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.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 82 | 25 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 88 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 90% | 84 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 86 | 15 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 90% | 84 | 5 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 15 reviews sampled · 13 total reviews in window · weighted 11.2 up / 1.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (99)
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.
- 90
- 40
“The tiring exposition of the writing and the lack of visual coherence to the storytelling are obvious from the start.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Banner Saga 2 expands on the series' existing foundations with more of the same. There's no drastic overhaul to the text-based elements or battle segments, and similar systems are in place when it comes to managing your caravan party, fighting enemies, and talking your way out of a tight spot. If you've played the original, you'll know exactly what to expect. Subtle refinements make this a sequel that truly lives up to the standards of the first entry, however, paving the way for the final chapter.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“As its predecessor, The Banner Saga 2 hits the chord with a specific audience that won't mind the brutal difficulty and random events that can cripple their armies. You might not complete the game in your first sitting, but it will be a journey worth taking.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Banner Saga 2 is another strategy tactics RPG that feels right at home on the Nintendo Switch. It improves on the great framework of the first game adding in some tweaks to the game-play mechanic’s and further polishing the visual’s since the first game. While it does begin to get repetitive towards the end of the game and it’s ending seemingly come’s out of nowhere, leaving much unresolved it does have me interested on jumping into the final entry in the trilogy when it launches later this month.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“One of the complaints levelled at the original was that it was too easy to muddle through without paying attention to how much food or morale the caravan has. That is not the case here, thus people in your caravan will die of starvation, or seek greener pastures elsewhere. While the first game looks at the emerging threat and initial impact of the Dredge, the second one examines the influence that this menace has on society,and whether it's possible to keep a band of humans and Varl together while the world falls apart around them. While new additions such as classes and barricades are nice to have, at six to eight hours long, it is a bit on the short side for the asking price. The physical release of the Banner Saga Trilogy offers greater value for money.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The Banner Saga 2 reaps all the benefits and foibles of strict continuity. It maintains the outstanding presentation and decision-based narrative highs of the first entry, but minor changes to mechanics are unlikely to sway opinion on the unique, but slightly peculiar, combat system.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Where The Banner Saga stands head and shoulders above most other role-playing games is that the world created by Stoic Studio here feels truly on the precipice of collapse. So often when we play role-playing games we're given a rag-tag band of heroes who must join together to overcome a seemingly insurmountable threat. But for all the apocalyptic histrionics of games like Skyrim, Persona 4, or one of many Final Fantasy titles, there's always amusing side-quests to take part in or brief moments of levity to break up the tension. The Banner Saga 2 is a story about the end of the world, and few games do a better job of constantly reminding you of that fact.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“The epic story of the banner comes again to touch our sensitive inner self. The second chapter of the saga is full of pain, grief, anxiety, courage and heroism. Lets sit by the fire and sing again songs about heroic deeds, forgotten gods and the loved ones who were lost along the way. The Banner Saga 2 is all about feelings.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“The music is positively sublime especially when paired with the gorgeous art and animation. If you're craving a good fantasy story and are down for some fun tactical turn-based fare, this series is one to follow through on. The finale can't come soon enough even if the battles and story segments along the way might thin the party in tragic ways.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Banner Saga 2 may be just the next part of Stoic's ongoing tale but basically everything has been improved.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Overall as much as I enjoyed the first Banner Saga I enjoyed the second even more so. With the small adjustments to the graphics and the visual elements in general, it felt like an even better packaged experience. I don't think that I need to mention it, but, I'll be eagerly awaiting the release of the third and final entry into the Banner Saga.”
read full review ↗
Fintendo
Slant Magazine
Nintendo Life
PLAY Zine
ani-game.com
Cubed3
PC Invasion
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport
GameWatcher
Chalgyr's Game Room…and 87 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Banner Saga 2 Bug Fix UpdateNov 29, 2018
- Banner Saga 2 UpdateNov 1, 2018
- Prepare for the End - Banner Saga 3 Is Coming!Jul 24, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Improvements and Fixes UpdatesDec 11, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Improvements and Fixes UpdatesDec 11, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 2.39.02Mar 23, 2017
- Patch 2.39.02Mar 23, 2017
- Japanese Language Update!Nov 17, 2016
- Japanese Language Update!Nov 17, 2016
- Japanese Update!Sep 1, 2016
- Localization Update!Aug 16, 2016
- Localization Update!Aug 16, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Survival Mode!Jun 23, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- TBS2 Update #2May 25, 2016
- TBS2 Update #2May 25, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- TBS2 Update #1Apr 29, 2016
- TBS2 Update #1Apr 29, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Launch Week and PAX East RecapApr 28, 2016
- Launch Week and PAX East RecapApr 28, 2016