Jump to content

SaGa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the video game Makai Toushi Sa·Ga, seeThe Final Fantasy Legend.
SaGa
Recurring version of theSaGalogo
Genre(s)Role-playing
Developer(s)Square
Square Enix
Publisher(s)Square
Square Enix
Creator(s)Akitoshi Kawazu
Platform(s)Game Boy,Super NES,PlayStation,WonderSwan Color,PlayStation 2,Mobile,Nintendo DS,Android,iOS,PlayStation Vita,Windows,Nintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,Xbox One,PlayStation 5
First releaseThe Final Fantasy Legend
December 15, 1989
Latest releaseSaGa: Emerald Beyond
April 25, 2024
Parent seriesFinal Fantasy

SaGa(サガ)is a series ofscience fantasyrole-playing video gamesbySquare Enix.The series originated on theGame Boyin 1989 as the creation ofAkitoshi KawazuatSquare.It has since continued across multiple platforms, from theSuper NESto thePlayStation 2.The series is notable for its emphasis onopen worldexploration,non-linearbranching plots, and occasionally unconventional gameplay. This distinguishes the games from most of Square's other franchises.

Development

[edit]
Release timeline
1989The Final Fantasy Legend
1990Final Fantasy Legend II
1991Final Fantasy Legend III
1992Romancing SaGa
1993Romancing SaGa 2
1994
1995Romancing SaGa 3
1996
1997SaGa Frontier
1998
1999SaGa Frontier 2
2000–2001
2002Unlimited Saga
2003–2011
2012Emperors SaGa
2013–2014
2015Imperial SaGa
2016SaGa: Scarlet Grace
2017
2018Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe
2019Imperial SaGa Eclipse
2020–2023
2024SaGa: Emerald Beyond

TheSaGaseries was created by game designerAkitoshi Kawazu,whose contributions prior to the franchise's introduction includeFinal FantasyandFinal Fantasy II.At a time whenNintendo'sGame Boywas becoming popular worldwide due to the puzzle gameTetris,then-Square presidentMasafumi Miyamotorequested that a development team create a game for the handheld console. Kawazu and fellow designerKoichi Ishiisuggested that the company develop arole-playing video game,thus makingMakai Toushi Sa·Ga,later released in North America asThe Final Fantasy Legend,the company's first handheld title.[1]The gameplay was designed to be difficult, described by Kawazu as the main difference between theSaGaandFinal Fantasyseries.[2]The character illustrations in all the games in theSaGaseries were done by Tomomi Kobayashi,[3]who has also done the illustrations for theMMORPGGranado Espada.[4]Although it has been a long-running series, as of 2008, none of the tenproduction teamsat Square Enix is assigned to the franchise. Akitoshi Kawazu and Production Team 2 are devoted to theFinal Fantasy Crystal Chroniclesseries.[5]

Common elements

[edit]

TheSaGaseries emphasizesnonlinear gameplayandopen worldexploration, with its open-ended branching plot and free style of character development separating it from the more linearFinal Fantasyseries, which was ahead of its time[6]Like theFinal Fantasyseries, however, the stories in eachSaGashare little to no continuity to one another.

TheSaGaseries is also considered a successor toFinal Fantasy II,which introduced a more open-endedactivity-based progressionsystem that was abandoned by laterFinal Fantasygames but embraced byMakai Toushi SaGa(The Final Fantasy Legend), which expanded it with weapons that shatter with repeated use and added new ideas such as a race of monsters that mutate depending on which fallen foes they consume.[7]

The early games in the series also feature some common gameplay elements and themes first established inFinal Fantasy,such asrandom enemy encounters,but most of these disappear with theRomancing SaGagames, providing a unique gameplay experience. It also features a similarturn-basedbattle system, where a character's prowess is driven by numerical values called "statistics"which, in turn, increase with combat experience. Given the open-ended aspect of gameplay and the ability to play through multiple character scenarios, heavy emphasis is placed upon the replay value ofSaGagames.

