Aisha (Romancing SaGa)
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''Romancing SaGa'' is a 1992
role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
developed and published by
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for the
Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...
. It is the fourth entry in the ''
SaGa Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...
'' series. It was subsequently released for the
WonderSwan Color The is a handheld game console released in Japan by Bandai. Developed in collaboration with Gunpei Yokoi's company Koto Laboratory, it was the final piece of hardware Yokoi worked on before his death in 1997. Launched in March 1999 during the ...
in 2001 and
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s in 2009. A remake for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
, subtitled ''Minstrel Song'' in Japan, was released in both Japan and North America in 2005 by
Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, video game publisher and entertainment conglomerate. It releases role-playing video game, role-playing game franchises, such as ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', and '' ...
. A remaster of ''Minstrel Song'' was released worldwide in 2022 for
Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...
,
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,
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
,
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
and
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. The storyline follows eight different protagonists on quests through the world of Mardias, all culminating in a fight against the dark god Saruin. Gameplay features
nonlinear In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system (or a non-linear system) is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathe ...
exploration of the game world, with the turn-based battles featuring group formations. As with other ''SaGa'' titles, there are no
experience point An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Experien ...
s and character attributes and skills are dependent on actions taken in battle. Production began in 1990, with Nintendo requesting Square develop a new ''SaGa'' entry for the in-production Super Famicom after the success of ''SaGa'' titles on the
Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...
. Series creator
Akitoshi Kawazu is a Japanese game designer, director, producer and writer. After joining Square (later Square Enix) in 1985, he went on to become a central developer for the first two ''Final Fantasy'' titles, then acted as creator and lead developer for the ...
acted as director, designer and scenario writer. The character designers were created by
Tomomi Kobayashi is a Japanese illustrator. She is best known for her character design and illustration work in the ''SaGa (series), SaGa'' series of video games by Square Enix. Kobayashi has been termed an "iconic" artist for Japanese role-playing games, and has ...
in her first work for the series. The music was solely composed and arranged by
Kenji Ito , also known by the nickname , is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on the ''Mana'' and ''SaGa'' series, though he has worked on over 30 video games throughout his career as well as composed or arranged m ...
, who had previously co-composed music for ''
Final Fantasy Legend II ''Final Fantasy Legend II'', known in Japan as ''SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu'', is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Game Boy. The second entry in the ''SaGa'' series, it was released in 1990 in Japan, and in 1991 in N ...
''. Later versions included cut content and features from later ''SaGa'' titles. The PS2 remake included redrawn artwork by
Yusuke Naora (born January 9, 1971) is a Japanese video game art director and character designer who worked for Square Enix (formerly Square). A former member of Toaplan,Translationby Gamengai. by Gaijin Punch. ). Naora served as the art director for several ' ...
and a redone soundtrack from Ito. The Super Famicom version sold over one million copies, and met with positive reception in the region. The PS2 remake sold 500,000 units across Japan and North America, seeing mixed reviews in the West due to its difficulty and art style. The remaster saw some praise for its updates, but several found it unwelcoming for series newcomers. Two more ''Romancing SaGa'' titles were developed, and gameplay elements from ''Romancing SaGa'' would be used in subsequent ''SaGa'' titles.


