SaGa 2 Enchants Steam with Exclusive Interview and Deck Debut

A deep dive into the Romancing SaGa 2 remake: An interview and Steam Deck impressions. Many long-time gamers discovered the SaGa series through its numerous releases on past consoles. 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), and I was thrilled by the recent announcement of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, a complete remake for Switch, PC, and PlayStation.

This dual feature includes my hands-on experience with the early access demo of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven on Steam Deck and an interview with Game Producer Shinichi Tatsuke (Trials of Mana remake). We discussed the new game, lessons learned from Trials of Mana, accessibility, potential Xbox and mobile ports, coffee preferences, and more. The interview was conducted via video call, transcribed, and edited for brevity.

TouchArcade (TA): What's it like remaking beloved titles like Trials of Mana and now Romancing SaGa 2?

Shinichi Tatsuke (ST): Both Trials of Mana and the SaGa series predate the Square Enix merger, originating from the Squaresoft era. They're legendary Square titles, and it's an honor to remake them. Both games are nearly 30 years old, offering ample room for improvement. Romancing SaGa 2, with its unique systems, remains distinctive even today. Its uniqueness made it a compelling choice 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 staying true to the original while enhancing accessibility? This will be many players' first SaGa experience.

ST: The SaGa series' difficulty is well-known, attracting hardcore fans worldwide. However, this difficulty also creates a barrier to entry for many potential players. Many know the series but haven't played due to perceived difficulty.

To address this, we introduced difficulty settings: normal and casual. Normal caters to standard RPG players, while casual allows players to focus on the narrative. Our team included core SaGa fans, ensuring a balance between accessibility and the original challenge. It's like adding honey to spicy curry – the original game's difficulty is the spice, and casual mode is the honey.

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 the challenge?

ST: The SaGa series isn't just about difficulty; it's also about understandability. The original lacked visible information, like enemy weaknesses and defense stats. This wasn't difficult, but unfair. The remake displays weaknesses, making it fairer and more enjoyable. We adjusted areas that were overly difficult in the original to create a more balanced and engaging experience for modern players.

TA: Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven runs exceptionally well on Steam Deck. Considering your experience with Trials of Mana on various platforms, was the game optimized specifically for Steam Deck?

ST: Yes, the full release will be compatible and playable on Steam Deck.

TA: How long was the development process?

ST: I can't give specifics, but main development began toward the end of 2021.

TA: What lessons from the Trials of Mana remake informed the development of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven?

ST: Trials of Mana taught us player preferences. For soundtracks, players prefer arrangements close to the originals, but with improved quality due to modern technology. We also learned that offering a choice between original and rearranged soundtracks is well-received, a feature included in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven.

The graphics differed. Mana's characters are shorter and more adorable; SaGa’s are taller and more serious. We used lighting effects for shadows in SaGa, unlike the texture-based shadows in Mana. We leveraged past experiences but also innovated with new approaches.

The interviewer thanked Tatsuke for the "Romancing SaGa 2 Primer" video.

TA: Trials of Mana came to mobile. Are there plans for Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven on mobile or Xbox?

ST: No current plans for those platforms.

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 Shinichi Tatsuke, Jordan Aslett, Sara Green, and Rachel Mascetti.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Steam Deck Impressions

Receiving a Steam key for the early access demo filled me with excitement and apprehension. The trailer looked amazing, but I worried about the Steam Deck experience. Thankfully, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is excellent on the Steam Deck OLED, making me question the need for PS5 or Switch versions.

The remake looks and sounds fantastic. It gradually introduces battle mechanics and stats. Returning players will appreciate quality-of-life improvements, smoother combat, and new audio options. Newcomers will find it an excellent entry point into the SaGa series. The visuals enhance accessibility, but it's undeniably Romancing SaGa 2 with a fresh coat of paint. The original-difficulty setting remains challenging.

The visuals exceeded expectations. I loved the Trials of Mana remake, but Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven might surpass it (though my preference for the original game might influence that). The PC port, at least on Steam Deck, is impressively well-optimized. The game offers extensive customization options for screen mode, resolution, frame rate, v-sync, dynamic resolution, graphics presets, anti-aliasing, texture filtering, shadow quality, and 3D model rendering resolution. I achieved a near-locked 90fps at 720p on my Steam Deck OLED with mostly high settings.

I used English audio for my initial playthrough. The voice acting is good, but I might try Japanese later. The remake successfully balances modernization with the essence of SaGa.

I eagerly anticipate the full game and console versions. Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is a must-have for RPG fans. I hope this encourages players to explore other SaGa titles. 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.