Last year, I finally got around to trying a couple of games in the SaGa series. They were very different, even with the same title in the game. I’ve spent a few hours with SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered, and I see what makes this series different from other RPGs. Its unconventional form of storytelling and combat has kept me playing.
Two characters on separate journeys
The story of SaGa Frontier 2 focuses on the lives of two characters. The first is Gustave, a son of the leader of the kingdom of Thermes. After it’s discovered that Gustave can’t cast magic, he, along with his mother, is exiled from the kingdom. You then spend the first hour or so of the game seeing Gustave grow up. He begins as a troubled kid but matures into a solid and skilled swordsman.
Where I’m at in the story, a few key things happen to Gustave that bring him back to Thermes. There he is “reunited” with his siblings. I’m trying to be vague with spoilers since a lot is happening. Explaining too much would ruin some key events. So far, Gustave’s half of the game focuses more on the story, with combat and exploration taking a back seat. It’s an interesting approach and contrasts with the other side of the story.
The second main character is Wil Knights. This young man is trying to learn more about Quells, the rare stones that power magic in this world. Wil’s story begins with him trying to find the person responsible for his father’s death. This leads to the discovery of a mythical Egg-like item. Unlike Gustave’s section, you spend a lot more time in caves and exploring. Meaning, you have more enemy encounters.
Building your character
The thing that connects the SaGa games is their approach to character building. The key here is that there are no clear experience points earned. Skills and character improvements happen at “random” points. You unlock attacks based on the weapons your characters are using. The more you use a particular type, the more powerful skills you will unlock.
Meanwhile, victories in battle may earn you upgrades to your HP and your many attack points. Some weapons, armor, and other items may have a durability rating. Although some weapons may break, you will find plenty on your journey.
One downside to that is that skills don’t carry over. So, if you unlock sword attacks, they will only work with the sword you have. That is the case across the same weapon type. If you have one type of bow, equipping a different type of bow may not have the same attacks. Keeping tabs on the specific sword, bow, or axe you are using is important.
The story is keeping me interested, most of the time
Returning to the game’s plot, I like the dual protagonist structure. But I’m not sure if their two stories intersect. As I mentioned earlier, Gustave’s story is light on the combat. Meanwhile, Wil has a lot of it. It’s an odd mix since you can tackle the story in different ways.
The game gives you the option of playing the story in chronological order, character order, or a mix of the two. While the story takes place over many decades, you can’t jump around. As you progress through the years, new content comes into place. I suspect most people will play the game in chronological order, so you get a decent mix of combat and story.
My only real gripe is that I do think that Wil’s sections are a bit too padded with foes. In the first part of the game, his quests involve a lot of wandering around in caves. With that, you’re more likely to return to the same area a few times. If the enemies are weak, that’s not a problem. When you face off against tougher enemies, if you’re low on attack points, it can get annoying.
Some variety in the combat
Combat sections vary at times. On top of the standard squad fights, you will also have opportunities to fight in solo contests. When you get into some fights, the game will ask you who you want to put into combat. When you have a squad of two or more, you can pick which of your characters you want to face off against the foe. Of course, you don’t have to fight one-on-one, but they do adjust the fight if you choose your full squad.
In these one-on-one fights, the combat is a bit different. Instead of picking one attack per turn, you build a set of four actions to perform. Based on your weapon of choice, the options here will vary. The game encourages trying different commands. Sure, you can choose to strike four straight times, but it limits your character. Start by charging, then one kind of attack, followed by two others, will result in a special attack.
That’s not the only kind of combat available. I recently got to a point in Gustave’s story where you open up a quasi-tactical combat section. Here, Gustave’s army is facing off against another kingdom. These fights remind me of games like Advance Wars. You can move your troops around the battlefield and can attack or defend against the enemy. I’ve only encountered one of these sections, but I’m hoping there are a few more.
Can’t tell if this is a short or long game
It’s hard to tell how long the story is in SaGa Frontier 2. At the point of this blog, both characters are in their late twenties. Avoiding spoilers for myself, I have to think they live well into their 40s or 50s. With that, I would guess that I’m only a third of the way through the game.
When looking at How Long To Beat, it shows the remaster clocking in at around 13.5 hours for the main story. But the original game says it takes around 31 hours to complete. I doubt the quality of life improvements of the remaster would slash almost 20 hours of content. If that’s the case, I’m curious what they removed.
Outside of enemies respawning, I can’t think of too many things to harp on the game. I’m curious about the story, and I like the combat. There are other elements to the combat that I didn’t get around to talking about. You do have to take into consideration the types of attacks you use. Also, you need to factor in the perks of items, since some have key regenerative properties. It may not seem like it, but this is a very deep RPG experience. The original game came out in the late 90s, when I was getting into RPGs. When I had more free time, this would have been a game I played.
Renewed interest in the SaGa universe
I’d like to put more time into SaGa Frontier 2, especially if I can finish this in less than 20 hours. I will have to move on to something else for next week’s blog. When I have free time, I can come back to this and play a section or two. This has also made me want to go back to the other SaGa games. It would be nice to get back into the Romancing SaGa II remake. Add that to the ever-growing list of games I’d like to play from my backlog.