Gameplay

''Romancing SaGa'' is a
role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
where the player takes on the role of eight different protagonists, playing through their narratives and an overarching story in a
nonlinear In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system (or a non-linear system) is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathe ...
style. After choosing a protagonist, the player explores the game's
overworld An overworld or a hub world is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres, such as some pla ...
freely, triggering narrative events, engaging in battles, and performing side activities. Over the course of the game a party of characters is built up, with some recruitable members being the unchosen protagonists. Progression of the main narrative is based on the number of events the player completes, their current strength, and speaking to certain characters. This free exploration is dubbed the Free Scenario System. Battles trigger when the player encounters enemy sprites in field and dungeon environments. The party engages the enemy in a preset formation arranged on a 3x3 grid, which impacts both attack range and defence from enemies. Equipment for playable characters includes their current weapon and armour. Abilities use a pool of Battle Points (BP). There are no
experience point An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Experien ...
s, with character statistics raising at random based on actions in battle. New abilities are unlocked by using weapons enough times in battle. Winning the battle also grants the player money, used to buy items and equipment. If a party member falls, they will return to low health at the end of battle. If the entire party falls, the game ends. The
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
(PS2) remake ''Minstrel Song'' retains the original narrative and many gameplay concepts including non-linear exploration, but all environments are rendered in 3D and elements from later ''
SaGa Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...
'' titles are incorporated. As with the original, once the protagonist is chosen, they can progress as they like through the scenario. The game uses a quick save function, creating a temporary save when the party is in field or dungeon environments. Hard saves can only be done in towns, where merchants selling new weapons and equipment can be utilised. The player can customise their party through which characters they recruit, and
character class In tabletop games and video games, a character class is an occupation, profession, or role assigned to a game character to highlight and differentiate their capabilities and specializations. In role-playing games (RPGs), character classes ag ...
es that impact abilities and statistics, magical schools that allow the blending of different elemental magic types, and weapon forging. In addition to statistics rising depending on battle actions, a character learns or upgrades their skills by using it multiple times in battle. If several party members focus on one enemy, they unlock a Combination attack. Character health is two-layered, with standard health and Life Points. LP are limited in number and only renewed by resting at an inn. A character loses LP by being knocked out enough times or through attacks which target LP; if the player character loses all LP, the game ends.


Synopsis

''Romancing SaGa'' is set in the fictional world of Mardias. One thousand years before the game's opening, a war raged between three evil gods—Death, Saruin, and Schirach—and the benevolent deity Elore. By the end, Death and Schirach are stripped of their powers, while Saruin is imprisoned through the combined effort of ten Fatestones and the sacrifice of the hero Mirsa. The Fatestones become scattered through the world, and the powers of darkness gather themselves to free Saruin from his imprisonment. The game focuses on eight characters, each with their own narrative who are drawn into the quest to recover the Fatestones and defeat Saruin once more. They are Albert, heir to a noble lord in the region of Rosalia; Aisha, a peace-loving member of the nomadic Taralians; Jamil, a thief operating in the city of Estamir; Claudia, a woman raised by a witch in the land of Mazewood; Hawk, a notorious pirate; Sif, a warrior from the snow-covered region of Valhalland; Gray, a treasure-seeking adventurer; and Barbara, member of a travelling band of entertainers. While each character has their own personal quest, they are drawn into the quest for the Fatestones. In ''Minstrel Song'', the characters are overseen in their quest by the Minstrel, a figure who is secretly an avatar of Elore. Once enough Fatestones are collected, the chosen protagonist faces the reawakened Saruin, defeating him for good. If ''Minstrel Song'' is cleared with all eight characters, a final scene shows them talking together, then setting out as a group watched over by the Minstrel.


