Romancing SaGa Preview

The soft melody. The thunderous sounds. The increasing tempo. The joyous feeling that comes with being taken to another time and place.

It’s true – Romancing SaGa is another iteration of the only RPG series that’s had as many versions as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. This time, however, the series is aiming to reinvent itself with an exceptionally large cast (including eight main characters and eight individual quests); a beautiful and original graphic style; and a soundtrack that’ll make you want to hunt down the Japanese OST (original soundtrack).

The game begins with the selection of one of the eight leading characters. Albert is a young nobleman, the traditional character that every RPG has. Gray is an adventurer – another RPG staple, though not all of his traits mimic that of other characters. Claudia’s journey starts in a woodsy area that inhabits bird and beast (and odd combination if I do say so myself). She’s a ranger. Jamil’s thievery gets him into trouble when he’s caught stealing. He hardly cares, doing whatever it takes to escape. Sif is a strong barbarian, while Hawke is a pirate who’s not to be messed with. Barbara, the traveling dancer, has her own set of unique abilities that enable her to protect herself. Lastly there’s Aisha, a young nomad who will explore the world.

This unusually large cast is joined by several other playable characters. Each has their reason for fighting, though not every detail may be explained. Claudia, for example, teams up with two beastly animals in order to take down the evil monsters that are threatening their lives. Up to five characters may join a party at one time – this is very helpful when you begin to encounter the dozens of thick-skinned creatures that wish to turn you into dinner. From large plants and little beasts to enormous dinosaur-like creatures and creepy hovering things, Romancing SaGa is filled with reasons to run away scared… Or rise to the challenge and prove that you are the ultimate RPG player. 

That’s one of the things that has never changed in this series – its challenge. Romancing SaGa  gives players the chance to learn the ropes. Each quest begins with a brief introduction of the story (which tells you very little about the characters and their reason for whatever it is that they’re doing), followed by an NPC (non-playable character) who can tell you the basics of the gameplay. The greatest thing of all is that you don’t need to talk to him/her/it. Romancing SaGa is deep without throwing strange twists into the mix that take time to learn. It gets more complex later on in the journey, but like any RPG, you grow as it grows. The more you play, the clearer everything becomes.

You may (and should) take the time to talk to some of the locals, but if you’re dying for a battle, the first one occurs a measly 10 minutes after the game begins. Some occur sooner – it all depends on who you’re playing as and what they’re mission is.

Romancing SaGa’s battles are 100% turn-based. There isn’t a timer in place to determine when your characters and your enemies should attack – they only get to make a move when their turn comes around. This makes the experience considerably different from Final Fantasy, a game where players are used to working their butts off to get as many attacks in as possible. Romancing SaGa is a different story. Since you can’t attack several times before your opponent strikes, the challenge is deciding which attacks to use and when. Is casting magic now really worth it? Will I need my spell power later? Will I be able to replenish that power before a more forceful monster is awakened? The fact that, on average, Romancing SaGa’s monsters are stronger than the monsters encountered in most other RPGs doesn’t make it any easier.

Final Fantasy players are used to limit breakers, desperation attacks and the like. Romancing SaGa has its own special, helpful attack: glimmers. When using a familiar technique in battle, a new technique may be unconsciously released. The game refers to that unconscious attack as a glimmer. These attacks could be anything and may (or may not) have the power to completely destroy the monster you’re fighting.

From the very start of the quest players have the chance to upgrade their weapons via blacksmiths. Upgrades are costly and work both ways: one stat increases while another one might decrease. I hate making these kinds of decisions – it’d be great to increase my physical defense, but is the drop in magic defense really worth it? That all depends on the types of monsters you’ll be fighting, something you can’t determine until you start exploring. Then it’s back to the blacksmith to make a purchase! Or you could take a chance and take home a shiny, upgraded piece of armor, or a superior weapon to cut through the flesh of those who are evil. 

Romancing SaGa’s graphic style is the most unique I’ve seen all year. It’s like a typical 3D RPG, yet has the outline of a cartoon. But it’s not cel-shaded. It’s not quite like a painting either, but close. The backdrops are really beautiful. And the computer-animated movies – the oversized heads look a little weird, but the artistic style is truly amazing. Anyone who appreciates art will love Romancing SaGa’s appearance.

Destined to turn role-players into night owls (as if we weren’t already), Romancing SaGa ships this October. Save your energy now – you’re going to need it for the lengthy quest that this game is going to deliver.