Banners of Ruin

Even if it can feel like the deck-builder roguelike genre is getting a bit oversaturated, Banners of Ruin is definitely one to check out. With its generous and frequent unlocks, as well as its complex-yet-mostly-well-explained combat mechanics, it is easy to pick up and enjoyable to master. While it is not as challenging as some of its roguelike cousins, I personally found its user-friendliness a positive quality. If you are looking for another deck-builder roguelike to play, you should definitely add Banners of Ruin to your deck.

78%Game Brain Score

gameplay, graphics

grinding, stability

80% User Score Based on 2,344 reviews

Critic Score 75%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

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About

Banners of Ruin is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by MonteBearo and was released on July 29, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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80%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,344 reviews

gameplay266 positive mentions

grinding42 negative mentions

Beautiful artwork and engaging atmosphere.
Unique gameplay mechanics with a focus on party management and tactical positioning.
Challenging yet rewarding gameplay that encourages experimentation with different strategies.

Lack of variety in enemies and events leads to repetitive gameplay.
Difficulty spikes can feel unfair, especially with certain bosses that counter specific strategies.
User interface issues and unclear mechanics can frustrate players, particularly new ones.

gameplay
696 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
57%
5%
The gameplay of "Banners of Ruin" is characterized by a steep learning curve, with many players finding the mechanics convoluted and poorly explained, leading to frustration during initial runs. While the game features unique mechanics such as positional combat and a diverse roster of characters, it suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of variety in gameplay, making it feel stale after a few runs. Despite its beautiful art and engaging core loop, the overall experience is marred by UI issues and a punishing difficulty that can deter new players.
- “Fun deck building roguelike with unique gameplay mechanics.”
- “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.”
- “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 (or any good to be honest), the tutorial is unhelpful (explaining only some of the mechanics you need to know and not others before kicking you back to the menu), 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.”
graphics
452 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
40%
1%
The graphics of "Banners of Ruin" are widely praised for their stunning artwork and unique art style, reminiscent of classic tales like "Redwall." While the visuals are described as beautiful and immersive, some players note issues with usability, such as difficulty in clicking on elements due to the design. Overall, the game's aesthetic and atmosphere are highlighted as standout features, contributing significantly to the gaming experience.
- “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 (even without the DLC) and I can go on.”
- “The graphics are great and the game introduces some concepts I haven't encountered before.”
- “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.”
story
274 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
71%
6%
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 game's engaging mechanics and art style, the narrative feels underdeveloped, often overshadowed by gameplay, leading to a desire for more substantial story elements and character interactions. Overall, while the game hints at a compelling lore, it leaves players wanting more in terms of narrative richness and variety.
- “Phenomenal artwork, great story, engaging gameplay, difficult last boss.”
- “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.”
- “Banners of ruin is a mix of a deck-building and tactics game with a compact yet fulfilling 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 story ends before it gets going.”
music
274 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
36%
4%
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. Some players find the soundtrack to be immersive and fitting for the game's themes, while others express frustration with its potential to become annoying over extended play sessions. Overall, the music is generally regarded as a strong aspect of the game, contributing positively to the experience despite some concerns about variety.
- “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 combat music doesn't fit the pacing, and honestly feels depressing.”
replayability
182 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
59%
11%
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 enhance replay value, 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 some find it enjoyable for a few runs, the consensus suggests that it lacks the depth and variety needed for sustained 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 building mechanic sets this apart from other deck builders; it has plenty of replayability and is very easy to come back to.”
- “Banners of Ruin is initially a fun strategy game, but I didn't find any lasting replayability with it.”
- “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.”
atmosphere
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
39%
4%
The atmosphere of "Banners of Ruin" is widely praised for its dark, immersive quality, enhanced by stunning artwork, fitting music, and a cohesive setting that creates a unique experience. Reviewers note that the game's aesthetic and design contribute significantly to its appeal, despite some criticism regarding the depth of content and story. Overall, the combination of visuals, sound, and thematic elements effectively draws players into its gritty world, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “The look of the game is carefully designed; it has this dark atmosphere, and it is clear that a lot of love and care has gone into it.”
- “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.”
grinding
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
7%
91%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly in comparison to other roguelite card games. While some enjoy the initial grind and team-building, the lack of variety in runs and the necessity of completing the same sidequests repeatedly detracts from the overall experience, leading to frustration and a sense of boredom over time. Overall, the grinding feels more like a chore than an engaging part of the gameplay, impacting replayability and enjoyment.
- “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.”
- “After grinding away for 15 hours and getting frustrated to a point of popping a vein, I’ll just uninstall this game and add it to the clutter in my games library.”
stability
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as freezing during battles and issues with card descriptions. While some users find the game playable and enjoyable despite these problems, others describe it as a "buggy mess" that feels unfinished. Overall, while the game shows potential, it requires further refinement and updates to address its stability issues.
- “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 EA 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.”
- “But it's a buggy pants-shitting nightmare.”
character development
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
34%
8%
The reviews highlight impressive character design and art, with many praising the unique talents and aesthetics of the characters. However, there is a consensus that character development is lacking, with gameplay feeling slow and overly simplistic, leading to a diminished sense of growth and choice for players. Overall, while the visual aspects are celebrated, the depth of character development fails to meet expectations.
- “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.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is hit or miss; while some players found moments of genuine hilarity, particularly during intense battles, others felt the overall comedic elements fell flat and lacked excitement. The presence of quirky characters, like knife-throwing weasels, adds a humorous touch, but not all players found the game consistently funny.
- “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.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, particularly through moments of loss, such as the death of a beloved bear, which elicited tears. However, some feel that the overall narrative lacks depth and structure, suggesting that additional context could enhance the emotional impact of the story. Despite these critiques, the sense of achievement in overcoming challenges also contributes to positive emotional experiences.
- “I cried when my first bear died.”
- “I am so bad at this game and 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 this more emotional weight.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization is criticized for significantly poor performance, even on capable hardware like the RTX 2060 and Ryzen 4800H. Users recommend waiting for developers to implement performance improvements or additional updates before playing.
- “The game is hampered by very poor performance despite having an RTX 2060 and Ryzen 4800H.”
- “I advise waiting for the developers to do a performance pass on this game or for a couple more updates.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the game's monetization strategy, heavily reliant on advertising, has led to disappointment among users who feel that the funds should have been better allocated towards game development rather than promotion. Many express that the current state of the game does not meet expectations, suggesting a disconnect between marketing efforts and the actual product quality.
- “It would be better if you spent the money spent on advertising in the development channel, because it is not even possible to call it a game yet.”