Romancing SaGa 3

Romancing SaGa 3[lower-alpha 1] is the sixth title in the SaGa role-playing video game series developed and published by Square for the Super Famicom system in Japan. Originally released on the Super Famicom system in Japan on November 11, 1995, the game was released on the Virtual Console in Japan for Wii on September 21, 2010 and Wii U on February 26, 2014.

Romancing SaGa 3
Super Famicom cover art
Developer(s)Square
ArtePiazza (remaster)
Publisher(s)Square
Square Enix (remaster)
Designer(s)Akitoshi Kawazu
Artist(s)Tomomi Kobayashi (character design)
Composer(s)Kenji Ito
SeriesSaGa
Platform(s)Super Famicom, Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
ReleaseSuper Famicom
  • JP: November 11, 1995
Remaster
  • WW: November 11, 2019
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

A remaster for iOS, Android and PlayStation Vita was announced on March 28, 2017.[1] On April 11, 2017, Akitoshi Kawazu tweeted that they would be working on an English version of the game after releasing it in Japan.[2] The remaster of Romancing SaGa 3 was released worldwide on November 11, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Vita, iOS and Android with the game available in English for the very first time.

Gameplay

When the game begins the player chooses from eight characters to be the lead; additional characters can be found and recruited to the player's party throughout the game.[3] The gameplay is similar to other console RPGs of the era, but with several notable differences. For example, instead of 'level ups', character stats increase individually depending on their participation in a battle. Also, a character has a certain amount of 'LP', which decreases when the character's HP is reduced below zero or when they are hit while their HP remains at zero. If the LP of a character is zero, they are removed from the party, but they can be recruited again with the exception of the main character of the current game; if the main character reaches zero LP, it results in an automatic game over.

During battle, characters can learn ("spark") new techniques which often turn the battle in their favor; the same goes for gaining the ability to evade certain enemy attacks. There is also a Commander mode, which requires at least one character more than the lead character, with the lead character on the back lines and out of the battle. If players have less than a full party of six, they may use a smaller formations (i.e. using a four-person formation with a party of five so the main character can direct in Commander mode.) During Commander mode, techniques that involve multiple characters can be learned, depending on the formation.

When choosing to play as Mikhail, the player will start with a mini-war campaign, which continues as the game progresses. Some of these war campaigns must be won or the player loses the game. In these battles, the player controls a band of soldiers instead of individual characters. The player issues commands (forward, quick forward, rush, defend, retreat, morale up, etc.). The point of the battle is to advance to the other side of the map (the player starts on the right and must advance to the left).

Story

Plot

Every three hundred years, an eclipse known as the Morastrum occurs, and all newborn life in the world dies, but on rare occasions a child will instead survive and possess vast powers.[4] Sixteen years later, a group of adventurers search for the legacy of the two previous Morastrum survivors, known as the Archfiend and the Matriarch.[4]

Characters

When the game begins the player chooses from eight characters to be the lead.

Julian Nohl (ユリアン・ノール, Yurian Nōru)
A bright, green haired swordsman. Julian is portrayed by Fuminori Murase (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[5]
Thomas Bent (トーマス・ベント, Tōmasu Bento)
A merchant who will soon inherit his father's wealth. Thomas is portrayed by Ryouma Baba (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[6]
Mikhail Ausbach von Roanne (ミカエル・アウスバッハ・フォン・ロアーヌ, Mikaeru Ausubahha fon Roānu)
The arrogant but skilled and loyal marquis of Loanne. Mikhail is portrayed by Seijiro Nakamura (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[7]
Khalid (ハリード, harīdo) / El Nool (エル・ヌール, Eru Nūru)
A mercenary and a swordsman without parallel. His weapon of choice is a scimitar known as "Khamsin" (カムシーン, Kamushīn). Khalid is portrayed by Junji Shimizu (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[8]
Sarah Carson (サラ・カーソン, Sara Kāson)
A quiet, shy archer. Ellen's sister. She is also one of the two destined children. Sarah is portrayed by Risa Niigaki (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[9]
Ellen Carson (エレン・カーソン, Eren Kāson)
An aggressive, powerful axe wielder. Ellen is portrayed by Kasumi Hasegawa (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[10]
Monika Ausbach (モニカ・アウスバッハ, Monika Ausubahha)
Mikhail's sister, a regal and dedicated princess. Monica is portrayed by Hikaru Yamamoto (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[11]
Katarina Lauran (カタリナ・ラウラン, Katarina Rauran)
Voiced by: Aya Endo (Crystal of Re:Union)
Monika's bodyguard, who feels obliged to hunt and return the Masquerade, a relic of the Matriarch. Katharina is portrayed by Tōma Ozuki (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[12]

