Romance is certainly within the air with my favourite sport from PAX West 2024.
I at all times anticipate finding my favourite sport of the present once I come to PAX West, and this yr not one of the indies and different video games within the expo corridor have been grabbing me. Thankfully, I had a reserving with Sq. Enix to check out a couple of 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 Swap 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 fingers on with Revenge of the Seven, a top-to-bottom remake of Romancing SaGa 2, even the brief presentation we have been proven received me enthusiastic about all of the modifications 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 Swap in handheld mode.
The demo situates you as the subsequent 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 that you may ultimately 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 manner, however extra on that later.
Throughout the sport’s hub city, you possibly can change up your social gathering 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 in a position to be taught expertise from all of them. Whereas we solely received a style of the social gathering composition and lineage mechanics, I am desirous to see extra and experiment with completely different paths and choices.
The demo supplied a couple of completely different targets to tackle, together with defending the fortress 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 stable struggle. I also needs to be aware that I used to be enjoying on the traditional problem, of the three accessible, with the “Exhausting/Basic” representing the problem of the unique 1993 launch. After efficiently defending my fortress, 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 amazing sense of how fight and development work, and it’s exhausting to not see the evolution on this remake as a wonderful manner of modernizing the collection.
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 characteristic 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 major development strategies. Greater than that, each profitable battle awards method factors in the direction of your weapon proficiency rank and meters that increase 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 progress are way more clear than perhaps they’ve ever been, and so Sq. Enix appears centered on making these video games extra approachable for a wider viewers.
Despite the fact that the hand held visuals left one thing to be desired, efficiency was stable over the course of my playtime. This can be a kind of RPGs the place you’ll need to dock your Swap to higher benefit from the look of the remake, however in the event you’re okay with a softer, much less sharp look, there didn’t look 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 recollections 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 wonderful level on it, I’ve dabbled a good bit within the SaGa collection, 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 robust seeing the leaves begin to fall with Revenge of the Seven firmly imprinted on my thoughts. Akitoshi Kawazu, it appears to be like such as you received me once more!