Review: Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered International

 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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Summer Literary Game Reviews: Part Two

 This summer I was fortunate to be able to play several new games coming to Steam. My first few game reviews from this series were posted back in July, and you can read the reviews here. Thank you to Keymailer for sending me review copies of the following games.

Super Farming Boy

Have you ever said to yourself, "I really want a game that combines the gameplay of Stardew Valley with the art style and humor of Cuphead"? Wait, you have said that? Well then, Super Farming Boy is definitely the game for you!

I'll openly admit that I had no idea what to think about this game going into it. I could see that it was going to be a unique take on the farming game genre that has now embedded itself forever in gaming culture, but I had no idea just how unique it would be. I can honestly tell you now that Super Farming Boy is one of the most unusual farming games I have ever played -- and that's definitely not a bad thing. The farming genre has admittedly grown a bit stale, with hundreds of Stardew Valley imitators popping up on Steam constantly. Super Farming Boy is NOT a Stardew Valley imitator by any stretch. Instead, it's one of the few games I've played recently that actually goes its own way and defies the expectations that modern day gamers might want to place on it. Honestly, I can't really think of any currently existing labels that actually fully fit this game. Even Steam seems to be having trouble defining Super Farming Boy -- the labels currently showing on its page are "farming sim," "arcade," and "match three." If I hadn't already played the game I would, frankly, be confused by those labels, and rightly so. Probably the most similar game I can think of would be Plants Vs. Zombies, but even that's a bit of a stretch. Basically all I can say is that you should play Super Farming Boy if the idea of crop-based-combat interests you.

Story:

There isn't a lot of story to Super Farming Boy, but the story that does exist is harrowing. The game opens abruptly with so much action on the screen you might get overwhelmed and quit before you even start (genuinely: if you are neurodivergent and get easily overstimulated by lots of bright, moving colors, activity, and sounds, be aware that those are the things that most define the aesthetics of Super Farming Boy). Shortly after you are dropped (or... spat out by your living, gelatinous home) into this world, an absolutely terrifying menace that personifies the evils of capitalism shows up, takes everything you own, and kidnaps all of your friends (including your mom!?). His name is "KORPO™®©" and he makes Tom Nook look like the nicest guy you've ever met. From here on, the story consists of working for the man and trying to buy your friends back from him. 

TLDR:

Overall, I recommend this game to anyone who loves farming games but has become bored with the banality of recent farming game offerings. It's also a perfect game for those who love unusual indies, interesting combat styles, or Cuphead-style cartoon art. If you are looking for cozy games, however, I would warn that while Super Farming Boy could be described as cozy in a roundabout way, its bright colors and frantic time schedule could be off-putting to someone who is trying to wind down and relax. 

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://www.keymailer.co

Gecko Gods

I was given a chance to play the demo for upcoming game Gecko Gods, and I'm very glad to have done so! At first glance, Gecko Gods looks like a basic platformer -- you play as a gecko, which is a really cool concept, but really, how different is that from games like Yooka-Laylee? It turns out Gecko Gods is very different from Yooka-Laylee and its anthropomorphized brethren, a fact that I might not have realized if I hadn't played the demo. For one, the gecko protagonist in Gecko Gods is a fairly realistic representation of a real-life animal, and I found it fun to run up the walls like a real lizard! But more importantly, the gameplay may be described as platforming, but it is really less like Crash Bandicoot or Spyro, where the focus is on traversing difficult paths and looking for collectibles, and more similar to The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, with a focus on exploration, puzzle-solving, and story. Alongside Wind Waker and the earlier handheld Zelda games, I would say that Gecko Gods is also similar in feel to Shadow of the Colossus, though a tad more colorful. As a huge fan of the Legend of Zelda series and other Zelda-like games, I am excitedly anticipating the release of Gecko Gods in late 2025. 

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Review: The Necromancer's Tale

 The Necromancer's Tale is a new RPG created by Psychic Software that came out on Steam in July 2025. According to the developer, 

‘The Necromancer’s Tale’ is a narrative-driven top down story-rich gothic RPG with an isometric viewpoint. Master the rituals of an ancient spellbook. Raise an undead army to march against your enemies. Commune with the realm of the dead & struggle with your descent into madness. Progress through secrecy, diplomacy, blackmail, coercion & seduction until ready to reveal yourself. 

 

When you begin the game you spend a fair amount of time creating your character -- not in a visual character creator, but in a story book where you answer multiple choice questions to create a backstory for your protagonist. I was immediately impressed by the complexity of the backstories you can create for your character; most RPGs with strong story elements give you a paragraph or two of backstory for each character option, but this game allows you to create several pages worth of story about your protagonist. 

