The Banner Saga Trilogy’s Epic Finale: We’re Not Over It

The Banner Saga 3 promises players a satisfying finish to the trilogy’s complex, character-driven story by introducing new game mechanics and playable characters. The developers at Stoic have worked hard to make sure the new game meets the expectations of fans who have stuck with them since the series’ inception in 2012—as well as provide opportunity for newcomers to play through the series with a discounted bundle.

Matt Rhoades, Stoic’s lead designer, and Alex Thomas, the game’s lead writer, have imbued The Banner Saga’s ending with the same gravity they would for any other finale to a cinematic saga. “It’s not a cliffhanger, and it’s not a ‘to be continued,’” Rhoades said. “The most important thing our longtime fans should know is that they will see a conclusion to the entire story.”

There’s also a new host of playable characters, including characters who appeared in the previous games as NPCs, like Ubin and Juno, as well as one of the Dredge, the game’s primary antagonist race. Of course, true to Banner Saga form, past events in a players’ playthroughs of the previous two games will determine the full cast of characters that appear.   

Another major change is in how the game tasks players with managing two separate caravans.  “We’ve always had two caravans with parallel stories, but in this game, players will see more distinction between the two,” Thomas explained. While one caravan will stay put, stationed in the city of Arberrang, another caravan will venture into the Darkness, a mysterious, catastrophic force that slowly overtakes the world of The Banner Saga.

“Switching between two caravans has always been something The Banner Saga did for storytelling reasons, allowing the player to see the story from multiple perspectives,” Thomas said. “In The Banner Saga 3, however, it feels even more important, because they also operate differently in a mechanic sense.”

While Stoic has had massive success in garnering money for their project through two separate Kickstarter campaigns—one for the series’ first chapter and one for The Banner Saga 3, collectively generating over $1,000,000 in support—their motivations for setting up the latest campaign went beyond simply amassing funds. “While we’re immensely grateful to our backers and everyone who donated, a lot of what we were trying to do with Kickstarter this time around had less to do with funding and more to do with re-engaging with our community and making sure we were addressing their needs and concerns,” Rhoades said. Ensuring that the title would be a satisfying ending was of the utmost importance to Stoic as they continued to develop the game.

If you missed out on the first two titles, have no fear: The Banner Saga trilogy is also available to players who want to get caught up on the series.