The Banner Saga 2 - Harder Choices @ IGN

If I were to name the one thing The Banner Saga had going for it when it came out last year, it would be "heart." It wove a dire, utterly human, heart-wrenching tale with humble threads. Much like last year's Child of Light, it felt like something that existed because its creators needed to make it, not because the free market demanded it. As much as it charmed me though, the RPG/resource management nerd in me didn't find its gameplay quite meaty enough. Still, I'm thankful that the state of the industry is such that we can have The Banner Saga 2, though I'm even more thankful that there's just a bit more to chew on this time around, whether you're making decisions on the battlefield or off.

Without getting into spoiler territory, the story picks up mere weeks after the closing events of The Banner Saga, and things have not improved. In fact, depending on the choices you made towards the end, the situation at the start of the game will be rather desperate, with characters struggling to cope with the repercussions. All your choices from the original carry over, shaping the experience as early as the title screen, and continuing on all the way into the combat itself.

Combat variety was a bit sparce in the original, but The Banner Saga 2 has made clear efforts to remedy that, some of which are present right from the opening tutorial battle. There are new units on both sides of the battlefield, giving you a greater number of problems to solve, and a deeper toolbox to solve them with. Dredge Skullkers are mutated hounds that hunt in packs, turning invisible and surrounding characters only to strike in ferocious unison. The Dredge Direguard on the other hand is a support unit that can turn parts of the battlefield harmful to your army while buffing his allies. Take one out though, and the rest of the Dredge scatter. Do you deal with his buffed cohorts, or do you take him on directly to try to end things quickly? Decisions like this make combat more interesting and challenging.

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