Romancing SaGa

"A Work of Art"

Approaching its 16th anniversary this January, the SaGa series is certainly one of the longest running RPG franchises around. From its humble beginnings on the Game Boy, the SaGa series' aim has been experimentation within the genre. Each game has some system or mechanic that really sets it apart from the one that preceded it, whether it's the multiple scenario system, the glimmer system, or even the combat system. Despite having released 3 games on the handheld, SaGa' jump to the SNES with Romancing SaGa was where it showed it's prowess in the RPG field. It offered a very enticing alternative from the standards; Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior. This came in the form of its several separate campaigns, and it's generally nonlinear progression. Over the proceeding years it picked up many new systems, abandoned old ones, and with Unlimited Saga, was scarcely recognizable from its original form. That's where Romancing SaGa: The Minstrel Song comes into play – though it's technically a remake of the first Romancing SaGa, in my estimation it is a look at the growth the series has experienced.

GRAPHICS:
In an RPG, graphics are really the least important element, but they can lend themselves to the presentation, and overall feel of the game if they are of quality. I believe Romancing SaGa fulfills this in every way possible. The artistic design put into all of the various areas of Mardias is absolutely astounding. From the desert, the ocean, the sleepy little towns, everything looks like a watercolour painting brought out in 3-D. Areas are practically unrecognizable from their 16-bit counterparts, because they have so fully realized. The original demanded a great deal of imagining, because of its interesting ideas for the world, but in Minstrel Song, you don't need to fill in the blanks, just look at the screen for your answer. That said, it isn't without its hitches, the technical side of the game is not up to standards. The textures are blurry and pixelly, and some environments just look a little too static. But honestly, the sheer brilliance of artistic design makes these flaws barely noticeable.
The other aspect of the graphics comes from its interesting character models. With their strangely disproportionate heads, it truly is like the SNES sprites have been brought into the 3rd dimension. Although some of them are admittedly a little creepy, some of them (specifically Hawke and Gray) just look amazing to me. Furthermore, the animations of all the characters are top-notch, and really add to the battle sequences. As is the standard in the SaGa series, the special attacks are just incredible, using breathtaking particle effects and incredible animations.

Graphics --- 16/20

SOUND/MUSIC:
One aspect the SaGa series has never petered out in is its music department. Minstrel Song is no exception. Kenji Ito must have been particularly inspired when he remixed the original songs, as they are absolutely amazing. More often than not, you'll find yourself humming the tunes as you wander around in the world, or the dungeon, or battle the various creatures. He really outdid himself this time, and proves, once again, that he can stand up there with the Mitsuda's and the Uematsu's of the world.
The sound aspect of the game is a bit of a mixed bag, unfortunately. I appreciated Square-Enix's decision to implement full voice acting into the game, and it is good for the most part. The main characters certainly do their job, with no over-acting, and properly conveying emotion. At times, though, they kind of sound like they're not amazed enough for a given situation. The NPC's on the other hand, can be hilariously overwrought, though many of them are appropriate. I personally enjoyed some of the things they said, as it did make me laugh, though not with the character. The various weapons' sounds, the footsteps etc. certainly get the job done. All of the attacking and yelling and the like is believable and feels rewarding when it is played. Top-notch stuff all around.

Sound/Music --- 28/30

GAMEPLAY:
I must admit, the whole premise behind the multiple scenario system really appeals to me, and my bias is going to show in this part of the review. As with many of the previous titles, you begin the game choosing your main character, out of a group of 8, and each has its own separate quest. The basic goal is to defeat the ancient evil lord Saruin and (gasp!) save the world. Storyline has never been the franchises emphasis. As their tagline says “The gods created man, but man creates his own saga”. Thus, the story that you get out of Minstrel Song is equal to the amount of work you put in. The quest system is very fun, with a wide variety of quests, which take you to various locales, and let you kill many different types of creatures. The inclusion of different modes of transport was very neat, and I think it added a lot to the game. My main gripe with the quest system is simply that there isn't much in the way of organization or chronological advancement. I know it would conflict with the nonlinear course of the game, but it's fairly annoying to go and do a quest, only to find that the creatures can kill you in one hit. Which brings me to another point, the game is pretty hard. Not as hard as some SaGa games, but certainly harder than most new games that are around. Honestly though, this is a plus in my books, and it makes me enjoy the game much more, especially in retrospect.
The combat system borrows greatly from the previous games (not a bad thing) and combines some of the ideas together. It uses a standard, turn-based system, but things are a bit different when it comes to experience. In the SaGa series, you gain stats at the end of a battle randomly, so you find that your warriors get better after each battle. Characters can choose from several different classes and different weapon proficiencies as well. This all adds greatly to crafting your own type of character. The system is introduced through various tutorials which are a very welcome addition to the series. When I first played through some of the SaGa games, I found myself making irreparable mistakes due to my unfamiliarity with the experience system in the game. With these tutorials, new players will find it much more user-friendly, and less prone to such mistakes.
I think one of the most commendable aspects that can be said of Minstrel Song is its replay value. The Romancing SaGa series always had the option to be different characters, with different stories, but I think Minstrel Song is the best realization of this technique. Having played through the game twice as different characters, I can safely say that it was practically a different game altogether with the different character. The replay value on this game is basically unprecedented, and with 8 characters, it should prove to be a time sink for the people who enjoy the game. The one complaint that could be leveled against this is the fact that all characters have the same final area, and final boss. Having different final bosses in SaGa Frontier 1 really added to the individuality of each character, but this is a minor complaint.

Gameplay --- 44/50

The SaGa games are not for everyone, they never have been and they never will be. For every person that enjoys the game, there seems to be 2 that don't. But the basic principle is that if you enjoy it, you'll find one of the deepest experiences in the video gaming market. This game is a look at the past and future of the SaGa franchise. Much like Final Fantasy 9, it's an anthology of a gaming series within the game itself. In addition to this Minstrel Song has a combination of beautifully artistic graphics, a great soundtrack, and compelling gameplay to make it one of the better games this year.

OVERALL --- 88/100

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/31/05