Banner Saga 2 video game review: A winning cast of creatures

The Viking-themed Banner Saga 2 is a pretty standard fantasy tale. A cobbled-together party of humans and giant-like Varl is struggling to survive against hordes of dark foes called Dredge. These creatures appear to be fleeing from an even more dangerous, unseen enemy. Players must make dozens of important logistical decisions and fight increasingly decisive battles to ensure the survival of both human and Varl. If this second chapter doesn’t deliver the dramatic punch of the original tactical role-playing game, it does benefit from a beefed-up combat system and improvements on an already-stout character roster. These new characters hold their own in a cast of remarkably lifelike creatures. Most of the Banner Saga is not traditionally animated. With few exceptions, stationary panels with dialogue — as what you’d see in a comic book — tell the story. Because the writing is so good, these 2-D characters are lively and unique despite this old-school approach.