A deep dive into the world of SaGa: An interview with the producer of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven and Steam Deck impressions.

Many players discovered the SaGa series through past console generations. For me, Romancing SaGa 2 on iOS was my introduction almost a decade ago. I initially struggled, treating it like a typical JRPG. Now, I'm a devoted SaGa fan (as evidenced by the photo below), and I was thrilled by the recent announcement of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, a complete remake for Switch, PC, and PlayStation.

This double feature includes my hands-on experience with the Steam Deck demo and an interview with the game's producer, Shinichi Tatsuke (also behind Trials of Mana's remake). We discussed Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, lessons learned from Trials of Mana, accessibility, potential Xbox and mobile ports, coffee preferences, and more. The interview, conducted via video call, has been transcribed and edited for brevity.

TouchArcade (TA): What's it like remaking beloved titles like Trials of Mana and now Romancing SaGa 2?

Shinichi Tatsuke (ST): Both Trials of Mana and the SaGa series predate the Square Enix merger, originating from the Squaresoft era. They're legendary Square titles. Remaking them is an incredible honor. Both games, originally released nearly 30 years ago, offered significant room for improvement. Romancing SaGa 2, with its unique systems, remains distinctive even today. Its uniqueness made it a compelling candidate for a remake.

TA: The original Romancing SaGa 2 was notoriously challenging. I almost quit in the first ten minutes! The remake includes multiple difficulty options. How did you balance staying true to the original while enhancing accessibility?

ST: The SaGa series' difficulty is well-known, particularly among its dedicated fanbase. Some believe difficulty is essential to the SaGa experience. Others find the high barrier to entry prohibitive. Many know the series but haven't played due to perceived difficulty.

We aimed to please both groups by introducing a difficulty system: Normal and Casual modes. Normal caters to standard RPG players, while Casual allows players to focus on the narrative. The development team included core SaGa fans, making this a collective decision. It's like adding honey to spicy curry—the original game's difficulty is the spice, and Casual mode is the honey.

TA: How did you balance the original experience for veterans with quality-of-life improvements?

ST: The SaGa series isn't just about difficulty; it's about understanding the game. The original lacked visible information like enemy weaknesses and defense stats. This wasn't necessarily difficult, but unfair. For the remake, we made it fair and enjoyable by displaying weaknesses and making other adjustments to previously overly difficult aspects.

TA: Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven runs exceptionally well on Steam Deck. Considering your experience with Trials of Mana on various platforms, was the game optimized specifically for Steam Deck?

ST: Yes, the full game will be compatible and playable on the Steam Deck.

TA: How long was the development process?

ST: I can't give specifics, but main development began towards the end of 2021.

TA: What did you learn from the Trials of Mana remake that you applied to Romancing SaGa 2?

ST: Trials of Mana taught us what players want in remakes. For example, regarding soundtracks, players generally prefer arrangements faithful to the originals, but with enhanced quality due to modern technology. We added an option to switch between original and rearranged tracks, a feature well-received in Trials of Mana and included in Romancing SaGa 2.

We also adjusted the graphics. Mana's characters are typically shorter and more adorable. SaGa's aesthetic is different, requiring taller characters and a more serious tone. We used lighting effects instead of textural shadows, as in Mana, to maintain realism. While we leveraged past experiences, we also developed new techniques for this remake.

The interviewer thanked Tatsuke for the "Romancing SaGa 2 Primer" video.

TA: Trials of Mana reached mobile. Are there plans for Romancing SaGa 2 on mobile or Xbox?

ST: No current plans for those platforms.

TA: Finally, what's your coffee preference?

ST: I don't drink coffee; I dislike bitter drinks. I also don't drink beer.

Thanks to Shinichi Tatsuke, Jordan Aslett, Sara Green, and Rachel Mascetti for their time.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Steam Deck Impressions

Receiving a Steam key for the demo filled me with excitement and apprehension. The trailer looked amazing, but I worried about the Steam Deck experience. Fortunately, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is not only excellent on the Steam Deck OLED but also made me reconsider playing it on PS5 or Switch. It's that good.

The game looks and sounds fantastic. The remake gradually introduces battle mechanics, stats, and more. For returning players, quality-of-life improvements enhance information presentation and combat flow. For newcomers, it's an excellent modern introduction to the SaGa series. The visuals enhance approachability, but this is still Romancing SaGa 2 with a fresh coat of paint. Even on the original-difficulty setting, it remains challenging.

The visuals exceeded my expectations. While I loved Trials of Mana's remake, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven might be even better (though time will tell). The Steam Deck port is surprisingly good. The game offers options for screen mode, resolution (720p support on Steam Deck), frame rate (30 to unlimited), v-sync, dynamic resolution, graphics presets, anti-aliasing, texture filtering, shadow quality, and 3D model rendering resolution. I maxed out most settings, keeping shadows at medium, achieving a near-locked 90fps at 720p on my Steam Deck OLED.

I used English audio for my first playthrough. The voice acting is good, but I'll likely try Japanese later. The game successfully blends a modern feel with its SaGa identity.

I eagerly anticipate the full game and the console demo. Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is a must-have for RPG fans. Hopefully, this will encourage more players to explore the SaGa series. Square Enix, please give us SaGa Frontier 2 next!

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven launches October 24th on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PS4. A free demo is available on all platforms.