Development

Production of ''Romancing SaGa'' began in 1990, when
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
approached series developer
Square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...
about developing a new ''SaGa'' title for their in-development
Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...
. The request was due to the success of the previous ''SaGa'' titles on the
Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...
. Series creator
Akitoshi Kawazu is a Japanese game designer, director, producer and writer. After joining Square (later Square Enix) in 1985, he went on to become a central developer for the first two ''Final Fantasy'' titles, then acted as creator and lead developer for the ...
was pleased at Nintendo's request, as he could make substantial improvements to his gameplay design on better hardware. There was also demand for a third Game Boy ''SaGa'', so two projects began in parallel; Kawazu led a team on ''Romancing SaGa'', while Square's new
Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
studio developed ''
Final Fantasy Legend III ''Final Fantasy Legend III'', known in Japan as ''SaGa 3: Jikuu no Hasha'', is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Game Boy. The third entry in the ''SaGa'' series, it was released in Japan in 1991 and in North Ame ...
'' (known in Japan as ''SaGa 3: Jikuu no Hasha''). During early production, Kawazu wanted to break away from the ''SaGa'' brand and call the game something different, but ultimately it retained the ''SaGa'' name. The game's "''Romancing''" title was suggested by Nobuyuki Inoue, inspired by the adventure movie ''
Romancing the Stone ''Romancing the Stone'' is a 1984 romantic comedy-adventure film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Diane Thomas and produced by Michael Douglas, who also stars in the film alongside Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. The film follows a ro ...
''. Kawazu was a little mixed on the impression given by the title, but the illustrations and music helped make the game more in line with the "romantic" style implied by the title. Kawazu acted as director, lead designer, and scenario writer. The producer was
Masafumi Miyamoto Masafumi Miyamoto (宮本 雅史, Miyamoto Masafumi, born 1957) is a Japanese investor and businessman, best known as the founder of the video game developer Square. Miyamoto graduated from Waseda University in 1983 and later joined his father's ...
, founder and former president of Square. Production was difficult, as while Kawazu had a larger team to work with, they also faced new technical and design issues. Kawazu's aim was to change the gameplay style of having a single path players had to travel, instead creating multiple stories for players to experience at their own pace, giving birth to the Free Scenario System. The Free Scenario System was designed as a direct contrast to the linear story structure of Square's ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...
'' series. The eight protagonists, with their own stories within the same world, drew inspiration from
taiga drama is the name NHK gives to the annual year-long historical drama television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white ''Hana no Shōgai'', starring kabuki actor Onoe Shoroku II and Awashima Chikage, the network regul ...
s, with the number referencing the Japanese novel ''
Nansō Satomi Hakkenden ''Nansō Satomi Hakkenden'' (; ), commonly known as ''Satomi Hakkenden'' () or simply ''Hakkenden'' (), is a Japanese epic novel ('' yomihon'') by Kyokutei Bakin, originally published over the course of twenty-eight years ( 1814–42). Set in t ...
''. Albert's scenario was the first to be written. The number of characters was also due to Kawazu's wish for the formation system. The narrative was difficult for Kawazu, as he needed to create a central plotline while crafting eight independent narratives. Due to Nintendo's strict cart size limitations, several planned elements had to be cut from the final product. The characters were designed by artist
Tomomi Kobayashi is a Japanese illustrator. She is best known for her character design and illustration work in the ''SaGa (series), SaGa'' series of video games by Square Enix. Kobayashi has been termed an "iconic" artist for Japanese role-playing games, and has ...
. Kawazu had been looking for a suitable illustrator for some time, and when he saw samples of Kobayashi's work contacted her about working with him. ''Romancing SaGa'' was Kobayashi's first video game work, so she had to get used to the large amount of creative freedom she had compared to her previous projects. She was only ever sent a name and some elements from Kawazu, but otherwise left to her own devices. Kawazu had a lot of input on what the characters were like, such as Albert being the only left-handed character, but could not have as much influence as he wanted due to other development needs. Hawk's design was inspired by the character Blood from ''
Princess Knight ''Princess Knight'', also known as ''Ribon no Kishi'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. This manga follows the adventures of Sapphire, a girl who was born accidentally with a blue heart of a boy and a pin ...
''. Kobayashi's favorite characters were Hawk and main antagonist Saruin. Kobayashi designed 40 unique characters, and at the height of her work was designing six per day. The sprites were designed by Kazuko Shibuya, who had worked for the company since the 1980s and designed character sprites for the ''Final Fantasy'' series. She created the character sprites based on Kobayashi's designs. Due to their deep narrative connections, Kawazu asked Kobayashi to design the characters before any sprite work was done. An important part of the sprite design was keeping the "delicate" colours within the limited pixel art style of the game. The game made extensive use of
kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...
characters, as hiragana writing would take up too much space, but Kawazu needed to make sure the kanji was legible, making them extra-large and going against standard 8x8 pixel limit for writing.
Yoshinori Kitase is a Japanese game director and producer working for Square Enix. He is known as the director of ''Final Fantasy VI'', ''Chrono Trigger'', ''Final Fantasy VII'', ''Final Fantasy VIII'' and '' Final Fantasy X'', and the producer of the ''Final ...
acted as the game's field map designer, creating the world map. The graphic design staff included Inoue,
Tetsuya Takahashi (born November 18, 1966) is a Japanese video game designer, writer and director. Takahashi worked at Square in the 90s as a graphic designer and graphic director, participating on some of their most well-received titles such as ''Final Fantasy ...
and Hiroshi Takai, the latter of whom would work as a designer on future ''SaGa'' titles.


