The Banner Saga Preview

A new hands-on preview for Stoic’s The Banner Saga is now available at VG247, and it’s just in time too, given the game will see its official release next Tuesday. Here’s a snippet from it:

The land has been thrust into eternal daylight. Some say it’s a blessing, given the harshness of winter, while others feel it’s a sign the world is coming to an end. To cap it off, mindless, blood-thirsty husks known as the Dredge have lumbered out of the forests and are on the move, leaving entire armies slaughtered in their wake. In this, the first of three episodic instalments, you control two warbands marching across the land of Skogr. One is led by a human hunter named Rook, and the other by Hakon, a horned warrior belonging to the Varl race.

The protagonists are miles apart, but must both travel the world in search of answers. Between battles, your warband will march, consuming supplies, losing both morale and soldiers as it goes. You can choose to set up camp at any time, giving your warriors time to rest and regain their spirits, level up your active party and when shops are near, stock up on supplies and stat-buffing equipment. You’ll also be hit by increasingly tense, challenging moral conundrums on the road.

These decisions range from punishing a drunk and disruptive member of the group, choosing whether or not to rescue nearby villages under attack from Dredge, or donating supplies to peasants. When unseen threats can challenge your group without warning, these decisions can never be made lightly. When hit by these moments, I felt like I was reliving my childhood spent buried in the Fighting Fantasy novels of Livingstone and Jackson. Just like a strained leader you’ll make stressful decisions that can effect hundreds, if not thousands of lives, and it’s also possible to accidentally perma-death some of your trusted fighters if you act foolishly.