14 DAY TRIAL // The Banner Saga is one of the first important releases of this year and those who have grown tired of playing the same titles they did in 2013 should take a look at the experience created by the Stoic team, made up mostly of BioWare veterans.
The core of the title is the turn-based tactical combat, which allows the player to create a team of up to six characters and then engage in a variety of threats, ranging from lowly bandits to a very powerful Dredge champion that stuns with his shouts.
The system is simple: a unit can move a certain number of tiles and then attack, use a special ability or rest.
Each unit has separate health and armor statistics and the second value is connected with the attack power.
This means that each battle becomes a complex calculation during which the player tries to destroy health and attack value for units that are about to move while trying to keep his own forces as safe as possible.
Special abilities and new enemy types add a bit of spice to the entire combat system, which can at times be a little repetitive as a gamer progresses through the narrative.
The Artificial Intelligence in The Banner Saga is solid enough to pose a challenge, especially when controlling some of the more powerful Dredge enemies.
Its only issue is that it tends to focus on one player unit and pound it into dust, sometimes overlooking bigger moves that lead to its defeat.
The Banner Saga has the kind of system that makes me return and tweak small choices in my character setup to try to see how the results change and how powerful I can become with a fully integrated team.
It’s hard to create something that feels complex and simple at the same time, but the team at Stoic has done a superb job with their first title.