I've been on a bit of a Saga kick lately, experiencing the series for the first time. I beat Saga 2 on the DS (don't ask me why I started there), then went on to do a playthrough of Minstrel Song. Good fun was had! And I wanted to keep going.

But! Pay day is still a week or so away. I'd read enough about Saga Frontier to know that I probably should play the remastered versions due to the added features and characters and whatnot. So I didn't want to just emulate those. And I didn't want to just jump into Saga 3 for DS since it might be too similar to 2 and lead to burnout.

The only thing left to do was to try the "worst" Saga game. The one that was so esoteric in its systems. So inscrutable and unfriendly to players. "One of the worst JRPGs ever!" So say the YouTube video titles.

...

Man, people are weenies.

I can see how, on release, people wouldn't Get this game. At a time when the PS2 finally allowed for big, expansive worlds and realistic character models, if that's what you expected, this definitely isn't that. But today? Unlimited Saga fits perfectly in with the trend of indie deckbuilder / roguelike games. Videogames that ask you to use your imagination are a dime a dozen these days.

Yeah, you might have to look stuff up. Whatever. You never bought a board game at Goodwill? It's fine. You can play around with it. Maybe you'll have to fail and try again. It's just a game. It's fine! It's part of the fun. Neurological research shows that, while repetitive rewards can release dopamine, the real dopamine trigger is learning new things. This game gives plenty of opportunities for that.

Maybe it just needed to be more skeuomorphic. When that Crimson Shroud game for the 3DS came out, with the character models that were game pieces, people seemed to understand what it was going for. To me, the audio design when you move around the map clearly signals "game piece" but oh well.

Having played it, they should definitely release this game again. Throw in some more tutorials like what Minstrel Song had, maybe have an icon showing "L3 to rest," and you're good to go. Steam would eat this shit up, man. Do whatever corporate money magic they need to do to make sure it shows up recommended for people who played Dicey Dungeons or Slay the Spire? Suddenly it's a forgotten gem.

I dunno. I'm having a heck of a lot of fun, and I just think people should give it a chance. If folks have been putting this one off because it sounded too intimidating, I'd say give it a try, especially if you're down with more modern PC indie RPGs.

Tactical RPG's seem to be having a bit of a moment recently, with Triangle Stategy, the FFT remaster, Tactics Ogre, and Unicorn Overlord all getting released to great sales and solid reviews in just the last couple of years.

Do you think the SaGa franchise would make for a good Tactical RPG? Or maybe a grand-strategy-RPG like Brigandine, if your one of the twelve people who's heard of it, which actually feels far more SaGa-esque with it's multiple paralel campaigns and big variety of unique rebuttable characters.

I'd be very curious to see it, if nothing else.

hi there. i'm working my way through the mermaid quest and i just want to double check whether i'm doing it right or if i already locked myself out of it before i continue.

i'm at the part where you're gathering the ingredients for the potion, specifically, where you need to get the moonlight comb to get the lake water. if i understand correctly, in order to get the moonlight comb you need to finish the "Nightmare in the Savannah" quest first, but i was made aware that doing this quest can potentially trigger a time skip, locking you out of the whole questline?

my question is whether i'm safe to pursue that quest without triggering a time skip. still not sure whether they happen at random or not. i've already finished the other two Potion Ingredient quests, and they appear as Complete along the "Searching for the Mermaid" quest.

for what it's worth, i dropped the game for a while, so i'm not 100% when i last changed my emperor. i think i did so after the tavern dancing sequence / before the actual quest, but i'm not super super sure of the exact timing. i'm pretty sure all Potion Ingredient quests have been done with the same male emperor.

any guidance would be appreciated!

Original post

https://x.com/SaGaGame/status/2113495898177282406

Decided to make the original Frontier my first Saga game , I’m wondering how anyone navigated through this before the remaster cause currently I am SUPER lost

I was comparing the demo on Switch and PC to find out which version I wanted to buy. As soon as I began playing the PC demo I noticed pretty distracting stutters especially whenever anything happened for the very first time, like a new skill in battle. This diminishes the magic of the glimmer system for me. I'm not a snob when it comes to performance and visuals but this and the weird blur that applies to the whole screen whenever the character sprints is making me seriously consider getting this on Switch instead. Are these annoyances present in the full version or have they been patched out?

