SaGa: Emerald Beyond

This is a game that wants you to tinker and fail, before you “get it”. It’s also a game explicitly designed to be different every time you pick it up. With its disregard for convention and disinterest in “quality of life” guidelines, you could have a rough start. But there’s so much going on under the hood, so much charm in its presentation and fearlessness in its design, it’s easy to recommend even to folks who might be looking at me like a weirdo right now. SaGa Emerald Beyond comes with caveats like any other JRPG that isn’t the usual Final Fantasy or Persona blockbuster, but those caveats ...

An iconic yet niche RPG series is back with SaGa Emerald Beyond and for eccentric folks like me, it makes for one superb experience.

SaGa: Emerald Beyond is the most easily accessible SaGa game while still having nigh impenetrable barriers surrounding its appeal. There are many prospective players who won't dig the presentation or take the time to understand the beauty found in the design. Those who give Emerald Beyond the time of day and devote themselves to understanding the game will most certainly walk away with something truly special. The Free-Form Scenario system urges players to progress the main plot in any way th...

SaGa: Emerald Beyond stands tall with its superb battle mechanics, which are just as addictive as they are enjoyable.

SaGa Emerald Beyond is the latest entry in Sqare Enix's long running off-beat RPG series. Does this latest entry make it more accessible, or is it yet another obtuse oddity?

SaGa Emerald Beyond is a standalone entry in the venerable SaGa franchise. This classic JRPG series is known for its multiple protagonists, interesting structural decisions, and striking fantasy art styles. The latest entry takes things into its own hands by upsetting some classic elements of the JRPG formula on a mechanical and narrative level. I had the opportunity to play the game in advance of sharing my impressions, and what I saw intrigued me.

SaGa Emerald Beyond is a fun experience with new mechanics and many ways to play. With five different characters with their own stories, it’s a fun time to run around fighting a flurry of monsters, demons, and more. While things might get a bit repetitive at times, many will find it a blast trying out the different formations, United Attacks, and more.

SaGa: Emerald Beyond is a strong entry in Square Enix’s most bizarre franchise. It may not be the best introduction to the series, but it’s filled with wacky characters, fascinating stories, and an incredible combat system.

FORGE YOUR OWN TALE The latest standalone entry in the SaGa franchise, SaGa Emerald Beyond, brings together the very best elements of the beloved series to offer each player their own unique gameplay experience. PS5 version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes.

Five teams of characters and five trips across multiple worlds. It sounds like a great adventure with several possibilities, enticing you to return and re-experience the story to see different endings. Jumping across worlds and carrying over your experience allows SaGa Emerald Beyond to stay with you in a way that other adventures can’t. Even after completing all five stories, there’s always another reason to jump back in.

It's hard not to suspect that deciding to put SaGa Emerald Beyond onto mobile gaming platforms hurt the game in many ways. From its lackluster art style, to a bevy of mostly un-engaging characters, the few hints of that Square Enix touch can't be found anywhere except within the cinematic combat moments and the length of the story overall. While interesting combat can carry a game a long way, there isn't enough of it to satisfy the majority of users. There will be some players who don't mind the pages and pages of dialogue, and won't care about the seemingly made-for-mobile art styles, but it'...

SaGa: Emerald Beyond may just be the one and only game where from start to finish, I have absolutely no idea what is going on. It has a masterful approach to turn-based combat, which makes it so there is no dull moment during brawls against flying smiling balls of evil and murderous skunks, but everything else is just… bizarre.