Home » RPG Games » Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Review
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, developed by Square Enix, is an RPG masterpiece that has stood the test of time. Originally released for the Super Famicom in 1993, it has since been remastered and ported to modern platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Steam, and mobile devices. What sets this game apart is its groundbreaking gameplay mechanics, compelling narrative structure, and an emphasis on player freedom.
This in-depth review explores every aspect of the game, including its story, gameplay, art style, soundtrack, and legacy. Whether you’re a long-time fan or a curious newcomer, this comprehensive analysis will reveal why Romancing SaGa 2 is an enduring classic. With over 3,000 words of detailed insights, this review leaves no stone unturned.
The Story: A Tale of Legacy and Sacrifice
At the heart of Romancing SaGa 2 lies an ambitious narrative that spans centuries. The game centers on the Avalon Empire, where players take on the role of a succession of rulers tasked with defeating the Seven Heroes. These legendary figures, once hailed as saviors of the world, have returned as corrupted villains, spreading chaos across the land.
Generational Storytelling
A standout feature of the game is its generational storytelling. As rulers age, abdicate, or die, their successors take up the mantle, creating a continuous sense of progression. Decisions made by one emperor can ripple across future generations, shaping the empire and the world itself. This mechanic not only enhances immersion but also raises the stakes of every choice.
Themes of Morality and Legacy
The story explores themes of morality, ambition, and the cost of power. The Seven Heroes—once revered—become a cautionary tale of hubris. Players must grapple with the burden of leadership, ensuring the survival of their empire while confronting the darkness that threatens to consume it.
Branching Paths
The non-linear nature of the story allows players to tackle the Seven Heroes in any order. Each hero has their own backstory and domain, adding layers of depth to the world-building. Side quests and optional events further enrich the narrative, rewarding exploration and curiosity.
Gameplay: A Revolution in RPG Design
The gameplay of Romancing SaGa 2 is a masterclass in innovation. It deviates from traditional RPG norms, offering players a sandbox-like experience where experimentation and strategy are paramount.
Freeform Exploration
Unlike most RPGs of its time, Romancing SaGa 2 grants players an open world to explore. The game’s map expands as the story progresses, revealing new regions, dungeons, and cities. Players can prioritize objectives based on their preferences, creating a personalized experience.
Imperial Succession System
The generational progression system is one of the game’s most iconic features. When a ruler dies or steps down, a successor is chosen from a pool of candidates. These successors inherit skills, magic, and equipment, maintaining continuity while allowing players to adapt their strategy.
Benefits: This mechanic adds a layer of strategy, as players must consider long-term planning.
Challenges: Losing a ruler unexpectedly can disrupt plans, forcing players to adapt on the fly.
Combat Mechanics
Combat in Romancing SaGa 2 is turn-based, but it incorporates several unique elements:
Formations: Players can assign characters to specific formations, each with distinct advantages and disadvantages. For example, some formations enhance defense, while others prioritize offense.
Skill Sparks: Characters can learn new skills mid-battle, adding an element of unpredictability and rewarding persistence.
Resource Management: Managing HP, SP (Skill Points), and LP (Life Points) is crucial. LP is especially critical, as a character with depleted LP cannot be revived.
Progression and Customization
Character growth is tied to the weapons and abilities they use. Magic is learned through research conducted in the empire’s capital, while weapons and armor can be upgraded by investing resources.
Graphics and Art Style
The original 16-bit art of Romancing SaGa 2 remains iconic. The remastered editions retain this charm while incorporating modern enhancements.
Pixel Art Excellence
The game’s pixel art is detailed and vibrant, with each region boasting its own distinct aesthetic. From lush forests to desolate ruins, the environments feel alive and immersive.
Modern Improvements
The remastered versions feature high-resolution graphics, improved animations, and a refined user interface. These updates make the game more accessible without sacrificing its retro appeal.
Character Design
The character sprites are expressive, and each hero and villain is meticulously designed to reflect their personality and role in the story. The Seven Heroes, in particular, are visually striking, with designs that evoke both awe and dread.
Soundtrack: A Symphony of Adventure
Composed by Kenji Ito, the soundtrack of Romancing SaGa 2 is a masterpiece. Its music perfectly complements the game’s epic scope and emotional depth.
Memorable Themes
Each region, battle, and pivotal moment is accompanied by a unique track. The overworld theme inspires exploration, while the battle music energizes players during intense encounters.
