The Banner Saga: Factions

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The Banner Saga: Factions is a single player and multiplayer tactical role playing game with a historical theme. It was developed by Stoic and was released on February 25, 2013. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

The Banner Saga: Factions is the premiere multiplayer role-playing strategy game on PC and Mac. It brings the feeling of beloved tactical games to a high-definition era with gorgeous hand-animated artwork and a degree of depth unprecedented in the realm of free games. Fight, learn, and lead your clan of vikings to glory!

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74%

Audience ScoreBased on 566 reviews

graphics69 positive mentions

monetization5 negative mentions

The game features beautiful hand-drawn art and engaging tactical combat, reminiscent of classic strategy games.
It offers a unique turn-based gameplay experience that combines elements of chess with RPG mechanics, allowing for deep strategic planning.
The game is free to play, making it accessible to a wide audience without the pressure of pay-to-win mechanics.

The player base is extremely low, making it difficult to find matches, especially for new players.
The game lacks single-player content, which limits its replayability and can lead to a feeling of emptiness.
There are technical issues, including long loading times and occasional crashes, which detract from the overall experience.

graphics
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
22%
3%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning hand-drawn art style, which many reviewers describe as beautiful, unique, and reminiscent of classic animations. Players appreciate the vibrant visuals that enhance the gameplay experience, with some noting the graphics as a standout feature that immerses them in the game's world. Overall, the combination of gorgeous artwork and effective design contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a visual treat for players.
- “The artwork is absolutely beautiful.”
- “The graphics are stunningly stylized and mood-settingly effective without removing from the gameplay with unnecessary distractions.”
- “This gameplay is presented in a gorgeous hand-drawn 2D art style in an imaginative pseudo-Norse mythology setting.”
- “This game may be appealing at first for its indie look and cartoon graphics, but they want you to pay to play this game.”
- “Some of the graphics are reused a bit too much and only the first section of the game has properly animated movies.”
- “Uninspired trash: no innovative or interesting mechanics, 1 ability per character, very limited party makeup, several turns of foot shuffling at the beginning of games, waiting for someone to make the mistake of entering your attack range, and despite not being graphics intensive runs like shit (I can run most modern games fine, this was at about 15 fps).”
gameplay
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
63%
4%
The gameplay of the game is generally praised for its unique mechanics, engaging tactical combat, and beautiful art style, making it accessible yet challenging for players. However, some users noted issues with a steep learning curve, slow pacing, and a lack of player base, which can hinder the overall experience. While the game offers a satisfying blend of strategy and simplicity, it may require perseverance to fully appreciate its depth and potential.
- “The gameplay is fluid, especially for a turn-based game.”
- “The banner saga: factions has in-depth unit management, turn-based tactical gameplay based around careful positioning and use of units that I can only describe as RPG chess.”
- “Extremely simple, yet endlessly deep mechanics mean a low barrier of entry, but a high degree of skill needed to get good.”
- “This is just a cash grab attempt with a pay-to-win model and poor random mechanics.”
- “Might be fun for people who have played the single player, but this seems very lackluster with no real tutorial and no way to practice against an AI opponent, meaning you either gnaw your teeth and try to learn the mechanics playing against real opponents who will swiftly defeat you with no real chance of winning, or you quit.”
- “But the game itself is a ghost town (seems like nobody plays it) and the gameplay is a bit clunky and cumbersome.”
story
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
73%
7%
The reviews highlight a significant divide in player experiences regarding the story aspect of the game. While some praise the narrative depth and character development in the main storyline, others express disappointment with the lack of a substantial story in the multiplayer-focused version, feeling it limits engagement and progression. Overall, many players are eager for a dedicated single-player mode that fully explores the rich story potential established in the original games.
- “The story, characters, gameplay, audio, and visuals, all of it is astounding, I wholly recommend it.”
- “The first 5-10 minutes of the game were good; good story, tutorial, there seemed a nice amount of info and depth to it.”
- “The story begins as the sun has frozen in the sky and an army of dark figures are marching from the outer reaches of the known civilization.”
- “No story, only multiplayer combat, and nobody's on it so there's nothing a new player can do.”
- “As such, there is no story to speak of here, which is the main reason why this series is so spectacular.”
- “And then once the basic start of the story is done, I've been left with a group of fighters in a village with nothing to do.”
music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
76%
12%
12%
The music in the game has received high praise for its mesmerizing and beautiful soundtrack, which complements the stunning graphics and dynamic combat. While some reviews note that the music is just above average, many players find it fitting and immersive, enhancing the overall gaming experience. Composed by Austin Wintory, known for his work on "Journey," the soundtrack is often described as engaging and memorable, contributing significantly to the game's aesthetic appeal.
- “Oh, the soundtrack is mesmerizing.”
- “The game is beautiful, the gameplay is entertaining and addicting, and the soundtrack is fitting, appropriate, and exciting.”
- “Wonderful art and music direction make for an engaging aesthetic.”
- “The music is fine, as are the sound effects, but honestly, who even cares?”
