Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven could be one of the year’s best JRPGs | Hands-on preview

Trying to have a broad knowledge of the wonderful world of video games is never easy, especially when you take into account all the 50+ hour JRPGs spread across the history of this medium. As a lover of all things Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest I try my best to know about all the classic RPG series, but one that has always passed me by is SaGa. Admittedly this is in part because much of the series was exclusively released in Japan, but this beloved series still has plenty of western fans as it’s unlike anything else out there. I got to experience that for myself after playing the first two hours of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, a remake of one of the most popular games in the series.

The game opens telling the story of prince Gerard, one of the heirs to the Varennes throne who is more of a bookworm than a fighter. In an effort to ensure Gerard is able to fight for his kingdom if needed, his father the king decides to take him on a few demon expelling missions that’ll help keep their subjects safe. With the help of a variety of mighty warrior friends it won’t take you long to start getting stronger, and with seven fallen heroes looking to take over the land you’ll need all the strength you can get. The fantasy story Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven tells will feel pretty familiar for fans of the genre, but it’s engaging all the same.

Fighting back the demons of the land means there’s a whole lot of combat in store for Gerard and the gang, and fortunately it’s a lot of fun. Characters have the usual selection of weapon attacks and spells you’d expect from a turn-based RPG, with skills you’ll learn as you progress that target multiple enemies or inflict devastating status effects. This might not sound a whole lot different to other RPGs you could be playing, but with fast moving action and a special attack gauge that fills by exploiting weaknesses, every battle is a blast.

Finding weaknesses felt a lot to me like it does in the Octopath Traveler games, with each enemy displayed with a handy set of question marks beside them that will change to display their weaknesses as you find them. Hitting weaknesses will do much improved damage, and with each character having two weapons to attack with alongside elemental spells it won’t take long to start filling up your Overdrive meter. When this is full you can fire off a double attack that combines two of your powerful abilities without costing you any BP, and will likely kill any non-boss enemies that you unleash it on.

One aspect of the combat in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven that’s particularly unusual is how you level up your character’s abilities. Levelling up simply doesn’t exist in this SaGa remake, and instead you’ll gain experience in certain weapon types by using them in a fight. Ensuring you switch between your swords and your spears is the only way to level up both of them, and eventually unlock new skills with them.

Even the way you learn new skills in Romancing SaGa 2 is odd, and involves a series staple known as the Glimmer system. Once you reach a high enough skill level in an ability and are fighting a tough enough opponent, a little lightbulb will glow next to one of your attacks. This signifies that there’s a chance to Glimmer a new skill by using it, which will unlock it permanently. The brighter the lightbulb the more likely the new attack will unlock, and it feels great to unleash a new powerful ability mid combat instead of just learning it after the fact.

The combat itself is just so engaging in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, but it’s also got some depth you’ll have to dive into outside of encounters. Different formations will give various buffs to characters in certain positions, adding an extra layer to fights. In the demo I played I had a cross formation that boosted the stats of my tank at the front and hid away my weak young prince at the back, but the full game will likely have many more options to play around with.

More than anything else though, the thing that intrigued me most about Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is inheritance. This system will apparently be at the core of the finished game, and will allow your characters to pass on their battle prowess to their children as the battle to thwart evil once and for all is waged over multiple generations. Now in the demo I was able to do this once (and when I did the demo immediately ended) so I can’t pretend I understand how this will all work. I am fascinated to see how something like this will affect the overall story though, and can’t wait to create a whole royal lineage when the game releases in full.

As a remake you’d expect Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven to be a bit of an upgrade over the Super Famicom original, and that is certainly the case. The visuals are just what you’d expect from a modern fantasy RPG, with plenty of colour and just as much charm. The music deserves a special mention too, because it is sensational and really adds to the overall experience.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I booted up the preview build of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, but it completely blew me away. If the full game is anything like the first two hours then this could end up being one of my favourite JRPGs of the year, and it’s going to be tough to wait for the full release to play more.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is set for release on October 24th.