Game 58 - Banner Saga Trilogy - Week 102 - Dec 21

he Banner Saga characters, locations, lore, music, and striking art style have all synergised to create a fantastical world that wholly grasps and draws you in. The animation (from my limited understanding) uses a technique called rotoscoping. This was used in many older animated Disney movies such as The Black Cauldron and animated Lord of the Rings film. The technique gives it a bold, simple yet striking and impressive art style. The basic autumn colours of green, orange, yellow contrast well with the warm clothes and winter backdrop of Scandinavian inspiration. The characters and locations draw much from Viking culture; the names, the fashion, the cities and landmarks. But they still somehow feel fresh, uniquely their own. The gods are dead. And a handful of people remain as a Ragnarök equivalent event occurs. A great serpent is often seen in the background causing earth shattering quakes. 

This include the Horseborn, tribal Viking centaurs and Varl; horned oxen giants. Too call them giants is unfair, they’re more like grizzly bears. When you see them you just want a hug and their companionship; at the same time you know the risk of invoking their anger would not end well for you. They are old enemies of Man but unlike humans they are not born, rather created by their god Hadrborg. And considering the gods are dead, they are the last of their race. This sets the scene for Banner Saga. What do the people left behind in a godless frozen wasteland do in their final days? What kind of Man are you? What does humanity mean? What decisions will you make and how far will you forsake your principles to survive? It's a fantasy setting, but also a true post-apocalyptic setting that can only be described as breath of fresh Scandinavian air - and for that I love it. 

The music, oh my, the music. The brass, the trumpets, the archaic instruments and voices of Valkyries that swell up in your head and warm your soul like a Skald’s lute to your ears. As I sit here and write this, listening to the soundtrack by composer Austin Wintory; I realise just how much the composition brings it all together and breathes life into these characters, lore, and art.

I still listen to the first games soundtrack so many years later...

There's something I love about Banner Saga that makes it feel wholly its own. It doesn’t subscribe to previous fantasy tropes. Germanic mythology was developed from Norse mythology. From these two mythologies, Christianity, Beowulf and Arthurian Legend; Tolkein created The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Saga. From that point all of fantasy as we know it has drawn large inspiration from his works - chief among them is the origin of the modern RPG - Dungeons & Dragons. Stoic Studio mostly forgo all this and trace their steps right back to the source, drawing from the well for their epic fantasy. There are no dwarves, elves, or giants. No Asgard or Valhalla. Only the broken shell of a world that remains when you start the game as Rook.

Part 1

Rook lives at the edge of the village Skogr (forest) and discovers the shadows of old foes are afoot. A race of mechanical beings known as Dredge, humanity’s enemy from the second great war appear and attack, driving everyone south. Iver a Varl and close friend of Rook, and Oddlief, a strong capable warrior and leader, the widow of the previous governor, decide to take the remaining villagers and flee. They hoist the Skogr banner on a caravan and depart for Forstvellr. Along the way many refugees will join you and as they do they stitch their banner onto yours and your banner saga grows. I absolutely love the consistent imagery of your growing banner in the wind. A neat visual but also a constant reminder of how many you're responsible for. 

Rook wants something we can all relate to, to protect his family no matter what. How you do this guides your decisions. Do you protect Alette, your daughter, no matter what? Like a Varl’s shield keeping all enemies at bay. Or do you teach Alette to be self-sufficient, showing her how to use her moral compass, and what it means to be a leader. A decision that is not only better for her but all people, unity at all costs, even if it often leads to immediate mortal peril. The story is rife with great characters, and the choices and decisions have great consequences as great betrayals are afoot in the name of survival, deciding who lives and dies. Nothing captures this better than the example of Onef. After helping you get into Frostvellr and defeat his brother Ekkill – who has supposedly killed the previous governor – you depart the city gaining what you need. Not far out Ekkill begs you to let him join you. I accept, despite doubts of trust from other members of the caravan including his brother. We’re all trying to survive and if we intend to do so we must come together. This is the message I want my daughter to receive. Not long after this Onef betrays you, starting a mutiny and stealing your food in the wastes and murdering a young boy from Skogr, Egil who was courageous enough to stand in his way. Shocked, you have little time to recover in this wasteland, low on food and contemplating your pressing extinction, you move on. You wonder what you did wrong, as this betrayal seemingly came from nowhere. The signs were there. Were you too naïve to see them or is that simply the risk you take choosing to believe in the good of humanity? There are many decisions like this that guide your saga. Do you help the Varl King Jorundr defend their last fortress Einartoft against the impending Dredge, to stand with Mans enemies of the first great war, as we once did in the second great war against the common foe of Dredge? Or do you seek Eyvind's advice and sabotage the bridge, a sacred monument to Varl, to slow the Dredge down? I chose to destroy the bridge. Holding back Bellower and Varl alike, while the mender Eyvind destroyed the bridge. It was going to fall regardless, and we had to slow the Dredge. Iver, standing against the immortal Sundr Bellower, champion of the Dredge, is revealed to be the legendary hero of the second war, Yngvar. But is mortally wounded in his efforts to vanquish his old enemy. The stubborn King Jorundr (named after the Swedish King) sees the error of his ways. Destroys the bridge, sends Hakon on as the new king and makes a final stand as you press on. 

