Review: The Banner Saga: Factions

The Banner Saga: Factions is the premiere multiplayer role-playing Strategy game on PC and Mac. It brings the feeling of beloved tactical games to a high-definition era with gorgeous hand-animated artwork and a degree of depth unprecedented in the realm of free games. Fight, learn, and lead your clan of Vikings to glory!

Each unit starts out at rank 0 and can progress to each new rank after killing a certain amount of enemies. As the unit progresses they can be promoted to higher ranks which gives them increased stats and new abilities to utilize in battle. A wide array of individual stat points can be re-arranged in order to provide even further tactical options, allowing a player to bolster a unit’s defense at the cost of his damage for example. Each unit has a resource called willpower which allows the unit to increase his damage, move farther and utilize special abilities.

The Banner Saga: Factions Gameplay

The game explains moving around the battlefield during the battle in the prologue. To remind you blue tiles are the "standard" range of a unit, while the yellow ones are the extended range - to move there, you must spend some willpower points. It means that the yellow tiles become visible only when the selected hero has enough willpower. You should use them only when you're determined to get rid of a specific opponent quickly. If you don't need to do it, you should spend the points on other things.

When you plan your next moves, you should check the range of enemy units - if you stand on a tile right out of opponent's range, they won't be able to attack you during their turn. Moving around is not obligatory so you may stay in one place during your turn. It's highly advised for archers (they may get an attack bonus for staying in place) and warriors with shields (they can use special abilities that improve defence).