Since the originalMakai Toushi SaGa,much of the series has relied on loosely connected stories andsidequestsrather than an epic narrative.Makai Toushi SaGaallowed players to travel through different worlds.Romancing SaGaexpanded the open-endedness by offering many choices and allowing players to completequestsin any order, with the decision of whether or not to participate in any particular quest affecting the outcome of the storyline. The game also allowed players to choose from eight different characters, each with their own stories that start in different places and offer different outcomes.[6]Romancing SaGathus succeeded in providing a very different experience during each run through the game, something that later non-linear RPGs such asSaGa FrontierandFablehad promised but were unable to live up to.[8]It also introduced a combo system where up to five party members can perform a combined special attack,[8]and required characters to pay mentors to teach them abilities, whether it is using certain weapons or certain proficiencies like opening a chest or dismantling a trap.[6]

While in the originalRomancing SaGa,scenarios were changed according to dialogue choices during conversations,Romancing SaGa 2further expanded the open-endedness by having unique storylines for each character that can change depending on the player's actions, including who is chosen, what is said in conversation, what events have occurred, and who is present in the party.[9]Romancing SaGa 3featured a storyline that could be told differently from the perspectives of up to eight different characters and introduced a level-scaling system where the enemies get stronger as the characters do,[10]a mechanic that was later used inFinal Fantasy VIII,[11]The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion,Silverfall,[12]Dragon Age: Origins,[13]Fallout 3,andThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.[14]SaGa Frontierfurther expanded on the non-linear gameplay of itsRomancing SaGapredecessors, with a setting that spans multiple planets and an overarching plot that becomes apparent after playing through each of the different characters' quests that tie together at certain places.[15]

Games

[edit]
Main article:List of SaGa video games

Mainline

[edit]
Title Original release date

Japan

North America

PAL region

The Final Fantasy Legend December 15, 1989 September 30, 1990 December 19, 2020(Nintendo Switch)
Notes:

The first RPG on a handheld video game console, and the first handheld game with a battery save feature.[16]The game introduces new systems of developing characters. The game was released in North America less than a year later asThe Final Fantasy Legendto boost sales on the strength ofFinal Fantasy's name, something also done with theManaseries.[17]An enhanced remake of the game was released exclusively in Japan in 2002 for theWonderSwan Colorand 2007 for mobile phones, sporting more advanced graphics than those displayed by the Game Boy's four-color set.

Final Fantasy Legend II December 14, 1990 November 1991 December 19, 2020(Nintendo Switch)
Notes:

The game retains the same character classes used in its predecessor, but introduces afifth ally that often helps the player's party in combat.The game's story is more developed than the firstSaGagame, with a journey that spans across more than a dozen worlds.GameSpot's "History of Console RPGs" toutsFinal Fantasy Legend IIas the best of the Game BoySaGagames, calling it a "portable gaming classic".[18]An enhanced remake of the game was released in Japan in 2009 for theNintendo DS.[19]

Final Fantasy Legend III December 13, 1991 August 1993 December 19, 2020(Nintendo Switch)
Notes:

The game eliminates the non-level-based individualized growth system of the previous two installments; instead, the title introduces "experience points" and across-the-board stat leveling in the style ofFinal Fantasy,introducing two human and two mutant characters with predetermined backgrounds. An enhanced remake of the game was released in Japan on January in 2011 for theNintendo DS.[20]

Romancing SaGa January 28, 1992 October 11, 2005(PlayStation 2) December 1, 2022(Remaster)
Notes:

The first of three Japan-exclusive Super Famicom titles, the game allows the player to choose from one of eight character scenarios to follow. The game was ported to the WonderSwan Color in 2001. An enhanced remake of the game was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, which was released outside Japan. That version bears the titleRomancing SaGa: Minstrel Songin Japan, but was released as simplyRomancing SaGain North America. A mobile phone version was released in 2009.[21]

Romancing SaGa 2 December 10, 1993 December 15, 2017(Remaster) December 15, 2017(Remaster)
Notes:

The second installment in theRomancing SaGaseries and the fifth in theSaGaseries in general, the game places a greater emphasis on storyline than its predecessors. The story plays out across generations, so the player cannot keep one party of warriors throughout the game.

Romancing SaGa 3 November 11, 1995 November 11, 2019(Remaster) November 11, 2019(Remaster)
Notes:

The thirdRomancing SaGagame features a battle system similar to that ofFinal Fantasy IIand the first twoSaGagames, where character development is determined by the player's commands in battle. If the player commands a character to cast magic spells frequently, for example, then that character will grow in magical power.

SaGa Frontier July 11, 1997 March 31, 1998 April 15, 2021(Remaster)
Notes:

This installment was both the firstSaGagame to be released in North America sinceFinal Fantasy Legend IIIin 1993 and the first of the series to be released in North America as aSaGagame. Similar in style to the earlier games in the series,SaGa Frontierallows the player to choose from multiple characters, each with his or her own unique storyline and scenario.

