Romancing SaGa 2 Revenge of the Seven Preview: 5 pleasant discoveries we made in the remake
Square Enix will release Romancing SaGa 2 : Revenge of the Seven in October for PS4/PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam). The game is a remake of the beloved 1993 non-linear RPG Romancing SaGa 2, which was originally released only in Japan on the Super Famicom (later coming to the West in a 2017 remaster). The lore-rich game immerses players in the role of Emperor or Empress of Varennes, against the backdrop of the empire’s long war against the corrupted seven heroes.
The Romancing SaGa 2 remake promises hours more gameplay over the original, but what else has changed about the classic? Thanks to Square Enix, we got our hands on a preview of the Steam version and found out. It includes the early stages of the game, from battling the goblins and defeating the first of the seven, Kzinssie of Somon. (Please note that there may be slight differences between this preview version and the final game).
1. Party formation- you no longer have to bump off characters!
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven gives you way more freedom when forming a party than the original. One issue with the original game is that once you added a character to your party, you were stuck with them. Unless you killed them off in battle (i.e. got their LP points down to zero).
Thankfully, the Romancing SaGa 2 remake enables players to do a much less murderous run of the game. You can now easily switch out your retinue by visiting a tavern. It seems it is also possible to position the Emperor (i.e. you) in more varied positions on the battlefield, using the new formations introduced in this remake.
2. Combat has been revamped while retaining key features from the original
A major change in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is the combat. Whilst the original had typical turn-based combat, the remake switches to a timeline system in which party member and enemy actions occur in the order displayed along the timeline at the top of the screen. Winning battles involves paying attention to how long it takes to pull off certain actions and when each enemy and ally can make their move.
Just like the original, each character has different abilities that they can learn when their character class participates in a specific number of battles. The ability to sneak up on enemies with a Pre-Emptive Strike and the chance to use special techniques and spells in battle are still here. However, to make things easier, points for utilizing special techniques and spells are now unified under the BP (Battle Points) system.
A welcome addition to Romancing SaGa 2 is the United Attack Chains system. This was introduced in later SaGa series games. By building up your overcharge gauge, you can eventually unleash devastating attacks in which multiple members of your retinue attack together.
As for QoL improvements, various information that you would have had to remember in the original is now clearly displayed. For example, once you have identified an enemy’s weakness, this info will be visible.
3. Multiple difficulty levels to suit all players
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven introduces three difficulty levels- Easy, Normal and Hard (Classic). These can be freely switched between, making it easy for players to choose a level of difficulty that suits them.
It is telling that this remake’s hard difficulty setting is equivalent to the original game. In the original Romancing SaGa 2, even early enemies would often hit you with surprisingly strong attacks- sometimes decimating half your health!
Fortunately, like the original, your health is restored at the end of each battle. There’s always a point before each boss where you can restore all your BP too, allowing you to challenge them with all your might.
Although Kzinssie was as tough as he should be on Hard (Classic) difficulty, he also had a few extra attacks. This suggests that the remake will have a few surprises and challenges in store for old fans. Therefore, we recommend the “Original” difficulty level to confident, old-school RPG players.
4. The town and dungeons are now in glorious 3D!
The most noticeable change from the 1993 original/2017 remaster is that the towns and dungeons are now in 3D. The preview throws you right into the streets of Varennes’ capital of Avalon, where you are immediately set upon by goblins. The city has been realized in full 3D in a way that stays true to the original’s 2D maps.
The change to 3D is fully felt in the dungeons. You can now jump or fall between levels in the dungeon, which allows for far more treasure chest-hunting and exploration than in the original. You will encounter a much bigger variety of different looking monsters, with varied behaviors. Some skulk around the 3D passageways, whilst others jump out and attack from the shadows, or crawl out of the ground or ceilings when you least expect it.
Once in Kzinssie’s mansion, you will come across mimics, just like in the original. However, now everything is in 3D, opening a chest and having a mimic pop out is much more surprising to the player. This strong enemy also surprises your party, causing them to break formation in battle.
5. The character designs are beautiful
Seeing as the original Romancing SaGa was in 2D with charming dot pixel sprites, the move to full 3D has given the characters a lot more detail too. For example, Andromache, the first female Free Fighter Unit that you can recruit in the game has a mole, which would have been impossible to depict in the original’s tiny sprites. The detailed clothes and faces of the characters fit the spirit of the original game’s character art. It’s good to finally see in-game what these characters really look like.
The game features 3D cutscenes between characters too, which will no doubt help players get even more immersed in the world and story.
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is scheduled to launch for PS4/PS5 and Nintendo Switch on October 24, with the Steam version following the next day.
Written by Verity Townsend based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2024-09-05 20:00 JST)
