Frank Wood
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MonsterVineLatest Reviews
They restored some content that didn’t make it to the full release as well, fleshing out the story even more. They added some post-game super bosses, as well as a full-on New Game+ mode and the inclusion of Go! Go! Digger is great to see, especially because that last one was locked to the PocketStation, and I never had the chance to play with it. Does it slightly break the game balance by injecting tons of weapons and armor into the economy? Maybe a little bit, but this game is notorious for soft-locking people just because they weren’t strong enough for a fight you can’t grind before, so I don’t think giving us extra power is the worst thing they could have done.
Combat has that serotonin feeding gameplay that I’ve always loved, but with a little bit less going on behind the scenes. Romancing SaGa 2 does a fantastic job of communicating to the player how these systems work and what you can do to influence them. They have added the timeline battle gauge that has been seen in newer SaGa entries so you can further strategize against enemies while you find the perfect party composition with the perfect formation so you can have the most lethal party possible. The feeling of learning a new, powerful skill during a hard battle is something that attracted me to the SaGa series long ago, and this time it is even more detailed than before. You can see if there are still more attacks to learn, which is very helpful when it comes to deciding what skills to keep on your characters and which ones to seal.
The other forms are very cool, but they feel a little bit more specific than the lightning one but honestly, that is fine because the main form is the link between them all. With some smart playing, you will be changing forms constantly, pulling off crazy platforming feats, and enemies won’t stand a chance! Speaking of enemies, I do have to say that I think enemy variety is a weak point in this game, I wish we had some more types to put into the puzzle, but I suspect it may be the way it is on purpose. But it doesn’t change that a smidge more, or even just visual redesigns for areas would make it all feel much more fresh, the rooms that spawn a bunch of enemies are the least interesting part of the game once you make it halfway through it.
All of this comes together to truly feel like something special. I laughed, I cried, and I got invested in this world and the characters that inhabit it while being enthralled by this battle system that felt like a fusion of some of my favorites, but elevated. Sabotage Studios has once again managed to elevate a classic favorite from the yesteryear of gaming, and in the process of that created something that feels like a celebration of all of those parts, while still carving out its own unique identity!
The soundtrack is out-of-control good as well, Kenji Ito puts out another iconic soundtrack that fully takes advantage of the CD quality sound the PS1 brought to the series. You can find me listening to the entire soundtrack on the regular, but every single battle theme in this series is a bop and are the highlights of this varied soundtrack. Jazz, hard rock all the way to some good old country bumpkin sounding tunes are present here, and they are all done very well.
I think it’s admirable that the devs set out to make a game in this vein that isn’t supported by a “Games as a Service” style system that is held up by microtransactions. Based on what i’ve seen so far, this game is pretty much a complete package, with the devs saying they may be interested in a big expansion, but we have no drip fed “2021 content roadmap” system trying to keep our interest. It’s a change for the genre, and we can’t say yet if it’s a successful idea but I think the idea of these being a little less massive and a bit more definitive is a fun idea, a good experience you can enjoy, but eventually put down and be done with it unless something big comes along. You don’t have to sign on every day to do arbitrary daily missions offering bait on a hook to keep you playing, but I also wonder quite how much content is here for the average one and done type. I have zero doubts this game will heavily resonate with some people, inspiring them to try out every character class, different build, replaying the story utilizing the world level...
This game also happens to have an absolute set of bangers on the OST, and the sound design, in general, is very well done, while sometimes feeling a little crowded as an innate result of the physics engine based gameplay, which is almost to be expected. The music ranges from moody and atmospheric to red hot and full of instruments, really adding to the atmosphere of the game. The game makes sure to let you know anytime that you run into a new spell type, perk, or enemy at your game over screen after one of the many deaths you will suffer through your adventure, and it shows you how many there are total, so you feel your progress every time. I rarely don’t run into at least a new one on a decent enough run, which keeps you feeling like you are still making progress.