Adaptive Soundtrack
The music evolves with the story, reflecting the player’s progress and the shifting tone of the narrative. This dynamic approach enhances immersion and keeps the experience fresh.
Legacy and Influence
Romancing SaGa 2 has left an indelible mark on the RPG genre. Its innovative systems and bold design choices have influenced countless games, from Final Fantasy Tactics to modern open-world RPGs.
Critical Reception
While the game was initially overshadowed by more mainstream titles, its re-releases have garnered widespread acclaim. Critics and players alike praise its originality and depth, though its difficulty remains a point of contention.
Cultural Impact
The game’s themes of legacy and sacrifice resonate with players, making it a timeless classic. Its generational storytelling has inspired similar mechanics in titles like Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Innovative Gameplay: The generational system and freeform exploration set it apart from traditional RPGs.
Deep Strategy: Combat and resource management require careful planning and adaptation.
Rich Storytelling: A narrative that spans centuries, with meaningful choices and consequences.
Timeless Presentation: Gorgeous pixel art and a phenomenal soundtrack.
Replayability: Multiple paths and outcomes encourage repeat playthroughs.
Cons:
Steep Learning Curve: The game’s mechanics can be overwhelming for newcomers.
Punishing Difficulty: Mistakes can have lasting consequences, which may frustrate casual players.
Sparse Guidance: Limited tutorials and hints can leave players feeling lost.
Final Thoughts
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is a triumph of design and storytelling. Its ambitious mechanics, compelling narrative, and timeless presentation make it a must-play for fans of the RPG genre. While its challenges may deter some, those who embrace its complexities will be rewarded with an unforgettable experience.
Whether you’re revisiting it on modern platforms or discovering it for the first time, Romancing SaGa 2 is a game that deserves your attention. Its legacy as a bold and innovative RPG is well-earned, and it continues to inspire new generations of players and developers alike.
Customer reviews for Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven
Gameplay wise it was fun i like how theres a little of decision making on the history.how u can pretty much build what ever caracther u want how ever u want.Great gameplay, core mechanicsHistory wise, DOGWATER XDDDDlike theres like half ass cutscenes and like ur told the history of the "heroes" by "memories" yeah idk the history is a 100% miss but overall good8/10
Total score: 8.8/10Positives:
+ Fun gameplay all around.
+ The nonlinear storytelling/quests and multiple alternate ways of completing quests offers great experimentation and replay value.
+ The wide variety of classes and skillsets also offer for some great experimentation, especially when factoring in your current emperor.
+ The city/facilities expansion system feels very rewarding and creates a good sense of accomplishment for when you progress further and further in the game.
+ Great QoL all around, particularly in-battle in showing you how best to Glimmer skills.
+ Beautiful graphics and aesthetics.
+ Music is great all around.
+ Good English voice acting on the whole.
+ Makes the gameplay more user friendly without actually sacrificing any of what makes SaGa so unique, making it a fun experience for both longtime fans and newcomers to the series.Negatives:
- The way the generation system works puts you at risk of having a generation skip occur right in the middle of a quest, causing you to fail it, forcing you to plan out each generation carefully.
- Prior to the final generation, inheriting skills/spells can be a pain because you are only allowed to memorize a limited amount of spells/skills, so if you learn too many, you will be forced to give up some to retain others and then have to spark those skills all over again.
- Due to the way enemy leveling is proportional to battles fought, fighting too many battles can result in the endgame normal encounters being a chore, with battles mainly being less of a fight and more you trying to build up your United Attack meter and finish off enemies with those. On the other hand, bosses are at fixed stats, so this can lead to boss battles becoming too easily (though this is probably remedied on higher levels).
- While all the different quests are fun, entertaining, and have a wide variety, the actual story itself is rather paper-thin and because of its structure offers no room for substantial character development save a few exceptions.
This is a remake, but I never played the original game from 1993.
Really solid experience overall, systems are nice. Changing emperor and party every generation is fun. Max difficulty has some bite, which is becomig rarer every day. Replayability is also probably good. Start a new playthough, use different class and do your conquest in a different order.
On the visual side, it looks fine for a jrpg, and the animations are great. Every town/dungeon is fully modeled in 3D, and there is a ton of them. You really get a feeling of travel and conquest that I was not expecting.
A few minor pet peeves :
- The game crashed on me 5 times in about 50 hours. Not that much, and there is auto save. But one of these crash was right after beating the final boss...
