KickStarter The Banner Saga 2

[Metro]

We do: it's mediocre. Now go back to trolling the MMO forum.

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/06/12/e3-2015-making-harder-choices-in-the-banner-saga-2

E3 2015: MAKING HARDER CHOICES IN THE BANNER SAGA 2

If I were to name the one thing The Banner Saga had going for it when it came out last year, it would be "heart." It wove a dire, utterly human, heart-wrenching tale with humble threads. Much like last year's Child of Light, it felt like something that existed because its creators needed to make it, not because the free market demanded it. As much as it charmed me though, the RPG/resource management nerd in me didn't find its gameplay quite meaty enough. Still, I'm thankful that the state of the industry is such that we can have The Banner Saga 2, though I'm even more thankful that there's just a bit more to chew on this time around, whether you're making decisions on the battlefield or off.

Without getting into spoiler territory, the story picks up mere weeks after the closing events of The Banner Saga, and things have not improved. In fact, depending on the choices you made towards the end, the situation at the start of the game will be rather desperate, with characters struggling to cope with the repercussions. All your choices from the original carry over, shaping the experience as early as the title screen, and continuing on all the way into the combat itself.

Combat variety was a bit sparce in the original, but The Banner Saga 2 has made clear efforts to remedy that, some of which are present right from the opening tutorial battle. There are new units on both sides of the battlefield, giving you a greater number of problems to solve, and a deeper toolbox to solve them with. Dredge Skullkers are mutated hounds that hunt in packs, turning invisible and surrounding characters only to strike in ferocious unison. The Dredge Direguard on the other hand is a support unit that can turn parts of the battlefield harmful to your army while buffing his allies. Take one out though, and the rest of the Dredge scatter. Do you deal with his buffed cohorts, or do you take him on directly to try to end things quickly? Decisions like this make combat more interesting and challenging.

Another variable is how your decisions during story events affect combat scenarios. Towards the end of my demo, i had to chose how my caravan would meet a sudden Dredge ambush, and each option resulted in a different starting situation for the fight. In fact, my choice got an important character killed, though their sacrifice wasn't in vain; they had cut a swathe through the enemy forces, giving me a significantly easier time than I normally would have had. This is still one of my favorite things about The Banner Saga: not only do your decisions matter, but you never know how they will matter, or to what degree. It shuns the gamey convention of telling you exactly what will happen before it does, leaving you to go purely on instinct, and to suffer the tension of discovering what your actions have wrought.

Everything has a cost here, even if it isn't a material one. The new Shield Maiden has a special ability that will weaken an enemy's armor, but at the expense of her own. You can now dual class a character, giving them access to more than one class ability, but they'll never reach the raw level of power they would have had you kept them dedicated to their first role. You'll have more opportunities than ever to recruit caravan members for your army, But they could be scouring the surrounding area for additional supplies instead. What good are soldiers who die of hunger before they raise their sword and shield?

As the second in a proposed trilogy, it goes without saying that you should play its predecessor before moving on to The Banner Saga 2. If you were among the people who felt the first was just too short for your liking, your mind won't be changed this time out, as this installment is about the same size as the first, and will likely leave as many unanswered questions too. That's just fine for me though, given what I get in return. There's a gravity to this series that's pretty scarce these days; a commitment to consequence and storytelling that never comes up to breathe. The Banner Saga 2, like its prequel, is quite satisfied with being "not for everyone," which is probably why it feels just right for me.

 

[Bubbles]

Shit game, shit sequel. Pass.

 

[roshan]

That sounds really good. I thought the first game was excellent, so if they can build something better off those foundations, I'm sold.

 

[LESS T_T]

Steam page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/281640/

ETA is Winter.

 

[Bubbles]

So between the 21st and 23rd of December, most likely.

 

[Bumvelcrow]

Shit game, shit sequel. Pass.

But Bubbles, I read your review and you seemed to like the original. At least I tried to read it until TL;DRitis set in so I might have got the wrong end of the stick. Please don't make me read it again...

 

[Bubbles]

Oh, that post was just an attempt at making an in-joke. The review is indeed very positive and reflects my honest opinion on the matter.

 

[Infinitron]

Will watch this tomorrow

 

[Jaesun]

I watched a short interview with them earlier, and your choices in the first game WILL be imported into this game.

