The SaGa series doesn’t have the same legacy here as it does in Japan. Even though the first batch of SaGa games were localized they were branded as “Final Fantasy Legend” titles to capitalize on the success of Final Fantasy. Looking back it seems silly, but at the time that name change was a smart move by Squaresoft. Back then RPGs were niche. Gamers dabbling in RPGs may have been wary about buying a game in an unknown series with mutant, robot, and monster heroes carrying guns and breakable glass swords. However, these Game Boy SaGa games weren’t unknown, they were “Final Fantasy” games.
Our first proper introduction to the SaGa series was from SaGa Frontier. Afterwards the SaGa brand deteriorated with frustrating entries like Unlimited SaGa. We missed out on the good old games like Romancing SaGa which at least partially explains the wave of indifference or “why remake this?” questions regarding the SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu.
So, eat the meat, take a refresher course, and revisit the entire SaGa series.
Images courtesy of Square Enix.