- UI could use a bit of work
- The final boss is not a difficulty wall, it's a cliff. Very cool looking tho
- The game gives you more choice during the story that I expected. However, half of those choices are useless, 1/4 are obvious, and 1/4 are critical and will make you miss stuff. You do NOT have any indication if a choice matters or not.Overall 9/10, would rule an empire for a 1000 years again.
Game is in the middle. I have a few gripes with the game but the story was interesting.-- as others mentioned, the game doesn't give you a warning when time skips ahead. The strange part about this is sometimes quests are still active even though the person that gave that quest should be dead. Character skins are limited so you can have the same lineup with different names.
-- You can't change formations during battle. I had to restart just because the boss could damage 3 units in one go because of the formation. I don't like winning by meta gaming.
-- I only found one AOE healing spell, I dont understand why this can't be a tier 3 spell, you have to find the AOE healing spell scroll. Before I found it I ran into a non-boss unit that 4 AOE nukes in a row.
-- A visual bug would label a spell is strong against a specific unit but in reality it is ineffective. Like the game sees it good for fire damage but not the part where it only affects demons or undead.
Godlike. Basically everything I could ask out of a remake of this game, and keeps a lot of the spirit alive while making it way easier for outsiders to the series to break in. This is a strong contender for my favorite game in the series.plat edit: oh my god please play this game
⚡ TL;DR
An exceptional, ambitious JRPG. This unexpected remake kept me hooked for 70 hours — the world, mechanics, and story are all masterfully crafted. A must-play for fans of deep, legacy-driven adventures.⸻✅ Loved
• A rich, legendary world with a real dynastic feel
• Brilliant combat and progression systems — classic SaGa, punishing but rewarding
• Generational reign concept adds weight to every decision
• Gorgeous reworked visuals and an incredible soundtrack
• Bold and respectful take on old-school JRPG design❌ Didn’t love
• Some mistakes or missed actions in certain eras can permanently penalize you
• Not always clear about the point-of-no-return quests🕹️ Played on: Steam Deck
📦 Version: Full game
🎁 Key provided: No
⏱️ Playtime: ~70h⭐ Rating: ★★★★★
Its a very good game. Amazing story, Graphics and Music.Game fighting mechanics may be a bit confusing and City Building a bit disappointing and there are two or three soft locks which can lock you from getting all classes in one play-thru and game dosnt warn you about itGame can be very challenging and also grinding too much per emperor is not best idea as enemies level up with you and can outrank you and be hard even if you use their weaknesses against them. Best take your time with side quests and not over grind till you feel youre ready to play main story only.I highly reccomend this game even if it may feel grindy ^^
Inherit the previous emperors skills, abilities, and drive to save your kingdom. The graphics are amazing and it is such a fun unique game that challenges you.
Very cool, I've never played a game that does this generational protagonist thing. It has some obvious weaknesses in order to allow this, I'm sure some systems could be developed to make each character feel a bit more unique from the others if they wanted to which would help to alleviate some of the weaknesses. Still even as is I hope that whatever team did this is able to do so again, as it certainly felt worthwhile to me.
The turn-based combat is strategic, with a heavy focus on character customization and skill development. Each hero has a variety of abilities that can be upgraded, which adds depth to how you approach battles. The pixel art is charming and holds up well, providing a nostalgic feel while still looking fresh.The soundtrack is memorable, with tracks that set the tone for both epic battles and quiet moments of exploration. While it may be a bit challenging for newcomers due to its non-linear design, Romancing SaGa 2 offers a rewarding experience for fans of the genre and those looking for a deep RPG adventure.Overall, Revenge of Seven is a strong title in the SaGa series that should appeal to fans of classic RPGs, offering a rich story, complex mechanics, and a satisfying sense of progression.
It's pretty solid, the mechanic of generation management isn't anything new but it is something that's difficult to do well. Romancing Saga 2 definitely does a decent job. running around and questing is so fun and the Seven Heroes really haunt the narrative. As you gain more insight on them it becomes difficult to hate them.There is a couple gripes I have with the game-
the voice acting is good but the actors sometimes don't fit the characters. Like, you see a femboy and he sounds like Shaq O'Neal.There isn't any way to hold off on time skipping and sometimes the time skip can really mess up other important quest to the point where it is unfixable and you lose out on an entire class of characters.The final thing is the female characters, they feel empty and silly. Why does the light infantry lady only have armour on her boobs? if you chose a female emperor why do you get half the life pool and half the clothes? some of the male outfits are soooo good but the women's can be downright bad. IM TIRED, get these girls a shawl or something.
