Banners of Ruin
- July 29, 2021
- MonteBearo
- 12h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Epic Games Store"Banners of Ruin" is a deck-building roguelike adventure where players lead a band of heroes through the city of Dawn's End to avenge their fallen family. Build your deck from a variety of cards, including character-specific skills and weapons, to overcome challenges and defeat enemies in tactical combat. With procedurally generated levels and a permadeath system, each playthrough offers a unique experience and challenge.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Beautiful artwork and engaging atmosphere.
- Unique party mechanics with diverse character abilities.
- Challenging gameplay that encourages strategic planning.
- Repetitive runs with limited enemy and event variety.
- Difficulty spikes can feel unfair, especially against certain bosses.
- Lack of clear explanations for card mechanics and interactions.
- gameplay348 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a steep learning curve, with many players finding the mechanics convoluted and poorly explained, leading to frustration, especially for newcomers. While the game features unique mechanics and a visually appealing art style, it suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of variety in gameplay, making it feel stagnant after several runs. Despite its challenges, the core gameplay loop is engaging for those who enjoy strategic deck-building and tactical combat, though it may require patience to fully appreciate its depth.
“The game does a great job at guiding the player among all of its facets and teaching about its mechanics, not much by way of narrative exposition but, instead, with a masterful use of art direction which bolsters intuitiveness.”
“Banners of Ruin is an excellent deck-building roguelike (similar to Slay the Spire) that adds a few other gameplay elements to stand out against its competition: an equipment system, a party of characters to customize with talents and extra unique cards, and card customization through badges that adds extra effects to each card.”
“The gameplay is fun and complex enough to make up for the lack of card variety, at least when compared to Slay the Spire, and there are only a few minor display bugs which will probably be ironed out, as the devs are still updating the game.”
“During gameplay, there is no confirm option, no way to undo/rewind if you misclick or mistarget, and worst of all, there's no 'are you sure?' confirmation box when you're about to do something that will absolutely ruin your run.”
“The UI is not intuitive, the tutorial is unhelpful (explaining only some of the mechanics you need to know and not others before kicking you back to the menu), and the game is aggressively difficult up front with what feels like few ways to mitigate it enough to actually learn what's happening.”
“The gameplay is slow, boring, and repetitive.”
- graphics226 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning artwork and unique art style, often compared to beloved works like "Redwall." While the visuals are described as beautiful and immersive, some players noted issues with usability, such as difficulty in interacting with certain elements due to the design. Overall, the aesthetic and atmosphere are highlighted as standout features, contributing significantly to the game's appeal despite some minor graphical imperfections.
“The artwork and ambience are outstanding.”
“Banners of Ruin is a great game as it does most things right: aesthetic, animation, atmosphere, balanced combat, fair mechanics with creative solutions, a diverse roster of playable characters.”
“The graphics are great, but animations are close to non-existent.”
“Once in a while it suffers a graphical error that crashes the display.”
“There's a bit of graphical lag now and then that needs addressing, but otherwise this is really good if you like Darkest Dungeon and Slay the Spire.”
“While I think the aesthetic is charming and the portrait animations for the character menu are well-done, it feels unpolished overall.”
- story137 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story in "Banners of Ruin" is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its intriguing premise and dark atmosphere, while others criticize its lack of depth and development. Many reviews highlight that, despite the engaging art and gameplay mechanics, the narrative feels underdeveloped, often overshadowed by combat and grinding, leaving players wanting more substantial story elements and character interactions. Overall, while the game hints at a compelling lore, it falls short of fully realizing its narrative potential, leading to a desire for future expansions or updates to enhance the storytelling experience.
“I love the story aspect and it does a great job making you feel like you're embarking on a journey through a medieval animal city to assassinate a corrupt animal leader.”
“The art and sound are amazing, the little story pieces are interesting, and the progression system feels rewarding.”
“Banners of Ruin adds a lot of what's been missing from most deck-building dungeon crawlers I've played: personality, story.”
“There is next to no story in this game, which is too bad.”
“Unfortunately, other than the intro and ending cut-scenes, the story isn't really built upon.”
“The biggest problem for me was that for a long story-related questline-driven game with no voice acting, they couldn't have made alternate stories.”
- music137 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, while others note its repetitiveness due to a limited number of tracks. Overall, the soundtrack is described as beautiful, fitting the game's themes well, and contributing significantly to the immersive experience, despite some players expressing concerns about it becoming annoying over extended play sessions. The art and music are frequently highlighted as standout features, elevating the game's overall presentation.
“Mini bosses, main bosses, and by far one of the best soundtracks I've heard in ages.”
“The music sets the perfect tone, a symphony that makes the game feel like home; as you journey, you'll feel the wind blow, and the thrill of adventure will be sown.”
“The art and music of this game are completely impeccable.”
“The soundtrack is somewhat lacking in variety, but the tracks that are there are absolutely great.”
“You will hear the same 15-30 seconds of music looped over and over.”
“The quiet, dark music lulls me to sleep.”
- replayability91 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its variety of challenges, unlockable characters, and strategic depth, while others criticize its lack of long-term engagement and repetitive gameplay. Although there are elements that can keep players returning, such as different classes and customizable challenges, many feel it falls short compared to more established titles in the genre like "Slay the Spire." Overall, while there is potential for replay value, it may not satisfy those seeking extensive replayability.
