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It’s been a good few years for SaGa fans. Square Enix not only released the new Romancing SaGa Re;UniverSe mobile game worldwide, but also a remastered version of SaGa Frontier. Square Enix even brought back more older games with Collection of SaGa. To get a better idea of what went into both games, Siliconera spoke to Producer Masanori Ichikawa and Producer Hiroyuki Miura about all three games.

Jenni Lada, Siliconera: Based on usage statistics, how have global s of Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe responded to banners featuring characters from games that didn't appear worldwide?


Masanori Ichikawa, Square Enix: I was surprised that the reactions we received were better than we had expected. I believe there are various factors that contributed to this, but it seems like popular characters in Japan also spontaneously became popular overseas as well.

Characters originally from Romancing SaGa 3 but featured in Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe, such as Matriarch, seem to be spontaneously getting popular as well. I initially thought there would be a difference in reactions between Japan and overseas on these points.

What especially surprised me was how very successful the Saga Prefecture collaboration characters were. The project started with a play on words, as SaGa and Saga Prefecture have the same pronunciation—I don’t think many people overseas knew of Saga Prefecture before this, but the collaboration characters were very popular.

Which events have been most popular in the global version of Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe? How has the reception compared or differed from the response in Japan?


Ichikawa: The Saga Prefecture collaboration and 1st anniversary events were popular, but it seems conquests have been the most popular overall. As for the Saga Prefecture collaboration, given that it is a collaboration with a prefecture in Japan which many overseas players likely were not aware of, we were worried about what kind of reactions we would get.

Of course, we didn’t have this same concern with Japanese players. However, this collaboration ended up being very popular amongst overseas players, with people embracing the various Japanese elements, such as the traditional Japanese clothing. This was a surprise, as we thought there would of course be some differences in the reactions between Japan and overseas, but in the end, the reactions ended up being similar. 

In the Global version, we decided implement the characters that were released in the Japanese version when SaGa Frontier Remastered launched much earlier than if we had stuck to our regular schedule. From our perspective as the developers of the game, we thought this would be quite a surprise for the fans, but it seems they were perplexed, as they were waiting for a different character—Matriarch. This is a takeaway for the future. I believe the bottom line is that we need to communicate more with the community. 

With SaGa Frontier Remastered, so much lost content was restored. What was the most challenging element to restore?


Hiroyuki Miura, Square Enix: The Fuse scenario, which was the biggest additional element, involved a lot of people and took a lot of time to develop. As we didn’t have much data, like text, from when the original was developed, it was a lot of work to create the scenario based on concept alone. That said, it was also fun as we were developing something new.

The SaGa Frontier Remastered release involved making the game look better and bringing back things thought to possibly be lost forever. How might this change how remasters are handled going forward?


Ichikawa: Thanks to many people, we are now able to revive elements which were considered lost in the past, and also pursue game pace and playability for the modern era, which we weren’t able to do with the remastering of Romancing SaGa 2 or Romancing SaGa 3. We were able to do this because of the prowess of Hiroyuki Miura and Naofumi Ueno, the producer and director of SaGa Frontier Remastered respectively. Moving forward, I believe we’ll continue to apply this remastering approach to the remaining series titles. Additionally, Kawazu-san was part of a lot of the development work for SaGa Frontier Remastered, which I believe had a positive effect in improving the quality of the game.

Miura: Through the direction we took with remastering the graphics and how we handled the additional elements, I believe we were able to present a new form of remastering that fans were looking for. On the other hand, as each title in the SaGa series has its own characteristics, the approach we took for SaGa Frontier Remastered can’t necessarily be applied to every title. As such, I believe we’ll take the SaGa Frontier remastering direction as a foundation and come up with a remastering approach for each title to leverage each of their own characteristics.

Is there anything you didn't get to include in and do for Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend? What would have been your dream extra edition for this game?


Miura: The concept of Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend was to replicate and deliver the Game Boy titles as they were back then in commemoration of the 30th anniversary, and we were able to realize that as planned. If there is another opportunity, it may be a good idea to release another lineup as a collection. 

Given the increased worldwide appreciation for the SaGa series, what would be your dream restoration or remaster project for the series? Which title would you most like to return to, if time and money weren't an object?


Ichikawa: In the current environment, there are still some titles in the SaGa series that can’t be played easily on modern platforms. Romancing Saga 1, Romancing SaGa 1 Minstrel Song, SaGa Frontier 2, and Unlimited Saga are among the titles for which we get a lot of requests. I believe it is our mission to first make an environment in which these games are playable on latest hardware. After that, we would like to create remakes.

SaGa Frontier Remastered is available on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC. Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe is available on Android and Apple iOS devices.

The post Interview: Revisiting SaGa Frontier and Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe appeared first on Siliconera.

When SaGa Frontier debuted back in 1997, it ended up being both a game ahead of its time and one that didn’t get the treatment it deserved. One could call it something of an experiment due to the way it handles both scenarios and its story, and rightfully so. With SaGa Frontier Remastered, it reemerges at a time when people are more welcoming of unorthodox methods of progression and storytelling and with cut content restored. That, combined with quality of life adjustments and visuals that aged surprisingly well, makes for quite a treat.

Like many SaGa games, there is more than one story told here. When people first begin the game, Asellus, Blue, Emilia, Lute, Red, Riki, and T260G stand before you. Each person’s story varies slightly. A protagonist in one can make a cameo and be recruited in another. You might even find some characters’ stories help explain things about others. Each one has its own depths and unique qualities, though every player might find themselves connecting with different ones due to personalities or progression.