Release and versions

''Romancing SaGa'' released on January 28, 1992. It was the second Super Famicom title released by Square, following ''
Final Fantasy IV titled ''Final Fantasy II'' in its initial North American release, is a 1991 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The fourth main installment of the ''Final ...
'' in 1991. Three guidebooks for the game were published by
NTT Publishing NTT Publishing Co., Ltd. (エヌ・ティ・ティ出版株式会社 ''Enu Ti Ti Shuppan Kabushiki gaisha'') is a Japanese publishing and record label company, which is an affiliate company of NTT. The company has published many albums, including ...
under Square's supervision between February and May 1992. A further guidebook, ''Romancing SaGa Destiny Guide'', was published on December 20, 2001, by
DigiCube DigiCube Co., Ltd. (株式会社デジキューブ; ''Kabushiki-gaisha Dejikyūbu'') was a Japanese company established as a subsidiary of software developer Square on February 6, 1996 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The primary purpose of Di ...
. The game received
Virtual Console The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on pa ...
re-releases on the
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
in 2009, the
Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...
in 2015, and the
Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...
in 2016. Gaming magazine ''
GamePro ''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...
'' reported that ''Romancing SaGa'' was going to be localised in 1993, releasing under a different title. Ultimately the Super Famicom version of ''Romancing SaGa'' went unreleased outside Japan, due to a combination of its potentially off-putting complexity and the amount of text needing translation. An English fan translation patch was released in 2015. In September 2000, Square announced it had begun development on an enhanced version of ''Romancing SaGa'' for the
Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered ...
WonderSwan Color The is a handheld game console released in Japan by Bandai. Developed in collaboration with Gunpei Yokoi's company Koto Laboratory, it was the final piece of hardware Yokoi worked on before his death in 1997. Launched in March 1999 during the ...
handheld system. The game was ported to the platform by Kan Navi. Square was one of the major supporters for the WonderSwan platform during its tenure. Its non-appearance on the equivalent
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
was due to Square and Nintendo's long-standing enmity over Square's break from them to develop for Sony's
PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
. According to the company, some of the original Super Famicom version's planned material was unable to be added during its original release due to memory restrictions, and that the new hardware would allow for a more "complete" version of the game. The gameplay balance was identical, but they added the ability to dash, avoiding enemy encounters. The newly added material includes an additional story scenario, as well as a side-quest that allows the player to gather all ten "Destiny Stone" items where previously only a few were accessible. The game was released in Japan on December 20, 2001. It formed part of a series dubbed "Square Masterpiece", a series of their classic titles for the WonderSwan platform. ''Romancing SaGa'' was also ported to mobile platforms by
Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, video game publisher and entertainment conglomerate. It releases role-playing video game, role-playing game franchises, such as ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', and '' ...
. This version was based on the WonderSwan port, with some of the graphics adjusted for mobile platforms. It released on March 5, 2009, for
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models, March 18 for
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, and July 9, 2009, for
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. The mobile version closed in 2018, when the services for older mobile titles were shut down.


''Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song''

