Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Interview With Game Producer Shinichi Tatsuke and Steam Deck Hands-On Preview

Many longtime fans discovered the SaGa series through past console releases. For me, Romancing SaGa 2 on iOS was my introduction almost a decade ago. I initially struggled, mistaking it for a typical JRPG. Now, I'm a devoted SaGa enthusiast (as evidenced by the photo below), so I was thrilled to see Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, a complete remake, announced for Switch, PC, and PlayStation.

For this dual review, I played the Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Steam Deck demo and interviewed producer Shinichi Tatsuke (behind Trials of Mana's remake). We discussed the game, lessons learned from Trials of Mana, accessibility, potential Xbox and mobile ports, coffee, and more. This interview, conducted via video call, has been transcribed and edited for brevity.

TouchArcade (TA): What's it like remaking beloved games like Trials of Mana and now Romancing SaGa 2?

Shinichi Tatsuke (ST): Both Trials of Mana and the SaGa series predate the Square Enix merger—they're legendary Squaresoft titles. Remaking them is an incredible honor. Both games, originally released nearly 30 years ago, offered significant improvement opportunities. Romancing SaGa 2 is uniquely designed, with systems that remain innovative today. Its unique nature made it a compelling remake candidate, even after 30 years.

TA: The original Romancing SaGa 2 was notoriously difficult (I got a game over in the first ten minutes!). The remake offers multiple difficulty settings. How did you balance faithfulness to the original with accessibility, especially for newcomers encountering SaGa for the first time with modern visuals?

ST: The SaGa series' difficulty is well-known, attracting hardcore fans worldwide. However, many potential players are deterred by its perceived difficulty. They know about SaGa but haven't played it. We aimed to please both veteran and new players by introducing difficulty options: Normal and Casual. Normal caters to standard RPG fans, while Casual focuses on narrative enjoyment. Our team included core SaGa fans, making this a collective decision. Think of it like adding honey to spicy curry—the original game is the spicy curry, and Casual mode is the honey, making it more approachable.

ST (cont.): SaGa isn't just about difficulty; it's about understanding the game's mechanics. The original lacked visible enemy weaknesses and other stats, forcing players to figure things out themselves. We felt that was unfair. The remake displays weaknesses and other stats, making it fairer and more enjoyable. We've also adjusted other overly difficult aspects to improve the experience for modern players.

TA: The Steam Deck version runs impressively well. Considering your work on Trials of Mana across multiple platforms, was the game optimized specifically for the Steam Deck?

Editor’s Note: This was asked before the game received an official Valve Steam Deck rating.

ST: Yes, the full release will be compatible and playable on the Steam Deck, as you've already experienced in the demo.

TA: How long was the development of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven?

ST: I can't give specifics, but main development began towards the end of 2021.

TA: What did you learn from Trials of Mana that informed the Romancing SaGa 2 remake?

ST: Trials of Mana taught us what players want in remakes. For example, regarding soundtracks, players prefer arrangements close to the originals. While we improved quality using modern technology, we maintained the original feel. We also learned that players appreciate the choice between original and rearranged tracks, a feature we included in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven.

We also made new choices. Mana characters are shorter and more adorable, while SaGa characters are taller and more serious. We used lighting effects for shadows in SaGa, unlike the texture-based shadows in Mana, to maintain realism. We used past experience, but also developed new approaches for this remake.

I thanked Tatsuke and the team for the English "Romancing SaGa 2 Primer" video.

TA: Trials of Mana reached mobile. Are there plans for Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven on mobile or Xbox?

ST: No current plans for those platforms.

TA: Finally, what's your coffee preference?

ST: I don't drink coffee; I dislike bitter drinks, including beer.

Thanks to Shinichi Tatsuke, Jordan Aslett, Sara Green, and Rachel Mascetti.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Steam Deck Impressions

Receiving a Steam key for the demo filled me with excitement and apprehension. The trailer looked fantastic, but I worried about Steam Deck compatibility. Thankfully, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is excellent on the Steam Deck OLED, surpassing my expectations and making me reconsider PS5 or Switch versions.

The game looks and sounds superb. The remake gradually introduces battle, stats, etc. Quality-of-life improvements, enhanced combat flow, and new audio options are welcome additions for veterans. For newcomers, it's a great introduction to the SaGa series. The visuals enhance accessibility, but it's still classic Romancing SaGa 2 with modern enhancements. The "original" difficulty setting remains challenging.

The visuals are better than expected. I enjoyed Trials of Mana's remake, but this might be superior (though my preference for the original game may influence this). The Steam Deck PC port impressed me. Audio and language options include original and new soundtracks, English and Japanese audio, and various graphics settings.

The PC port offers extensive customization: windowed/borderless/fullscreen modes, resolutions (including 720p on Steam Deck), frame rate (30-unlimited), v-sync, dynamic resolution, graphics presets, anti-aliasing, texture filtering, shadow quality, and 3D model rendering resolution. I maxed out most settings, keeping shadows on medium, achieving a near-locked 90fps at 720p on my Steam Deck OLED.

I used English audio initially, finding the voice acting good, but will likely try Japanese later. The remake successfully balances modernization with the core SaGa experience.

I eagerly anticipate the full game and the console demo. Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is a must-have for RPG fans. I hope this sparks interest in other SaGa titles; Square Enix, please give us SaGa Frontier 2 next!

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven launches October 24th on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PS4. A demo is available on all platforms.