Romancing SaGa 2
Romancing SaGa 2 is one of the many titles in the lauded SaGa roleplaying game series. In this popular entry, released in Japanese only in 1993 and boasting sales in excess of one million copies. Sit upon the throne of the Varennes Empire and control several generations of rulers in a valiant battle against the Seven Heroes. A dynamic freeform scenario system – a hallmark of the million-selling SaGa RPG series – enables you to take command of a variety of protagonists along the line of imperial succession and experience the history of a nation as it grows and changes based on your actions. Experience a compelling narrative that served as the cornerstone of the title's success on its initial release back in 1993. Use weapons and martial arts in heated battles to learn and master new combat techniques. Take advantage of each character attributes, learn new battle formations, concoct spells and temper weapons to grow the Varennes Empire.
Game Discussion
Steam User 11
A lot of the negative reviews are about how bad the port was a long time ago, that is not the case anymore. There are some minor issues, but not enough to detract from the game, I'll go over them.
1. No volume slider, I had to manually open my volume mixer in Windows to set the volume every time I started the game. Easily the biggest problem I had.
2. No way to enter fullscreen, easily solvable by hitting alt+enter, pretty much a non-issue.
3. To go back to the main menu (if you need to load a save), you can't use your mouse like the rest of the game, you have to select it with WASD then hit enter.
Now that that's out of the way..
This game is fantastic. This is my first Romancing Saga game and I was blown away. So much variety in the way you can do things from the classes, to the weapons/spells, to the formation and skills you can use for your party. The game can be a LITTLE obtuse at times in telling you what to do. I'd say like 80% of the time they give you a good enough direction in what to do, the other 20% I did not feel bad about glancing online. And you should definitely glance at the Steam guides to figure out what armors actually do.
So the gameplay is great. But what about the story? Going in I was told that Romancing Saga isn't very story focused, and it's mostly about the gameplay. I'm here to say I don't agree with that. This game has some outstanding scenarios in it that are super creative. The overarching story isn't bad, but it's the individual little stories in different towns that I love.
If you don't mind doing a little learning on how this game works, you'll have an awesome time.
Steam User 8
I dunno why this has mixed reviews its a SaGa game, they have wonky mechanics, perma death for your characters if you lose all your LP and wild wacky formations + skill combos.
It looks great, runs great on the deck.
Sounds fantastic.
It was also never released in America and now we have it. HOW GLORIOUS IS THAT.
30 fps cap does make me weep tho. Not enough to stop me from enjoying it tho!
Steam User 5
Shocked to see all the bad reviews for this game.
It's great! Sure the UI that seems lifted straight from mobile isn't that aesthetically pleasing but every other aspect from the SFC original was ported fine to Steam.
Essentially this game is a mix between your typical linear, narrative-centered JRPG gameplay and the more nonlinear, customizable WRPG gameplay, and it pulls that mixture off beautifully. It's a game that encourages experimentation and even restarting one's entire playthrough to apply what was learned from previous playthroughs. People who aren't aware of this upon booting the game may be confused and frustrated this isn't the kind of JRPG they were expecting, but for those ready for this game's offering it will be hard to put down. I also think the game's core narrative is pretty good and interesting despite being pretty sparse.
Steam User 4
Fascinating combination of traditional JRPG combat and exploration with some sim and city-building elements -- but it's very obtuse, as is any Akitoshi Kawazu game. Go in with a guide, imo.
Steam User 5
delicious, delicious
Steam User 1
Half of the game is setting up your party's equipment, skills, and magic after a party wipe/generation skip.
The other half of the game is save scumming so you don't have to spend time setting up your party's equipment, skills, and magic.
A decently enjoyable SNES-era JRPG with some major balance issues. Lots of great ideas for a game, but haphazardly thrown together.
Save 40-60 hours of your life by consulting a guide. It would be best to read a guide in its entirety before starting the game at all. I burned out before finishing the game, as I didn't feel like spending numerous hours grinding magic levels.
Recommended on sale if you wondered what you were missing in 1993 outside of Japan.
p.s., alright, Square, now we're ready for Treasure of the Rudras, Bahamut Lagoon, Actraiser II (with city building but don't screw it up with tower defense), Saga Frontier 2, and Xenogears remasters.
Steam User 1
What a game. It seems impossible that an RPG so intricate, complex, challenging and sophisticated came out in 1993.
Definitely not for everyone, but an amazing treat for hardcore JRPG fans.