my Steam library, plus Wasteland 2's beta. I'm feeling pretty positive about the stuff I've backed so far.
 

AWintory

Neo Member
Wow! Didn't expect to see you on here. After Journey every game you do a soundtrack for is an instant buy. I was on the fence on buying this, but as soon as I saw you did the soundtrack it pushed me over.

That's incredibly kind of you. And generous!! Honestly though I very intentionally try to move around to very different projects. Keep things as fresh and challenging as possible, but as a result, the diversity of game genres ends up being really wide. So if you're buying games based on my scores, I hope you also like wide variety. :)

... Case in point, a very different Viking-based game announcement today :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY6kmVCRfT8

Regardless, my endless thanks to you
 
D

Deleted member 102362

Unconfirmed Member
Regardless, my endless thanks to you

Hiya. Part of the reason I'm happy I backed the Banner Saga KS is because you're involved in it.

I'm looking forward to hearing your work in-game.
 

Vitor711

Member
That's incredibly kind of you. And generous!! Honestly though I very intentionally try to move around to very different projects. Keep things as fresh and challenging as possible, but as a result, the diversity of game genres ends up being really wide. So if you're buying games based on my scores, I hope you also like wide variety. :)

... Case in point, a very different Viking-based game announcement today :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY6kmVCRfT8

Regardless, my endless thanks to you

I have to second that - the moment that I saw your name in the game's trailer, I bought it on Steam. Although the incredible art certainly helped make that an easy decision. Same went for Monaco which I just picked up in the Steam sale. As a (amateur) Cellist, your score in Journey is possibly my favourite soundtrack for a game of the past several years.

Looking forward to seeing whatever you do next!
 

VoidZero

Banned
Didn't see a perm death mode..maybe when you finish? Though I'm having a hard enough time on normal being outnumbered. God I hate it when games just always outnumber me with enemies...

When a character falls, they temporarily lose str/hp but get it back if you rest.

Thank you. As long as the game is challenging, I can live without permadeath.
And everything I've read so far has been pretty positive, so I might end up buying it.
 

AWintory

Neo Member
I have to second that - the moment that I saw your name in the game's trailer, I bought it on Steam. Although the incredible art certainly helped make that an easy decision. Same went for Monaco which I just picked up in the Steam sale. As a (amateur) Cellist, your score in Journey is possibly my favourite soundtrack for a game of the past several years.

Looking forward to seeing whatever you do next!

Thank you :) Lots of fun stuff coming up. Next is a game called GOROGOA (also with amazing art direction and nominated *against* BANNER SAGA in the IGF!)
 

Aizo

Banned
I have a question about the story.

This is the deciding factor for my purchase, so I was wondering what you all think of the story. I will probably ask again later, when people have beaten it, too. In a game that, from what I can tell, has an ensemble cast of characters, I expect some pretty strong character interactions and all that.

Please tell me your impressions!
 

AWintory

Neo Member
No subtitles? Can somebody confirm if this is true or not?

I am seeing some confusion on here. I don't believe there are subtitles BUT it's important to realize that probably no more than 2% of the game is voiced. Quite literally 98% of the story is text-based. There are so many possibilities in the story and dialogue that a HUGE amount of text had to be written, and to record it all w/ voice actors would've cost more than the entire Kickstarter raised. So it's text based.

The only parts that are done with VO are basically spice, when arriving at key locations.
 

Shahadan

Member

Mdk7

Member
I have a question about the story.

This is the deciding factor for my purchase, so I was wondering what you all think of the story. I will probably ask again later, when people have beaten it, too. In a game that, from what I can tell, has an ensemble cast of characters, I expect some pretty strong character interactions and all that.

Please tell me your impressions!

I'm at act 3 (probably like 4 hrs in, idk) and i'm liking MUCH more the part of the campaign that's focusing on humans.
It's not i don't like varls, i do enjoy those horned giants... yet i connected a lot more to the humans (and i'm usually more of a "monster" lover, like in Mass Effect i loved the Krogans and especially Wrex to death!).
I'm just at the beginning, yet i'm really enjoying the human characters, their story and their interactions.
 

Corto

Member
Thank you :) Lots of fun stuff coming up. Next is a game called GOROGOA (also with amazing art direction and nominated *against* BANNER SAGA in the IGF!)

Ok, now you're just stalking me! hehehehe I've been playing Gorogoa demo almost every week and I didn't yet knew you were going to score that one too. Even more hype for that game. Also, that funk/viking rhythm game from Kim Swift should be a great one too. I hope they are bringing it to other platforms though, as I don't have an Ouya... You are starting to become the Nolan North of video games soundtrack hehehe
 

Pachael

Member
It's double Kickstarter goodness with this and Broken Age Part 1 - thoroughly enjoying both thus far despite putting in only an hour or so with each.
 
My favorite design decision in the combat system is the combination of health and strength in one stat. In most SRPG's you typically want to gang up on an enemy and take them out before moving on to the next, but because of the health/strength dynamic in this game it's often better to leave multiple weak enemies alive as opposed to one strong enemy. Really nice touch that gives the combat a unique feel.

My biggest complaint so far is a lack of variety in terms of map design. I've only played a few battles but each one took place on a flat open area with no obstacles or changes in terrain. I hope that changes as the game goes on, I want to see some maps more in line with a game like Fire Emblem or even FFT/Tactics Ogre.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
I am seeing some confusion on here. I don't believe there are subtitles BUT it's important to realize that probably no more than 2% of the game is voiced. Quite literally 98% of the story is text-based. There are so many possibilities in the story and dialogue that a HUGE amount of text had to be written, and to record it all w/ voice actors would've cost more than the entire Kickstarter raised. So it's text based.

The only parts that are done with VO are basically spice, when arriving at key locations.

Hm. Thanks. I sort of need subtitles. Weird that they'd not have them, even for a small part of the game. May still buy, but will probably wait to see if they add the subtitles.
 
...I guess I'd been living under a rock--I hadn't heard about this.

Checked out the soundtrack, skimmed some reviews, and...yeah. Game purchased. Probably going to pick up the soundtrack too.

Willpower, you have failed to defend my wallet yet again.
 

Shahadan

Member
Only complaint so far (and probably what will make me stop playing until it is fixed) is the lack of subtitles during cinematics. Seems like a weird thing to overlook, especially since the characters don't use clear english.
I have a rather hard time to understand what is said and I have to focus too much to properly follow, ironically.

Bummer.
 

Alastor3

Member
I love it want I see that many people enjoying the game!!!

Usually I hype a game too much that I felt let down when it release but THAT game, it's even better that I expected, actually it's all I wanted it to be!
 
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