A remake for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
, titled ''Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song'' in Japan, was developed by Square Enix. Kawazu decided to produce the remake following the release of '' Unlimited Saga'', which had received much feedback due to its experimental gameplay. The remake was developed by Square Enix's Product Development Division 2, carrying over the original staff while aiming to make the game more approachable than the original version. After the approach used in ''Unlimited Saga'', Kawazu designed the game to be a more traditional role-playing experience. Kawazu added in many elements for the remake that he originally planned for ''Romancing SaGa''. The remake featured a number of aesthetic and mechanical changes, originating after Kawazu told the team they could make as many changes as they pleased. Adjustments were made so that players could easily experience all eight character narratives. There were also additional tutorials to explain game mechanics. Kawazu described the purpose of the remake as "a functional compilation of the whole ''SaGa'' series" that would combine elements from previous ''SaGa'' titles into one definitive game. Kawazu acted as producer and director. Takai returned to help with the game's design. The art style referenced the sprite design of the original game, which Kawazu called more original than the prevalent realistic style of series like ''Final Fantasy''. It also emerged as an expression of the team's taste, without intending to appeal to the Japanese or international market. It was also described as more "explosive" and expressive than the graphical style of ''Unlimited Saga''. The characters were redrawn by
Yusuke Naora (born January 9, 1971) is a Japanese video game art director and character designer who worked for Square Enix (formerly Square). A former member of Toaplan,Translationby Gamengai. by Gaijin Punch. ). Naora served as the art director for several ' ...
, lead artist of ''Unlimited Saga''. A notable added character was the assassin Darque; Kawazu originally meant him as a new protagonist, but he ultimately became a new recruitable character. The graphical style made use of the "sketch motion" techniques used in ''Unlimited Saga'', with the original artwork mapped onto 3D models. Kobayashi returned to create new art, including character sketches based on Naora's redesigns. The game's logo made reference to the Minstrel, a recurring figure in the game. The game was announced in September 2004 via an issue of ''
Jump JuMP is an algebraic modeling language and a collection of supporting packages for mathematical optimization embedded in the Julia programming language. JuMP is used by companies, government agencies, academic institutions, software projects ...
'', and released in Japan on April 21, 2005. A dedicated guidebook in Square Enix's ''Ultimania'' was released on July 17, containing gameplay explanations, a strategy guide, interviews with the production team, and a gallery of promotional and concept art. The ''Ultimania'' also included a novella written by Benny Matsumaya, a long-standing contributor to the ''SaGa'' series' additional media. The game later re-released through PlayStation Network for
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
on April 9, 2015, as a PS2 Classic. Its release, together with a special edition which included a download code and a jigsaw with an artwork by Kobayashi, formed part of the company's 25th anniversary celebrations of the ''SaGa'' series. A North American release was announced at E3 2005, featuring alongside other major titles from the company including ''
Dragon Quest VIII ''Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King'' is a 2004 role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. It was first released in Japan in November 2004, followed by North America in November ...
'', ''
Final Fantasy XII is a 2006 role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix. The twelfth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was first released for the PlayStation 2 in March 2006. It introduced several innovations to the series ...
'' and ''
Kingdom Hearts II ''Kingdom Hearts II'' is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is a sequel to ''Kingdom Hear ...
''. The game released in North America on October 11. For its Western release, the "''Minstrel Song''" subtitle was dropped as the original had never released outside Japan. The English dub was handled by
New Generation Pictures New Generation Pictures, Inc. is a production company specializing in voice recording for anime and video games. Production list Anime ADR Production * '' 3×3 Eyes'' (Geneon) * '' Amazing Nurse Nanako'' (Geneon) * '' Angel Tales'' (Bandai Ent ...
, who had collaborated with Square Enix on several titles within the ''Final Fantasy'' and ''
Valkyrie Profile or is a series of role-playing video games created by Masaki Norimoto and Yoshiharu Gotanda, primarily developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix (formerly Enix). The series is notable for featuring elements from Norse mythology. Comm ...
'' series. The localized version received no European release. Due to the existence of ''Minstrel Song'' and its Western release, the original title was not remastered as later ''Romancing SaGa'' titles were. A remaster of ''Minstrel Song'' was announced in May 2022 for
Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...
,
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
,
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
,
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
and
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
. The remaster includes upscaled graphics, improved gameplay and additional elements. The game was released on December 1, 2022.


