I'm super thankful for this!!! FFIX has spoiled us with Quicksaves after each screen change, though. Both would be handy, but saving anywhere manually is definitely awesome. And after reading some of the faq, I'm definitely not dashing into enemies anymore! Haha
Guys I don't know anything about romancing saga 2. I don't even understand the battle system is this an inferior final fantasy?
It's Final Fantasy's disheveled, weird cousin. I wouldn't call it inferior, but like pretty much every game Akitoshi Kawazu made, it's very inaccessible and strange. Once you learn how everything works, it's an awesome game. But it's not going to tell you how anything works, at all. Even in the early 90s, the SaGa games were seen as pretty tough nuts to crack. If you're looking for an FF-like "hold A to win" RPG, you probably won't like RS2 or any SaGa game very much at all. It has almost the opposite demographic in mind.
Shaun thank you. As you were writing this I went on YouTube to watch gameplay vids. It def feels different than a FF game. It looks good but confusing. I might pass on this for now till more reviews.
I'm getting wrecked by choosing a Mage successor, any tips early on? I notice a lot of stuff you're not told but I don't want to overly spoil.
Strongly considering this one, though I have a bit of an up-and-down history with SaGa games (enjoyed FFL1 and 2, hated SaGa Frontier 1 but loved the soundtrack, liked SaGa Frontier 2, couldn't even get two hours into Unlimited SaGa). I'm jonesing for a new RPG, but I'm tired of waiting for Dragon Quest VII. One question, though - can it be played offline like most of Square's other games? Would like to know for sure before dropping the $18.
A couple of initial thoughts to anyone who is on the fence about this one: 1. This is not Final Fantasy in any way. This is a game where you are constantly losing characters, building up new ones, and cycling through your warriors of the realm. You unlock new classes through questing, storyline, and feats of strength. If you lose a warrior you can immediately hire a new one to replace the one you've lost (most of the time), or you can spend a ridiculous amount of money to make sure your warriors don't die (later in the game). 2. As a generational game, you pass on powers from generation to generation, making each battle matter, since your choice of skills used in battle determine future abilities. But in battle, normal monsters have skills that can wipe out a single party member in just one hit (as they should) or even your entire party. If you suffer a wipe, then similar to War Tortoise, you start out with a new generation of warriors. 3. RS2 is a base-building game, where your wealth is determined by the strength and size of your empire, not necessarily by the battles you fight. The more land you control, the more you make, and the more troops you can hire into your party, and the better gear you can equip. 4. This game tries to answer the question, "Once the heroes save the world, what happens after?" It's very grim and dark, similar to Diablo in many ways, and has you questioning the value of heroism versus establishing a stable society, even with the immense losses you will face while playing the game. 5. There's also a fun little Easter Egg in the game, as you are the royal line of the Avalon Empire, which if you have played the Final Fantasy series you know as one of the first evil empires mastering both machines and magic, and the first empire that manages to destroy the world and summon darkness incarnate into the fabric of the universe. It's not official canon but if you play FF Dimensions and imagine yourself as the herald of the bad guys of that game, it's a really fun romp. It's my personal belief (after studying the storylines) that Dimensions is actually the first story in the FF franchise, which would make this game an interesting commentary on the entire point of Final Fantasy. Not entirely relevant to this preview of the game but fun tinfoil speculation.
I had already purchased and I am enjoying very much even before reading this. Now I'm even more interested in playing this through. Agree with others that it takes a bit to catch on, at least for me. Just catching on now. (4hrs or so, and I play slow).
After reading shaun's short description of the game.. I personally won't touch it with a 10 feet pole.. I am a fan of square soft games.. But if this is going to be complicated than FF series I doubt it will appeal to me or any casual rpg gamers.. It sounds so complicated lol
I remember playing SaGa Frontier 1& 2 in the late 90's. Those were an odd couple of games to get into at first, but they turned out to be very rewarding if you stuck with it. From what I'm reading, this is the one that immediately precedes SaGa Frontier. Would you say they are similar?
Well I jumped in, it seems like a refreshing enough take on the genre that im interested to see where it goes. It was between FFV and this, but I'm so familiar with the FF style that this seems more appealing
Bought it twice once in English and once in Japanese no complaints whatsoever would do it again tomorrow
Can you give your review on what about this game is worth buying I'm on the fence and not too many reviews online. Any feedback would be appreciated
Finally got around to getting this. Takes a while to get used to but it's definitely fun. Only issue I have is I seem to have problems get to talk to NPCs fluidly while using the control set up. Sometimes I tap once and other times I have to tap rapidly. Not sure what LP does. Can anyone explain? It seems the game gives you no hand holding whatsoever but I doesn't seem too hard to figure out. Everyone has attacks that consume either SP, MP, or no charge. So you do have to manage your skills and spells.
LP is life points. Basically if a character runs out they are dead. Not dead like in a battle when they revive, but dead. You will need to replace them by speaking with another soldier at the castle.
Thanks for the reply. You lose life points when a character hits 0 HP in battle I guess? I just started so I haven't died yet. Seems like I need to manage buying potions as well since I need to keep them all from hitting 0 HP and potions take up an inventory slot.
Yes. 1 LP if they go down. Some characters have a lot more than others. I run with a good stack of potions. They are not in a store that I've seen. They are in a vault, where the scale is, the room past it, to the right when you go into the main castle, I believe. I think gear from characters that die (loose all LP) are stored there as well. My good bow was in it when my archer died.
Anyone that's played before know if you can switch out a party member that's not out of LP? Want to replace some fighters with mages