Though if that has any *actual* C&C I have no idea. Probably just some sales gimmick.

 

[Copper]

I'd say giving Rook (a character who could be dead instead of his daughter) significant screen time shows a positive step in that direction.

One of the biggest failings of the first game is there's no missing content if someone croaks early - or barely any. You don't get any sappy teen romance / weird stalker interactions if Egil survives - he's not even weeping by Alette's pyre ship in the animatic, for instance, and it's the same with the rest of them. Rook and Iver get character development, but the rest don't, at least not after the point where their death check is.

 

[Infinitron]

Banner Saga 2 interview:



(they're playing BS1, though)

 

[Copper]

Pity brofist for listening to full-bore American hype merchants.

:patriot:

 

[Infinitron]

Pity brofist for listening to full-bore American hype merchants.

:patriot:

implying I listened to it

 

[Infinitron]

Another new thing:



Stoic will be presenting on Twitch's E3 channel today, in 12 or so hours. Last interesting this to happen at this year's E3, as far as I can tell.

 

[ArchAngel]

I watched a short interview with them earlier, and your choices in the first game WILL be imported into this game.

Though if that has any *actual* C&C I have no idea. Probably just some sales gimmick.

Don't care. You could not pay me to play the game to the end to have anything. I quit it once I lost all food and then caravan members but the game kept going on and asking me if I want to sacrifice more caravan member or food for other things. LOL

 

[Infinitron]

It's live: http://www.twitch.tv/twitch/v/6314795?t=3h40m10s

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.idigitaltimes.com/banner-saga-2-hands-review-so-viking-good-451468

The Banner Saga 2 Hands On Review: So Viking Good

Arnie Joregensen, Stoic’s lead artist on The Banner Saga 2, wants people to know one thing.

“The story carries over,” he said. “If you finished the first one, your story will come through.”

This may seem a bit hasty, but Jorgensen knows his crowd. The Banner Saga earned a legion of passionate fans (myself included) with its gorgeous art style, balanced combat and gripping story. The fate of my hero matters.

So you can understand my anxiety at E3 when playing The Banner Saga 2 in front of the devs who made it. Jorgensen looked on as I played the final battle, muttering a commentary of “it's not looking good but I hope this guy wins."

I did win, btw, after he reminded me how the armor/health system worked. It was a close, hard fought battle. Which is exactly what I expected. What surprised me, though, was Stoics staunch commitment to the original. The Banner Saga began its life as a humble kick starter and was one of my favorite games last year. It plays like XCOM or Fire Emblem but looks like a 1950s Disney cartoon about Vikings.

A game that seemed to start small a year ago made it big. With the success, I anticipated a lot more changes from Stoic in terms of scale and story. I’m glad my hunch was wrong, because my hands-on experience reminded me why I loved the original and why it needs virtually no tweaking.

“The biggest thing we’re iterating on and improving is going to be the combat,” Arnie said. “We’re adding a lot more enemies. A lot more heroes. A lot more variation on the combat to make it more cinematic.”

The demo didn't start with a battle. It started with a choice. Alette or Rook. Alettes journey will focus, in part, on her uphill battle to win the respect of the followers she inherited from her father. A teenage girl, she will have to earn her peers respect and work hard to maintain it.

"A 40-year old man is going to face a different set of challenges than a 16-year old girl," said writer Drew McGee.

Even in the brief 45 minute demo I felt the pressure. I rushed to battle. I ignored choices that were compassionate. I don't know how these choices will play out, but I know they were impactful. Once again, Stoic has imparted a sense of weight and urgency in the dialogue by creating a masterful atmosphere that feels unique and alive. The weight of your decisions will also be felt across some new civilian and hero management features.

“We’re modifying war a bit. In war you now have an advisor system. So your heroes, through story, will become advisors and that will modify a lot of options in battles and wars,” Jorgensen said.

Clansmen will also become more important. Instead of letting them die off like so many hungry mouths, Stoic tweaked their role in The Banner Saga 2 to give players the option of training them into soldiers. The catch is that civilians find more food and earn more renown, the in-game currency. So in addition to more variety on the battlefield, Stoic is adding more to the non-combat side of things as well.

The fate of the clansmen also ties to story. If they start dying off as a result of your piss-poor decision making then expect to unlock more “negative quests,” said Arnie. Positive outcomes are possible.

