Many long-time gamers discovered the SaGa series through past console releases. For me, Romancing SaGa 2 on iOS was my introduction almost a decade ago. Initially, I struggled, approaching it like a typical JRPG. Now, I'm a devoted SaGa fan (as evidenced by the photo below), so I was thrilled to see Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, a complete remake, announced for Switch, PC, and PlayStation.
For this review, I played the Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Steam Deck demo and interviewed its producer, Shinichi Tatsuke (also behind Trials of Mana's remake). We discussed the remake, lessons learned from Trials of Mana, accessibility, potential Xbox and mobile ports, coffee preferences, and more. This interview, conducted via video call, has been transcribed and edited for brevity.
TouchArcade (TA): Having remade both Trials of Mana and now Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, what's that like?
Shinichi Tatsuke (ST): Both Trials of Mana and the SaGa series predate the Square Enix merger—they're legendary Squaresoft titles. Remaking them is an incredible honor. Both games, originally released nearly 30 years ago, offered great opportunities for improvement. Romancing SaGa 2, with its unique systems (still unique today!), was a perfect candidate for a remake.
TA: The original Romancing SaGa 2 was notoriously challenging. I got a game over in the first ten minutes! The remake offers multiple difficulty settings. How did you balance faithfulness to the original with accessibility? Many will experience SaGa for the first time with this modern version.
ST: The SaGa series' difficulty is well-known, and it's a key element for many fans. However, the difficulty also creates a significant barrier to entry for potential players. Many know of SaGa but haven't played it due to perceived difficulty.
We aimed to please both veteran and new players by introducing difficulty options: Normal and Casual. Normal caters to standard RPG players, while Casual focuses on story and narrative. Our team included core SaGa fans, making this a collaborative decision. It's like adding honey to spicy curry—the original game is the spicy curry, and the Casual mode is the honey, making it more accessible.
TA: How did you balance the original experience for veterans with quality-of-life improvements? How did you choose which features to modernize while maintaining challenge?
ST: The SaGa series isn't just about difficulty; it's also about understandability. The original lacked visible information, like enemy weaknesses and defenses. This wasn't challenging, it was unfair. For a modern audience, we made weaknesses visible and adjusted other overly difficult aspects for fairness and enjoyment.
TA: Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven runs exceptionally well on my Steam Deck. Considering my experience with Trials of Mana on various platforms, was the game specifically optimized for Steam Deck?
ST: Yes, the full game will be compatible and playable on Steam Deck.
TA: How long was development?
ST: I can't give specifics, but main development began in late 2021.
TA: What did you learn from the Trials of Mana remake that you applied to this one?
ST: Trials of Mana taught us player preferences. For example, regarding soundtracks, players generally prefer arrangements faithful to the originals, but with improved quality due to modern technology. We offered a choice between original and rearranged tracks, a feature well-received and included here. Graphically, Mana's style is more adorable, while SaGa is more serious; we used lighting effects instead of textures to maintain realism. We leveraged past experience and introduced new elements.
(I thanked Tatsuke and the team for the English "Romancing SaGa 2 Primer" video.)
TA: Trials of Mana reached mobile; are there plans for Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven on mobile or Xbox?
ST: No current plans.
TA: Finally, what's your coffee preference?
ST: I don't drink coffee; I dislike bitter drinks. I don't drink beer either.
(Thanks to Tatsuke, Aslett, Green, and Mascetti.)
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Steam Deck Impressions
Receiving a Steam key for the demo filled me with excitement and apprehension. The trailer looked fantastic, but I worried about Steam Deck compatibility. Thankfully, it's excellent—so good, I don't even want to play it on PS5 or Switch.
The game looks and sounds amazing. The remake gently introduces combat, stats, etc. For veterans, quality-of-life improvements, combat flow, and audio options are welcome additions. For newcomers, it's a fantastic entry point. The visuals are more approachable, but it retains its SaGa essence. Even on the hardest difficulty, it's challenging.
The visuals are better than expected; I think it might surpass Trials of Mana's remake (though my preference for the original Romancing SaGa 2 may influence this). The PC port is also surprisingly good. Extensive graphical and audio settings are available, including soundtrack choices (original or remake), English or Japanese audio, and various graphics options. I achieved a near-locked 90fps at 720p on my Steam Deck OLED with high settings. The English voice acting is good, but I'll likely play through with Japanese audio later.
I look forward to the full game and the console versions. Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is a must-try for RPG fans. I hope this introduces more players to the SaGa series; Square Enix, please give us SaGa Frontier 2 next!
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven launches October 24th on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PS4. A free demo is available on all platforms.
