REVIEW – This game was a Super Famicom RPG released in 1992, which was remade in 3D for PS2 in 2005 with the subtitle -Minstrel Song-, and a remake of it was released in the West 17 years later. At least here, such a facelift is warranted, which was unnecessary for the first The Last of Us; Square Enix has taken a unique IP of its JRPGs and done it relatively well.

Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- returns as a stunning remastered edition, with new gameplay elements and quality of life features! Get ready for an even deeper story and thrilling adventure!

Another way

Final Fantasy II had a different leveling mechanic. For the most part, SaGa titles don’t follow the pattern of improving Z stats by Y when X experience points are reached. Eight characters come into the story from other parts of the world (Albert, Aisha, Gray, Claudia, Jamil, Barbara, Barbarian, and Hawke), all with varying character classes. After selecting our character and their gender, everyone gets a unique intro, and then, we can start the missions and side missions in Mardias. In each case, a minstrel will talk about the three ancestors who died in the war: we need to defeat Saruin, which would require finding the Fatestones. The large area can be crossed with fast travel, but the narrative is not always clear about where to go. There are no markings on the map for quests, so anyone who gets lost will grind unintentionally while trying to find their destination.

Meanwhile, the party can constantly be changing, as it can consist of up to five people (swapping can be done at the minstrel, who can even be convinced to join). You shouldn’t often end up with having 0 HP during the turn-based battles because if you don’t go to an inn to rest, you’ll eventually run out of the character’s life points (not HP!), which means that character is done for. In the case of our protagonist, it automatically leads to a Game Over. It’s worth noting that we will always have max HP again after the fights, but in return, the battles (opponents are visible on the map!) are not easy, pushing the player towards having a balanced team. A small jump to character development: stats (e.g., vitality, agility…) increase randomly after fights, characters can carry multiple weapons at once, and the same type can result in a special attack, which can initially lead to weapon attrition (you need to revert the durability status at a blacksmith). Balance is essential: different character classes open up new ones, or new abilities are gained over time. It’s a bit complicated, but it’s no coincidence that Final Fantasy III also deviated from the unusual II leveling system: SaGa was too far off the trend.

A la conquete

(because the soundtrack of Taxi 2 is playing)

The Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered looks dated even in its re-released “glory.” There’s no denying it: most AAA products in the gaming industry don’t let go of the gamer’s hand, but this title went too far in the opposite direction. Mardias can be explored, but when it’s not exciting, it can be frustrating to be constantly under the load of everything and everyone, and it all feels pointless. (Sound familiar?) And the vast majority of the sidequests typically find this item and bring it to me type fetch quests. It might have felt fresh in 1992, but today, it feels more like the game is out of place, and it’s no coincidence that the sequel didn’t lift everything from this game.

Sure, fans like it, but other than them, the developers have achieved the opposite. It’s no coincidence that the game’s speed can be doubled on PlayStation with R3 (something that may have been in the Final Fantasy pixel remasters; those are coming soon to PS4 and Switch), but the tried and tested camera control with the right analog stick is not included in the QoL improvements. The fixed camera angles don’t fit in, and the art style is also odd: in a 3D game, recreating 2D sprites is not a pleasant experience, despite the plethora of sophisticated, cleaned textures. It has to be said that this is still just a PS2 game, and it mostly looks like one. At least the soundtrack can be described as pleasant, so it would be a sin to criticize it: it’s even worth listening to on its own.

Not a romantic saga

Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered gets a seven out of ten because the original tried to innovate, and the PS2 remake took that idea further, and the re-release continued that idea. As an experimental product, it’s okay, so it can be a little subjective as to how it gets rated by different people. For fans, it’s a recommended buy because it delivers what it’s supposed to, but other than that, it’s a good game. For that reason, it gets a seven out of ten, but anyone who grew up on (or is looking for) more traditional JRPGs shouldn’t jump on it at the first opportunity. At least on PC, it doesn’t have the Denuvo cancer, even though Square Enix puts it in almost everything (even things it shouldn’t). Now place your bets if the perpetrator of these characters gets dunked on by another game to write about in one or maybe two days.

-V-

Publisher: Square Enix

Developer: Square Enix, Bullets

Style: JRPG

Release: December 1, 2022.