Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven (PS5) Review – Avalon Wasn’t Built in a Day

In most RPG mythology, the legendary heroes are folks to be revered and their stories tell of hope and a positive future. However, in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, those same Seven Heroes hare instead left behind a legacy of revenge and vile fiends roaming the land. It’s a narrative that brings some contemporary charm to an otherwise all-too-familiar mythology and this full 3D remake presents this groundbreaking JRPG in a whole new light.

Following the passing of a family member at the hands of one of these legendary Seven Heroes, the Emperor (or Empress) of Avalon vows revenge against these heroes and to cleanse the world of their influence. From humble beginnings of a small empire nestled away in the northwest corner of the world, the player will see Varennes grow into a global superpower by ridding the world of these Seven Heroes one by one and bringing countries rid of their troubles under one united flag.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven promises an open-ended adventure and has some interesting ways to make good on that promise, while the limitations of the original Super Famicom release are still present in how the narrative is shaped. Guided by little more than a rumor or piece of advice from your chancellor at the start of each generation, players can venture out into the world however they see fit once news of some sort of goings-on is brought to the player’s attention. Players only need to journey through dungeons and open fields once to reach a new city before it’s added to the list of fast travel options. All of these paths tend to converge at the same end, so regardless of which order the world is liberated and which of the Seven Heroes are dispatched, there’s a very similar design to how all of these paths intersect. 

While not completely possible to see everything in a single playthrough, players can still complete a good 90-95% of the available quests in Revenge of the Seven during a single run if they so choose. I had somehow neglected to check up on an active volcano in an earlier generation and went back a generation or two later to see how things were going only to discover another natural disaster awaiting a nearby village. Had I gone sooner, I would have been granted the opportunity to learn about Dark Magic if I followed a very specific story path. Alas, the island itself was saved and this critical quest was locked away for the remainder of the playthrough.

Note for note, bar for bar, Revenge of the Seven is largely a familiar retelling of this experimental JRPG throughout in spite of the overhaul that’s been done to the game’s mechanics. Familiar story beats follow the same narrative journey as players solve the issues plaguing the world left in the wake of the Seven Heroes taking their own form of revenge and unleashing hordes of demons unto the world. Pick up any strategy guide penned for the PlayStation 4/Vita pixel remake from 2016 and you’ll be able to at least follow the story along even if all of the treasure chests and maps have been overhauled for this full 3D remake.

Despite the non-linear nature promised in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, there’s a sort of guarantee to the flow of progression. Finding new places to explore or quests to undertake often takes little more than chatting up the bartender at a local tavern or speaking with the common people around each town. There isn’t much mystery as to where to get a new quest as eligible NPCs all have the same telltale question mark icon to indicate they have something to offer. Most every other NPC can be readily ignored unless the player wishes to get a little more flavor text to the world and the troubles ailing them.

Behind the scenes of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is an invisible timer that counts down the end of one generation and the beginning of the next. It’s not number of hours or minor quests completed that leads to the passage of time but rather world-shaping events and defeating any one of the Seven Heroes. Typically three major quests is the sweet spot to undertake as the current Emperor before the throne must be abdicated, 150-or-so years pass by, and a new Emperor is selected to ascend to the throne of Avalon. This same formal transfer of power also proceeds if the entire party is wiped out, rather than forcing the player into a Game Over scenario.

In this transfer of responsibilities, players are given a pool of six or so heroes that can assume the title of Emperor and lead the expansion of Varennes. These options are pulled from any available quest that’s been unlocked with a few notable selections. For example, the marionette puppet Coppelia can only be selected for a single generation before she is passively discarded (if you do happen to come across her, a hidden rendition of Wipe Your Tears plays and you’re rewarded with her signature ability, Poker Face, which renders whoever is equipped with the ability complete immunity to status effects). Because of the random nature, there’s no guarantee that you’ll receive an option that comes with the weapon skills you’ve previously been leveling or even the right class to complete a particular quest. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get the Corsair as an available option, thus leaving one specific quest incomplete as I was unable to have the maritime experience necessary for traversing the open seas.

