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Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Shows More Characters, Techniques

by Alex Fuller · October 1, 2024

Square Enix released new screenshots and details for the upcoming Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, its full 3D remake of Super Famicom RPG Romancing SaGa 2. The newest update introduces additional characters and their classes, as well as further combat techniques and the eponymous Seven Heroes that act as the game’s primary antagonists.

The first character shown is the Final Emperor, who can be selected as male or female at the start of the game. They are the last Emperor of Varennes who is able to make use of the inheritance magic passed down across the empire’s rulers in their war against the fallen Seven Heroes. Meanwhile, Frosti is one of the new Imperial Blacksmith class, who create the weapons of the Imperial Guard and whose skills are passed down through family lineage and strict apprenticeships. Another new class is the Dancer, such as Licorice, a dancer who performs at the Atlanticus pub in South Longit.

Another class is the Ninja, which was initially added in the game’s 2017 remaster. Azami is one of their number, a bold and stubborn member of an organisation that undertakes espionage, intelligence, and sabotage missions. Seimei is a Diviner, another 2017 remaster-added class, who is part of a group that studies various subjects including searching for ancient magical tomes. Finally, Coppelia is an Automaton and the magnum opus of Somon’s genius inventor Hiraga.

The game’s turn-based combat gives players a wide variety of techniques and skills to use in battle. Some techniques are specific to certain weapons. Some of these can be used upon equipping the weapon, while others require use of the game’s glimmering system to learn them. While other skills are restricted to classes, weapon techniques can be learned and used by anyone equipping them. The Final Emperor’s Dayblade or Moonlight weapons have their own powerful specific techniques, such as the Dayblade’s Holy Light that incinerates undead enemies. Other weapon-specific techniques include Final Strike, which brings the full might of the weapon to bear but sees it break afterwards, and Starlight Arrows, which summons a starshower that deals damage to all foes at the end of the turn though causes damage to allies if its caster is downed before then.

Combat also sees battlefields sometimes have ley lines. They are field effects that are attuned to one of the game’s six elements. This causes both allies and foes to gain increased power and HP recovery when using techniques with the same element as the ley lines. The ley line is indicated with an icon in the top-right corner of the screen; however, the ley line can be disrupted by using technique of its opposite element.

In addition to some new regular spells, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven also adds a new Synthesized Spell mechanic. These are powerful spells that combined two different elements. For example, Rain of Death mixes water and dark, raining poison on all enemies with a chance of inflicting the Doom status, while Restoration is a wind and light spell that restores HP and cures status ailments across the party.

Romancing SaGa 2′s Seven Heroes are said to have saved the world once before, disappearing afterwards. It is said that when chaos strikes the world again, they will appear to bring salvation. However, the game’s event put them in the antagonist role after one of their number attacks the Varennes Empire’s capital, with a grudge against the Ancients being a key part of their motivations. The known members of the Seven Heroes include Wagnas, Noel, Subier, Dantarg, Rocbouquet, Bokhohn, and Kzinssie. Wagnas is the leader of the Seven Heroes and a master of pyrology, aerology and cosmosology. He was said to be noble and willing to sacrifice himself for world peace. Noel was a soldier who risked his life to protect his people and was usually polite, expect whenever his sister Rocbouquet came to harm. Wagnas’s cousin Subier was said to value his bond with Wagnas above all else, throwing himself into a battle to the death.

Dantarg was a fierce general recruited by Wagnas, who is only concerned with gaining power and strength. Rocbouquet was a diligent swordswoman who took up the blade to help both her brother Noel and Wagnas, who she pines for. Bokhohn was a highly intelligent man who was willing to use underhanded means to achieve his goals and came to Wagnas in search of status and fame. Finally, Kzinssie was disliked by the other members of the Seven Heroes for being vindictive, and is the one to start the game’s events with his attack on the empire’s capital.

During the game, players will battle against the Seven Heroes. Each has their own unique powerful technique, with signs appearing on the combat’s timeline when they are being prepared for use. Players will need to make use of countermeasures, as well as ley lines, in order to emerge victorious against them. Players can find various fragments of the Seven Heroes’ memories across the world, which gives a glimpse into their pasts when they were true heroes. Collecting all fragments is said to unlock “something special”.

Finally, the update shows more of the game’s Free-Form Scenario where players can approach quests in different ways, leading to different conclusions and impacts on the world. The latest screenshots show Comroon Island’s Mt. Comroon, where volcanic activity has been increasing and causing concern for nearby town Tsukijima. The Emperor can undertake actions that might temporarily halt the eruptions; however, when players return generations later, the volcano may once again threaten to erupt with much greater force, and players can choose whether to try and prevent it, greatly impacting the island’s future.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is set to release for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch on October 24, 2024. Those looking to read more about Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven can check out Luis Mauricio’s impression from early access to its demo.