SaGa
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SaGa (Sa・Ga, サガ?) is a series of console role-playing games produced by Square, now Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the brainchild of Akitoshi Kawazu. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to the PlayStation 2. Among Square games, SaGa is second only to the Final Fantasy series in terms of the number of installments: as of 2007, nine games have been released in Japan in the series, seven of which released overseas.
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[edit] Overview
The SaGa series follows the more traditional model of western role-playing games established by the Ultima series; its open-ended plot and free style of character development separate it from the more linear Final Fantasy series. Like the Final Fantasy series, however, the story in each SaGa game is independent of its counterparts. The early games in the series also feature some common gameplay elements and themes first established in Final Fantasy, such as random enemy encounters, but most of these disappear with the Romancing SaGa games, providing a unique gameplay experience. It also features a similar turn-based battle system, where a character's prowess is driven by numerical values called "statistics;" statistics, in turn, increase with combat experience. Given the open-ended aspect of gameplay and the ability to play through multiple character scenarios, heavy emphasis is placed upon the replay value of SaGa games.
[edit] Common elements
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[edit] Games
| Title | Year | Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Final Fantasy Legend
Released in Japan as Makai Tōshi Sa•Ga |
JP 1989, 2002, 2007 NA 1990, 1998 |
Game Boy, WonderSwan Color, mobile phones | Not only was it the Game Boy's debut role-playing game, but it marked the first appearance of an RPG on any handheld video game console. The game retained many elements of Final Fantasy, such as random enemy encounters, but introduced new systems of developing characters. The game released in North America less than a year later as The Final Fantasy Legend, presumably to boost sales on the strength of Final Fantasy's name. An enhanced remake of the game released exclusively in Japan in 2002 for the WonderSwan Color and 2007 for mobile phones, sporting more advanced graphics than displayed by the Game Boy's four-color set. |
| Final Fantasy Legend II
Released in Japan as Sa・Ga 2: Hihou Densetsu |
JP 1990 NA 1991, 1998 |
Game Boy | The game retained the same character classes used in its predecessor, but introduced a fifth ally that often helps the player's party in combat. The game's story is more developed than the first SaGa game, with a journey that spans across more than a dozen worlds. GameSpot's "History of Console RPGs" touts Final Fantasy Legend II as the best of the Game Boy SaGa games, calling it a "portable gaming classic".[1] |
| Final Fantasy Legend III | JP 1991 NA 1993, 1998 |
Game Boy | The game eliminated the non-level based individualized growth system of the previous two installments; instead the title introduced "experience points" and across-the-board stat leveling in the style of Final Fantasy, introducing four human characters with predetermined backgrounds. |
| Romancing SaGa
Re-released as Romancing SaGa: Minstrel's Song in Japan |
JP 1992, 2001, 2005 NA 2005 |
Super Famicom, WonderSwan Color, PlayStation 2 | The first of three Japan-exclusive Super Famicom titles, this game allows players to choose from one of eight character scenarios to follow. The game was ported to the WonderSwan Color in 2001. An enhanced remake of the game was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, which was released outside Japan. The game bears the title Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song in Japan, but was released as simply Romancing SaGa in North America. |
| Romancing SaGa 2 | JP 1993 |
Super Famicom | The second installment of the Romancing SaGa series and the fifth in the SaGa series in general, places a greater emphasis on storyline than its predecessors. The game's story plays out across generations, so players cannot keep one party of warriors throughout the game. |
| Romancing SaGa 3 | JP 1995 |
Super Famicom | The third Romancing SaGa game features a battle system similar to that of Final Fantasy II and the first two SaGa games, where character development is determined by the player's commands in battle. If the player commands a character to cast magic spells frequently, for example, then that character will grow in magical power. |
| SaGa Frontier | JP 1997 NA 1998 |
PlayStation | This installment was both the first SaGa game to be released in North America since Final Fantasy Legend III in 1993 and the first of the series to be released in North America as a SaGa game. Similar in style to the earlier games in the series, SaGa Frontier allows players to choose from multiple characters, each with his or her own unique storyline and scenario. |
| SaGa Frontier 2 | JP 1999 NA 2000 PAL 2000 |
PlayStation | The game was the first SaGa title to reach PAL territories and was one of Square's last RPGs produced for the PlayStation. The game shunned 3D graphics in favor traditional 2D hand-painted watercolor sprites. The game featured two separate storylines spanning across three generations. |
| Unlimited Saga | JP 2002 NA 2003 PAL 2003 |
PlayStation 2 | The most recent game in the series, it features a combination of 2D and 3D graphics known as "Sketch Motion" and a complicated battle mechanic called the "Reel System." The only SaGa to be released on the PlayStation 2, it garnered heavy criticism for its difficulty. |
[edit] Development
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[edit] Music
| All Sounds of SaGa | ||
|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Nobuo Uematsu, Kenji Ito, Ryuji Sasai, Chihiro Fujioka | ||
| Released | December 21, 1991 | |
| Label | NTT Publishing | |
[edit] Disc 1 (51:27)
Tracks 1-15 are from "SaGa-Warrior in the Tower of the Spirit World" (Legend), and tracks 16-34 are from "SaGa 2-The Treasure Legend" (Legend 2).
- "Prologue"
- "Main Theme"
- "Town Theme"
- "Fight"
- "Eat the Meat"
- "Demon Cave"
- "Hurry Up!"
- "Fierce Battle"
- "Requiem"
- "Forbidden Tower"
- "Heartful Tears"
- "Knights of the Demon World Tower"
- "The Highest Floor"
- "Furious Battle"
- "Epilogue"
- "The Legend Begins"
- "Searching for the Secret Treasure"
- "Lethal Strike"
- "Eat the Meat"
- "Peaceful World"
- "Adventurer's Theme"
- "Pillar of Heaven"
- "Through the Cramped Darkness"
- "Wandering Spirit"
- "Theme of the New God"
- "Ah!!"
- "Decisive Battle"
- "Mystery of the Secret Treasure"
- "Never Give Up"
- "Heartful Tears"
- "Burning Blood"
- "Saving the World"
- "Ending Theme 1"
- "Ending Theme 2"
[edit] Disc 2 (36:51)
Tracks 1-20 are from "SaGa 3-The Ruler of Time and Space" (Legend 3), and track 21 is from "SaGa-Arrange Version".
- "Opening"
- "Setting Off Into the Future"
- "Deep"
- "Oasis"
- "Fight!"
- "Holy Ruins"
- "Stronghold"
- "Gods of Another Dimension"
- "Eat the Meat"
- "Warrior's Rest"
- "Theme of Another Dimension"
- "Village in a Strange Land"
- "Dungeon"
- "Steslos"
- "Insanity"
- "Heartful Tears"
- "Dark Zone"
- "Laguna's Palace"
- "Spiritual Battle"
- "Supreme Ruler of Time and Space"
- "SaGa Arrange Version "Journey's End" (Prologue~Town~Main~Heartful Tears~Epilogue)"
[edit] Reception
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Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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