Juno a mender, and master to apprentice Evyind can read the threads of a tapestry that form the world. Reading the language of the gods, they can shape reality calling down great destructive power on their foes or mend their friends. Juno has ventured into a dream world, faces the quaking world serpent, succeeds, and realises a great darkness is coming from the north. It’s at this point I realise the Dredge are likely running themselves too. Forcing everyone else south. Initially they were pushed North by the Valka (of which Juno is one), menders, and the greatest and most feared warriors of humanity. Perhaps they were always running from the darkness, and this was the initial cause of conflict? As the caravan presses on, people are distraught everywhere to be seen, Juno is nowhere to be seen, supplies are low, morale is lower. They happen upon Dredge families, realising they’re not entirely warlike. Iver then relates the story to Raze, the spouse of Bellower known for razing Varl fortifications. She is slain by Yngvar (Iver) during the second great war. All this adds another shade of grey, to a well craft story that was already a thousand shades of grey. There’s no clear right or wrong decision. No apparent enemy. So what do you do? How do you separate friend in foe in these desperate times? How do you stab out in the darkness at an enemy you can’t see and fight back?

On the path you meet Bolverk Bloodaxe and his Ravens defending Boersgard. The enemies are at the gate and inside riots frequently occur. King Hakon reunites, accompanied by Juno and the final stand begins. Juno creates a Silver Arrow for Bellower. Allette asking to lead once again, is trusted with the arrow by Rook. Bellower is defeated, but Allette is slain. The game ends with a sombre Viking funeral as she sails into the afterlife.

Part 2

Picking up where we left off, Rook leads the character down the Orsma river by Boersgard. As the ragtag leader there are many hardships to overcome. Chief among them is putting Rugga in his place, the might I say self-interested and arrogant governor from Boersgard. Finding a chasm and crossing it via the menders great power (literally building a bridge with floating rocks), you reach Ormsdalr. Upon reaching the city the group splits. Bolverk and his Ravens, Krumr, old and wise, the second-oldest living Varl. Hogun, a warrior through and through, and Bersi another gruff and tough Varl. Juno asks Bolverk to deliver a wagon, he reluctantly accepts as per his previous contract and heads north.

Rook and the Skogr caravan move west towards Arberrang, the most southern and defendable human city. Along the way Iver consoles his friend, the importance of his leadership to these people, continues to deny Rugga’s arrogant advice (he really doesn’t like following a mere peasant villager), defends the caravans against more xenophobic Celtic inspired clansman, and encounters horseborn fleeing from the Dalalond plains, murdering them too. At Ettinbekkr village I intervened, saved and befriended some horseborn. The survivors sewed their banner into the caravans. Next you journey through the old wood. It has a strange mystique with its purple, blue and red trees. I decide against smelling the flowers and press on. Out of nowhere the serpent attacks, destroying much of your caravan and swallowing Juno. Eyvind, who is more unstable and powerful than any Valka known blasts Juno out of the serpent. The green blood drips into the bay and poisons the world’s oceans. Juno and Eyvind recognise that the serpent was after them in particular and they're putting the caravan at risk. So they leave to stop the mess they started, and against Rook’s attempts to persuade him to stay, Iver join them. But his is the path of redemption and he cannot be swayed. A few touching goodbyes later, Rook and co. sail across the now green-bay pressing ever onward. Rugga as expected, betrays you, not trusting your decisions for letting Juno and Eyvind travel with you and getting people killed. He attempts to kill you and fails. As you travel some of the clansmen sew their flag and so do another clan of horseborn later on. As you reach Aberrang it is a familiar site. The gates are locked and King Meinholf is blocking out thousands of desperate refugees now lead by Rugga. The largest city of humanity built in a fertile region, has provided much security and prosperity. However with this comes corruption, and dissenting clans put down their axes and vie for control through ink and courts. King Meinolf is the de facto sovereign ruler of all the humans. He is responsible for keeping order, using his right hand man Petrus captain of the city guard, to keep it through force. Envoys are sent to keep the peace, which is why Prince Ludin was originally sent to the Varl. None of that helped at the gates. Order nowhere to be seen, chaos in and out. Although the King offered us sanctuary for saving his son, Ludin, I choose to defend the refugees. The Varl chose themselves and the walls, so Meinholf let them stay. And just like that friend became foe.

