Today is the last day to contribute to the Banner Saga 3 Kickstarter. The team at Stoic Studio have successfully raised more than enough to complete the game, but have yet to fulfill a few lingering stretch goals. These include a promise to create an “Eternal Arena” post launch, and a motion comic by Madefire.
A brief history of the game series goes that former BioWare employees Arnie Jorgensen, John Watson and Alex Thomas left the company to create a game of their own. The title was to reminisce of turn-based tactical RPGs such as Final Fantasy Tactics or Shining Force, yet with a mature story akin to A Song of Ice and Fire and The Black Company. After refining their idea however, they decided to focus on Viking culture. Artistically, they drew from the works of Ralph Bakshi and Earle Eyvind, who did styling and backgrounds for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.
Their first KickStarter was a massive success, earning more than seven times their request of $100,000. And to add icing on the cake, they were able to bring award winning composer Austin Wintory aboard. The game was released to critical praise, and an equally applauded sequel was produced by 2016. The third will complete the series, although Stoic has indicated that they’re open to further expansions of their universe.
For players out there who haven’t played the earlier titles, Stoic is offering a deal where adding an additional $20 to the pledge will give them the first two games. So whether you’re an old-hand or new guy, this maybe worth checking out.
