tactical role-playing game
The Banner Saga 2
By Stoic, released 1 Jan 2016
- Microsoft Windows
- macOS
What it is
The Banner Saga 2 is a tactical role-playing game by Stoic, released in 2016 for Windows and macOS. It continues a Viking-clan journey through a world in crisis, with the story shaped by decisions carried over from the first game and difficult choices made along the way. Players manage resources and a traveling caravan as well as directing battles, so survival depends on both leadership and tactical planning. Combat takes place on strategic battle boards, and characters can be lost permanently. The adventure introduces new characters and the Horseborn, a new race. Its presentation includes hand-drawn 2D combat scenes and animations, special effects, and a score by Austin Wintory. The Steam version is single-player and lists achievements, controller support, captions, Steam Cloud, stats, leaderboards, trading cards, and Remote Play on tablet and TV.
What players like, and what they don't
- Choices carry over from the first game.
- Caravan management shapes the journey.
- Combat includes strategic battle boards.
- Features hand-drawn 2D combat sequences.
- Steam lists full controller support.
- Character losses can be permanent.
- The listed platforms are Windows and macOS.
- It is single-player.
Who it suits
It suits players interested in choice-driven Viking stories, tactical battles, and caravan management. It is single-player on Windows and macOS.
The Banner Saga 2 combines narrative decisions, caravan management, and tactical combat in a single-player Viking adventure. Its lasting character losses make battle outcomes consequential.