- “The game music is composed by Austin Wintory, also the composer of 'Journey' on PS3.”
monetization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
20%
50%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing it as a cash grab that encourages microtransactions for progression, while others appreciate that the game is not pay-to-win and allows for enjoyable gameplay without mandatory purchases. Although there are microtransactions present, many users feel that they do not significantly impact the overall experience, especially in the free-to-play multiplayer mode. Overall, the sentiment suggests a need for improvement in content and advertising to enhance player engagement.
- “While there are microtransactions, it is not a pay-to-win title.”
- “There are microtransactions, but the matchmaking system eliminates overpowered teams from facing newer or weaker ones.”
- “The in-game purchases don't seem to be necessary to enjoy the game; otherwise, I would immediately stop playing it.”
- “Try and keep people playing, not disinterest them with your cash grab of a game.”
- “Designed to make you buy microtransactions so you don't have to spend time leveling your own group of characters.”
- “This is just a cash grab attempt with a pay-to-win model and poor random mechanics.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
The reviews highlight a mixed experience with grinding in the game. While some players find it excessively grindy, particularly in PvP modes where unlocking characters and skills demands significant effort, others note that it is possible to progress without endless grinding, as all gameplay-relevant content can be earned within a reasonable timeframe. However, newcomers may struggle with the learning curve and long matchmaking wait times, which can exacerbate the grind.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Includes only PvP fights that require a lot of grinding against human players to unlock new characters and skills, which makes the game completely unfriendly to newcomers.”
- “It has a very grindy feel for how you level up and earn stuff unless you buy renown, but its major problem is it usually takes 10 minutes or so in wait time to get a match, and then it's rarely at your level.”
- “It does have a learning curve and requires some grinding to get past the initial 'newbie zone.'”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
17%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for being immersive and fitting, with delightful graphics and fantastic audio that create a relaxing yet tense experience. Players appreciate how the atmosphere enhances gameplay, keeping them engaged, despite some connectivity and freezing issues. Overall, the atmospheric presentation effectively balances tranquility with moments of high tension.
- “A simple game, in the sense that it is very easy to understand, with an immersive atmosphere that has kept me in my seat playing it for the last couple of days (it and the first one: The Banner Saga).”
- “Other than that, the graphics are delightful, the atmosphere is great, and the audio is fantastic.”
- “The game has an atmospheric presentation and sound; it is rather 'quiet,' but the tension in the matches can get your blood boiling.”
- “This provides a relaxing atmosphere for the user as a whole, but at the same time makes the gameplay quite a nail-biter.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
Overall, the game offers significant replayability, particularly through its inventive multiplayer features and a deep combat system. However, some players feel that it lacks sufficient variety to maintain long-term interest, suggesting a mixed experience in replay value.
- “This is a great and inventive game, and in my opinion, the multiplayer increases the replay value.”
- “The game is still a superb demonstration of how to develop a rich, deep turn-based combat system with high replay value.”
- “Hence, endless potential and replayability.”
- “A pretty nice turn-based strategy/tactics game, but it doesn't have much replayability for me.”
- “First, this is a great and inventive game, and in my opinion, the multiplayer increases the replay value.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of "The Banner Saga: Factions" is noted to be less refined compared to "The Banner Saga," which is better implemented, though the latter lacks a multiplayer option.
- “I played Banner Saga: Factions after I had played The Banner Saga; while the latter is more optimized and better implemented, it lacks multiplayer.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, making it frustrating to play on lower-end hardware.”
- “Despite its potential, the optimization is so poor that it often leads to lag and crashes during critical moments.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in The Banner Saga is noted as a surprising highlight, with players finding the game both strategically engaging and amusing. Despite its focus on strategy and combat, the lighthearted elements contribute positively to the overall experience.
- “I found it a really good game full of strategy and funny to play!”
- “Funny thing is: the fighting wasn't the best feature of The Banner Saga.”
- “Which is funny... because I'm really (strangely) good at the multiplayer portion.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report that the game exhibits strong stability, with no significant bugs or lag issues, allowing for a smooth gameplay experience.

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59%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

The Banner Saga: Factions review
An accomplished and pretty strategy game, sadly hindered by a handful of questionable design choices.
Pcgamer.com
59%

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Banner Saga: Factions is a tactical role playing game with historical theme.

The Banner Saga: Factions is available on PC, Mac OS and Windows.

The Banner Saga: Factions was released on February 25, 2013.

The Banner Saga: Factions was developed by Stoic.

The Banner Saga: Factions has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its monetization.

The Banner Saga: Factions is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Infinity Wars: Animated Trading Card Game, Shardbound: Forge Your Path, Master Your Strategy, Warbands: Bushido, Gigantic, Dogs of War Online and others.

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