Early in the morning of January 24th, 2017, Stoic Games made the Internet giddy when they announced their Kickstarter for the last game in their critically acclaimed series, The Banner Saga. Promising to bring the epic, Viking-inspired fantasy tale to a close, The Banner Saga 3 needed $200,000 from the people in order to get development started. Considering the first Kickstarter for the original game was a massive success in 2012, it’s no surprise this latest campaign is already funded with still 34 days left to go.
We love The Banner Saga here at Gamepedia. The first one introduced us to a frigid and dangerous world where making hard choices, both in combat and outside it, served as the framework for a truly unique, mature role-playing experience. The second doubled down on this idea, focusing not just on varying combat, but centering the narrative around a set characters whose relationships and personal desires make surviving through the end of days that much more complicated.
The Kickstarter page describes the games as such:
Picture the classic tactical strategy games of your childhood but refined for the modern age. It’s not about grinding to get past the next fight. Every encounter, every decision you make has heavy and sometimes far-reaching consequences. It throws you into the end of the world and asks,”how do you deal with this”?
Banner Saga 3 is aimed at people who appreciate art, story and strategy.
The turn-based combat is easy to understand, but with its heavy focus on tactics over sheer brute force, it can be quite challenging. With over 40 unique characters with their own special sets of abilities, knowing who the right guy for the job is is only half the battle. Honestly, if you haven’t played these games yet, you are in for a strategy RPG experience unlike any other.
I’d normally urge you to go to Steam or GOG right now and pick up the first two games, but there’s another way. When pledging at any reward level for The Banner Saga 3 Kickstarter campaign, you have the option to add $20 more to the pledge in exchange for both The Banner Saga 1 and 2, which would be available right after the Kickstarter closes. Now that’s savings!
The Kickstarter ends on March 7th, so move quickly to help Stoic Games realize their dark, grueling, and beautiful vision – and help them reach some of the exciting stretch goals.