Bolverk finds many desperate humans fleeing before he reaches a mining town in Bindal. Here another Valka with her apprentice. Zefr reveals Juno betrayed Bolverk, was executed for mind-control, and the content of the transported wagon is Bellower. The Ravens defend the inhabitants of Bindal against Dredge. Once safe Zefr and the Ravens embark to the Manaharr, home of the Valka, taking a shortcut through the underground highway. Bolverk has had dreams this entire time, bloody hands, murdering people left, right and centre. He realises his dreams are of Bellower, which are in turn influencing his psyche. The Ravens fight through dredge and their leader Eyeless a necromancer Sunder, to reach the other end of the world. Along the way you find a Stonesinger (Dredge mender) and it joins the caravan, helping you fight off Dredge that have seemingly been corrupted by the darkness. Reaching the other side they can see the skies swallowed up by darkness. Surrounded by Dredge from all sides, Bolverk declares a death march forward with the Ravens. His morality appealing to him, he decides to take the fragile mining villagers with him. They reach a small fishing village and make a last stand from all sides, slaying Eyeless and defending the villagers. Bolverk in the fight is consumed by Bellower. Zefr and Bellower leave to Manaharr. Reaching Manaharr, Eyvind is becoming increasingly unstable, losing his mind. Bolverk/Bellower confronts them and attacks Juno in revenge. Iver fights him once again, defeating him this time, but not before Eyvind completely loses his mind and the tower falls on Bolverk.

Meanwhile back at the tower the serpents begins to seep it’s blood into Bolverk’s mouth…

Part 3

So we start, 350 fighters, 170 clansman. Ready to assault the walls with Rugga, the jackal with a punchable face. The assault doesn’t last long, Rugga cuffs himself to get inside. Canary and her horseborn raided Tolir and gave us their pillaged supplies. I choose to let them stay. Humans would have done the same. We need to come together if we’re to stand a chance against the end of the world. Fasolt, Hakon and the last remaining Varl did not like us. First the bridge and now the gates of Abberang. That’s too bad, I like the cosy gruff bearlike kinship found in the Varl curled around the fire at night.

An ambush occurs, clearly Rugga’s plan. I make the obvious decision and go with Petrus, Captain of the Guard and clearly a more trustworthy man with what seems like integrity, but could be loyalty. Gundamr helps in the ambush, and his clan joins ours bolstering it to 505 clansman and 472 fighters. That’s a hell of a lot more mouths to feed, doubling our overall caravan. 

The darkness is always present and a grim reminder of the darkness on the horizon, quite literally visible from the keeps high vantage point. But never mind that. Oh.... Oddlief…. Uwu. Oh no, what’s that? Bellowers ofc. After appealing to the King we agree that I'll apprehend Rugga and quell his men for insurrection within the wall in exchange for the safety provided by perching my caravan on the black walls. What follows is many days of struggle in a last stand against the darkness. On the other side Juno, Eyvind and Iver lead the Ravens into the core of the planet. 

The final fight for Abberang. The Ravens final push through the centre of the world, the darkness, home of the bellowers inside the planet. A fallen star. Exhausted injured and battered warriors that can’t rest and must push on. This reminded me all too well of one of my favourite childhood novels, Star Warriors by Peter Beere. Lord Gaylor has cast darkness and demons upon the world. The last star, providing light and protection to the last city has fallen, ragged warriors from the wastes agree to retrieve it in return for a piece. It's a story of absolute struggle and exhaustion against insurmountable odds, the capacity for human struggle, hardship and success against the darkness. The demon within us all. 

My Final Thoughts on the Saga

There’s not much more to go over here. The story in my summary above are my decisions for the entire saga.  I last played the Banner Saga 2 in 2016, and as you can see this is a very deep, rich and extensive story. It's every bit as great as I described. It took a fair bit of extensive plot and lore reading to catch up on. But the pivotal points and characters quickly came back to mind once refreshed. Outside of how novel and rich the lore is and prior discussed points, I think there is a key element that makes the story so great. 

