Leading a caravan of ordinary families, fighters and giants across the backdrop of a gorgeous handcrafted landscape while making increasingly difficult decisions probably sounds a lot like The Banner Saga that released back in 2014 and you’d be right. You would also be right in using that same description and applying it to the sequel The Banner Saga 2. While the changes are minimal it’s certainly still worth the 10 hours or so required to complete.

Note – To discuss the plot and story of The Banner Saga 2 would have immediate spoilers for the first game in the series and lessen the experience of playing it yourself. The review below is spoiler free and does not delve into narrative details, that’s for you to do!

Plenty of games try to market themselves on player choice and the consequences thereof however not many actually succeed in utilising this aspect. Many certainly offer the illusion while providing the same outcome regardless of the agency afforded to those making the decisions and this is something that developer Stoic Studio seems to thrive on. Each and every choice often has an immediately apparent response usually making you wonder what would have been. Those choices not instantly obvious in their consequence will no doubt rear their head later in the journey and are usually the choices that make you worry the most. It makes you feel like you’re always on the back foot and adjusting to the next adversity as you constantly try to do what’s best.

The weight of the choices also plays into the way that characters can come and go, you will naturally have favourites but my advice would be not to get attached. No character is safe from death and all it takes is an awry battle or decision and they’re gone forever. That all ties in to the permeating tension that’s so intrinsic to the experience, knowing that none of your band is safe, knowing that if you choose to send someone out on a mission it could be their last but also acutely aware that not doing so could mean the death of others. The fact that there are no manual save points only compounds this further meaning you are always left to deal with the results and have to push on, learning from the events and trying to do better next time.

While you may feel hopeless or categorically wish you never made a decision the game never leaves you unable to proceed. You may certainly make things more difficult for yourself but regardless, there is never a fail state due to how you choose to resolve an issue other than death in battle which can always be overcome with a better strategy or approach.

By now if you’ve played the original you will still be thinking the entirety above still applies to the first game and wondering what’s changed. In essence the primary and only real difference is the quality of the writing. The first game was not poorly written but did often feel disjointed at times and had a lot of work to do building the world and lore therein while still trying to tell a tale of its own. It felt as though you were thrust into the middle of the story rather than the beginning and naturally The Banner Saga 2 doesn’t suffer the same issues.

Offering a brief recap video for players needing a refresher or those simply wishing to go straight into this game is a welcome addition as the story begins almost immediately after the events of the first. When returning characters make their first appearance in this game there is often a brief, by brief we’re talking two lines, summary of them before moving on which can lead to more questions if you have a hazy memory.

Players are able to transfer their save from the original should they have one so any characters who died during the journey are missing this time out. Anyone that does make the jump to The Banner Saga 2 also retain their growth from the tribulations of the first game meaning levels, items and upgrades are all restored. This is well worth doing so if you have the option to.

From a playing perspective the game plays out in much the same way; players are tasked with keeping supplies, morale and population high enough to make the journey while constantly at risk of losing the same. There are sporadic trips to villages where you may spend experience points known as “Renown” to buy further supplies though it’s pertinent to note that this is also used to increase the stats of your heroes.

Combat is a strategy RPG affair so before each battle you may place up to 6 combatants on an isometric grid and are able to tweak their positions and turn order. From here your heroes have a turn followed by the enemy team, one hero at a time you will choose where to move and strike all the while trying to keep your band alive. There are various classes ranging from Shieldmasters, Archers, Spellweavers, Berserkers to Menders and more meaning there is decent variety afforded to team selection.

Positional strategy is of the utmost importance, leaving an archer or spell caster vulnerable can lead to quick deaths and defeats so it’s wise to utilise the small advantages you can. For instance the giant characters known as Varl take up 4 squares on the grid meaning you can create blockades and lead the enemies. Each unit has two main traits when it comes to their survivability Armour and Health. You can attack each of these although attacking a unit’s health while their armour is fully intact will mean less damage overall so it’s usually wise to first weaken enemies before going straight for the kill.

Damage and others skills can be enhanced via the use of Willpower. This is a stat that traces back to the travelling aspect of the game; should your caravan have high morale then you will be afforded extra willpower in combat. This allows you to move slightly further than normal or deal that extra bit of damage you may need in addition to boosting the many skills of your companions and buff abilities. The difficulty from the original returns but with slightly more accommodating options this time around as an autosave is carried out before battle and you can raise or lower the difficulty before each skirmish should you be having issues.  

The gorgeous hand drawn aesthetics return for The Banner Saga 2 taking players to a lovingly crafted 2D animated Nordic setting reminiscent of that of an old Disney cartoon. It’s the kind of art style that when revisited 15 years from now won’t look dated in the way that games portraying realism tend to suffer from. While it looks identical to its predecessor both look beautiful and almost timeless.

There is very little voice acting but what little is on display is suitable, the dialogue in the main is presented in written form rather than spoken word which can lead to a little confusion when audio dialogue is heard as there is rarely an indication of who actually said it. This leads players to decide who it “probably” was and could certainly have been handled better. The choice to predominantly forego voice acting feels like a conscious design decision that allows the writers freedom to express themselves with the various branching pathways and selections players make. The choice of hero at the beginning of the game is case and point of this as that alone has huge implications for the story.

If you want to make hard decisions and strategize whilst taking in some beautiful art all the while experiencing a narrative that is altogether enhanced by the gameplay preceding it then this is a game I cannot recommend highly enough. There are enough highs to get you through the gruelling lows and should there be a third entry The Banner Saga 2 has set it up brilliantly.

The best thing you could do is go and try the first if you haven’t already, it’s cheap enough on Steam by now so there’s not really a reason not to and even the lowest end PCs should be able to run it due to the cartoon visuals too. Rather than tweaking the formula or mechanics to rock the boat, Stoic have simply told another story in their intriguing unique world; one that is better written, better paced and is more engaging for it.