A fantastic remake of a already amazing JRPG
Its quite obtuse and requires a lot of time to properly learn the systems but the remake has lots of points to make it easier
The story is okay nothing special but the journey is what matters in this game although the memories was a great addition
It has a lot of missable content so does have a lot of replayability as well
Overall if you like opended games and/or Jrpgs you'll probably like this
Awesome gem of a game. I highly recommend this one. Mods are icing on the cake. I am close to end the game so my game play hours should tell you that it has a nice length and it is not boring in any point. In fact some places are just beautiful to see (Iris village was my favorite). I recommend playing the game in normal mode, like I did. Kudos to the developers!
This was a refreshing take for me when it comes to RPGs. Something different. Something a bit less standard. The fact that the original game is based on an SNES title... Amazing to me. It would have been considered crazy ambitious for the SNES days back in an era where most RPGs were very straightforward.I really do enjoy the premise of this game. You set out to fight the heroes who have gone evil, and you get to find out what made them that way. The game gives you freedom to choose which heroes and areas you wish to explore. I treated this like a create-your-own adventure, which made it more fun for me.Combat is turn-based fare. But let me tell you. I LOVE turn-based combat, but this game has A LOT of battling. Luckily, fights are snappy, and the optimal thing to do is to wipe out the enemies as quickly as possible. But be warned that you must fight a lot in this game. This is how you power-up your characters and unlock more aspects.Nonetheless, you just got to treat this game like a retro game with updated graphics (helps that the character designs are really nice and interesting). It has some outdated elements that were a byproduct of its time, but this is a solid game if you like turn-based combat. It won't ever be called a masterpiece, but sometimes you want a nice RPG shakeup with a nostalgic touch.
One of the biggest (pleasant) surprises I've had in a game in quite some time! A challenging, ambitious and very lovingly crafted jRPG.- Combat is tough while also avoiding the great jRPG sin of grinding (there's soft level scaling that means it's usually not worth your time). I often found myself having to change equipment and spells based upon the boss I was fighting. You really have to use your head here (I jumped into Classic difficulty). Some fights took quite a few goes before I figured out how to survive. Weaknesses and formations have to be thought about carefully. Very satisfying and not the usual mindless jRPG "grind until you become OP and equip the sword with the highest number" stuff (though if you want that you could play on an easier difficulty). Sometimes you will need to play a fight the long way, healing and using defensive powers while others your only bet is too kill the bastard as quickly as possible.- A rather original plot and setting. You play eight generations of emperors, inheriting the skills and powers of the ones before you. One generation you might play a mage, another a warriors, another a martial artist, the next a mermaid etc with your character slowly gaining the abilities and skills of each class (of which there's a lot, even more so when you consider the male and female version of classes can be quite different from each other). The 'empire management' feel is quite different to most RPGs with you acquiring new lands, investing in new weaponry and magic research etc. I also ended up feeling quite bad for the game's 'villains' (the Seven Heroes). Well some of them anyway.- Reactivity and consequences. I really like that time marches on in some quests if you leave them too late or procrastinate. If you get a quest that a volcano is about to explode and muck around doing other stuff too much, the volcano really does explode and wipe out the inhabitants (locking you out of a class but also interestingly opening up a new avenue of magic). Likewise some quests can play out differently if you have a male or female emperor present or even if you lose certain fights.I think any RPG fan will have a lot of fun with this. This is a big and tough game with a lot to sink your teeth into. The devs really put some serious effort into this remaster (unlike the usual lazy cash-grabs) and I feel I've definitely gotten my money's worth (and then some).
As someone well-versed in JRPGs but coming into Romancing SaGa 2 fresh, the remake was a surprisingly enjoyable experience. The non-linear progression and generational mechanic felt unique even by modern standards, and the tactical combat system kept battles engaging throughout. While the story is light by today’s standards, the game oozes old-school charm and reminded me why I fell in love with the genre in the first place. The retro aesthetic combined with quality-of-life improvements struck a great balance between nostalgia and accessibility, making it a satisfying journey from start to finish.
