The Banner Saga 3

About The Banner Saga 3

Stoic released The Banner Saga 3 on July 26, 2018, as the concluding chapter of their acclaimed Viking saga. This title arrives across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, and mobile devices. It serves as a tactical RPG that demands heavy player engagement with its narrative and combat systems. The story picks up where the second game left off, forcing you to manage a caravan facing an encroaching dark force. You carry decisions from previous entries into this finale, shaping the outcome of the world. The developers built a hand-painted aesthetic that matches the grim tone of the plot. Over twenty awards and four BAFTA nominations highlight its impact before launch.

Gameplay

You control a caravan leader who must make split second choices during turn-based battles. Each fight breaks into waves where positioning matters more than raw stats. You place your units on a grid, manage stamina, and use special abilities like the valka spear to gain advantages. New heroes join your roster, including dredge characters with distinct skills. Combat feels weighty as you weigh every move against potential casualties. Losing a character means they are gone for good unless you spent resources on resurrection items. Between fights, you guide survivors through camps, resolve conflicts, and upgrade gear. The battle waves system adds layers of strategy by introducing fresh enemy types each round. Your inventory management and resource allocation directly influence survival rates in these long sessions.

What Players Think

Critics gave this game a solid Metacritic score of 83 out of 100. PlayPile data shows players spent an average of 14 hours finishing the main story, with completion rates hitting 78 percent for full playthroughs. Community moods lean heavily toward "melancholic" and "satisfying" after the final credits roll. Review snippets frequently mention the emotional weight of losing key characters. Users note that carrying choices from earlier games creates a feeling of true consequence. Some players report spending over 20 hours exploring side content or replaying to see different endings. The average rating from our community sits at 4.5 stars out of 5 based on 3,200 reviews. Achievements for saving specific characters remain among the hardest to unlock, reflecting the game's difficulty spike near the end.

PlayPile's Take

Buy this title if you want a story-driven strategy game with high stakes and meaningful choices. The price sits around $25 on most platforms, which is fair for the amount of content included. You will earn 40 achievements, many requiring specific conditions or failed runs to trigger. This is not a game for people who want easy wins or casual play. The narrative payoff depends entirely on your actions in the first two entries. If you finished Banner Saga 2, this ending chapter delivers the closure you expect. Avoid it if you dislike permadeath mechanics or turn-based tactical combat. The final boss fight alone justifies the purchase for trilogy completists.

Storyline

Witness the Banner Saga as you’ve never seen it before as a dark force takes over and effects everything you’ve come to know in the beautifully hand-painted finale of the trilogy. Choose new playable characters to join your party, including dredge heroes! Take advantage of new upgrade options as they progress in battle. Deeper strategic combat with the new battle waves system against a myriad of new enemies.The valka spear and heroic titles let players customize their playstyle even further. Drive your own narrative as you carry over your choices from both Banner Sagas 1 & 2, leading to different climatic endings in this final chapter. No hero is safe.