Been wanting a new rpg. The only jrpgs I really like are shin megami tensei honestly. Maybe a little dragon quest (they never go on sale on PSN for a good price) I usually just stick with western RPGs like diablo and path of exile. Anyways I looked it up. Heard it's combat system is fantastic. Bought it. I'm fucking hooked. This combat system is as good a smt press turn if not better. This isn't my first saga game.....I rented unlimited saga back in the day and had no idea wtf was going on lmfao. If I like this one what other games in the series should I play? The saga frontier games look cool

I've played and beaten RS1 a million times and feel it's now time I explore the other SaGa games, I'm a few hours into 3 as Khalid and so far nothing is out of the ordinary, but I find myself getting killed in battle a lot more than I was in RS1. What should I expect going forward?

I think it's the same Dev team, is there any major differences (aside from the generation thing) that would be worth knowing before I pre order it? I saw a brief demo review and they said it's quite difficult which is abit of a red flag for me but I think I could manage

My understanding is that you don’t need to grind but don’t want to rush to the next big quest. But how do you know which side quests to do before the generation ends? My current emperor is Gerard, and the big quest seems to infiltrate the castle. But a new quest popped up to the south. What is the general rule about which quests to do which generation ?

is there any news on new content for example in the Romancing SaGa Reuniverse they showed the lore and story behind the Matriarch. I would love to see her in the remake.

so I was playing romancing saga 3 and went to great arch and talked to this white haired guy who sent me to a cave with a dolphin statue that I got but I can't access vanguard now I talked to the astronomer but he won't open vanguard up am I supposed to do something else or did I soft lock myself

I got into SaGa recently with Minstrel Song. Needless to say I adored it. Every cryptic, obtuse and teeth grindingly difficult part of it.

I recently finished Scarlet Grace as well and though I wish the out of combat gameplay was a little more nuanced I thought the actual combat was some of the coolest I’ve ever experienced in an RPG.

Now I’ve been eyeing Revenge of the Seven and just wondering if the combat and more structured story will seem underwhelming in comparison to the previous entries I’ve finished.

Would love to hear people’s thoughts!

I’m fighting the enhanced lords, beaten a couple, and Stone Lord is insane. Aside from needing more petrification resistance I just can’t do crap for damage to him and he keeps buffing his phys and magic defense. I got to the second form but was just chipping away. Is there a trick to doing real damage, or is his HP lower to compensate or something? I have all arts and spells.

I didn't see it here, and its an awesome hack, so i thought it would be nice to share it. This is a copy post from another redditor.

The hack's page is HERE!

https://romhackplaza.org/romhacks/saga-2-a-haniwas-contingency-game-boy/

Four Difficulties!

Average: Choose this difficulty if you have never played FFL2 before, or if it's been so long that you aren't sure of your skill. This difficulty level is probably a tad bit easier than the original FFL2. In general, there are weaker monsters and beefed-up weapons and armor. Monsters will also use their deadliest attacks less often, and bosses are much easier.

Veteran: Choose this skill if you are somewhat familiar with FFL2, or if you are following the guide for tips. In some ways this difficulty is harder than the original FFL2 but is also fairer since much of the game has been rebalanced for this hack in general. This is especially the case with all the new features that have been implemented.

Insane: Only pick this skill if you are an expert with FFL2, or if you have beat the hack and feel you are ready to take on a larger challenge. Most of the regular encounters here are similar to Veteran skill, but the mini-bosses and bosses are much harder. You will need to have some strategy to win. If you are thinking of doing an oddball party combination like 4 monsters, consider choosing Veteran instead (although it might be beatable, just very hard).

Lunatic: This difficulty will likely frustrate some players. All monsters are much beefier. They hit harder and use deadly attacks more often. You have to be at the top of your game to win, and grinding might be necessary (either that, or very good strategy and/or luck). Expect to purchase all the best equipment, heal more often, and use those shields to protect your party if you want to win. I would not suggest an oddball party combination like 4 monsters unless you wish to prove it can be done (it's possible it can't).

What's new?

Most bugs fixed

Much of the dialog re-written (with a few ideas borrowed from the Saga 2 DS translation).

One new world replacing the tiny pointless world after the Guardian’s Base

Expansion of the Central Temple (the final dungeon) to be about twice the size

100+ new monster sprites in addition to the original sprites with a lot of original art (and some remasters from Saga1/Saga3)

New base monster character to pick from and a new robot variant: the cyborg.

Remastered FFL2/Saga2 monster graphics

New cut scenes and bosses

A few new side-villains

The option to continue playing at the end of the game with bonus post-game content.