…..There is no good or evil. Harsh environments, harsh warlike people, that love their families. Clear evidence that it draws more from the Norse lands then Middle-Earth. A clear evil is present in the latter, where there is not in Banner Saga. This is the case in both Norseman and their gods – who like Man were not wholly good or evil – but instead often served their own interests and tribe as best they could. I still hold that Odin is the highest of eviler characters in Norse mythology – but even he who was mostly self-interested, chaotic, and self-preserving above morality seemed to care about his family. In the Banner Saga, not all heroes wear capes, in fact they usually wear cloaks. Iver & Rook, our two lovable protagonists are a self-exiled murderer and a woodcutter. What kind of heroes are they? The answer is a human one, no one is perfect. Strength of character is shown most in times of desperation, and even the greatest of us are capable of even greater evil (and redemption). Scathach the Trader, had a memorable quote along the lines of: “Your cities are made for men to walk in circles, but go nowhere.” We pursue the trivial, play social games, and neglect freedom and higher callings - an apt insight into modern society. Because there are no paragons, the story is so much better in terms of it’s agency, when comparing it to BioWare games for example. Because Stoic games are ex-BioWare developers after all, and oh boy did they jump at the right time. Cough Andromeda Cough Anthem Cough. Characters are flawed, they're relatable, they make mistakes, they're human and as a result they're real - completely immersing you in their story. 

The gameplay is just as great as the first two iterations - if it isn't broken.... An interesting combination of items and character progression in a turn-based tactics game. Items feel appropriately Viking. Decisions costing you food and morale always made the journey that much more tense. The moral choice often costed you food and morale - as you weigh up the age old question of: is bread a worthy goal for someone who has denied their values. A good friend of mine never played the second game, because the first was so tense he needed a break from the weight of decision making and never came back. What does that tell you about the agency and game design? I always found it interesting that the caravan shared renown that could be used freely to upgrade any character, but characters could only be promoted based on their raiding headcount. It was both a team effort and individual experience. Banner Saga 3 includes a final promotion that gives a character a title. The highlight for me is Oli the Death’s Messenger. Every successive hit gives extra damage, combine this with Axe Storm and the man starts sending everyone to Valhalla, no matter their size. I’m not sure if it was a coincidence but at some point Iver and the Ravens are balls deep in the Darkness, nigh the end of both their limits and the road, and Oli is about to give it all up. Iver jokes that Oli is so good at throwing Axes he must be a spellweaver, he laughs, I laugh – it would explain a lot…

But speaking of the end... A few fucking hours left?!?!? GRRRRR

Rushed. Harsh. Unbalanced. So many seemingly correct decisions just to fall apart in the end. A lot of them felt poorly designed and hard to see coming (curveballs). This is where Banner Saga fails compared to a Mass Effect that always managed to weave that final battle together so well (prior to the star child in 3 of course). Because your decisions through the game mean very little. 1000 survivors gives me 15 days? What the fuck? Not even a warning if supplies make a difference. It would have been nice to have an idea of what would play into the final death march into the core of the planet to stop the darkness, by Iver and the Ravens. I would have spent that extra renown on supplies.  But perhaps it’s unfair to compare the Banner Saga, a much more mature and hard-line approach to consequence and player choice, then the mainstream Mass Effect that has a lot more smoke and mirrors. 

Despite feeling burnt by this ending, it's not entirely irrevocable. As a post-apocalyptic medieval fantasy, I really appreciate how harsh and grim the end was. I’m going to be feeling this one for a while, thinking about it over the coming days and won’t forget it, which speaks for itself.

In fact, upon reflection I realise I actually love the ending. Hakon, Canary and the others gone – consumed by the darkness. Rook with his sunken eyes had lost so much, including much of his will to live, spurred on purely by his moral compass in memory of Alette. But now he could finally rest – rejoining his wife and Alette in the afterlife. A heart warming moment that was oh so worth it. Aberrang, like Troy is now gone and vanished. But not forgotten. Iver, Eyvind, Sparr, Oli and many others live on to recount the saga of the woodcutter who slayed two Sundr, and lead a caravan of survivors across the world, held back the darkness as they themselves strode into the core of the Earth itself, to pit Man against the eldritch darkness within. Just when I thought it had all been for nothing, everyone was gone, Man was extinct, Eyvind states he can feel life blossom across the land. Clansmen, Horseborn, Varl, huddled under the Godstones. They are all that remain, and together in their hearts they carry the Banner of Skogr on their backs. They Will Not Be Forgotten.

Let's hope they can guide the next generation to pursue higher meaning over self-interest.