Banner Saga 2

About

Banner Saga 2 is a single player tactical role playing game. It was developed by Stoic and was released on September 28, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Banner Saga 2" is a story-driven RPG with tactical combat and hand-drawn visuals, continuing the epic saga of leading Viking clans across a harsh, dying world. Carry over choices from the first game or start anew, making hard decisions in and out of battle with lasting consequences. Upgrade characters and employ strategy in improved, challenging turn-based combat, set against a backdrop of Viking mythology.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 230 reviews

story36 positive mentions

stability11 negative mentions

The game features an amazing story, beautiful graphics, and engaging gameplay that keeps players invested for hours.
Decisions in the game have meaningful consequences, adding depth to the gameplay and making each choice feel significant.
The developers provide excellent support, quickly addressing issues and even offering solutions to enhance the gaming experience.

The game suffers from long loading times and frequent crashes, making it frustrating and sometimes unplayable on certain devices.
There are significant compatibility issues with newer Android devices, leading to problems with installation and gameplay.
The mobile version has not been updated in years, resulting in bugs and performance issues that detract from the overall experience.

story
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
36%
5%
The story of the game is widely praised for its depth, intrigue, and the significant impact of player choices on the narrative. Many reviewers highlight the engaging character development and the unique world-building, making it a standout aspect of the gameplay. However, some players express disappointment with the lack of replayability after completing the story, despite its compelling nature.
- “The story is so intriguing, and there's a lot going on.”
- “I didn't expect to experience such a story from this indie-looking game.”
- “The story and the world they have built is unique and very much worth exploring.”
- “I don't have a reason to play again after the story ends.”
- “I've had to uninstall it because I just can't get any further, which genuinely saddens me because I love these two games and wanted to see how the story ends.”
- “Great game but it's a shame I couldn't continue my story.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
11%
17%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning visuals and beautiful artwork, contributing to an engaging and immersive experience. However, players have reported several graphical bugs, including hard freezes and issues with saving, which detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite these technical problems, the combination of impressive graphics and a compelling story has left a strong positive impression on many users.
- “Amazing graphics and story, well-balanced gameplay, choices actually matter.”
- “It truly astounds me how this is a mobile game with beautiful graphics, an enthralling story, and engaging combat.”
- “Graphics are stunning, story line is non-linear, nice!”
- “There are several graphical bugs and outright hard freezes that cause crashes.”
- “Game does not save, the screen goes blank when another app is accessed during gameplay, and graphics do not always return (large black spots).”
- “It allows you to turn down the textures and graphic settings, which totally reduces load times and eliminates any crashing.”
gameplay
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
27%
20%
The gameplay is generally praised for its balance, tactical synergies, and engaging mechanics, with many players appreciating the impactful choices and character progression. However, some technical issues, such as stuttering environments and occasional bugs, detract from the experience, indicating a need for further optimization. Overall, the combination of solid gameplay and a compelling story contributes to a positive reception, though improvements are still desired.
- “Amazing graphics and story, well-balanced gameplay, choices actually matter.”
- “The gameplay is very good with great tactical synergies available; one or two more hero classes and it would have completed this very good game.”
- “Additionally, I love how I get to level up my characters and the combat mechanics overall.”
- “Game does not save, screen goes blank when another app is accessed during gameplay, and graphics do not always return (large black spots).”
- “No sound at all during gameplay on Nvidia Shield tablet.”
- “Once this is fixed, I will change the rating based on gameplay.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
92%
The game experiences significant stability issues, including frequent freezes during gameplay, particularly in survival mode and combat scenarios, as well as problems with launching on certain devices. While some players report it running well on specific models, the overall consensus highlights a need for improvements to address the numerous graphical bugs and crashes. Despite these issues, many users still find the game enjoyable and hope for future updates to enhance stability.
- “Runs great on my Galaxy S7 Edge.”
- “The game maintains a smooth performance without any crashes.”
- “I've experienced no lag or glitches, making for a stable gaming experience.”
- “There are several graphical bugs and outright hard freezes that cause crashes.”
- “I love the survival mode; sadly, it freezes about 5 minutes in.”
- “It constantly freezes during updates or while downloading its data, getting stuck at some ridiculous 1 percent of completion!”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is highly praised, with reviewers highlighting the excellent soundtrack that complements the dark and realistic narrative. The combination of impressive artwork and music enhances the overall experience, contributing to a well-executed turn-based story and strategic combat.
- “Great artwork and music make for an impressive turn-based story, which is dark and realistic.”
- “The writing, art, and soundtrack are all excellent.”
- “Art, music, RPG, and strategic combat are all done perfectly.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers express frustration with the prevalent trend of intrusive ads and in-game purchases in the mobile market, highlighting a desire for high-quality games that avoid these monetization tactics. They feel that such practices detract from the gaming experience and threaten the future of video games.
- “It is a shame that the mobile market is more interested in free games with intrusive ads and low-quality content when there are games like this that work perfectly for the platform without any of the garbage.”
- “If you're like me, this trend of in-game purchases is going to be the bane of future video game existence.”
- “The constant push for microtransactions ruins the experience and makes it feel like the game is designed to extract money rather than provide enjoyment.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is praised for being compelling and well-executed, contributing positively to the overall narrative and gameplay experience. Players appreciate the depth of the characters alongside the engaging story and impressive graphics, although some note that loading screens can be excessive.
- “Great story and fantastic combat and character development.”
- “Pro: really good game, compelling story, great graphics, cool character design.”
- “Good character development.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Overall, the game's optimization is commendable, with perfect performance reported on the Pixel 2 and smoother animations alongside improved load times. However, some users, particularly on the HTC 10, are experiencing performance issues, indicating that optimization may not be consistent across all devices.
- “Perfect performance on the Pixel 2.”
- “The story is now easier to follow; the fighting mechanics are more exciting with all the new obstacles, abilities, and classes; the animation runs smoothly and the load times don't seem quite as long (although there is room for improvement).”
- “Having performance issues on HTC 10.”
- “The game runs poorly on my device, causing frequent lag and stuttering.”
- “I experience significant frame drops, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly when it comes to configuring and preparing for battles, which can feel overly repetitive and frustrating.
- “Any sort of configuring or battle preparation is tedious.”
- “The grinding feels endless and becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
- “Leveling up requires an excessive amount of time and effort, making it frustrating.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers high replayability due to its multiple storylines influenced by player decisions and a strategic combat system. Additionally, the inclusion of a survival mode allows players to choose different characters and experience varied gameplay, enhancing the overall replay value.
- “Fantastic game all around! There are lots of different storylines based on your decisions, and the combat is very strategic. The replay value is extremely high since they have a survival mode where you can pick characters of your choice and ride it out to the death!”
- “Decent replay value.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is noted for being more emotionally compelling than its predecessor, featuring a deeply adventurous core that enhances the overall emotional experience.
- “More emotionally compelling than the first, with a deeply adventurous core.”