Though Romancing SaGa (1) offers a counterexample with the incredible four-disc “Minstrel Song” remake soundtrack (and it might have been fun to replace some of the SaGa Frontier battle themes with the recorded re:birth rock arrange tracks), the team at Square Enix decided to leave the soundtrack intact with no new arrangements. Kenji Ito‘s soundtracks are so consistently enjoyable, especially throughout the SaGa series, that one could argue they aren’t worth improving. Hop, hop, hop … simple icons help the player navigate the pre-rendered backgrounds.
But they executed flawlessly, and the effort shows. The tedious, technical work to do this kind of remaster cannot have been an enjoyable experience for the team doing it. But, it just so happens that I had the original PSOne Classics version of SaGa Frontier to compare and contrast, to see how the Remaster did on upscaling the pre-rendered backgrounds and detailed sprites. No, there wasn’t any significant change or rework. The most noticeable improvement from the moment I booted up the game? The graphics. The improvements make a game that was once considered “controversial” (in that gamers either loved or loathed it) into something palatable - if you don’t love it, at least you can withstand and appreciate it. This particular remaster went further than any of the previous re-releases, however. This release follows on the recent ports of Romancing SaGa 2, Romancing SaGa 3, and the SaGa 1,2,3 ( Final Fantasy Legend) Collection on Switch.
Steam saga frontier remastered full#
Over two decades later, Square Enix made the bold move to publish a full HD Remaster of SaGa Frontier for Switch, PS4, and PC (Steam). As someone who played through all seven characters’ scenarios in my childhood, I can remember clearing an entire character’s story and walk away thinking, “What just happened here?” Worse yet, the translation left a lot to be desired. This meant rushed scripts, missing scenes causing confusion in characters’ stories, and a handful of bugs were all part of the English language experience. When localized for English-speaking audiences a short time later, nothing from the original Japanese version’s “rush” was fixed. Akitoshi Kawazu‘s most ambitious title to date, it was sadly rushed out the door in Japan to make way for larger, big-budget projects at the time from Square.
Steam saga frontier remastered series#
One of the most controversial entries in the series is the one that made the jump from 16-bit (Super Famicom) to 32-bit (Sony PlayStation): SaGa Frontier. Despite having a sort of “black sheep” status in JRPG fandom for its obtuse mechanics and sometimes punishing difficulty, each SaGa title still warrants consideration on its own merits, much like the Final Fantasy series. And, as the bevy of ports, remasters, and arranged music from Square Enix suggests, I’m not alone in this sentiment. The SaGa franchise is one near and dear to my heart.
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