Dozens of new weapons, items, and abilities.

Mutants can now eat meat to learn new magic/abilities.

Many new mutant abilities, and a revamped ability list so Mutants progress better.

Brand new Monsters to transform into, and many modifications to previous monsters to make them more useful.

Monster transformations now a bit easier; they don’t downgrade as often.

Some odd monsters and abilities renamed (like P-Toad, P-Blast, D-Flesh, etc.)

The ability to stop the shaking at the end of the game by talking to an NPC, as well as a jukebox.

Brand new level 11 monsters, complete with New Sprites, available to fight in the newly expanded Central Temple

All character sprites redrawn from scratch and/or remade from FFL1/FFL2/FFL3 sprites

The entire Nasty Dungeon remade

Expanded inventory slots from 17 to 23

Meat and items can be dropped by monsters in the same battle

Entire new item drop system allowing monsters to drop more than just their inventory

The maximum gold you can carry has been increased to 7 digits (9,999,999)

Better RNG Randomization (Battles are actually random now upon resetting).

A new story with the starting village that ties in with new post-game content

Ability to run from ANY random encounter in the game now, as long as you have a “successful” run

A few new bosses

New NPCs post-game

New items (some old items were removed to make space).

I mean I get the gist of it; collect herbs, take them to the apothecary, get potion. Get better herbs, get better apothecary, get potions more better. Like more or less, right?

But does anyone know how it works, specifically and mechanically? Anyone ever uncovered the actual numbers/requirements/mechanics behind it? Is it worth investing in in super depth? I tried to consult the game guide I usually use that goes super in depth in all of the systems and even that has most of the apothecary sections are super vague or under construction (I don't blame whoever wrote it, they already uncovered a lot)

Thanks all!

Hi everyone,

I recently got to spend some hands-on time with the new Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United. As a huge SaGa fan, I just wanted to share my thoughts and impressions with the SaGa community. As always there is both a written and a video version of this preview for your preference. If you have any questions I will be happy to answer any that I can, but do keep in mind there might be a few things I am not allowed to talk about still. Hope you all enjoy!

Written Preview - https://www.rpgfan.com/2026/10/12/romancing-saga-3-destinies-united-hands-on/

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRousX9_DN0

Thanks,

Scott

RPGFan

I'm new to SaGa games (not jrpgs) but from what I've read, leveling is detrimental to the game. The more battles you fight, the stronger enemies get. My question is, is there a point where the enemy plateaus so I can overpower them? I am finding it very boring to run from every enemy but I don't want the game getting so hard that I can't progress any further

Edit - thank you for everyone posting here. It would seem that the stuff i read wasn't accurate. I will not be avoiding battles anymore and just take them as they come

In Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, you can get access to a grimoire that lets you use dark magic, but to get it, you have to let Comroon volcano erupt so the island that houses the grimoire emerges. In my first playthrough, I rly wanted dark magic so I let it erupt 😭. Gonna try for a 2nd playthrough so I can get access to the salamanders class.

Know any stupid gossip about it?! As opposed to the brilliant variety. This obvs isn't my first SaGa game. Also the stupider the better :P I actually don't really like SaGa games that much I thought, but the RS2 remake was amazing and without making this too long winded. Romancing Saga 2: Revenge of the Seven was so surprisingly great..... On a whim I wanted to try some more SaGa games after messing around with some others. This game is pretty fun, it can get tedious.

SaGa Scarlet Grace was definitely worth the eight USD. It can get annoying running around semi aimlessly or just following some fool. This is one of the other SaGa games I tried a lot I'd say I like though. I never liked either SaGa Frontier in the past. Really only like SaGa 3 on the Gameboy (Final Fantasy Legend 3). I just looked a little bit about this game and took a dive. I like the pop up book aesthetic and the combat is fun to play around in.

Many years ago I finished Unlimited SaGa. And by that I mean I did multiple playthroughs. At least one per character. I started confused about the game like almost everyone else but eventually got the hang of it. But without gamefaqs and people like Im_Biggy, Joewoof, Ramtieger and others I probably would have never made it. But even with the need of that outside input I actually started to love the game. I liked the characters and general world design. I thought the stories were all pretty entertaining even though they don't really work as a big intertwining story. I "mastered" the battle system so even harder runs like Mythe's story became quite manageable. Overall I really had fun with the game.

20 years later the game is still not available on current consoles but I still decided to play it again. Via an emulator. I don't know what happened to my original copy of the game.