Music

The music of ''Romancing SaGa'' was composed and arranged by
Kenji Ito , also known by the nickname , is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on the ''Mana'' and ''SaGa'' series, though he has worked on over 30 video games throughout his career as well as composed or arranged m ...
, who had previously worked as co-composer for ''
Final Fantasy Legend II ''Final Fantasy Legend II'', known in Japan as ''SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu'', is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Game Boy. The second entry in the ''SaGa'' series, it was released in 1990 in Japan, and in 1991 in N ...
'' (known in Japan as ''SaGa 2: Hihō Densetsu'') alongside
Nobuo Uematsu is a Japanese composer and keyboardist best known for his contributions to the ''Final Fantasy'' video game series by Square Enix. A self-taught musician, he began playing the piano at the age of twelve, with English singer-songwriter Elton Joh ...
. Ito had helped with the sound design of ''Final Fantasy IV'', and knew that much of the cartridge space had been taken up with the graphics, impacting the music's quality. Kawazu gave no specific instructions about songs, but often requested rewrites. Ito delivered most of the score before the final four months of production, and then had more rewrite requests. When creating the score, Ito broke away from the musical style of ''Final Fantasy IV'', which had emulated
fingerstyle Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with a single plect ...
playing, instead emulating
slapping Slap or slapping may refer to: Common use * Slapping (strike), a method of striking with the palm of the hand Instances of slapping * George S. Patton slapping incidents * Chris Rock–Will Smith slapping incident * Slap (professional wrestlin ...
with help from sound designer Minoru Akao. Compared to the "smooth" sound of ''Final Fantasy'', Ito described the score of ''Romancing SaGa'' as "rough", using different instruments to Uematsu's work. Ito was left completely burnt out after his work on the game. Two soundtrack albums were released in by NTT Publishing; the original soundtrack, and an arrange album. A remaster of the original album was reissued in 2019. Ito returned as composer and arranger for the PS2 remake. Ito found returning to ''Romancing SaGa'' both enjoyable and painful due to the fan expectations and love surrounding the title. A part he enjoyed was allowing tracks to sound as they were intended outside the hardware limitations of the Super Famicom. Ito worked on the revised score for two years, joined in his work by
Tsuyoshi Sekito is a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician who has been employed at Square Enix since 1995. As a composer, he is best known for scoring '' Brave Fencer Musashi'' (1998), '' Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children'' (2005) and '' The ...
and
Kenichiro Fukui is a Japanese video game music, video game composer and electronic rock musician. Before working at Square Enix, he was employed at Konami. He was also an arranger and a keyboardist in the band The Black Mages. Additionally, Fukui arranged Angela ...
. The battle theme "Passionate Rhythm" featured vocal contributions from Kyoko Kishikawa, who had previously worked with Ito and other composers including
Yasunori Mitsuda is a Japanese composer and musician. He is best known for his work in video games, primarily for the '' Chrono'', '' Xeno'', '' Shadow Hearts'', and '' Inazuma Eleven'' franchises, among various others. Mitsuda began composing music for his own ...
and
Yoshitaka Hirota is a Japanese video game music, video game composer and bass guitarist, whose most notable works include the soundtracks to the ''Shadow Hearts'' series. Hirota was previously a sound effects programmer having worked on various Square (video game ...
. Square Enix hired singer-songwriter
Masayoshi Yamazaki is a Japanese singer-songwriter who plays guitar-driven blues, rock, and pop music, though he has also recorded piano ballads. Though he primarily plays the guitar, he has played the drums, piano, percussion, saxophone, and glockenspiel on some ...
to perform the remake's theme song "Minuet".


Reception


Original

Upon release, the game topped the ''
Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...
'' sales charts from February 1992 to March 1992. By 2002, ''Romancing SaGa'' had sold 970,000 copies in Japan, ranking as the fifth best-selling ''SaGa'' title at the time. As of 2004, the Super Famicom original has sold over 1.3 million copies worldwide; over 1.1 million were sold in Japan, with further overseas sales adding 150,000. ''
Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...
'' magazine's panel of four reviewers faulted the game's graphics as inferior to those of ''Final Fantasy'', but lauded the freedom of choice given to players through its narrative and gameplay progression. ''Super Famicom Magazine'' praised the game's Free Scenario System, which allowed players to repeatedly enjoy the game however they wished. In March 2006, readers of ''Famitsu'' voted it the 53rd best video game of all time as part of the magazine's " All Time Top 100" poll. Writing in a 2017 retrospective on the original game, Tristan Ettleman of ''
Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...
'' praised the game's ambitious open-ended structure compared to other titles of the time, but faulted its execution and confusing battle mechanics.


