Romancing SaGa 2 Producer: Exclusive Preview on Steam Deck

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven – A Remake Fit for Modern Players: An Interview and Steam Deck Impressions

Many longtime gamers discovered the SaGa series through past console generations. For me, Romancing SaGa 2 on iOS was my introduction almost a decade ago. Initially, I struggled, playing it like a typical JRPG. Now, I'm a huge SaGa fan (see photo below), so I was thrilled to see the full remake, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, announced for Switch, PC, and PlayStation.

For this review, I played an early demo on Steam Deck and interviewed Shinichi Tatsuke, the game producer (also behind Trials of Mana's remake). We discussed Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, lessons learned from Trials of Mana, accessibility, potential Xbox and mobile ports, coffee, and more. The interview, conducted via video call, has been transcribed and edited for brevity.

TouchArcade (TA): What's it like remaking beloved games like Trials of Mana and now Romancing SaGa 2?

Shinichi Tatsuke (ST): Both Trials of Mana and the SaGa series predate the Square Enix merger, originating from the Squaresoft era. They're legendary Square titles. Remaking them is an incredible honor. Both games, originally released nearly 30 years ago, offered significant room for improvement. Romancing SaGa 2, with its unique systems, remains distinctive even today. Its uniqueness made it a compelling remake candidate.

TA: The original Romancing SaGa 2 was notoriously challenging. I almost quit in the first ten minutes! The remake offers multiple difficulty settings. How did you balance staying true to the original while enhancing accessibility?

ST: The SaGa series' difficulty is well-known, attracting hardcore fans worldwide. Some believe difficulty is essential to the SaGa experience, while others find it a barrier to entry. Many know the series but haven't played it due to perceived difficulty.

To address this, we introduced difficulty settings: Normal and Casual. Normal caters to standard RPG players, while Casual prioritizes narrative enjoyment. Our team included core SaGa fans, ensuring a balanced approach. It's like adding honey to spicy curry – the original game's difficulty is the spice, and the Casual mode is the honey, making it more accessible.

ST (cont.): The SaGa series isn't just about difficulty; it's about understanding the game's mechanics. The original lacked visible enemy weaknesses and other stats, forcing players to figure them out. We felt this was unfair, so in the remake, weaknesses are clearly displayed. We addressed other overly difficult aspects to create a fairer and more enjoyable experience for modern players.

TA: Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven runs exceptionally well on Steam Deck. Considering your experience with Trials of Mana on multiple platforms, was the game optimized for Steam Deck?

ST: Yes, the full game will be compatible and playable on Steam Deck.

TA: How long was the development process?

ST: I can't give specifics, but main development began in late 2021.

TA: What did you learn from Trials of Mana that informed the Romancing SaGa 2 remake?

ST: Trials of Mana taught us player preferences regarding remakes. For example, soundtracks: players prefer arrangements faithful to the originals, but with improved quality. We added an option to switch between original and rearranged tracks, a feature well-received in Trials of Mana and included in Romancing SaGa 2.

Visually, Trials of Mana had more adorable, shorter characters. SaGa's aesthetic is different, requiring taller characters and a more serious tone. We used lighting effects instead of textural shadows to maintain realism. We utilized past knowledge but also innovated for this remake.

TA: Trials of Mana eventually released on mobile. Are there plans for Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven on mobile or Xbox?

ST: No current plans for those platforms.

TA: Finally, what's your coffee preference?

ST: I don't drink coffee; I dislike bitter drinks. I don't drink beer either.

Thanks to Shinichi Tatsuke, Jordan Aslett, Sara Green, and Rachel Mascetti.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Steam Deck Impressions

Receiving a Steam key for the demo was exciting but also slightly nerve-wracking. The trailer looked amazing, but I wasn't sure about Steam Deck compatibility. Thankfully, it's fantastic on the Steam Deck OLED. The few hours I spent with the demo made me question if I even needed the PS5 or Switch versions.

The game looks and sounds incredible on Steam Deck. The remake gradually introduces battle mechanics, stats, etc. For returning players, quality-of-life improvements enhance combat flow and information presentation. For newcomers, it's a great introduction to the SaGa series. The visuals are more approachable, yet it retains the core Romancing SaGa 2 experience. Even the original difficulty setting remains challenging.

Visually, the remake surpasses my expectations. While I loved Trials of Mana's remake, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven might be superior (though time will tell). The Steam Deck port is excellent, offering options for screen mode, resolution (720p support on Steam Deck), frame rate (30 to unlimited), v-sync, dynamic resolution, graphics presets, anti-aliasing, texture filtering, shadow quality, and 3D model rendering resolution. Even with high settings, I achieved near-locked 90fps at 720p on my Steam Deck OLED.

Audio options include original and new soundtracks, English and Japanese audio. The voice acting is good, but I might play with Japanese audio later. The remake successfully modernizes the game while preserving its SaGa essence.

I eagerly await the full release and plan to compare the demo across platforms. Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is a must-have RPG. Hopefully, this will introduce more players to the SaGa series. Square Enix, please give us SaGa Frontier 2 next!

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven launches October 24th on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PS4. A free demo is available on all platforms.