Saga Continues: Interview with SaGa 2 Producer, Hands-On with Steam Deck

Many long-time gamers discovered the SaGa series through its numerous releases on past consoles. For me, Romancing SaGa 2 on iOS was my introduction almost a decade ago. I initially struggled, playing it like a standard JRPG. Today, I'm a devoted SaGa fan (as the photo below shows!), and I was thrilled by the recent announcement of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, a complete remake for Switch, PC, and PlayStation.

This review covers my experience with an early Steam Deck demo and an interview with Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Game Producer Shinichi Tatsuke (also behind Trials of Mana's remake). We discussed the remake, lessons learned from Trials of Mana, accessibility, potential Xbox and mobile ports, coffee, and more. This interview, conducted via video call, has been transcribed and edited for conciseness.

TouchArcade (TA): Having remade both Trials of Mana and now Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, how does it feel to work on remakes of such beloved classics?

Shinichi Tatsuke (ST): Both Trials of Mana and the SaGa series predate the Square Enix merger—they're legendary SquareSoft titles. Remaking them is a huge honor. Both games are nearly 30 years old, offering ample room for improvement. It was a rewarding experience.

Romancing SaGa 2, with its unique systems, remains innovative even today. Its originality made it a compelling candidate for a remake, even after 30 years, ensuring its appeal to modern gamers.

TA: The original Romancing SaGa 2 was notoriously challenging (I got a game over within 10 minutes!). The remake offers multiple difficulty settings. How did you balance fidelity to the original with accessibility for newcomers, many of whom will experience SaGa for the first time with this game's modern visuals?

ST: The SaGa series’ difficulty is well-known, with dedicated fans worldwide. Some consider the difficulty integral to the SaGa experience, while others find it a significant barrier to entry. Many know of SaGa but haven't played due to its perceived difficulty.

To address this, we introduced difficulty settings: normal and casual. Normal caters to standard RPG players, while casual prioritizes narrative accessibility. Our development team included core SaGa fans, ensuring a balance that appeals to both veterans and newcomers. It's like adding honey to spicy curry—the original game is the spicy curry, and the casual mode is the honey, making it more palatable.

TA: How did you maintain the original experience for veteran fans while adding quality-of-life improvements? How did you choose which features to modernize while preserving the challenge?

ST: SaGa isn't just about difficulty; it's also about understanding the game's mechanics. The original lacked visible information, such as enemy weaknesses and defense stats. This wasn't necessarily difficult, but unfair. For the remake, we made this information visible, creating a fairer, more enjoyable experience. We adjusted areas that were overly challenging in the original to create a balance for modern players.

TA: Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven runs exceptionally well on my Steam Deck. Considering Trials of Mana's releases on multiple platforms (including mobile), was the game specifically optimized for Steam Deck?

(Note: This question predates the official Steam Deck compatibility rating.)

ST: Yes, the full game will be compatible and playable on the Steam Deck, as you've already experienced in the demo.

TA: Can you comment on the development time for Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven?

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

TA: What lessons from the Trials of Mana remake informed the development of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven?

ST: Trials of Mana taught us what players want in a remake. For example, players generally prefer soundtrack arrangements faithful to the originals, but with improved quality due to modern technology. We added the option to switch between original and rearranged soundtracks, a feature well-received in Trials of Mana and included here.

We also adjusted the graphics. Mana's characters are smaller and more adorable. SaGa has a different aesthetic; characters are taller, and we used lighting effects instead of texture shadows to maintain a realistic feel. We leveraged past experience while also innovating for this remake.

(At this point, I thanked Tatsuke and the team for the English-language "Romancing SaGa 2 Primer" video.)

TA: Trials of Mana eventually came to mobile. Are there plans to bring Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven to mobile or Xbox?

ST: Currently, there are no 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 for their time.)

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 fantastic, but I wasn't sure how well it would run on the Steam Deck. Thankfully, it's excellent! The few hours I spent with the demo made me reconsider getting it on PS5 or Switch. It's that good on Valve's handheld.

The visuals and audio are stunning. The remake gradually introduces the game's mechanics. For veterans, there are quality-of-life improvements and new audio options. For newcomers, it's a superb introduction to the SaGa series. The visuals enhance accessibility, but it's still undeniably Romancing SaGa 2 with enhancements. Even on the hardest difficulty, it remains challenging.

The visuals exceeded my expectations. While I loved Trials of Mana's remake, this might be even better (though that could be due to my preference for Romancing SaGa 2). The PC port is surprisingly well-optimized. The Steam Deck settings allow for extensive customization of screen mode, resolution, frame rate, v-sync, dynamic resolution, graphics presets, anti-aliasing, texture filtering, shadow quality, and 3D model rendering resolution. Even with most settings maxed, I maintained a near-locked 90fps at 720p on my Steam Deck OLED.

I used English audio for my initial playthrough. The voice acting is good, but I'll likely play with Japanese audio later. The remake successfully balances modernity with the essence of SaGa.

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

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