Other playable characters
Tatyana Rzhyev (タチアナ・ラザイエフ, Tachiana Razaiefu)
A runaway girl who loiters around various towns; goes under various food names, such as Candy or Bavarois.
Charl (シャール, Shāru)
A former knight who has lost the use of one of his hands. Charl is portrayed by Atsuhiro Satō (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[13]
Muse Claudia Claudius (ミューズ・クラウディア・クラウディウス, Myūzu Kuraudua Kuraudiusu)
A young woman who is the daughter of the late Claudius. Muse is portrayed by Shizuka Umemoto (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[14]
Nora (ノーラ, Nōra)
A woman who runs a workshop in Pidona, where some of the Matriarch's weaponry were forged.
Fullbright (フルブライト, Furuburaito)
A business man from Wilmington.
Minstrel (詩人, Shijin)
A man who strives to make new music and stories from the events that occurred. The minstrel is portrayed by Suguru Tanaka (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[15]
Tiberius (ティベリウス, Tiberiusu)
Leader of the Divine Church.
Undine (ウンディーネ, Undīne)
A water mage.
Boston (ボストン, Bosuton)
A Lobster from Limit Island.
Peony (ようせい, Yōsei, lit. "fairy")
One of the faeries from the jungle.
Leonid (レオニード, Reonīdo)
The vampire earl from Podorui.
Rukh (ぞう, Zō, lit. "elephant")
A human that was transformed by the Archfiend's curse, he watches over his brother who has fallen asleep after a tragedy occurred.
Bai Meininang (バイメイニャン, Bai Mei Nyan)
An elderly mage from Xuan City.
Robin (ロビン, Robin)
A self-proclaimed hero from Yarmouth. Robin is portrayed by Yūta Ogasawara (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[16]
Fat Robin (偽ロビン, Nise Robin)
A stand-in for Robin. Fat Robin is portrayed by Zendō Ware (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[17]
Paul (ポール, Pōru)
An adventurer turned thief.
Young boy (少年, Shōnen)
The second destined child. The young boy is portrayed by Yūki Kaon (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[18]
Flurry (ゆきだるま, Yukidaruma, lit. "snowman")
A walking, talking snowman. Flurry is portrayed by Toshiya Taniguchi (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[19]
Ward (ウォード, Wōdo)
Man from the north.
Yang Fan (ヤン・ファン, Yan Fan)
A general from the far east kingdom.
Herman (ハーマン, Hāman)
An elderly pirate.
Black (ブラック, Burakku)
A young pirate, transformed from Herman after battling Forneus. Black is portrayed by Yoshinobu Hirayama (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[20]
Zhi Ling (ツィー・リン, Tsī Rin)
A Mung girl who lives on the plains.

Supporting characters
Professor (教授, Kyōju)
A woman with intellect and beauty (or so she claims). She invents many things and lives in the forest near Zweig.
Duke Zweig (ツヴァイク公爵, Tsuvaiku Kōshaku)
Ruler of Zweig
Nina (ニーナ, Nīna)
Paul's girlfriend.
Johannes the astronomer (ヨハンネス, Yohannesu)
An astronomer studying the stars and their connection to the Abyss.
Anna (アンナ, Anna)
Johannes's sister.
Fatima (ファティーマ, Fatīma)
Princess of Naj Kingdom. Fatima is portrayed by Haru Kasamatsu (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[21]
Captain (キャプテン, Kyaputen)
Mayor of Vanguard.
Gwayne (グゥエイン, Gūein)
Child of Dora (ドーラ, Dōra); dragon that helped the Matriarch battle Buné.
Ken (ケーン, Kēn)
Helps Nora run the workshop in Pidona.
Volcano (ボルカノ, Borukano)
Fire mage that lives in the same town as Undine; quarrels with her over something hidden in the town's well.

Sinistrals

The main villains of the game are the Sinistrals. In truth, the Abyss gates are far too small to allow them entry into the world, so they send clones to capture the destined child to open the gate fully. Each of the Sinistrals governs an element. They are each named after one of the 72 demons of the Ars Goetia: Alloces, Bune, Avnas, and Forneus.

Alloces (アラケス, Arakesu)
Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (Lord of Vermilion III, Lord of Vermilion Arena)
Earth Sinistral.
Buné (ビューネイ, Byūnei)
Voiced by: Ruriko Aoki (Lord of Vermilion III, Lord of Vermilion Arena)
Wind Sinistral. Buné is portrayed by Moemi Katayama (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[22]
Aunas (アウナス, Aunasu)
Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (Lord of Vermilion III, Lord of Vermilion Arena)
Fire Sinistrals.
Forneus (フォルネウス, Foruneusu)
Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (Lord of Vermilion III, Lord of Vermilion Arena)
Water Sinistrals.