SaGa Frontier 2 April 1, 1999 January 31, 2000 March 22, 2000
Notes:

The game was the firstSaGatitle to reachPALterritories and was one of Square's last RPGs produced for the PlayStation. The game shuns 3D graphics in favor of traditional 2D hand-paintedwatercolorsprites. The game features two separate storylines spanning three generations.

Unlimited Saga December 19, 2002 June 17, 2003 October 31, 2003
Notes:

The game features a combination of 2D and 3D graphics known as "Sketch Motion" and a complicated battle mechanic called the "Reel System". It greatly resembles aboard game.It was praised highly in Japan, but garnered heavy criticism elsewhere.

SaGa: Scarlet Grace December 15, 2016 December 3, 2019 December 3, 2019
Notes:

Announced in December 2014, this title was released in Japan in 2016 and in North America in 2019, making it the first entry in the franchise to be released outside Japan in over a decade.[22][23]

SaGa: Emerald Beyond April 25, 2024 April 25, 2024 April 25, 2024
Notes:
  • Announced at the September 14, 2023 Nintendo Direct for release in 2024 on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, PC via STEAM, iOS and Android.
  • Announced to be released in April 25, 2024 worldwide at the SaGa Glimmerfest 2023 livestream on December 15th, 2023 along with additional information on the game.
  • In active development by Square Enix[24]

A new standalone title featuring a cast of six protagonists in 17 interconnected worlds with initially separate stories (note: two of the six main characters are a pair working together). These characters possess the ability to see "emerald waves" that connect the 17 worlds through the "Beyond," a hub of the emerald waves. The game features a freeform scenario system with branching story possibilities based on player choices and actions and a turn-based combat system.

Others

[edit]
Title Original release date

Japan

North America

PAL region

Emperors SaGa September 18, 2012 none none
Notes:

Announced in September 2011, the game features a combat system utilizing digital playing cards.[25][26]As of April 2017, the game is no longer available.[27]

Imperial SaGa June 18, 2015[28] none none
Notes:

Announced in December 2014 for release in 2015.[22]A single-player game played in the user's internet browser, it features a new story within theSaGasetting.[29]

Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe December 6, 2018 June 24, 2020 June 24, 2020
Notes:

Smartphone title released in 2018 in Japan and released in the rest of the world in 2020. It features a new story set 300 years afterRomancing SaGa 3,characters from previous games and some of the characteristic elements from the series. As of November 2019, the game has been downloaded more than 15 million times.[30]

Imperial SaGa Eclipse October 31, 2019 none none
Notes:

Music

[edit]
Main article:Music of the SaGa series

Music in theSaGaseries have been composed by a number of people, the most prominent of which isKenji Ito,who also composed some soundtracks for theManaseries.Nobuo Uematsu,responsible for a large portion of themusic of theFinal Fantasyseries,solely composedThe Final Fantasy Legendand co-composedFinal Fantasy Legend IIwith Ito.Ryuji SasaiandChihiro Fujiokaworked onFinal Fantasy Legend IIItogether.SaGa Frontier 2andUnlimited Sagaare credited toMasashi Hamauzu.

Reception

[edit]
Review scores and sales
Game Platform Units sold
(millions) 		Famitsu
score 		GameRankings
score
The Final Fantasy Legend Game Boy
1.3[32]
35/40[33]
51%(4 reviews)[34]
Final Fantasy Legend II Game Boy
—
33/40[35]
90%(2 reviews)[36]
Final Fantasy Legend III Game Boy
—
29/40[37]
75%(3 reviews)[38]
Romancing SaGa Super Famicom
1.32[32]
31/40[39]
—
Romancing SaGa 2 Super Famicom
1.5[32]
26/40[40]
—
Romancing SaGa 3 Super Famicom
1.3[41]
34/40[42]
—
SaGa Frontier PlayStation
1.1[32]
31/40[43]
71%(11 reviews)[44]
SaGa Frontier 2 PlayStation
0.68[45]
35/40[46]
74%(27 reviews)[47]
Unlimited Saga PlayStation 2
0.44[48]
31/40[49]
52%(43 reviews)[50]
Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song PlayStation 2
0.45[48]
32/40[51]
63%(30 reviews)[52]

Games in theSaGaseries have been popular in Japan, with many of them selling over 1 million units. As of March 2011, the series has sold over 9.9 million units.[53]In 2006,Famitsureaders votedRomancing SaGaas the 53rdbest game of all time,andSaGa 2as the 94th best game of all time.[54]Games in the series also received generally positive reviews from Japanese publications such asFamitsuandDengeki.As of 2019, the series has sold over 10 million units.[55]