It's been a few months since I actually finished this game, just getting to a review now, but......Yeah. Wow. Incredible. A good reminder of what Squaresoft was, before Square Enix. I grew up on the Final Fantasy games, but never really touched a SaGa game before this.I could definitely see how the Classic difficulty (Hard mode), would have been deemed "too hard" (not too mention possibly too complex, given that this game was made in a time where Japanese game developers did not have the highest opinion of western gamers) to make the game successful in the west at the time of the game's original development. The game is fairly unforgiving, even on normal (which I played on, as it was recommended by the game itself for a more 'standard RPG experience').I found the systems enthralling, and the lighter focus on narrative and the open-ended nature of how you can interact with the world to be incredibly refreshing, and pretty mind-blowing for 1993. I love many of the pre-PS2 Final Fantasy games, but, after being introduced to the series by my brother when I was very young with a mix of VII and IV... none of the classic FF games ever surprised me. There's many I loved after that, but I always knew, generally, what to expect. This game, however, shattered my expectations. The audacity of some of the ideas, for the time, is staggering. A real eye-opener to the nature of Squaresoft at the time, and it really puts into stark relief just how much the Final Fantasy games were the "made for widest consumption" version of what the company was actually capable of. Not necessarily "dumbed-down", but just... simpler. Easier to pick up and engaging for a broader audience. Hence their wild popularity.This is exactly the game I needed at the time I played it, and I will definitely revisit it in the future. There is just something perfectly magical to me, personally, about this era of 90s JRPGs. Even, apparently, when completely remade. As long as the remake does the game justice and pays service to what made the game special in the first place, and this game very much does.I came to this came because I was a bit burned out on games, and was craving some sort of systems-heavy, turn-based JRPG experience. I left the game reminded of why I fell in love with games- and RPGs- in the first place.
Very fun and fast gameplay, many pretty and varied environments, many cool bosses and villains, plenty of content; a 30 to 50 hour game depending on your play style, simple to learn for newcomers yet also challenging enough for hardcore players depending on what difficulty you choose, one of Square's most polished and memorable games in years.
7.5/10 (8/10 if you’re into RPGs from the early 20s and 90s)HOLY MOLY THIS GAME WAS GOOD. Not great, unfortunately, but man, it was fun. Didn’t see it coming either. There’s not a ton of buzz or content floating around for Romancing SaGa 2, and that’s a shame.The combat? Solid. The overworld? It's alright. The quests? Decen. But then you realize this thing is full of that classic RPG nonsense from the ‘90s and early 2000s. Like, “Did I just lock myself out of an entire questline because I fixed a town and accidentally skipped a generation?” Yes. Now enjoy your 100 % completionist brain having a meltdown.Maybe you had a nice little underwater dance with a mermaid? Generation skipped. Killed a boss? Congrats, generation skipped. Helped an old lady get her cat back? Well look at that.The game hides everything from the player like it’s guarding state secrets. How does skill glimmering work? Why do quests vanish into the void? Why is my only reliable source of information some dude named "VicariousExp” on Reddit?I’d love to give this a proper review, but honestly, I don’t even know how. It was fun. It gave me vibes from an era I didn’t even live through. But it still hit the nostalgia bone somehow.Critique time:
The “story” is practically non-existent. There are characters, you kinda care about them, but the plot? It’s like seven teleporting heroes and you, the eternal emperor, chasing them. It’s fun.It’s 2025. Turn-based RPGs need a speed-up option. It’s not optional anymore. Speedhacking worked, but it should not be the solution.Oh, and don’t let anyone guilt you into playing on Hard. You have free will. I farmed on Casual and fought bosses on Hard. Do what's enjoyable for you.Bottom line: Do you like JRPGs? Turn-based combat? Can you handle a lack of qol features and some delightfully esoteric nonsense? Then this game is absolutely for you. You’ll have fun, get confused, rage a little, and in three months, you’ll look back fondly.
Plays great on the go. Try the original soundtrack. Game definitely reminds me why I still play JRPG these days. To get that childhood glee of adventuring back again.Great remake.
A very interesting succession mechanic (that I wouldn't mind seeing in more games) combined with kingdom-building are the the main positives for me. But the combat is very dated and boring imo.Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a bad game per sé. But the absolute shamelessness of charging 50 euros for is commendable. I got it at a 30% discount and I still feel swindled.Wouldn't recommend to buy this for more than 20, unless you are really into these games.
Ngl this game is kinda ass. They should change the description from 'emperor' to janitor, 'cause that's what you are. Oh, also don't grind too much or you'll make the game harder and make fights impossible, because you can't get better gear.
