Romance is unquestionably within the air with my favourite sport from PAX West 2024.
I at all times expect to find my favourite sport of the present after I come to PAX West, and this 12 months not one of the indies and different video games within the expo corridor have been grabbing me. Luckily, 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 shocked 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 conversant in their model of turn-based goodness, however for a mess of causes, the newer SaGa entries like Scarlet Grace and Emerald Past simply did not hit for me. Earlier than really getting arms on with Revenge of the Seven, a top-to-bottom remake of Romancing SaGa 2, even the quick presentation we have been proven received me enthusiastic about all of the adjustments coming to this up to date model. My optimistic 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 robust sufficient to defeat the titular Seven. There’s even a second close to the top of the demo that showcases this technique in an especially cool approach, however extra on that later.
Throughout the sport’s hub city, you possibly can change up your celebration members and buy new gear. Your typical lessons are current right here–knight, archer, mage–and there are over 30 lessons within the full sport, with the protagonist apparently capable of study expertise from all of them. Whereas we solely received a style of the celebration composition and lineage mechanics, I am desirous 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 strong battle. I must also word that I used to be taking part in on the traditional issue, of the three accessible, 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 searching for out one of many Seven, Kzinssie, who was holed up in a mansion throughout the continent. Finishing all of those duties supplied an excellent sense of how fight and development work, and it’s laborious to not see the evolution on this remake as a wonderful approach of modernizing the sequence.
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 function was a light-weight bulb icon that seems beside your assaults, indicating strikes which have an opportunity of “glimmering,” which unlocks a brand new transfer and is likely one of the main development strategies. Greater than that, each profitable battle awards approach factors in 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 way more clear than possibly they’ve ever been, and so Sq. Enix appears centered on making these video games extra approachable for a wider viewers.
Though the hand held visuals left one thing to be desired, efficiency was strong over the course of my playtime. This can be a type of RPGs the place you’ll wish to dock your Change to higher benefit from the look of the remake, however should you’re okay with a softer, much less sharp look, there didn’t seem like any main drawbacks in how the sport ran portably. Battles particularly have 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 high-quality level on it, I’ve dabbled a good bit within the SaGa sequence, way back to The Remaining 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 such as you received me once more!