Stories are made of smaller stories woven within one another, crossing here, diverging there, some ending while others go on. The Banner Saga is about one such story, but it's not enough that each character feels like an alien being with his or her own motives and histories: the player also shapes the banner being woven. This ties directly into the gameplay, which is about survival in a god-abandoned world in which the sun never sets. Oregon Trail-like resource management and decision making meets turn-based battles to provide a tense trip across the world. The journeys the characters take are harrowing, and the final hours of the game see your caravan stretched as thinly as possible. People will die, and it will likely be your fault.

Although The Banner Saga is just one third of a story, it feels like a complete package. There's the superlative art design, the luminous soundtrack, addictive gameplay, and potent narrative. We're not alone in impatiently awaiting the next chapter in the tale.