Today's a big day for Kickstarter success stories! Not only is Broken Age now available for backers of the Double Fine Adventure campaign (this author is currently downloading it right this moment) but The Banner Saga has gotten released for PC and Mac. The Banner Saga was perhaps an even more remarkable success story than the Double Fine Adventure, being that it came with none of the name recognition of the latter. Coming from three veteran designers that showed off beautiful art for their Viking-themed strategy RPG, the campaign asked for 100k and got seven times that.
"The Banner Saga is a single-player driven Viking saga, where a player's choice in travel, conversation and combat determines the outcome of their own personal story as well as the survival of an entire civilization. The game also features stunning 2D animation and art, a unique tactical combat system, and a cast of unforgettable characters that drive this epic journey forward. Players will also enjoy a beautiful and haunting original score by Grammy nominated, and two-time BAFTA winner, composer Austin Wintory conducting The Dallas Winds orchestra, as well as a powerhouse trio of acclaimed YouTube sensations: Peter Hollens, Malukah and Taylor Davis."
This release is actually Chapter One of a three part epic, and the kind of game where your decisions will matter throughout the entire story. Characters will carry over through the other chapters as well as any pivitol changes you make to the game world. As you'll see the game looks like a classic turn-based strategy title but the setting and the animation already set it apart from other games. I'm honestly trying to think of another game in this style that has such beautiful animation and I'm coming up short!
Developer Stoic and Publisher Versus Evil have a lot to be excited about- along with the massive funding campaign the game was recently announced as an Independent Games Festival (IGF) finalist for Excellence in Visual Arts, with honorable mentions for Excellence in Audio and Design. They've released this launch trailer to show you all that The Banner Saga has to offer.
The Banner Saga is available now for $24.99 through Steam, Uplay, GameFly, GameStop and GamersGate for PC and Mac. If you're feeling fancy there's a digital deluxe edition for five dollars more that comes with the game and complete soundtrack.