The Banner Saga 3

TechRaptorAndrew Otton

9.5/10

The Banner Saga 3 is a fantastic end to one of gaming's best trilogies. The enthralling writing and engaging combat combine into one of the most satisfying gaming experiences to be had.

However, the finality of those decisions is remarkably cathartic, regardless of whether or not you feel you made the “wrong” or “right” choices throughout the saga. It may have been difficult to see where the interconnected threads from the first two games were going to end up, but Banner Saga 3 ties up its loose ends very neatly. There will likely be some controversy about whether or not the endings available were satisfactory or good, but it was hard to imagine how anything truly positive could have arisen from the game’s apocalyptic scenario. At the end of the day, Banner Saga 3 i…

Push SquareJohn Cal McCormick

9/10

The Banner Saga 3 is a fitting end for the light tactical RPG series, and one that feels less like a sequel and more like the third act of a cohesive whole. The combat system used in the series up until this point remains relatively unchanged, and most of the mechanics are carried over as is. This isn't about reinventing the wheel, but about attempting to tie together the various narrative threads left dangling at the conclusion of The Banner Saga 2, and on that front this game resolutely delivers. The wonderful writing, beautiful art, and sparse use of score work together in service of a thor...

TwinfiniteHayes Madsen

Trailers for The Banner Saga 3 used the phrase “no hero is safe,” and that couldn’t be truer. The latest entry in the narrative strategy series doubles down on the series’ anything can happen style, and it’s a harrowing, emotional journey that’ll keep players of the first two games hooked to their screens until the end.

DualShockersRyan Meitzler

9/10

Like closing the final chapter on a thousand-page-long fantasy novel, The Banner Saga 3 delivers a dark and thrilling conclusion to remember. Though at times it might prove to be a bit more of a challenge than some might expect, The Banner Saga 3 is the culmination of Stoic Studio's four-year-long journey through a tense and memorable world that's entirely worth seeing through to the end. While I'm sad to see The Banner Saga series come to a close with its third and final act, The Banner Saga 3 finishes it all in a brutal and brilliant fashion. The story may be over, but The Banner Saga's worl...

DestructoidCaitlin Cooke

8.5/10

Alas, main characters sometimes receiving a single line of dialogue to describe their end, if anything at all, is what makes The Banner Saga so unique. Life is fleeting, as it is for the hundreds of clansmen I lost throughout the past four years, as it is for my characters who wandered off and never returned, and as it is for the ultimate conclusion to The Banner Saga.

RPGamerAlex Fuller

It was the best of times and the worst of times. Sam Wachter has finished the Banner Saga trilogy. She cried like a baby, threw the controller a few times, and watched all her favourites die.

Impulse GamerJamie Kirk

The Banner Saga has finally reached its end and it is not a barrel of laughs. Doom and gloom has been the main feature of these strongly told narratives and

GamingTrendNathan Anstadt

80/100

Despite some gripes about the translation from PC to console, The Banner Saga 3 does an admirable job wrapping up a grim tale of separation and loss. And it does that with challenging and fun tactical battles as well as fascinating player choice throughout.

Game InformerJavy Gwaltney

8/10

Since the first Banner Saga’s release in 2014, developer Stoic has strived to create an epic adventure set in a snowy world inspired by Viking mythology. In the first two games, a dark storm impressing itself upon the world forces a group of humans and giants to work together for survival. They strike out to find sanctuary and hold out against the darkness – and the army of stone soldiers its brought in its wake. Both games required players to make tough choices during the The Oregon Trail-inspired journey where a stranger on the road could be a new hero to use in battle, or a scout for bandit...

Metro GameCentralGameCentral

7/10

Not a good standalone game but a fine ending to the trilogy, that manages to make three games feel like one.

KotakuLuke Plunkett

Unscored

The Banner Saga 3 is the final entry in a Kickstarted trilogy of strategy games. It’s the culmination of four years of fantasy adventuring, in which the decisions you make on the battlefield are almost as important as those you make in the middle of a conversation.