For example, Emilia’s quest to find the man who murdered her police officer fiancé is fairly straightforward and might feel more linear than others, even with it having multiple endings. Finding out more about the mech T260G and their mission or helping Riki collect rings to save his home. I’d recommend saving Asellus’ story for somewhere near the end, even though it is the original tale with the most new content, due to the number of choices you have to potentially make and things to unlock. Then you have characters like Lute, whose story can be illuminating about other routes, and Fuse, whose story is best experienced after spending time with everyone else.

Honestly, these stories are a highlight and have a tremendous amount of depth to them. They explore concepts like accepting yourself, what justice and revenge really mean, and determining your place in the world. Characters’ stories can have multiple endings, like Asellus’, Blue’s, and Emilia’s. And while the Free-Form Scenario System does give you opportunities to explore and there are chances to forge your own path, someone can always pop into the Story section of the menu to get a hint about what to do next.

And as you’d expect from a remaster, SaGa Frontier Remastered looks, runs, and sounds great on modern systems. The combination of traditional character sprites against pre-rendered backgrounds works well, with both looking crisp and vibrant on the Nintendo Switch. Indicators are everywhere, showing exactly where entrances are or things you should pay attention to. There’s a quick save system and you can save at any time, you have a library to check, and the ability to speed things up while battling or exploring is helpful. Though honestly, the standard pace when moving through the world and size of areas meant I didn’t find much use for that.

Where the double-speed works best is in SaGa Frontier Remastered’s battles. It has a fantastic battle system with SaGa staples like a Spark system to learn new abilities and Life Points. We have characters with certain innate strengths and abilities based on their backgrounds. (For example Mystics using magic and improving their equipment via enemy absorption and strengthening mech characters with items.) But while it isn’t slow by any means, the ability to pick up the pace really helps. Especially since there are situations where you can have multiple battles chain one after another simply due to enemy placement in spaces. And, should someone be grinding to spark new abilities or build up stats, that boost helps make that feel less tedious. Pair that with the quick save and so many save slots, and you have plenty of opportunities to properly shape parties and prepare extra saves so you can see every ending.

But what really sets it apart is how much is new here. SaGa Frontier is rather famous for having so much left unsaid even though it is “complete,” and Remastered helps fix that. Both Asellus and Fuse are the two stars of that. For example, quests and options were cut from Asellus’ quests. One involves a new Facinaturu escape method involving Kurenai that was inaccessible in the original game. And with Fuse, his entire storyline is present and offers a chance to work with characters you might otherwise not. And, given that it was originally cut and the extensive documentation surrounding the game in Japan, the scenario fits in rather seamlessly.

It essentially feels like Square Enix set a new standard with the SaGa Frontier remaster. It made up for lost time. SaGa series mechanics, with entries’ multiple storylines, battle systems that reward performing certain actions, and non-linear nature, were always ahead of their time. Back in the day, SaGa Frontier was among those that didn’t get its proper due. Now that the line as a whole is experiencing a renaissance, SaGa Frontier Remastered feels like something of a crown jewel. 

SaGa Frontier Remastered will come to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, and mobile devices on April 15, 2021.

The post Review: SaGa Frontier Gets What It Deserves in Remastered appeared first on Siliconera.

SaGa series Producer Masanori Ichikawa announced a celebratory live broadcast with multiple of the SaGa Frontier Remastered development team. Designed to offer insights into the game’s creation, it will air at 3am PT/6am ET/7pm JST on April 15, 2021.

The announcement went over all of the guests involved with SaGa Frontier Remastered who will appear. Ichikawa is the general producer of the series and worked on other recent entries like Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe and the remaster of Romancing SaGa 3. Series Producer Akitoshi Kawazu, who was also designed and wrote SaGa: Scarlet Grace Ambitions, will be there. So will the SaGa Frontier Remastered Producer Hiroyuki Miura and Director Naofumi Ueno and writer Benny Matsuyama. SaGa Frontier composer Kenji Ito and pianist Shinya Kiyozuka will also be at the broadcast.

Here’s where you can catch the Japanese SaGa Frontier release date broadcast on April 15, 2021.

Ahead of the game’s launch, Square Enix offered various refreshers. For example, one trailer offered a summary of the eight protagonists. It also reminded people that cut content will be restored, like scenes from Asellus’ story, and showed off the new Fuse storyline.

SaGa Frontier Remastered will appear on April 15, 2021 on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, and mobile devices.

The post SaGa Frontier Remastered Release Date Broadcast Stream Announced appeared first on Siliconera.

The classic 1998 PlayStation RPG, SaGa Frontier, is getting remastered for the PS4, Switch, PC via Steam, and smartphones in Summer 2021.

Check out the announcement trailer for SaGa Frontier Rematered from Square Enix below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYn7_fh7M

This time around, the RPG will feature a team of eight characters with Fuse added as a new playable character. The original SaGa Frontier featured the seven main characters of Asellus, Blue, Emelia, Lute, Red, Riki, and T260G. All eight characters have different goals and endings, including Fuse. Furthermore, the original version had several events that were never implemented into Asselus' story. The remaster will finally implement the events, so fans can further enjoy Asselus' story.

The remaster also improves the graphics quality. Starting with the characters and monsters, the backgrounds have also been improved at higher resolutions. The menu screen has also been redesigned to make it easier to read. As we've seen in other remastered titles from Square Enix, the game will add several useful functions, including double speed and other ways to make your gameplay experience easier.

SaGa Frontier Remastered will release digitally for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam, iOS, and Android in Summer 2021. The game was originally released for the PlayStation in Japan in July 1997.

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