Combat in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is perhaps its most notable and welcomed change from the original releases. Kawazu and his team have updated the battle system to be more in line with recent SaGa titles such as Minstrel Song and SaGa: Emerald Beyond. Fights take place on a shared timeline where individual Speed stats determine the turn order rather than moving as one complete unit and the timeline can provide insight as to when an enemy’s turn may be coming up or if they’re preparing a brutal attack. Save for a few key weapon skills or formations, there’s little that can be done with manipulating the timeline outside of buffing/reducing a character’s Speed stat. Magicks require no casting times, so they can be issued the same as regular attacks and Techs. Striking an enemy’s weakness fills a separate Overdrive gauge that serves as this SaGa entry’s form of a combo system. Once filled, heroes can tag the next party member in line to do a combined pair of Tech/Spell attacks pulled from a random list.

There’s some rhyme and reason to how these combinations are pulled out, typically with like weapon types or elements being used in tandem. It wasn’t uncommon for my Martial Artist-specialized Emperor to tag in the next party member to do a matching attack. For most of the adventure, players will be limited to just two players being linked together but by way of finding the hidden Mr. S collectibles and adding more regions under the Empire’s banner, players can link together more party members and even gain a second Overdrive Gauge (which carries over between battles, so it can be beneficial to grind just a little bit before tackling a dungeon boss). Precious BP used to cast Tech and Spells alike is typically only recharged through one-time use checkpoints before boss encounters or by resting at an inn, although there are rare BP-restoring items that can be purchased or found in treasure chests. Romancing SaGa 2 isn’t like Persona or Metaphor where there’s a strict calendar dictating your movements, so returning to town to restock is often a viable option.

True to previous SaGa titles, Revenge of the Seven is not a JRPG where grinding is intended. While it is more lenient than its successors, there is still a persistent Battle Rank that ticks up as players progress the narrative and undergo a certain number of battles. This Battle Rank will affect the enemies that players come across, so while grinding in one spot might sound like a good idea initially to learn a few new Tech or raise a weapon’s skill, grinding too much can have the adverse effect of introducing enemies that are too challenging to defeat given the player’s current equipment and skills. 

There’s no true leveling system in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven and this holds true for either SaGa titles as well. In lieu of a stated character level, winning a battle will typically raise one of three stats for a character: their HP, their BP, and whatever Weapon/Spells they used (or if they didn’t have a chance to act, whatever they used in the last fight). Any other stat, such as Defense or one of the five core attributes, is instead increased through equipped gear. Using a particular Weapon or Spell Skill will not only raise the amount of damage done but also unlock the opportunity to have a sudden spark of inspiration, or ‘Glimmer”, and discover a brand new attack on the battlefield. Each Weapon type comes with its own unique list of Tech attacks to learn, most branching from one skill or another once the right conditions are met (typically the character’s Weapon Skill in combination with the enemy’s strength).

Glimmering one of these Techs not only adds it to that character’s list of skills but also can be passed along to future generations through the Empire’s Training Hall. All of that passive knowledge in the form of Weapon Skills and Techs is recorded in the imperial records, so that as time passes and a new generation begins, the cumulative knowledge is carried forth and the next generation might have the power needed to defeat one of the Seven Heroes. By the time I inherited the tidal of Final Emperor and was ready to finish the adventure, I had just under 1,000 HP, a Martial Arts skill around level 60, and could easily hit for 15-20,000 from a single GuanYin and much more if it was a critical hit or used in an Overdrive combo.

While Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven features the same narrative and core gameplay under the hood, this 3D remake turns the influential JRPG into a brand new experience. For players that rightfully enjoyed Kawazu’s non-linear storytelling in prior SaGa titles, Revenge of the Seven is a must-play. Just make sure to dust off one of those old Super Famicom strategy guides if you plan to see all of the tourism and fiends that Avalon has to offer.

[Editor’s Note: a PlayStation 5 copy was provided by the publisher.]

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven

One of Akitoshi Kawazu’s most experimental titles from the Super Famicom, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven shows that a classic JRPG can be given a complete overhaul to turn into something brand new while still retaining its unique quirks and charm.

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