Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven – A Remake Fit for Modern Gamers and Longtime Fans Alike
Many discovered the SaGa series through past console generations. For me, the iOS version of Romancing SaGa 2 was my introduction almost a decade ago – a challenging but ultimately rewarding experience. Now, I'm a devoted SaGa fan (as evidenced by the photo below!), and I was thrilled to see the full remake, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, announced for Switch, PC, and PlayStation.
This review covers my hands-on experience with an early Steam Deck demo and an interview with Game Producer Shinichi Tatsuke (also behind the Trials of Mana remake). We discussed Revenge of the Seven, lessons learned from Trials of Mana, accessibility, potential future ports, and more (the interview was conducted via video call, transcribed, and edited for brevity).
Balancing Nostalgia and Accessibility
TouchArcade (TA): Remaking beloved classics like Trials of Mana and now Romancing SaGa 2 must be an honor. What were the key challenges in staying true to the original while enhancing accessibility for modern players?
Shinichi Tatsuke (ST): Both Trials of Mana and the SaGa series pre-date the Square Enix merger; they're legendary Squaresoft titles. Remaking them after nearly 30 years offered a fantastic opportunity for improvement. Romancing SaGa 2 is particularly unique, with systems that remain innovative even today. This uniqueness made it a compelling candidate for a remake.
The original's difficulty is well-known. Many hardcore fans consider it essential to the SaGa experience. However, this difficulty also presents a barrier to entry for newcomers. We aimed to please both groups by introducing multiple difficulty settings: Normal mode for standard RPG players and Casual mode for those prioritizing the story. Think of it like adding honey to spicy curry – the original game's difficulty is the spice, and the casual mode is the honey.
Modernizing a Classic
TA: How did you balance preserving the original experience with quality-of-life improvements? How did you choose which features to modernize?
ST: The SaGa series isn't just about difficulty; it's also about how understandable it is. The original lacked visible enemy weaknesses and other crucial stats, forcing players to figure things out. We felt this was unfair, so we made weaknesses visible in the remake. We addressed other overly difficult aspects to create a fairer, more enjoyable experience for modern players.
Steam Deck Performance and Future Ports
TA: The Steam Deck demo ran exceptionally well. Considering your experience with Trials of Mana on various platforms, was the game specifically optimized for the Steam Deck?
ST: Yes, the full game will be compatible and playable on the Steam Deck.
TA: Any plans for mobile or Xbox ports?
ST: No plans at this time.
Lessons Learned and Visual Enhancements
TA: What did you learn from the Trials of Mana remake that you applied to Revenge of the Seven?
ST: The Trials of Mana remake taught us what players want from a remake. For example, players prefer soundtrack arrangements that are faithful to the originals, but with improved quality thanks to modern technology. We also learned that players appreciate the option to choose between original and rearranged soundtracks, a feature we included in Revenge of the Seven. Visually, we adjusted character heights and utilized lighting effects instead of texture shadows to better suit the SaGa series' more serious tone.
Note: The interviewer thanked Tatsuke for the English-language "Romancing SaGa 2 Primer" video.
Steam Deck Impressions
Revenge of the Seven looks and sounds fantastic on the Steam Deck. The remake gradually introduces core mechanics, and quality-of-life improvements enhance combat and information presentation. Newcomers will find it approachable, while veterans will appreciate the updated presentation while retaining the challenge of the original. The PC port's performance is excellent; I achieved near-locked 90fps at 720p on my Steam Deck OLED with mostly high settings. The option to switch between original and new soundtracks, and English and Japanese audio, adds to the replayability.
The game offers extensive graphical options, including screen mode, resolution, frame rate, v-sync, dynamic resolution, presets, anti-aliasing, texture filtering, shadow quality, and 3D model rendering resolution.
Revenge of the Seven is a must-have for RPG fans. I hope this leads to more players exploring the SaGa series!
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven launches October 24th for Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PS4. A free demo is available on all platforms.
