For the last couple of weeks I have had the joy of rediscovering the SaGa series thanks to Square Enix, Red Art Games, and Keymailer, from whom I received a free review copy of Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song Remastered for PlayStation 4.
The following is a description of the game by its creators:
Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered International is a remastered version of Square Enix' classic JRPG released on PS2 in 2005 and a full remake of the original Romancing SaGa released on Super Famicom in Japan back in 1991. In addition to numerous new features and quality of life improvements, Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered International also adds French, German, Italian and Spanish localization as well as the possibility to either listen to the original Japanese or English voices for the first time ever!
While many of you probably know that I am a huge fan of JRPGs, you are likely not aware of the hit-and-miss relationship I've had with the SaGa series over the years -- though you may be able to guess, since it seems like much of America has had a similar relationship with the series. The first SaGa game I ever played was Unlimited Saga, which turned out to be very unpopular in the west. Apparently my brain follows the trends of my fellow Americans as I, too, hated Unlimited Saga. For this reason I didn't pick up any of the numerous other games in the series until years later, when I decided that I had been too hard on the SaGa series and should give some of the other games a try. Overall, I'm glad I opened my mind and played Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song Remastered. It's not without flaws, however, so keep reading to decide if you want to try it out, too.
The most important thing to know about Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song and all of the other games in the SaGa series is that, by definition, the games are not at all linear. Non-linear gameplay is the primary feature of the series and the reason Square (Enix) created the SaGa games -- they wanted something very different from Final Fantasy. If you're a longtime fan of Square Enix like I am, you may realize that they have dedicated a lot of time to exploring non-linear storytelling in their games over the years. Other games and series that Square Enix created with non-linear gameplay and story include Live a Live and Octopath Traveler, along with the rest of the SaGa series. All of these games share similar beginnings, in which you choose a character from a list and experience their story first, but eventually get to the stories of all the other characters. For me, the non-linear storytelling has always been the biggest draw to the SaGa series -- I love the idea of choosing how to begin my story and being able to customize my experience. It's the main aspect of video games that can distinguish them from books and movies. (This article copyright Kirsten Rodning; copying of text is prohibited.)
At the beginning of the game you choose which character you wish to play as first, though you will get a chance to experience all of the characters by the end of the game. The first character I chose was Claudia, of course, because she lives in the forest and has a pretty green outfit. Claudia never really has an inciting incident -- unless you count some guy showing up in the forest and telling her that she can come visit him, if she wants. Really, that's the extent of the conversation. Claudia then goes to her guardian and tells her about the man, and her guardian tells her she should leave the forest and go... somewhere. Anywhere she wants. It sounds to me like Claudia's guardian just wants some personal space. But this ends up being an apt description of what happens in the game because you, the player, can literally choose any destination for Claudia. There are no fences, no guardrails -- once you leave the forest, your only goal is to simply go somewhere and start talking to NPCs. Eventually some of the NPCs will give you quests, and then you have a little more idea of what you should do... maybe. At this point, you will probably want to look up a guide, but due to the non-linear nature of Romancing SaGa, trying to look at a guide or walkthrough would be a bad idea. You just have to trust the process and roam around, maybe completing small quests here and there, until you are able to get a feel for the build-your-own experience nature of the game.
Unfortunately the actual story of Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song is extremely lacking. It lacks... well, a story. While there is full voice acting for the dialogue (now in more languages than ever!), said dialogue is very basic and stilted. I can't place blame for this as I don't know whether it's an issue with the translation or the original writing. I played in English, so it's possible that other languages have more natural sounding dialogue. I will credit the voice actors, however, who did a good job with what they were given. But Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song seems to be more focused on building a unique character than on telling any sort of story. This is okay in my book -- they never claimed to be writing the next great epic tale. Just be aware going in that Romancing SaGa is a game for people who like unique gameplay and character building, not for people looking for a strong story.
After playing as Claudia for a few hours, I decided to start anew with a different character just so I could see exactly how different the experience would be. This time I chose Barbara, a dancer. (It's possible I chose Barbara because she reminds me of Barbara Manatee.) Barbara is the most 2005 character design I have ever seen, with her boho tasseled belt and her low-rise flare jeans with embroidered flower details. She was an obvious pick.
Barbara's story is even more vague than Claudia's. She arrives in a city driving a horse and wagon, and has no known aim. When you enter the tavern for the first time, Barbara is asked to dance and a brief cutscene plays. Once again, the story is quite minimal and the focus is more on building your character's stats. I did enjoy my experience with Barbara more than Claudia, however, because by the time I started Barbara's playthrough I was more familiar with how to play the game. It just takes time and patience to understand what you're supposed to be doing.
In conclusion: my review is a little disjointed and non-linear because the game is disjointed and non-linear. Some people really, really love this game. If you enjoy building up your party, raising their stats, and teaching them skills, you will probably enjoy Romancing SaGa. If, like me, you usually play games with a strong story, then Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song may not hold your attention. For my part, I do plan to continue the game, probably with my Barbara playthrough. More importantly, I am now eager to play some of the newer games in the SaGa series to see how modern entries hold up.
Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song Remastered International will release on December 9th, 2025 on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Click here for purchase options.
Thank you to Red Art Games and Keymailer for sending me a review copy of Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song Remastered.
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