Jorgensen estimated the play time to be anywhere from eight to 30 hours, depending on the difficulty. Unlike its predecessor, The Banner Saga 2 will utilize cut scenes and animations more frequently which should help drive the narrative along.

“Overall the game should feel more polished and cinematic than the first,” said Jorgensen. “We kind of know what we’re doing.”

http://www.pcgamesn.com/the-banner-saga-2/the-banner-saga-2-revealed-the-sun-stopping-sequel

The Banner Saga 2 revealed: the sun-stopping sequel

The clue is in the name: The Banner Saga was always meant to be a trilogy. The team behind it, Stoic, has had the beats and thrust of this Viking adventure RPG figured out since day one. And 18 months following the first game, they’re ready to show off part two.

They’re raring to go.

Drew McGee is now the game’s lead writer. We’re meeting just before E3: having yomped up the hill from the convention centre in Los Angeles’ insane heat. But he’s delighted to talk.

“We might be surprising people that it is a trilogy,” he laughs. “I remember going to PAX, and players would be amazed we were making more. Maybe we weren’t clear enough from the start.”

Production on the sequel began almost immediately, even as it was translated to mobile and touch. The first game was successful; so successful in fact that the team have decided to fund the second chapter entirely from the proceeds of the first. They clearly could go back to Kickstarter, but feel strongly that to do so would betray the principle of crowdfunding: that funds and attention should go to those who need it. “It’s called Kickstarter, right?” says Drew. “Not ‘kick-continue.’”

The same team is returning: a ludicrously well organised and efficient team of four veterans, mostly from Bioware Austin and the Star Wars: The Old Republic team. That includes Grammy award winning composer Austin Wintory, again providing the mournful themes that defined the first game. The watchword is continuity: Drew says the aim is for each game to have “the same voice, the same art-style, and the same feel. If you played them back-to-back, they should feel seamless.”

Certainly, the story is seamless. Banner Saga 2 begins just a few weeks after the events of the original game. All the core decisions (including a game defining choice at the very end of the first game that we’re desperate not to spoil) are preserved, with quests and characters removed from the series forever, depending on your previous actions.

The biggest change is a focus on creating variety in the game’s tactical combat.

Stoic are aware that the single complaint they faced was repetition, so every battle in the second game has been touched up, and given nuance. Each will have an objective or requirement that goes beyond: kill all the baddies in the map. In the short demo Stoic are showing at E3, rather than defeating all of the Dredge soldiers, you’re just asked to kill their leader.

The team are aware, too, that the game’s caravan, the followers you’re meant to be saving, was a mechanic didn’t quite hit home. Now, they’ll be more than a number of mouths to feed: individuals will have faces, stories, and quests to pursue; the idea being you’ll lose out if you don’t work to keep them safe. But they’re not just passive food sponges: a larger caravan will be able to feed itself by sending out hunting parties, scouring the local land for food.

But it’s the quiet ambition and confidence of the team that shines through. As we close the demonstration, I mention that the second parts of trilogies tend to be fan favourites. Call it the Empire Strikes Back phenomenon.

“Yes,” laughs Drew. “And that’s what we want. Maybe we can raise that bar.”

Banner Saga 2 will be released in 2015.

 

[SausageInYourFace]

More polish, more cinematics, more combat variety .. but will there be more game? I have nothing against smaller scale more focused experiences but I played through the first BS in just 12 to 15 hrs or so and that was pretty underwhelming honestly.

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/art...2015/14171-E3-2015-The-Banner-Saga-2-Hands-On

The Banner Saga 2 Hands-On: Choose Wisely
SARAH LEBOEUF | 18 JUNE 2015 11:40 PM

There's always room for improvement. So even though the response to The Banner Saga were relatively positive--developer Stoic raised over $700,000 on Kickstarter and reviews were generally good--there was still plenty of fan feedback to work with in creating a sequel, according to lead writer Drew McGee. The result is more of the things people loved, like the gorgeous visuals and epic score, with tweaks throughout to make story progression and player choice more important.

Like its predecessor, The Banner Saga 2 is a tactical RPG with a Viking theme and striking animation. Its presentation is half cartoon, half storybook, with text narration and emphasis on dialogue. The player takes the role of returning characters Rook or his daughter, the eagle-eyed archer Alette; for my demo, I went with Alette. Even though your choices from The Banner Saga will carry over to the sequel, Stoic designed The Banner Saga 2 as a standalone experience, according to lead writer Drew McGee.

