RATING AND CONTENT
Recommended for ages 13 and older
Quality: 4 out of 5
Positive messages: 3 out of 5
Positive role models: 3 out of 5
Ease of play: 3 out of 5
Violence: 3 out of 5
Sex: 2 out of 5
Language: 1 out of 5
Drinking, drugs, and smoking: 2 out of 5
Consumerism: 0 out of 5 (Are products/advertisements embedded? Is the title part of a broader marketing initiative/empire? Is the intent to sell things to kids?)
GAME DETAILS
Platforms: Mac, Windows
Price: $19.99
Developer: Versus Evil
Release date: April 19, 2016
Genre: Role playing
Parents need to know that “The Banner Saga 2” is a downloadable action role-playing game based on Norse mythology. In it, players lead a desperate band of survivors away from a growing darkness and an encroaching horde. They encounter all manner of hardships and must make decisions that mean the difference between life and death. Serious themes are addressed including racial prejudice, the effects of war, and the process of grieving. Though violence is cartoonish, and characters can be injured (but not killed), some cut scenes show bodies and funeral rites. Some characters flirt with each other, and dialogue suggests that they’ve spent a night together, but nothing is shown. Some dialogue also mentions “piss” and “asses” for language, while some characters appear drunk and talk about drinking mead. Turn-based controls are simple to understand, but the game doesn’t explain some of the more complex concepts very well, leading to frustration.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
“The Banner Saga 2” continues where the first “Banner Saga” left off: following a band of refugees as they flee an enveloping darkness. Players who played the first game can import the decisions they made into the second or start from scratch with one of two familiar heroes. Many characters return, and a host of new ones appear, including a new centaur race called the Horseborn. Tension runs high as you’re asked to look after hundreds of men, women, and children, fight enemies in turn-based combat, and make life-or-death decisions.
IS IT ANY GOOD?
This well-crafted sequel presents a high-tension, action-packed story that will keep your heart racing from beginning to end. Whether you import decisions from the first game or start fresh with one of the two playable heroes, you’re in for hours of fun turn-based combat and nail-bitingly tough decisions that affect your characters in profound ways. The combat system is fairly easy to learn, and optional training sequences provide plenty of opportunity to master skills and gain the renown needed to level up characters. Characters all have useful, interesting combat skills that work well in conjunction with one another, and, even better, they all have distinct personalities. It’s easy to get attached to your favorites, which makes the perilous events of the game all the scarier to endure. Along with addressing the notion of good versus evil, the story taps into more complex issues such as racial prejudice, processing the death of a loved one, and the need for different peoples to come together when faced with a common threat. The graphics and music are unbelievably gorgeous. The only flaws in this otherwise fabulous role-playing adventure are the occasionally confusing (possibly buggy) tutorials and the painful cliffhanger ending.
———
Common Sense Media is an independent nonprofit organization offering unbiased ratings and trusted advice to help families make smart media and technology choices. Check out our ratings and recommendations at www.commonsense.org.
