PAX West 2024 in Seattle had no shortage of incredible upcoming games for fans to get their hands on. Luckily for us, Square Enix invited us to some exclusive hands-on demos for three of their soon-to-be-released JRPGs. One of those is Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, launching October 24, 2024.
What is it?
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is a remake of the original Romancing SaGa 2. First released in Japan in 1993, the original used 2D pixel graphics, with this game being a gorgeous 3D rendition. This remake reimagines things from the ground up; reworking the battle and character growth systems and adding in numerous new features. Some of these are the difficulty selection, Japanese and English voice acting, and options to pick both the original and rearranged music. There are also over 30 classes to pick from for your team.
What did I try?
During my time with the demo, I went through the main castle area, which serves as a hub location. Then after some cinematics providing the initial story beats, I was roaming the castle courtyards and facing different enemy units until I cleared the area. The series is known for its turn-based combat and keeps a lot of that here. As you attack the enemies in different ways, whether through slashing, fire spells, or bow and arrow, you will learn what enemies are resistant to and weak against. After that initial skirmish, I roamed around and took on this mission that resulted in a really fun boss fight with Kzinssie in the region of Somon.
What did I think?
The game has a lot of JRPG vibes that resonate with me. I loved the discovery of resistances and weaknesses, and found the combat loop very familiar. If you are a fan of the Persona or Octopath Traveler games, some of the elements from each of those games’ combat features can be seen here. When your squad of 4-5 characters does enough damage to the enemies, your overdrive meter will flash, prompting you to go for a massive combo attack. These attacks typically will allow certain party members to work together. Depending on who you have initiate the combo attack you will see different party members join in the maneuver. Also, utilizing your base attacks over time will allow you to discover new attacks/abilities. I thought this was a great way to break the repetition. It really provided some new discovery in what each character is capable of.
The boss fight with Kzinssie was challenging and had me planning out how I assigned my character actions. Whether the characters would play more defensively and which ones would be on an all-out assault was up to me, and the combat system really scratches that strategic itch. Additionally, the game will span several time periods and emperors, with this demo’s ruler being Gerard.
I am very curious and intrigued by the long-term storytelling this allows for that spans generations for the region of this fantasy world.
Release Information
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven will be launching on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, and Steam on October 23, 2024.
Will you be playing this game later this year? Is it one of your most anticipated games for 2024? Where there any questions this raised for you? Let us know!