After you finish creating your character, the game dives into a battle in a top-down, third person viewpoint reminiscent of ARPGs like the Diablo and Torchlight franchises. The gameplay style actually makes me feel most nostalgic for the classic Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale games of the late 90s and early 2000s. In these older Dungeons and Dragons computer games, roleplaying a character you create was an important feature (just like in the tabletop games they were created to emulate). The Necromancer's Tale uses similar story roleplaying elements and even allows you to use your own artwork for your character, if you have it. The main difference I noticed between The Necromancer's Tale and Baldur's Gate/Icewind Dale is that The Necromancer's Tale is easier to play solo than the older games. BG/Icewind Dale strongly recommended a multiplayer experience (again, like the original tabletop Dungeons and Dragons), which is how I played them -- over a LAN connection -- back in the day. The Necromancer's Tale is much better for the hermit I have become in my old age. 

I have only played The Necromancer's Tale up to chapter three, so I can't speak on the entire game yet, but so far the story and mystery-solving aspects of the game far outweigh any battle elements that you might expect from an RPG. For me, that doesn't slow the game too much as I enjoy stories more than fighting, but many RPG players who like a lot of combat in their games may be turned off by this. My biggest difficulty with the game is that I am playing it on Steam Deck, but it's very clearly created to be played with a mouse and keyboard. Steam says that the game is verified on Steam Deck, but I have had a lot of frustrations with the controls. Fortunately the developers have been actively patching the game since its release and I suspect that controller support will improve in upcoming patches.

The TLDR:

I recommend this game to anyone who loves the roleplaying aspects of roleplaying games. It makes a great personal-time activity for someone who plays DnD (or other TTRPGs) with a gaming group, but who then wants even more roleplaying when they get home. Do you love talking to NPCs in Dragon Age: Origins? If yes, you'll love The Necromancer's Tale. But if your idea of playing an RPG revolves more around combat, like in the Diablo series, this may not be the game for you. 

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://www.keymailer.co

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Summer Literary Game Reviews, Part One

In May I posted a compilation of reviews of games that I had played for a few events that were happening simultaneously, and since I liked the format of combining reviews of games I had played recently I decided to do it again. The following are reviews of games that I received either in full or as demos from the publishers and from Keymailer. Thank you to Keymailer and to the individual publishers for sending me these games. 

Spirit City: Lofi Sessions

I was excited to play Spirit City (#spiritcitylofi)... or rather, I was excited to try this beautiful productivity software, so when #Keymailer gave me a chance to use it I jumped. Spirit City has some game-like moments -- you can unlock various spirit friends by doing different tasks in the game -- but primarily it is a piece of software made to enhance your work environment. Not only does Spirit City offer a beautiful view of a room and your preference of window scenery, but it also includes calming music (and there's a lot of music to choose from) and helpful tools to improve your workflow. In the above screenshot you can see that I decorated my room, dressed up my avatar, and chose a snowy scene outside the window to trick my brain into feeling a little cooler (even though I live in one of the hottest parts of the United States and it is currently summer). 

In this screenshot, you can see the screen of my Steam Deck right now as I am writing this post. I'm vibing to the music while I write and I have a little to-do list telling me the one thing that I most need to accomplish today (to write and publish this blog post). As a wheelchair user I really appreciate that my character is able to be shown sitting in a wheelchair. I hope to be able to use and play around with this software more in the future (right now my desk is inaccessible due to the "spring" cleaning we're doing in my house, but when I can work at my desk again I'd like to play this software on my second screen and see how that helps me!). 

Two Falls: Nishu Takuashina

Two Falls (#TwoFalls) was sent to me in full by #Keymailer, and I was very excited to play this one, considering the historical literary premise. According to the Two Falls official website, the purpose of the game is to,

"Explore 17th century Canadian wilderness in Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina), a linear 3D narrative exploration experience. Live the intertwined adventures of Jeanne, a shipwrecked French woman crossing the Atlantic in hopes of starting anew and Maïkan, a young Innu hunter who is trying to discover what is disturbing his native forest, land of his ancestors. Your choices shape the traits of your protagonists, so make every decision with your heart." (Source)

Unfortunately I was unable to play the game past the first chapter, so I can't provide a complete review. The following is the review I posted on the game's Steam page. I hope others will be able to play this one, since it seems really promising, but my motion sickness wouldn't allow me to play it.

"I'd like to give this game a positive review, but right now I can't. The visuals and controls are very choppy and jerky no matter how I tinker with the settings. I'm playing on a Steam Deck so I'll do some research and see if I can figure out how to fix this, but right now I physically can't play the game because it's causing motion sickness.

I got through the first chapter before I gave up (due to the aforementioned issues). The story seems like it should have promise, and I'd like to find a way to finish it. The writing isn't the best, however. A lot of the dialogue seems off to me, and the subtitles look like they were written by my boomer stepdad (why are so many random words put into quotation marks?).

So far I think the soundtrack is my favorite part of the game. The scary music is REALLY scary and the rest of the soundtrack fits nicely with the tone of the moment."

 Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile

I've been a huge fan of Agatha Christie's books since I was a teenager, so I get really excited every time a new game based on the Dame's work is announced. The latest game, set to release in September of 2025, is Death on the Nile (#DeathontheNile), based on the Agatha Christie book of the same name. This particular story is currently popular because a movie version was released just a few years ago in 2022, starring Gal Gadot as the murder victim. The movie took some liberties with the story (I won't say more for fear of spoiling it), and from the little I was able to play in the upcoming game's demo, it looks like there will be some changes to the story in the game, as well. For one, there is a new detective character added to the story who will be assisting Poirot. For another, it takes place in the 1970s... several decades after the book was actually written. 

