I’ve got a little experience with the SaGa series, so I was looking forward to trying out Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven at PAX West this past weekend. I had heard that the game being remade here is particularly great, which heightened my anticipation. I was incredibly impressed with what I played, as the title was excellent both conceptually and in its gameplay and presentation.
I was immediately intrigued by the generational concept of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven. In my demo, I played Emperor Gerard – the second-generation leader fighting against the corrupted Seven Heroes. As my kingdom was attacked by goblins, I was able to get a handle on the very satisfying turn-based combat system. Each character had their own two weapons, providing them with unique abilities to strategize with.
Credit: Square Enix
My favorite thing about the game thus far is the “Glimmer” mechanic. By using certain attacks and abilities, there’s a chance your character will learn a new skill – one that can be passed on to further generations as the game progresses and you assume the roles of new rulers. I learned plenty of abilities in the demo alone, which expanded my roster of moves immensely.
“The colorful visuals of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven are a joy to behold, as they make the complicated character designs pop off the screen.“
There’s a rewarding feeling to learning a cool new attack, as your strategies can change on the fly depending on what sort of abilities you learn. It’s a novel way to keep the turn-based gameplay exciting in the long run, and it encourages you to try out moves you’d otherwise use less thanks to the chance to get a Glimmer.
Credit: Square Enix
Boss battles are a blast in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven
After stopping the invasion, I went to the base of the goblins to strike at the heart, where I found several treasures and fought against the menacing Goblin King. The boss fight was a blast, as I had to juggle several different goblins in addition to the boss. This had me exploiting enemy weaknesses while also trying to get Glimmers to see if I could learn any more powerful abilities, leading to a feeling of satisfying multitasking. I felt accomplished after beating the Goblin King and was raring to get into more battles.
The colorful visuals of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven are a joy to behold, as they make the complicated character designs pop off the screen. There’s a very distinct look to the SaGa games and their visuals, regardless of whether they’re in 2D or 3D, so I was quite happy to see how sharp everything looked here. The voice acting was another highlight, with the English voices suiting their characters nicely and coming through with plenty of energy and emotion.
Credit: Square Enix
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven certainly has me looking forward to its full release on October 24, as it looks and plays great. The Glimmer mechanic continues to impress, and the generational story still feels novel over 30 years after the original game’s release. I hope the full game lives up to the preview, as I came away from it with a great deal of anticipation.
