SaGa (series)

SaGa (series)
Basic Information
Type(s)	Video Game
Developer(s)	[[Square Enix (formerly Square)]][[Category:Square Enix (formerly Square)]]
Publisher(s)	Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft)
Status(es)	Released
Genre(s)	Console role-playing game
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SaGa (Sa·Ga（サガ）) is a series of science fiction console role-playing games produced by Square, now Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to the PlayStation 2. The series has separated itself from its fellow Square franchises such as Final Fantasy and the Mana series due its non-linear and sometimes non-conventional gameplay.

Overview

There are currently nine games in the SaGa series, along with several ports and enhanced remakes. Although the series has been long-running, as of 2008 none of the ten production teams at Square Enix is assigned to the franchise. Akitoshi Kawazu and production team 2 are devoted to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series.

Common elements

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.

Games

Title	Year	Platform	Notes
The Final Fantasy Legend Released in Japan as Makai Tōshi Sa·Ga	1989, 2002, 2007 (JP) 1990, 1998 (NA)	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	1990, 2009 (JP) 1991, 1998 (NA)	Game Boy, Nintendo DS	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". An enhanced remake of the game was released in Japan in 2009 for the Nintendo DS.
Final Fantasy Legend III Released in Japan as Sa·Ga 3: Jikuu no Hasha'	1991 (JP) 1993, 1998 (NA)	Game Boy, Nintendo DS	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 two human and two mutant characters with predetermined backgrounds. An enhanced remake of the game was announced in Japan in 2010 for the Nintendo DS.
Romancing SaGa Re-released as Romancing SaGa: Minstrel's Song in Japan	1992, 2001, 2005, 2009 (JP) 2005 (NA)	Super Famicom, WonderSwan Color, PlayStation 2, mobile phones	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. A mobile phone version was announced for release in 2009.
Romancing SaGa 2	1993 (JP)	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	1995 (JP)	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	1997 (JP) 1998 (NA)	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	1999 (JP) 2000 (NA) 2000 (PAL)	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 of traditional 2D hand-painted watercolor sprites. The game featured two separate storylines spanning across three generations.
Unlimited Saga	2002 (JP) 2003 (NA) 2003 (PAL)	PlayStation 2	The most recent game in the series (excluding remakes), it features a combination of 2D and 3D graphics known as "Sketch Motion" and a complicated battle mechanic called the "Reel System." It garnered heavy criticism for its difficulty.

Development

Template:Expand-section The SaGa series was created by game designer Akitoshi Kawazu, whose credits prior to the franchise's introduction include Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II. At a time when Nintendo's Game Boy was becoming popular worldwide due to the puzzle game Tetris, then-Squaresoft president Masafumi Miyamoto requested that a development team create a game for the handheld console. Kawazu and fellow designer Koichi Ishii suggested that the company develop a role-playing game, thus making Makai Tōshi Sa·Ga, later released in North America as The Final Fantasy Legend, the company's first handheld title. The gameplay was designed to be difficult, described by Kawazu as the main difference between the SaGa and Final Fantasy series. The character illustrations in all the games in the SaGa series were done by Tomomi Kobayashi, who has also done the illustrations for the MMORPG Granado Espada.

Music

Main article: Music of the SaGa series

Music in the SaGa series have been composed by a number of people, the most prominent of which is Kenji Ito, who also composed many soundtracks for the Mana series. Ito scored a majority of scores for the series. Nobuo Uematsu, responsible for a large portion of the music of the Final Fantasy series, solely composed The Final Fantasy Legend and co-composed Final Fantasy Legend II with Ito. Ryuji Sasai and Chihiro Fujioka worked on Final Fantasy Legend III together. SaGa Frontier 2 and Unlimited Saga are credited to Masashi Hamauzu.

Reception

Review scores and sales

Game	Units sold (millions)	Game Rankings score
The Final Fantasy Legend	1.3	50.6% (4 reviews)
Final Fantasy Legend II	—	90% (2 reviews)
Final Fantasy Legend III	—	74.7% (3 reviews)
Romancing SaGa	1.32	—
Romancing SaGa 2	1.5	—
Romancing SaGa 3	1.3	—
SaGa Frontier	1.1	70.5% (12 reviews)
SaGa Frontier 2	0.67	74% (27 reviews)
Unlimited Saga	0.43	52% (43 reviews)
Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song	0.45	63% (30 reviews)

Template:Expand-section Games in the SaGa series have been popular in Japan with many of them selling over 1 million units. However, the series has remained decidedly less popular in North America, many of the games receiving poor reviews from printed and online publications. It has been suggested that this is due to series' seemingly experimental gameplay and allowing the player to freely roam with little direction or narrative, atypical of Japanese role-playing games. In their September 2004 "Overrated/Underrated" article, Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine cited the SaGa series as one ruined in the transition to the PlayStation 2, citing primarily Unlimited SaGa.

External links

• SaGa 20th Anniversary website
• 'The SaGa Universe' at MobyGames

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