I was only able to play the early part of the game in the demo so I can't yet judge the full game, but I was impressed with what I saw. The way that you put clues together in your "mind map" menu could be interesting and inventive, but I could also see it being a tedious mechanic after playing for a long time. Compared to much older Agatha Christie games I've played in the past, this game feels like a "real" game, as opposed to the "licensed shovelware" that was And Then There Were None on the Wii. (Great book, terrible game adaptation). 

I am eager to play the rest of Death on the Nile when it releases in September -- check in later to hear my thoughts on the complete game!

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of these products from https://www.keymailer.co

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Earth Week Review: Imagine Earth -- Galaxies

 This week is Earth Week, which long-time followers may know is one of my favorite holidays to post content for! This year I decided to review a relevant game that just released new content: Imagine Earth. Thank you so much to Keymailer and developer Serious Bros. for sending me a free review copy of the base game and the new downloadable content, Galaxies! Imagine Earth is a city builder/simulation game in which you colonize newly discovered planets and try your hardest not to destroy their environments.

Since my first time playing Imagine Earth included the new Galaxies DLC, it was difficult at first for me to distinguish which parts of the game were from the add-on and which parts were from the base game. It turns out the campaign, where you are assigned a few different planets to build on, is part of the Galaxies DLC. I started the game by playing the campaign, since I assumed this was the closest thing the game had to a story mode, and is the first thing I would normally do when starting a new simulation game. It turns out, however, that the campaign is actually part of the Galaxies paid add-on content! I have to wonder how I would have played and enjoyed the game if I had tried it before the DLC dropped. After doing the tutorial planet and the second planet in the campaign, I moved on to playing around in the sandbox mode. My total playtime as of this writing is over 6 hours. 

Since the game's description boasts features that make players think about the environment and climate -- the Steam page says, "Conduct research to protect your colonists from disasters and avoid a climate crisis," -- my main reason for choosing to review Imagine Earth is because I was excited to see a space exploration sim that takes climate changes into consideration. Unfortunately, I feel a little let down by the actual environmental aspects of the game -- I probably had my hopes a little too high for a game like this. Here I will break it down into a pros and cons list, specifically where it concerns environmental awareness and modern-day best practices for sustainability:

Pros:

• "World Congress" votes to implement environmental laws for the entire planet, including things like "Introduce 'Green Building Grant' of 20%" and "Introduce 'Coal Energy Tax of 5%,'" etc.
• Research items include both sustainable options and "efficient" options that will harm the environment, and the good and bad effects of both are described to affect player decisions. Research options include things like new filters for power plants (a sustainable option) or giving antibiotics to cows to produce more meat (an "efficient" but overall harmful option). 
• The needs and growth rates of different types of trees are taken into consideration, and the trees you plant or leave on the planet are beneficial to the citizens.
• Things like overfishing, logging, and other environmental over-use are taken into consideration and over-using resources can have a poor effect on your cities. 

Cons:

• Outdated energy technology like coal burning is still used in this futuristic(?) society? 
• Capitalism is alive and well in space.
• Colonization is seen as a good thing, and there is no discussion about the harms of colonizing.
• On Earth, invasive species that travel with humans from one continent or ecosystem to another are a major problem. This problem would likely be even worse with space travel, yet it is not addressed in the game.
• The opening cutscene shows spaceships flying past a giant television advertisement floating in space. This excessive use of energy may look fancy, but it is horribly unsustainable. Why was this choice made?
• This is a personal con -- the scientist guy who pops up occasionally to tell you things is really, really creepy. Not because he's an old white man -- that is the expected demographic -- but because... I don't know. His voice doesn't match his face? I wouldn't have mentioned this but I saw other reviewers and posters discussing how creepy this character is and I have to agree. Every time he popped up in the game I had an almost visceral reaction.
• The mining of precious metals is still common practice in this "futuristic" game. Mining gold and other monetary "resources" is a major part of the experience. There is little discussion of the environmental impact of this action, or the sociological implications. Players are expected to use explosives to blow up mountains in order to mine resources. In the campaign mode, there is no avoiding this action. This doesn't feel very environmentally friendly to me.

Accessibiity:

As per my own disabilities, Imagine Earth is mostly. but not entirely, accessible to me. Simulation games are often difficult for me because they usually have small font sizes that are not adjustable. Font sizes were not a problem for me in Imagine Earth, but may be difficult for other players who are more blind than I am. The main way in which the game was less accessible for me was that it required me to do some mental math, which can be really stressful for someone who has dyscalculia, as I do. The options menu is very limited and has few options that are specifically included for accessibility. 

Sustainable Science Fiction for Future Reading:

If you are a writer or game developer who is thinking about creating a futuristic world that is more sustainable than our own, here are a few books I recommend where the authors have thought about future sustainability and environmentalism:

The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed

The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

More ideas can be found on This Goodreads Page, though I have not personally vetted all of these books.

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