Banner of the Maid
"Gorgeous art, fun scenario design, and an arsenal of quality of life features are among Banner of the Maid's boons."
Banner of the Maid takes place during one of the most tumultuous and influential periods in human history: the French Revolution. The game opens in 1791 with the infamous Flight to Varennes: a historical event in which the king and queen unsuccessfully tried to flee the country in the dead of night. You're given a brief introduction to combat, setting, and tone through a series of cutscenes and short battles that would feel right at home in Final Fantasy Tactics. Shortly after the royal family is taken into custody, the queen displays an odd power that causes ripples throughout history. After skipping ahead to 1796, you can see just where the game starts to split off from the historical accounts we know so well.
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Banner of the Maid is an ambitious tactical RPG with a lot of great ideas on the table. It's beautiful and challenging, though it stumbles a bit along the way. Battles become a chore toward the end of the game, the localization is often stiff and lacks personality, and tutorialization and onboarding could use some work, as I learned a dozen hours later I was using skirmishers completely wrong. Despite its faults, the game offers an enjoyable, unique, and intriguing take on the French Revolution mixed with some light mysticism across 35 to 40 hours. Gorgeous art, fun scenario design, and an arsenal of quality of life features are among Banner of the Maid's boons. RPG fans with an interest in one of the most influential periods of history should give Banner of the Maid a look, as it is an inspired and twisting alternate take on late 18th-century France.
Score: 80/100