Speaking of player choices, there will be many to make in The Banner Saga 2. These can be as simple as conversational options and as difficult as whether to save those in need at great personal risk or continue your journey. Unlike Telltale's The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us, which McGee cited as games the developers enjoyed, there's no notification letting you know when you've made a decision that will affect you later. The developers want the player in the dark about how impactful those choices are, much like real life.

Battles require thought and skill, as is usually the case in the genre. The early battles I played serve as a tutorial to the uninitiated, but didn't feel tedious or over-explanatory. Skirmishes take place on a grid of squares, and you're responsible for taking out all enemies by thoughtfully moving your line-up of melee fighters and ranged weapon users. The battlefield may also have precious resources, but is it worth using a turn and potentially putting someone in danger to grab them? That's a choice you'll have to make.

McGee explained some of the changes that were made to the combat system based on fan feedback from the first game. Stoic hopes to more effectively continue the story onto the battlefield, so there's a smooth progression from narrative to fighting. A new in-engine scripting device weaves dialogue more naturally into these situations, and battles will play out differently based on conversational choices. And just to continue to make it "less tedious," the types of fighters available has been diversified, with new creatures like quadrupeds joining the line-up.

My experience with the first Banner Saga was limited. That said, I really enjoyed my half hour of sequel playtime, and could easily have continued had I been in the comfort of my own home and not on a crowded show floor with more appointments to run to. There's something really special about interacting with something that's part striking animated media, part fantasy storybook; and as an RPG devotee, I enjoyed the battle system and saw potential for greater depth further into the game. So if you're one of the many fans who had similar feedback regarding The Banner Saga, Stoic has heard you loud and clear. You'll see the results of their choices--and yours--when The Banner Saga 2 comes out this winter.

http://www.technobuffalo.com/2015/06/18/the-banner-saga-2-preview/

The Banner Saga 2 Hands-on preview: You depress me in the best way possible

Few games have left me quite so heartbroken as The Banner Saga. This tactical strategy game was absolutely brutal in its gameplay and its storyline. The end of the world has come for the races of human and varl in the form of the dredge. Those beasts have no mercy, and your caravan is brought to its knees in the story of minor victories over constant struggle.

Man. It was rough. I loved it, but the game ends on such a somber cliff-hanger that the time between then and the upcoming release of its sequel has been darn near unbearable for me.

Here we are, though, with a fully playable build of The Banner Saga 2 at E3.

I’m going to keep this little write-up free of story content from here on out in case you’ve never played or even heard of the first Banner Saga. Just know that this is a world on the verge of ruin thanks to the dredge. There was already a war between clans, within clans and between the races of humans and these giants called the varl. The dredge have just made matters worse, and enemies have become “friends” in order to save themselves from doom.

It’s tough stuff. You have to manage a full caravan of people on your journey from point to point in both games. You’ll need to keep supplies and morale up so that no one dies or leaves. Death is permanent in combat. Dialogue choices can have absolutely dire affects on your caravan and heroes.

It’s a hard and brutal game.

The actual combat is over-the-head tactical strategy. You’ll move with action points and deal attacks to enemies. Enemies have armor that needs to be broken down until real damage can be done. That’s the very basic, general gist of how the game works.

The Banner Saga 2 picks up where the first left off, and that includes adapting to whatever choices or outcomes you had with your campaign.

I played the game for maybe 30 or 45 minutes, and I was already hit with a barrage of hard decisions and a battle that wiped out three members of my squad that would have forced me to boot up an old save. The difficulty curve of the first? Ha, no, that’s gone. That line continues after a quick “hey, remember how to play this” segment.

The fact that all the strife and anxiety I felt a while back when playing the first game returns within minutes of starting this sequel is huge for me. No game really relaxed and stressed me out quite like The Banner Saga, and as someone who loved that about the first, I’m excited to say that’s returning for the second.

Stoic Saga, good luck. I can’t wait to lose, get really depressed and try again.

The Banner Saga 2 is bound for the PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this year.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Let's hope that the 3rd one includes battle editor.

 

[Infinitron]

Longest bit of continuous gameplay yet, I think:

 

[Bubbles]

Clicking through all those single lines of dialogue is already giving me flashbacks.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Infinitron]