Romance is definitely in the air with my favorite game from PAX West 2024.
I always look forward to finding my favorite game of the show when I come to PAX West, and this year none of the indies and other games in the expo hall were grabbing me. Fortunately, I had a booking with Square Enix to try out a few of their upcoming RPGs, and the one I went into the appointment thinking the least about, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, not only surprised me; it blew my expectations out of the water.
Having played both Romancing SaGa games on Switch at their respective launches, I was familiar with their brand of turn-based goodness, but for a multitude of reasons, the newer SaGa entries like Scarlet Grace and Emerald Beyond just didn’t hit for me. Before actually getting hands on with Revenge of the Seven, a top-to-bottom remake of Romancing SaGa 2, even the short presentation we were shown got me excited about all the changes coming to this updated version. My positive feelings on the game only grew as I sat down and relished just over 30 minutes of demo time on Switch in handheld mode.
The demo situates you as the next in line for the throne after your father (the king) has passed away. Romancing SaGa 2 employs a lineage system where offspring receive bonuses and buffs from their departed forebearers, and it is with these passed down benefits that you can eventually become strong enough to defeat the titular Seven. There’s even a moment near the end of the demo that showcases this system in an extremely cool way, but more on that later.
Within the game’s hub town, you can change up your party members and purchase new equipment. Your typical classes are present here–knight, archer, mage–and there are over 30 classes in the full game, with the protagonist apparently able to learn skills from all of them. While we only got a taste of the party composition and lineage mechanics, I’m eager to see more and experiment with different paths and options.
The demo offered a few different objectives to take on, including defending the castle and surrounding town from an orc attack. After sprinting around the city to repel the invasion, I faced an orc captain mini-boss, who put up a solid fight. I should also note that I was playing on the normal difficulty, of the three available, with the “Hard/Classic” representing the challenge of the original 1993 release. After successfully defending my castle, a ceremony was held and one of the not-yet-convinced companions ended up joining my ranks. From there, I had the option of heading to the orc’s hideout for retribution or seeking out one of the Seven, Kzinssie, who was holed up in a mansion across the continent. Completing all of these tasks provided a great sense of how combat and progression work, and it’s hard not to see the evolution in this remake as an excellent way of modernizing the series.
The turn-based combat of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven was an obvious standout from my time with the demo. A particularly noteworthy feature was a light bulb icon that appears beside your attacks, indicating moves that have a chance of “glimmering,” which unlocks a new move and is one of the primary progression methods. More than that, every successful battle awards technique points towards your weapon proficiency rank and meters that raise your HP and BP (battle points). United attacks and formations add another layer of depth to the combat, too. All of this is to say that progression and growth are much more transparent than maybe they’ve ever been, and so Square Enix seems focused on making these games more approachable for a wider audience.
Even though the handheld visuals left something to be desired, performance was solid over the course of my playtime. This may be one of those RPGs where you’ll want to dock your Switch to better enjoy the look of the remake, but if you’re okay with a softer, less sharp look, there didn’t appear to be any major drawbacks in how the game ran portably. Battles in particular were snappy and quick to load, which was a welcome sight for a combat-heavy experience.
What really solidified Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven as my game of PAX West 2024 was when my hero, Gerard, starring certain doom in the face, announced that he had inherited the memories and abilities of his father, allowing him to evade Kzinssie’s deathblow. It was a poignant reminder of the lineage mechanic at play, and it made me think of cartoons and anime where the hero is finally able to use all they’ve acquired in their journey to defeat the final boss. To put a fine point on it, I’ve dabbled a fair bit in the SaGa series, as far back as The Final Fantasy Legend, but I’m expecting this remake of Romancing SaGa 2 to make me a dedicated believer. While I’ve already circled October 24 on my calendar, it’s going to be tough seeing the leaves start to fall with Revenge of the Seven firmly imprinted on my mind. Akitoshi Kawazu, it looks like you got me again!