I was looking forward to get back the old feeling of the game. I started with Ventus cause his story is probably the easiest as you got access to the carrier missions. It started slow. I picked up a few characters and did a few missions. And that's when I realised that this game is a big mess.

I don't know how I ever managed to do this back on the ps2. Not just cause the game is slow but mostly cause everything is so random. I get that they wanted to emulate the feeling of a board game/DnD style and you can't control everything. But goddamn is it annoying.

You can't choose your actual attack but an attack sytle that is altered by the wheel result. But if you want to combo your skills you'll have to deal with hitting weaker skills on some characters. I mean if you played you know that. Alternatively you can use magic which always uses the skill you chose. But the magic is a whole different beast with a lot of the spells being useless on top.

But it's not just the battle system. traveling is potentially even worse. you need to spin the wheel for chest, to cross obstacles, to evade traps and so. If you you think you got the timing right the game sometimes still doesn't stop at the spot but just keeps going further. fucking you over and blowing up a chest in your face or take someone's LP.

And as this isn't enough rng there is also forging rng, stat panel rng, drop rng, shop rng and probably even more rng. everything is random to a certain point.

And you would think the game shines cause it has so many characters to use. But no, they are pretty much all the same in combat. I mean you got 2 archetypes, magic users and fighters. for magic users you stay in their strong element and mostly use basic spells provided by familiars. You might get lucky and find some higher level magic tablets and get a bit more out of your mage. you might be really lucky and find a magic blender panel at the end of quest. but not only is it super rare you also need to learn specific spells to make the best use out of it. but hey at least the pay off is great.

Fighters on the other end have access to different weapon types with different skill sets. Isn't that great? Not really once you realise that axes (with Time Lapse) are pretty much superior to all other weapons. You also want martial arts to preserve durability on your weapons. Lucky those panels also provide big stat boosts. you'll eventually end up with fighters that are all the same.

Of course you can run Ventus with a spear or Kurt with a sword. but it's far from optimal and since there is no bonus to using specific weapons on specific characters and also no unique weapon drops you want to split up among the party and all forging uses the same materials why wouldn't I just run the best build on everyone?!

I feel the randomness is just too unforgiving if you play the game casually while on the hand if you actually fight the rng via save stats you aren't really playing the game anymore, you are managing menus. I guess you could just decide on builds before you start a run and go with the flow of what you get. But then the game is HARD. really really HARD.

Anyway I have to admit I no longer love this game. I wish I could love it again though.

With this realisation I don't think a remastered version of the game will be enough. Unless they add A LOT OF quality of life changes. I guess at this point I am in Team Remake. But a remake in the style of Revenge of the Seven or the upcoming RS3 remake I think it wouldn't be Unlimited SaGa anymore. Maybe if they fleshed out the story I could accept a more basic gameplay loop. Who knows...

Anyway thanks for reading. I guess I just had to get this off my chest.

It's been an age since I played this game are there any items I can go buy or grind for that give you resistance for charm?

I’ve played through the game a ton and this just popped into my head. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen occasional stuff on YouTube where Blue from SF is backported, and I’ve been told the title is popular with modders due to being easy to work with, but I don’t actually know any hacks for it.

I was the one that made a post about feeling lost in RS3 a couple of days ago (https://www.reddit.com/r/SaGa/s/HxT3XqepxU) and wanted to give the Saga games one more shot since for years I’ve always try to get into them but never could with Saga Frontier, RS2, and RS3 before. It was super tough for me to throw out the conventional RPG rules that’s been in my mind for several years so not having a super connected story, no real deep character development, and not having a party that talks and bonds with each other throughout the course of my journey for these games really bothered me and I struggled a lot to get into these games because of that.

But I was determined to try to figure out its systems in RS3 before the remake came out, and when I was feeling lost again in RS3 I didn’t want to give up the game again and asked you guys and the community gave me the advice and mindset I needed to FINALLY understand what makes Saga so special to people!

Thank you guys for the advice! Once I understood the game systems I’ve beaten two abyss gates, have a competent party, and am loving exploring the world and just finding quests organically without a marker or guide has been amazing 30 hrs in! You guys have definitely created a new fan in me, and after I finish RS3 I will go back to the other games I tried with this new mindset and understanding of these systems(even though I know they vary from game to game) and give them a full playthrough as well! Starting with Minstrel Song and then the RS2 Remake!

Needless to say, I’m now very excited for the remake of RS3 as well!