Square Enix has given plenty of its classic JRPGs the remake treatment, and the latest one is Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven. This remake doesn’t stick with the classic style of the original though. Instead, it is a full 3D remake, complete with a reworking of the original’s combat.
While core mechanics like glimmering, formations, and generation-spanning elements are still here, the remake adds a ton of things that promise to make the game even more engaging to play.
The fact that the game’s story spans generations is at the core of the Romancing SaGa identity, though I didn’t get to experience this aspect of the game during my recent hands-on session ahead of Tokyo Game Show 2024. What I did experience was the revamped gameplay that took me by surprise.
Complex and Fun Gameplay
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My recent time with the game was split into two parts. The first was me playing through the opening parts of the game until the first major boss fight. Next was a level later in the game that’s bookended by another big boss encounter.
As someone new to the series, it was helpful that the demo session started with the opening hours of the game as the combat system and party mechanics have a lot of elements that, while familiar, can become overwhelming. Thankfully, the game eases you into these mechanics quite well during that first hour.
Even though it’s a 3D remake, the core gameplay is still a turn-based JRPG, albeit with some more tactical elements. Among these is the turn order that’s at the top of the HUD which is key to determining your tactics for each encounter.
The player’s party consists of up to five combatants, with the player character (aka the Emperor or Empress) as one while the others are members of their retinue which can be swapped out. These other party members have various weapons and elemental specialties which is important to know if you want to get far in combat.
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Each character can wield two weapons, with some also being able to cast spells or abilities with one of five elements. In total, there are eight weapon types and five elements. Each enemy is weak to certain weapon types and elements. By hitting them with their weakness, they get higher damage, all while building up your party’s Overdrive bar.
Once the Overdrive bar is filled, players can activate a powerful United Attack that chains multiple party attacks together to hit one or all enemies (depending on the type of attack chosen). Given this mechanic, setting up your party to cover all weapons and elements is key to getting the upper hand in combat.
These damage types and United Attacks can seem reminiscent of something like Persona, but the game also has more of a tactical edge to it that’s kind of like what you’d find in a game like Fire Emblem.
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One of these is the fact that party members can die permanently if they die in combat too many times. This is represented by their LP gauge. If their LP is at 5 and they die five times, you won’t be able to use them anymore. While this isn’t the end of the world as there are other retinue members to add to the party, this might make you more careful with characters you like. On the flip side, the game has some ways to mitigate character death like the fact that health fills back up for the whole party after each encounter.
As for leveling the characters, the XP adds more HP and MP, as well as increases their weapon proficiencies. In combat, glimmering also happens sometimes when players attack. When a glimmer activates, characters can acquire new skills for use in subsequent turns.
Another thing to take note of to protect characters (and to ensure your party is optimized for combat) is the Formation. In the game, you can choose what Formation your party takes. For instance, a horizontal line has no strengths or weaknesses. Meanwhile, you can go with a cross formation which means one character will take more hits, but they will get extra defense in return.
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When you combine all of these mechanics, you get a seriously engaging and fun experience. I didn’t know what to expect ahead of my demo, so I was surprised by how deep and absorbing the game’s combat was, especially during the boss fights.
I won’t go deep into these fights so as not to spoil you, but I can say that they’re incredibly fun, especially if you like turn-based RPGs or tactical games. While the second one wasn’t as difficult (likely due to the strong party the demo gave me), the first boss fight was quite tough, so it was a great feeling to finally take it down.
From what I played, the combat was the star, with the game’s other elements essentially playing supporting roles.
A Fairly Simple Presentation
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The 3D presentation of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is good in that for many players, 3D is more engaging than 2D (except for those who much prefer retro titles). However, I did find it to look rather simple.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it looks dull, though it’s not as visually striking as other 3D JRPGs. The art style is also quite colorful with a fantasy anime style, though its brighter look may not be for those who want something with a bit more oomph. This also extends to the level design as the game’s dungeons are fairly simple, at least from the ones I tried.
What is nice about the game is that it features voice acting which makes the story and the experience as a whole more immersive, at least based on my hands-on time with it. Plus, the fact that it ran well on PS5 was a plus.
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Initial Impressions
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There are still plenty of things that I want to know about Revenge of the Seven such as if its generation-spanning story will hold up well, or how exactly the inheritance mechanic from the original game will be implemented here.
But based on my recent hands-on, it’s fair to say that Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven holds a lot of promise as its combat system features familiar turn-based and tactical game mechanics that are combined to deliver a seriously engaging experience.
Even though the game isn’t the most visually striking title out there, if its combat holds up throughout the story’s duration, Revenge of the Seven will be an easy recommendation for genre fans.
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven will be released on PS5, PS4, Switch, and PC via Steam on October 24, 2024.