“This game has a lot of replay value in forms of preset challenges and customizable challenges for you to pick, leveling system for you and your unlocked characters.”
“It has a lot of replay value and definitely has a few surprising tricks up its sleeve to keep the replays interesting, and the late game bosses provide a very meaty challenge.”
“The party member mechanics in the game provide a lot of replayability and variance between runs.”
“Most noticeably, unlike other popular deck builders, it suffers from replayability issues.”
“Overall, for reasons like these, I feel the lack of variation in the overall shape of the campaign limits the replayability value.”
“Due to the aforementioned poor progression system between runs and the rather short (but grindy) list of content, the replayability really lacks.”
- atmosphere37 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Banners of Ruin" is widely praised for its dark, immersive quality, enhanced by stunning artwork, engaging music, and a well-crafted setting. Reviewers appreciate how the game's aesthetic and sound design contribute to a unique experience, despite some criticism regarding the depth of content and story. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as captivating and integral to the gameplay, making it a standout feature.
“Good atmosphere; it's not just a digital card game, but it all works together to create an experience.”
“Fantastic game, dripping with atmosphere.”
“The setting, characters, lore, and soundtrack all create a surprisingly dark atmosphere.”
“Banners' story, art, and atmosphere shine, but those aren't the elements that the game makes you focus on, and grinding really hammers home that dissonance.”
“The illustrations, the atmosphere, the universe they created; it's right there, but the general lack of content just hampers it, unfortunately.”
- grinding23 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 4 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many runs feeling similar and lacking in mental challenge. While some enjoy the grind initially, the lack of varied content and the need to complete monotonous sidequests detracts from the overall experience, leading to frustration and a desire to stop playing. Despite the potential for roguelite progression, many feel that the grinding does not offer enough reward to justify the time investment.
“I will try to keep grinding, because it would be nice to win a run, but I feel, after that, the game just doesn't have enough content to keep me going, because just getting new races to play is sadly not enough.”
“I've played quite a few roguelite card games and this is by far the most tedious of them all.”
“The negatives really are just the game got tedious for me after a while with a lot of the runs starting to feel the same.”
“Most of the challenges change very little except for a few arbitrary things and the further objectives of the game are behind a wall of grinding through first levels that are not only just about exactly the same every single time, but just not mentally challenging.”
- stability18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with many players reporting significant bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as freezing during battles and issues with menu navigation. While some users find the game generally playable and enjoyable despite these problems, others describe it as a "buggy mess" that feels unfinished. Overall, players hope for future updates to address these stability concerns and improve the overall experience.
“It runs great, no issues, and I even beat my first campaign.”
“It's 100% playable, not buggy or anything.”
“Not very buggy; I was surprised since it's a very new early access game.”
“I love the game, but it's a buggy mess.”
“Game often freezes and when it does, your saved game gets corrupted. :( Awesome game though.”
“This game is super buggy.”
- character development12 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is often overshadowed by its impressive character design and art, which receive high praise for their beauty and uniqueness. However, many reviewers feel that the gameplay lacks depth and meaningful progression, leading to a sense of limited character development and choice. While the mechanics and narrative elements show potential, they ultimately fall short in providing a satisfying character growth experience.
“Beautiful art and character design, a solid revenge narrative, and a haunting soundtrack.”
“Absolutely so amazing, love the gameplay, the whole character design is impeccable.”
“Overall, it's close to being good, given the art style, character designs, and unique character talents to give each race a different feel.”
“All of this means that the character development element just isn't there.”
“I felt like it was a Slay the Spire boss rush with infinitely less choice and character development, with success being decided on whether I got masterwork full plate or not.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is hit or miss; while some players find moments of genuine hilarity, such as defeating challenging enemies, others feel the overall comedic elements fall flat. Despite initial expectations of a fun experience centered around quirky characters like knife-throwing weasels, the humor does not consistently resonate with all players.
“For a game that I bought purely because it had funny knife-throwing weasels, I'd say that this game certainly isn't bad for my first ever deckbuilder.”
“The moment when I finally killed the warden... I was laughing hysterically.”
“Funny thing is, I got all the way to the final battle and these two knight enemies survived so long I wasn't sure I would win.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, with experiences ranging from deep sadness over character loss to joy in overcoming challenges. However, some feel that the story lacks sufficient context and resolution, which diminishes its overall emotional impact.
“I cried when my first bear died.”
“I am so bad at this game, and I was so happy that my noobish self managed to beat it; it made me feel really good.”
“Similarly, the story is vague and needs introduction and conclusion scenes to give it more emotional weight.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for its poor performance, even on capable hardware like the RTX 2060 and Ryzen 4800H. Reviewers recommend waiting for future updates or a performance pass from the developers before playing.
“The game shows great potential, and I'm optimistic that future updates will enhance performance significantly.”
“I'm excited to see how the developers will optimize the game in upcoming patches.”
“With a few more updates, I believe the performance will improve and the gameplay experience will be even better.”
“The game is hampered by very poor performance despite having an RTX 2060 and Ryzen 4800H.”
“I advise waiting for the developers to perform a performance pass on this game or for a couple more updates.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism, with users suggesting that the funds allocated for advertising would have been better invested in game development, as the current quality does not meet expectations.
“It would be better if you spent the money spent on advertising on the development of the game, because it is not even possible to call it a game yet.”
“I found this game thanks to advertising, and expected quite a lot from it.”
