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Platform: PlayStation
2
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Romancing
SaGa
Square-Enix’s
Saga series is an interesting beast.
It has been consistently adored in Japan, but it just can’t
find any love in North America. The
whole thing is pretty funny because a lot of industry pundits in this
hemisphere complain that Japanese RPGs are too by the numbers, then when
a game like that in the Saga series comes out, complete with branching
paths, and the ability to decide where one wants to go a bit more,
suddenly it “lacks focus”. Despite
the general lack of acceptance the franchise has had thus far on this
side of the Pacific, Square-Enix is going to give it another shot, this
time with Romancing SaGa, a remake of one of the early SNES
games in the series.
For those in the mood for a new fresh spin on the RPG narrative, you can forget about it since we’re looking at a story here originally made over a decade ago. In this game, it looks like another big bad mean guy, in this case named Saurin, who was imprisoned 1,000 years ago is about to escape from his confinement, and wreck havoc on the land once again. That means players will have to track down the guy, and kill him good. While this premise is along the lines of things we’ve seen countless times over the last twenty years, what may help things along is the branching storylines that the game is riddled with. In a number of instances, players will be forced to make some pretty big decisions as to what they want to do next in their adventure, thus affecting what direction the game goes in. It’s standard “choose your own adventure” fair. These situations will be part of what are called Minstrel Songs, as the musical storyteller gives players opportunities to choose their fate. This feature has become a staple in the Saga series over the years, so those who are curious how the game's developer got this sort of story off the ground may want to take a look. |
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Square-Enix
is also making sure they hit their “fancy game feature with an even
fancier name quotient” for an RPG with what they’re calling Sketch
Motion. Here the game will
melt into cut scenes to advance the story, taking still images, and
making them look like they are coming to life.
When you get right down to it, though, the gameplay is more of a trip back in time while playing Romancing SaGa. If you’re curious as to just how the ball got rolling with the series, this may just be a game to take a look at.
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With Romancing SaGa being a remake of the first SNES title in the series, the whole idea screams of fan service, which works out great in the Japanese market, what with the number of fans out there. While this continent isn’t exactly teaming with SaGa fans, maybe this game will appeal to those looking for a little bit of historical perspective on the series.
Mr. Nash (September 11, 2005) |
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