However, the series has remained decidedly less popular in North America, many of the games receiving mixed reviews from printed and online publications. It has been suggested that this is due to the series' seemingly experimental gameplay and allowing the player to freely roam with little direction or narrative, atypical of what many North American gamers usually expect from Japanese role-playing games.[56]In their September 2004 "Overrated/Underrated" article,Official U.S. PlayStation Magazinecited theSaGaseries as one ruined in the transition to thePlayStation 2,citing primarilyUnlimited SaGa.[57]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Gpara.com クリエイターズ・ファイル: Tự phân の tín niệm を quán く sự で『サガ』を tác り xuất した hà tân thu mẫn thị".Gpara.com(in Japanese).Archivedfrom the original on 2012-03-26.Retrieved2009-05-09.
  2. ^Nutt, Christian (2005-05-26)."Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song".GameSpy.Archivedfrom the original on 2011-06-15.Retrieved2009-06-05.
  3. ^Ciolek, Todd (December 7, 2011)."Ultracity 2020 – The X Button".Anime News Network.Archivedfrom the original on December 8, 2011.Retrieved2011-12-07.
  4. ^Winkler, Chris (June 11, 2005)."Granado Espada Event Held in Tokyo".RPGFan.com.Archivedfrom the original on October 12, 2007.Retrieved2009-04-18.
  5. ^Chris Winkler (2003)."Square Enix Talks Current Status".RPGFan.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2012-03-22.Retrieved2008-06-15.
  6. ^abc"Romancing SaGa Review".IGN.25 June 2006.Archivedfrom the original on 29 June 2011.
  7. ^Parish, Jeremy (2009-04-28)."8-Bit Cafe: Game Boy Essentials, 1989 Edition".1UP.com.UGO Networks.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-04-09.Retrieved2009-11-17.
  8. ^abPatrick Gann."Romancing SaGa".RPGFan.Archivedfrom the original on 2011-08-13.Retrieved2011-03-02.
  9. ^IGN staff (February 18, 1997)."Square, The Final Frontier".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on February 18, 2012.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  10. ^Romancing SaGa 3Archived2011-07-15 at theWayback Machine,RPG Fan
  11. ^"RPGamer > Staff Retroview > Final Fantasy VIII".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-15.Retrieved2011-05-15.
  12. ^"Community Blog by Shawn Kelfonne // Good Idea/Bad Idea: Level Scaling".Destructoid.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-03-05.
  13. ^James Cullinane –Gameplanet(November 5, 2009)."Review: Dragon Age: Origins".Stuff.co.nz.Archivedfrom the original on October 23, 2012.RetrievedNovember 7,2011.
  14. ^"GameSpy: First Major Details on Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Page 1".Archivedfrom the original on 2011-07-11.
  15. ^Rorshacma,SaGa FrontierArchived2011-05-10 at theWayback Machine,Hardcore Gaming 101
  16. ^Parish, Jeremy (13 November 2017)."Episode 125 unpacks the enigma of Final Fantasy Legend".Retronauts.Archivedfrom the original on 23 November 2018.Retrieved23 November2018.
  17. ^Oxford, Nadia (2019-12-04)."Catching Up With Kawazu: The Legendary RPG Developer Talks SaGa and Why We Shouldn't Call Everything an RPG".USgamer.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-12-04.Retrieved2019-12-05.Back then, Square, as a publisher, was desperate to have its name known in the West. This is why it was trying to create a very simple "Square = FINAL FANTASY" formula. As such, SaGa and Mana series titles were released under the FINAL FANTASY name.
  18. ^GameSpot:Video Games PC Xbox 360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2 PlayStation 2 GameCube GBA PlayStation 3Archived2007-09-30 at theWayback Machine
  19. ^"Final Fantasy Legends 2 Set for DS".IGN.14 January 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 14 February 2012.
  20. ^"『サガ3 thời không の bá giả Shadow or Light』あの danh tác が tân sinh!".Archivedfrom the original on 2010-09-04.
  21. ^Ashcraft, Brian (2008-12-01)."Dragon Quest IX Playable This Month In Tokyo".Kotaku.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-02-02.Retrieved2009-01-16.
  22. ^ab"SaGa 2015 announced for PS Vita".Gematsu.14 December 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 2014-12-15.
  23. ^"SaGa: Scarlet Grace launches for PS Vita in Japan in 2016".Gematsu.15 September 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-09-16.
  24. ^"Introducing SaGa Emerald Beyond - a brand new RPG coming 2024 | Square Enix Blog".
