Romance is certainly within the air with my favourite sport from PAX West 2024.
I all the time anticipate finding my favourite sport of the present once I come to PAX West, and this yr not one of the indies and different video games within the expo corridor had been grabbing me. Fortuitously, I had a reserving with Sq. Enix to check out just a few of their upcoming RPGs, and the one I went into the appointment considering the least about, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, not solely stunned me; it blew my expectations out of the water.
Having performed each Romancing SaGa video games on Change at their respective launches, I used to be aware of their model of turn-based goodness, however for a large number of causes, the newer SaGa entries like Scarlet Grace and Emerald Past simply did not hit for me. Earlier than really getting palms on with Revenge of the Seven, a top-to-bottom remake of Romancing SaGa 2, even the quick presentation we had been proven acquired me enthusiastic about all of the adjustments coming to this up to date model. My constructive emotions on the sport solely grew as I sat down and relished simply over half-hour of demo time on Change in handheld mode.
The demo situates you as the following in line for the throne after your father (the king) has handed away. Romancing SaGa 2 employs a lineage system the place offspring obtain bonuses and buffs from their departed forebearers, and it’s with these handed down advantages you can finally turn out to be sturdy sufficient to defeat the titular Seven. There’s even a second close to the top of the demo that showcases this technique in a particularly cool means, however extra on that later.
Inside the sport’s hub city, you’ll be able to change up your occasion members and buy new tools. Your typical courses are current right here–knight, archer, mage–and there are over 30 courses within the full sport, with the protagonist apparently capable of be taught expertise from all of them. Whereas we solely acquired a style of the occasion composition and lineage mechanics, I am desperate to see extra and experiment with totally different paths and choices.
The demo provided just a few totally different goals to tackle, together with defending the fort and surrounding city from an orc assault. After sprinting across the metropolis to repel the invasion, I confronted an orc captain mini-boss, who put up a stable struggle. I also needs to observe that I used to be enjoying on the traditional problem, of the three out there, with the “Arduous/Traditional” representing the problem of the unique 1993 launch. After efficiently defending my fort, a ceremony was held and one of many not-yet-convinced companions ended up becoming a member of my ranks. From there, I had the choice of heading to the orc’s hideout for retribution or looking for out one of many Seven, Kzinssie, who was holed up in a mansion throughout the continent. Finishing all of those duties offered an amazing sense of how fight and development work, and it’s exhausting to not see the evolution on this remake as a superb means of modernizing the collection.
The turn-based fight of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven was an apparent standout from my time with the demo. A very noteworthy characteristic was a lightweight bulb icon that seems beside your assaults, indicating strikes which have an opportunity of “glimmering,” which unlocks a brand new transfer and is without doubt one of the main development strategies. Greater than that, each profitable battle awards approach factors in the direction of your weapon proficiency rank and meters that elevate your HP and BP (battle factors). United assaults and formations add one other layer of depth to the fight, too. All of that is to say that development and development are rather more clear than perhaps they’ve ever been, and so Sq. Enix appears centered on making these video games extra approachable for a wider viewers.
Regardless that the hand held visuals left one thing to be desired, efficiency was stable over the course of my playtime. This can be a kind of RPGs the place you’ll need to dock your Change to higher benefit from the look of the remake, however when you’re okay with a softer, much less sharp look, there didn’t look like any main drawbacks in how the sport ran portably. Battles specifically had been snappy and fast to load, which was a welcome sight for a combat-heavy expertise.
What actually solidified Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven as my sport of PAX West 2024 was when my hero, Gerard, starring sure doom within the face, introduced that he had inherited the reminiscences and talents of his father, permitting him to evade Kzinssie’s deathblow. It was a poignant reminder of the lineage mechanic at play, and it made me consider cartoons and anime the place the hero is lastly in a position to make use of all they’ve acquired of their journey to defeat the ultimate boss. To place a fantastic level on it, I’ve dabbled a good bit within the SaGa collection, way back to The Ultimate Fantasy Legend, however I’m anticipating this remake of Romancing SaGa 2 to make me a devoted believer. Whereas I’ve already circled October 24 on my calendar, it’s going to be powerful seeing the leaves begin to fall with Revenge of the Seven firmly imprinted on my thoughts. Akitoshi Kawazu, it seems to be such as you acquired me once more!