Remake

''Minstrel Song'' was the top-selling game in that country between the weeks of May 2 and May 26, 2005. During the first week, it sold around 217,000, coming in ahead of '' Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance'' and ''
Nintendogs (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2005 real-time pet simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It was released in Japan, and was later released in: North America, Australia, New ...
'', and completely selling out in some stores. The game sold enough copies to qualify for
Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
's Ultimate Hits label, and was re-released in May 2006 at a budget price. As of January 2006, the game had sold 500,000 units; 450,000 were sold in Japan, and 50,000 in North America. ''Famitsu'' was generally positive, noting the battle system's unconventional mechanics compared to other RPGs and enjoying the remake's faith to the original. While ''Minstrel Song'' met with positive reviews in Japan, in the West it saw a mixed response. The game holds a score of 58 out of 100 on review aggregate website ''
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
'' based on 23 reviews. The gameplay met with a mixed response, with praise going to the world's open-ended nature and battle system, but faulting many design elements and battle mechanics. The reworked character designs were often questioned, with a few critics calling them unsettling or ugly. The music and voice acting divided opinion, with some critics enjoying it, and others faulting it as poor quality. Jane Pinckard ''
1Up.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conte ...
'' praised the environments, but faulted many other elements from art to mechanics as poorly or confusingly designed, feeling it did little to improve on the mixed reputation of ''Unlimited Saga''. The three reviewers for ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...
'' saw potential in its battle system and world design, but generally faulted it as a poorly-constructed RPG. ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
''s Joe Juba was highly critical, saying there were too many faults and unusual design choices to make the game worth playing. Andrew Reiner, in a second opinion, was still less positive and called the game "a measureless disaster". ''
GamePro ''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...
'' praised the art design, but faulted the soundtrack, and found the progression system and design confusing and difficult to enjoy. ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
''s Greg Mueller called ''Romancing SaGa'' "a role-playing game without any substance", faulting its lack of narrative and confusing mechanics. Meghan Sullivan of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' said the game would appeal to fans of the series, but thought that its unorthodox style and design would likely put off many gamers. By contrast with many reviews, ''RPGFan''s Patrick Gann called it a refreshingly original RPG compared to the majority of titles on the market at the time. Reviewing the remaster, Chris Shive of ''Hardcore Gamer'' noted that several elements of its design once innovative now appeared dated, additionally noting some outdated features such as the fixed camera angle that had not been addressed; he called the game a good offering for ''SaGa'' fans but a hard sell for many modern genre gamers. ''Nintendo World Rerport''s Neal Ronaghan disliked the visuals and found some of its mechanics confusing, but praised the soundtrack and battle gameplay, calling it a good entry point into the ''SaGa'' series. Murillo Zerbinatto of ''RPGamer'' praised its replayability and updates for the remaster, but noted that some of its progression and mechanics would be offputting for casual gamers, summing ''Minstrel Song Remastered'' up as "a title packed with nuances and peculiarities that still stand the test of time."


Legacy

''Romancing SaGa'' proved to be a popular and influential title within the series, popularising the ''SaGa'' series and introducing mechanics and a scenario structure which would be repeated by later entries. Following the success of ''Romancing SaGa'', two further titles were released for the Super Famicom: ''
Romancing SaGa 2 ''Romancing SaGa 2'' is a 1993 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Famicom. It is the fifth entry in the ''SaGa'' series. It received an expanded port for Japanese mobile devices from Square Enix in 2011. This v ...
'' in 1993, and ''
Romancing SaGa 3 ''Romancing SaGa 3'' is a 1995 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the Super Famicom. The sixth entry in the ''SaGa'' series, it was also the last developed for the platform. Originally releas ...
'' in 1995. A manga series based on ''Romancing SaGa'' was released in two volumes by
Tokuma Shoten is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company's product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, man ...
in 1994 and 1995, written and illustrated by Saki Kaori.


Notes


References


External links


Official North American PlayStation 2 version websiteOfficial Japanese PlayStation 2 version website

Official Super Famicom version info page

Official WonderSwan version info page

Official Mobile Phone version website
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