  25. ^"The New SaGa Game is Emperors SaGa... For GREE -- Andriasang.com".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-07-18.Retrieved2011-09-08.
  26. ^"Emperors SaGa Finally Comes Out In September, Makes Players An Emperor".Siliconera.28 August 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 2012-08-30.
  27. ^LTD, SQUARE ENIX CO."Line up | SaGa Project Portal Site | SQUARE ENIX".www.jp.square-enix.com(in Japanese).Retrieved2020-03-07.
  28. ^Aetas Inc."“インペリアル サガ” のサービスがスタート. さまざまなアイテムがもらえるログインキャンペーンも khai thôi trung ".4Gamer.net.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-06-24.
  29. ^Sato (2014-12-14)."Square Enix Announce Imperial SaGa For PC".Siliconera.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-05-02.Retrieved2015-04-24.
  30. ^"Romancing SaGa Re;universe coming west in 2020".Gematsu.2019-11-11.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-12-16.Retrieved2019-12-03.
  31. ^"Imperial SaGa Eclipse announced for PC and smartphone browsers".Gematsu.2019-07-01.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-12-16.Retrieved2020-03-07.
  32. ^abcd"February 2, 2004 – February 4, 2004"(PDF).Square-Enix.com.Archived(PDF)from the original on February 13, 2012.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  33. ^"Squaresoft".Famitsu Scores Archive. Archived fromthe originalon February 21, 2009.Retrieved2014-12-14.
  34. ^"The Final Fantasy Legend Reviews".GameRankings.Archived fromthe originalon 2009-03-31.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  35. ^30 Point Plus: Sa・Ga2 bí bảo vân thuyết. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.358. Pg.32. 27 October 1995.
  36. ^"Final Fantasy Legend II Reviews".GameRankings.Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-02.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  37. ^"Google Translate".Archivedfrom the original on 2014-12-28.Retrieved2014-12-28.
  38. ^"Final Fantasy Legend III Reviews".GameRankings.Archived fromthe originalon 2009-04-24.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  39. ^"Google Translate".Archivedfrom the original on 2014-12-28.Retrieved2014-12-28.
  40. ^"ロマンシング サ・ガ2".Archivedfrom the original on 2014-12-29.
  41. ^"The Magic Box – Japan Platinum Chart Games".The-MagicBox.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2012-10-17.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  42. ^"ロマンシング サ・ガ3".Archivedfrom the original on 2014-12-29.
  43. ^"サガ フロンティア".Archivedfrom the original on 2016-05-24.
  44. ^"SaGa Frontier Reviews".GameRankings.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-10-17.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  45. ^"PlayStation".Game Data Library.Famitsu.Retrieved7 January2021.
  46. ^Chinn, Marty (2000-06-23)."Famitsu Top 120 PlayStation games".Gaming-Age.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2003-11-23.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  47. ^"SaGa Frontier 2 Reviews".GameRankings.Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-02.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  48. ^ab"Sony PS2 Japanese Ranking".Japan-GameCharts.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2008-12-16.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  49. ^Winkler, Chris (December 11, 2002)."Famitsu Rates Zelda: The Wind Waker and Unlimited SaGa".RPGFan.Archivedfrom the original on February 3, 2009.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  50. ^"Unlimited Saga Reviews".GameRankings.Archived fromthe originalon 2008-12-07.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  51. ^"2005's Famitsu Scores Archive".Famitsu Scores Archive. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-05.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  52. ^"Romancing SaGa Reviews".GameRankings.Archived fromthe originalon 2008-12-04.Retrieved2008-12-13.
  53. ^"Businesses – Square Enix Holdings".2011-03-31. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-05-16.Retrieved2012-03-25.
  54. ^"Japan Votes on All Time Top 100".Edge Online.2006-03-03. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-07-23.Retrieved2008-12-20.
  55. ^"『ロマサガ2』 ánh tượng phó きサントラが phát mại quyết định".24 November 2019.
  56. ^Rorshacma."Hardcore Gaming 101: SaGa".Hardcore Gaming 101.Archivedfrom the original on 2012-06-29.Retrieved2010-02-04.
  57. ^OPM staff (September 2004). "Overrated/Underrated" (SWF transcriptArchived2008-12-19 at theWayback Machine).Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SaGa&oldid=1229879009"