Romancing Saga 2 is quite interesting because apart from my familiarity with the series on a totally superficial level, I have no clue as to what the game is nor what it is about. Because of that, Square Enix and Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia graciously allowed me to try out the game ahead of its October 24 release date, getting me immersed in what this installment can offer series fans and even newcomers like me.

This hands-on opportunity took us through an early section of the game until a tough battle with a challenging boss, along with a peek at how the late game would turn out to be when provided with a leveled-up party and stronger enemies.

At the end of my time with Romancing Saga 2, I was left with a realization that the game pleasantly surprised me in a way I didn’t think possible, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how the rest of the game plays out when it launches next month.

A Tale of Legacies

For starters, Romancing Saga 2: Revenge of the Seven is a remake of the original title from 1993, this time releasing to a much wider audience in a way that would attract both series veterans and newcomers. One of the hallmark features of the series is its Inheritance system, basically allowing protagonists over a span of time to continue the “battles” of their fathers until the seven are defeated.

The first section that I played was that of Gerard, the son of the slain Emperor Leon, who is suddenly thrust into commanding the troops to keep the kingdom from falling into the hands of invading goblins. The boss fight here was particularly tough, and it gave me the impression that unless you have a party that can properly exploit the weaknesses of these monsters, then you’re in for a tough time. Engaging with the game’s systems if very important if you wish to reach far into the game.

Combat in the Romancing Saga 2 is largely turn-based, where your allies will attack accordingly, and an order showing who is next. Attacks and skills are adorned with impressively flashy visual effects, and despite the turn-based nature, the proceedings move along quite fast. Additionally, each battle completed will result in a restoration of health, which incentivizes players to continue further without worrying about healing.

However, your MP, BP in this case, is a limited resource that can only be recovered with items or at BP recovery zones, making dungeon runs a bit stressful especially if you blow your resources early. Don’t fret, though, because there’s always a BP recovery zone right before a pivotal boss battle, ensuring you are topped up and ready to go.

There are also a couple of interesting systems at play here, namely Glimmer and the Formations.

Unlike traditional RPGs where skills are learned through earned skill points, Romancing Saga 2’s Glimmer basically teaches the party new skills during combat after using a certain attack. Characters are able to equip a weapon on each hand, and these weapon dictates what types of attacks they can dish out. When equipped with a sword, choosing the normal attack will lead to the player learning a new skill, double cut for example, where they would slash twice instead.

Further skills can be learned simply by using various attacks on the enemy, and this seems like a nice way encourage players to experiment with various loadouts and skills. No skill trees here, and the Glimmer system basically replaces that with a more intuitive system that actually feels good to see the skill being used as they learn it in battle.

Characters in Romancing Saga 2 can equip multiple types of weapons, each with proficiency levels based on usage, but certain types will suit them more over others. Combat, in general, feels like Fire Emblem in a sense, where these characters can hold a limited number of healing items, and item transfers between characters are present. The game does not take a grid-based battlefield, and just opts for a field where you can engage (or run) enemies on your own will.

Weak in the Knees

To offset the tough battles in Romancing Saga 2, the game employs a weakness system a la Octopath Traveler, when a certain weapon type or element is used against an enemy, it will be displayed as well for future reference. Not only to deal more damage, but the system also makes it so that players who constantly attack with an enemy weakness will be able to fill their overdrive gauge faster, resulting in a devastating “United Attack” that utilizes multiple party members to deal big damage.

Romancing Saga 2 also has formations which has direct benefits during battle. Some formations will make other party members harder to hit, while some formations will place a tank-based character in front and make him more prone to attacks. These formations will impact your survivability in the game, and will also impact your party composition.

There are many systems at play in Romancing Saga 2, but the most intriguing aspect is that of the aforementioned inheritance magic. In an earlier save file, I was subject to a mission called Goblin Invasion, which basically let me play through an early mission that culminated in a boss battle. The next one was a save file later on in the game, allowing me to play high-leveled characters to get a taste of the endgame… and it is very exciting indeed, especially since Gerard is no longer our protagonist at this point.

It would be interesting to see how this all plays out, but early signs show a surprisingly entertaining title if given a chance, especially with regards to how the inheritance inheritance plays out towards the end.

Romancing Saga 2: Revenge of the Seven is launching on PS4, PS5, and Switch on October 24, 2024. The PC version will launch on October 25. A demo is now available.