I believe it is honest to say we acquired a little bit of an surprising present when Sq. Enix re-released Romancing SaGa 3 for Swap again in November of 2019.
Whereas it might not generate fairly the identical degree of pleasure as your Last Fantasies (and that is comprehensible), Romancing SaGa 3 deserves any plaudits it will get for bringing a degree of freedom and randomness to the RPG style that was fairly distinctive again in 1995. The truth is, the entire sequence does.
With 3 specifically, now we have a sport that was daring, and nonetheless feels daring, in the way it gave gamers a collection of eight protagonists to get caught into the story with. Identical to Octopath Traveler, and its (a lot better) sequel, you may journey by means of Romancing SaGa 3’s narrative a number of occasions due to the intelligent, criss-crossing storylines that make for a genuinely engrossing expertise.
It helps that the precise story right here is pretty robust as these items go as well, with gamers assuming management of their chosen protagonist within the speedy aftermath of a Demise Eclipse (or Morastrum), a horrifying occasion that happens each 300 years that sees all newborns within the 12 months of the Eclipse die, save for one, who turns into a Youngster of Future.
Proper, I did not come right here to spoil the story, in order that’s sufficient of that. It is a cracker of a premise, and the sport does a strong job of exploring it. Again in 1995, RPGs had been very a lot nonetheless on-rails for probably the most half; they did not permit for a lot in the way in which of “experimentation” in a number of the ways in which Romancing SaGa 3 does.
And it is experimentation that comes by means of permitting you to decide on who to roll with, resulting in occasions taking part in out from shifting views, while additionally imbuing the entire endeavour with a placing type of ‘laissez-faire’ angle, due to levelling up techniques that type of simply go “yeah, mate, eh…right here, have some random boosts in your efforts.” In true SaGa type.
Reasonably than with the ability to depend on a set improve price to any particular facet of your character, right here it is random all the way in which, and it feels nice. There is a ramshackle type of method…maybe ramshackle is not fairly the proper phrase because it feels organised, however there is definitely an try – and a profitable one – to make issues really feel natural, to make the world really feel like one you may inhabit and meander round in, fairly than simply blowing by means of in a straight, exact and calculated method. So, perhaps it permits you to method it in a ramshackle method is a extra acceptable description.
The weapon “sparking” system (coming back from Romancing SaGa 2) continues this method, which provides every of the characters the prospect to achieve new expertise randomly as they battle. While some gamers could not gel solely with this I personally like it, and I believe it is a system that enhances the natural vibe in a sensible method, while additionally guaranteeing that you just nonetheless improve and progress.
Having mentioned that, I do agree it most likely works to the detriment of the general focus of the gameplay loops, and that is one thing picked up on in our 6/10 evaluate of the re-release. It may be irritating and off-putting if you wish to methodically enhance and do the same old type of RPG issues with character development. For me, although, it is profitable in what it units out to do with being slightly bit free-wheeling, that the lack of some path within the extra conventional online game sense is suitable.
I additionally love how the underlying ethos of all of that is carried into Kenjo Ito’s soundtrack for the sport. Once more right here, fairly than have a plan or particular theme in thoughts, the composer approached it with the thought of permitting its sound to develop and evolve over time. It is all very zen, lads.
Have a contented birthday, Romancing SaGa 3. I would ask you should you’d deliberate something, however I do not see that being your type.
Have you ever performed Romancing SaGa 3 in its authentic or remastered type? Agree that its uniqueness outshines its frustrations? Tell us!
