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The Banner Saga

The Banner Saga

Stoic · released Jan 14, 2014

IndieRPGStrategyPCPlayStation 4, PlayStation VitaXbox OneNintendo SwitchiOS (iPhone/iPad)

Live through an epic role-playing Viking saga where your strategic choices directly affect your personal journey. Make allies as you travel with your caravan across this stunning yet harsh landscape. Carefully choose those who will help fight a new threat that jeopardizes an entire civilization.

Steam page ↗OpenCritic ↗Metacritic 80 · users 8 ↗
82
VGC Score
■Stablehigh confidence
85%
At launch
89%
Steam all-time
81%
Press
77%
Player sentiment
95%
Recent sentiment

PC 82 · Xbox 70

Screenshots & trailers

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (OpenCritic)–8130
Creator reviews (3 tracked)–871
All-time Steam reviews89%831000
Metacritic user ratings–8431
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)95%9010
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 29 reviews sampled · 24 total reviews in window · weighted 23.4 up / 1.2 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (127)

Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.

  • 80
    FintendoFintendo
    trust 78Jun 10, 2018

    “"Beautiful beginning and innovative combat system."”

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    Slant MagazineSlant Magazine
    trust 77Jan 30, 2014

    “As befits a game funded through Kickstarter, The Banner Saga doubles down on risk/reward mechanics throughout its rather lengthy journey.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Nintendo LifeNintendo Life
    trust 76May 24, 2018

    “If you happen to love Norse mythology or epic fantasy stories full of consequence and deft storytelling, then look no further than The Banner Saga. This is a beautifully crafted game that uses its intriguing cast, gripping tale and absolutely stunning artwork and soundtrack to transport you to a world filled with plenty of danger and surprises. The turn-based strategic battles might not be equally as thrilling to everyone who plays this, and the interface in this part of the game can be a bit clunky at times, but this doesn't detract too much from the collective offering.”

    read full review ↗
  • 85
    GRYOnline.plGRYOnline.pl
    trust 75Jan 15, 2014

    “The Banner Saga is a very unique game - an excellent mix of cRPG and tactical battles with a compelling story, interesting characters and wonderful, cartoonish graphics. It's definitely not a game for everyone, but fans of complex stories will be overjoyed. And in case they are fans of Scandinavian hero stories and love sad fables as well, The Banner Saga is a must buy.”

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    RPGamerRPGamer
    trust 74Feb 14, 2014

    “Regardless of whether future installments stand or fall, The Banner Saga has done its duty. It may not always give gamers what they want, but it gives them what they need: challenging questions, tactical gameplay, and a strong, fully realized atmosphere.”

    read full review ↗
  • 85
    ani-game.comani-game.com
    trust 73Jun 19, 2018

    “If you’re a fan of tactical, strategy RPG’s then Banner Saga should definitely be on your radar, if it hasn’t been already in the last 4 years. It’s illustrated art style combined with it’s incredible story and soundtrack come together to create one of the best strategy RPG’s you can own on the Nintendo Switch. And while the game has been ported to mobile devices before, it’s here that the game feel’s most at home when you’re not at home.”

    read full review ↗
  • 100
    The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
    trust 71Jan 15, 2014

    “If anything, the game's limitations, the wooden conversations, the nonsensical and uneven means of resource management, the repetitive combat, the lack of real agency in determining your fate, the possibility of game-ending failure, become more glaring as it goes on, but unaccountably, they all add up to a coherent whole.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Joystiq
    trust 71Feb 3, 2014

    “The Banner Saga is a human story told with inhuman flair, and that somehow makes it all the more relatable. Even the fights themselves have grown on me, they're just tough enough to provide a challenge on normal difficulty, but not so unforgiving that I feel like giving up.”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    Cubed3Cubed3
    trust 70Jul 14, 2018

    “For almost four years, The Banner Saga has provided a thoroughly enjoyable alternative offering to the standard tactical RPG.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Pure XboxPure Xbox
    trust 70Jan 18, 2016

    “As a package, The Banner Saga is addictive, attractive, compelling, enjoyable, and truly challenging on the higher difficulty level. Some will find fault with the price, given that the Xbox One version is £15.99 and the PC and iOS editions have been available for a third of that in their time, but we say that the price is fair for what you get here. It's been a long wait, but there's nothing like kicking back and overseeing your merry band of fantastically animated fighters trekking across a frozen wasteland on a big-screen TV, or hearing the roaring clank of metal on metal as you fire in a battle-winning series of attacks.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    PC InvasionPC Invasion
    trust 69Jan 14, 2014

    “Hardship and displacement in a Nordic-inspired world make for a splendid, and splendid looking, RPG.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Push SquarePush Square
    trust 69Jan 12, 2016

    “Get used to the clumsy controls and The Banner Saga is a great role-playing ride right the way through to its conclusion. Meaningful player choice and engaging storytelling are broken up perfectly by bouts of enjoyable strategic combat, which creates a wonderfully paced experience that's very hard to put down. This is a banner that we want to see soaring well into the future.”

    read full review ↗

…and 115 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

  1. Update for Linux Users: Banner Saga on Proton
    Nov 14, 2018
  2. Banner Saga 1 Update
    Nov 1, 2018
  3. Untitled
    Oct 3, 2018
  4. Untitled
    Oct 3, 2018
  5. Untitled
    Oct 3, 2018
  6. Untitled
    Oct 3, 2018
  7. Untitled
    Oct 3, 2018
  8. Patch Notes for Banner Saga 1 - 1.2.3
    Oct 3, 2018
  9. Prepare for the End - Banner Saga 3 Is Coming!
    Jul 18, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  10. Chinese language support added
    Jan 11, 2018
  11. Improvements and Fixes Updates
    Dec 11, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  12. Improvements and Fixes Updates
    Dec 11, 2017
  13. Česky and Bugfix
    Jun 22, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  14. 한국어 Korean Language Support!
    May 11, 2017
  15. Balance Update Patch
    Dec 13, 2016
  16. Balance Update Patch
    Dec 13, 2016
  17. Balance Update!
    Dec 2, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  18. Balance Update!
    Dec 2, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  19. Added Japanese Language Support!
    Sep 1, 2016
  20. Minor TBS Update
    Apr 12, 2016
  21. Minor TBS Update
    Apr 12, 2016
  22. Localization Update
    Jun 29, 2015
  23. Localization Update
    Jun 29, 2015
  24. Small Update
    May 6, 2015
  25. Small Update
    May 6, 2015
  26. Version 2.16.41 now Available!
    Apr 29, 2015
  27. Version 2.16.41 now Available!
    Apr 29, 2015
  28. Banner Saga Update - Linux+SteamOS and more!
    Apr 17, 2015significant · resets scoring window
  29. Banner Saga Update - Linux+SteamOS and more!
    Apr 17, 2015
  30. The Banner Saga oniOS and Linux Update
    Oct 2, 2014
  31. The Banner Saga oniOS and Linux Update
    Oct 2, 2014
  32. The Banner Saga Patch 2 - Release Notes - 2.6.45
    Jun 20, 2014significant · resets scoring window
  33. The Banner Saga Patch 2 - Release Notes - 2.6.45
    Jun 20, 2014significant · resets scoring window
  34. Humble Bundle Daily Deal + Update
    May 15, 2014
  35. Humble Bundle Daily Deal + Update
    May 15, 2014
  36. The Banner Saga Patch 1 - Release Notes - 2.1.65
    Jan 22, 2014
  37. The Banner Saga Patch 1 - Release Notes - 2.1.65
    Jan 22, 2014