Minor villains
Godwin (ゴドウィン, Godowin)
Former servant of Mikhail that plans a coup d'état to overthrow Mikhail and dominate Loanne.
Maximus (マクシムス, Makushimusu) / Jackal (ジャッカル, Jakkaru)
Leader of the Pidona division of the Divine Church, plans to use the Matriarch's relics to dominate the world. Maximus is portrayed by Masaru Mori (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[23]
Dophore (ドフォーレ, Dofōre)
Leader of a major trading organization, handles many illegal goods.
Great Thief (大野盗, Daiyatō)
Leader of the Highwaymen blocking trade routes.

Others
The Archfiend (魔王, Maō)
Aurelius (アウレリウス, Aureriusu)
The Matriarch (聖王, Seiō).
Ferdinand (フェルディナント, Ferudinanto)
The first marquess of Loanne.
Hilda (ヒルダ, Hiruda)
Ferdinand's wife.
Franz Ausbach von Roanne (フランツ・アウスバッハ・フォン・ロアーヌ, Furantsu Ausubahha fon Roānu)
Mikhail's father.
Clemens (クレメンス, Kuremensu)
Muse's father.
Ludwig (ルートヴィッヒ, Rūtovihhi)
Ruler of Pidona. Ludwig is portrayed by Shinichi Wagō (Romancing SaGa The Stage).[24]
Al Awadh (アル・アワド, Aru Awado)
The first king of Naj.
Yang Yuchung (ヤン・ユーチュン, Yan Yūchun)
General of Huang city.
Mikado (ミカド, Mikado)
Ruler of the East.
Zhao Gao (ツァオ・ガオ, Tsao Gao)
Prime Minister of Huang city.
Oblivion (破壊するもの, Hakai surumono)
The Final boss.

Development

As the game was originally developed for the Super Nintendo, all the art was made in 8x8 cells, and the full game was 4mb in size.[25] Many of the games original assets were lost, so much had to be recreated, including the games minigames and battle sequences, and had to compare what they had created to the original many times to ensure they had recreated successfully.[25] Illustrator Tomomi Kobayashi's favorite character to design were Leonid and Mikhail, and the style she went for was one of elegance, trying to achieve a "classic, cool" look for her characters.[26] SaGa series director Akitoshi Kawazu stated that starting with Romancing SaGa 3, he learned to love the side quests characters could go on and the freedom it afforded players to explore the game world as they wished.[27] Despite the popularity of RPG’s in English-speaking countries, the eight characters, their interweaving stories and the massive amount of text made the game cost prohibitive to localize for western countries.[27]

Remake

Discussions of doing a remaster of the game began even before the remaster of ‘’Romancing SaGa 2’’ was discussed in 2016.[28] They also discussed remastering the original SaGa game, but decided to work in ‘’Romancing Saga 3’’ because it was not available in all regions.[28] There was also growing concern that game resources from the Super Nintendo era of games would become unusable and degrade.[28] Game director Akitoshi Kawazu stated that he would prefer people quit the game because it was too much of a challenge, rather than quit because it was too easy, and that he enjoys very difficult game settings.[28] The remaster in 2019 featured updated graphics, new storylines, a new dungeon called “Phantom Maze”, and a new game + mode.[28][29] Gameplay has been altered in several ways, including multiple game save slots, and the ability to access New Game + even if you haven’t yet finished the game.[28] Players are also able to turn off the new features if they chose.[28]

Reception
Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
MetacriticNS: 73/100[30]
PS4: 76/100[31]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Famitsu34/40[32]
TouchArcade[33]

Hardcore Gaming 101 praised the original title for being able to recruit many unique characters, unlike previous SaGa games where the characters were more generic, and praised the soundtrack as “excellent”.[34]

Touch Arcade reviewed the worldwide re-release of the game, praising its character development system, though cautioning that the game has a high degree of difficulty.[33] Hard Core Gamer described the games open world as being innovative in 1995, but without a clear sense of where to go or what to do on occasion leading to the aforementioned difficulty.[35] Siliconera described the game as a classic “read the manual game”, even from the beginning players must make choices of weapons and characters without much context.[36]

Nintendo World Report also cited the revamped graphics, comparing them to ‘’Final Fantasy VI’’, but noted that the game did require a lot of “grinding”.[37] RPGamer noted that players can become so focused on side quests that they must actively steer their characters toward the end of the game.[38] They also noted that the side quests are too brief and “underdeveloped”.[38]

Romancing SaGa 3 has sold at least 1.3 million copies.[39] The PC remake version was among the best-selling new releases of the month on Steam.[40][lower-alpha 2]

Notes
  1. Japanese: Romanshingu Sa Ga Surī (Japanese: ロマンシング サ・ガ3)
  2. Based on total revenue for the first two weeks on sale.[41]

References
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  3. "Future Fantasies". GamePro. No. 87. IDG. December 1995. p. 136.
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