The Banner Saga 3

The Banner Saga 3 is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Stoic and published by Versus Evil for macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the final installment in a trilogy of games that began with The Banner Saga (2014) and The Banner Saga 2 (2016).

The Banner Saga 3
Developer(s)	Stoic
Publisher(s)	Versus Evil
Writer(s)	Alex Thomas
Composer(s)	Austin Wintory
Series	The Banner Saga
Platform(s)	macOS Microsoft Windows Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4 Xbox One
Release	July 26, 2018
Genre(s)	Tactical role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player

Gameplay

The Banner Saga 3 is a tactical role-playing video game featuring turn-based combat.^[1] The themes of the game are inspired by Viking culture.^[2]

Development and release

The Banner Saga 3 was developed by Stoic, a studio founded by former BioWare employees.^[1] Following the release of 2016's The Banner Saga 2, Stoic expressed interest in creating a third instalment, noting that the fictional universe they created had plenty more storytelling opportunities.^[3] Speaking at the 2016 NASSCOM Game Developer Conference, Stoic co-founder John Watson, re-iterated their intention to complete The Banner Saga trilogy of games. He estimated the budget required would be $2M, and said that they had considered external funding.^[4]

In January 2017, The Banner Saga 3 was announced with the launch of a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. The goal of $200,000 was achieved in less than a week, and the campaign concluded in March with $416,986 raised towards the game's development.^[5][6] While the majority of the funding would still come from Stoic themselves, Watson said that the Kickstarter campaign would also create a community of enthusiastic testers.^[7]

The game was published by Versus Evil and was released on macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.^[2]

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	NS: 83/100[8] PC: 82/100[9] PS4: 80/100[10] XONE: 88/100[11]

Review scores

Publication	Score
Destructoid	8.5/10[12]
Game Informer	8/10[13]
GameSpot	8/10[14]
IGN	8.3/10[15]
Nintendo Life	[16]
Nintendo World Report	8.5/10[17]
PC Gamer (US)	90/100[18]
USgamer	[19]

The game received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref
2018	9th Hollywood Music in Media Awards	Original Song ("Only We Few Remember It Now")	Won	[20][21]
	Golden Joystick Awards	Best Storytelling	Nominated	[22][23]
	The Game Awards 2018	Best Strategy Game	Nominated	[24]
	Titanium Awards	Best Original Soundtrack (Austin Wintory)	Nominated	[25]
	Australian Games Awards	Strategy Title of the Year	Nominated	[26]
2019	National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards	Art Direction, Period Influence	Nominated	[27]
		Game, Strategy	Nominated
	2019 G.A.N.G. Awards	Best Original Song ("Only We Few Remember It Now")	Nominated	[28]