Romancing SaGa 2: Producer Interview & Steam Deck Review

Many longtime gamers discovered the SaGa series through its numerous releases on past consoles. For me, *Romancing SaGa 2* on iOS was my introduction almost a decade ago. I initially struggled, approaching it like a typical JRPG. Now, I'm a huge SaGa fan (as the photo below shows!), so I was thrilled to see *Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven*, a complete remake of *Romancing SaGa 2*, announced for Switch, PC, and PlayStation.

For this review, I played the *Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven* Steam Deck demo and interviewed its producer, Shinichi Tatsuke (also 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: Revenge of the Seven?

Shinichi Tatsuke (ST): Both Trials of Mana and the SaGa series predate the Square Enix merger—they're legendary Squaresoft titles. It's an honor to remake them, especially considering they're nearly 30 years old. The remakes offered a chance for significant improvement. Romancing SaGa 2, with its unique systems, remains unique even today, making it a great candidate for a remake.

TA: The original Romancing SaGa 2 was notoriously challenging. I think I got a game over in the first ten minutes! The remake offers multiple difficulty options. How did you balance staying true to the original while improving accessibility? Many will likely experience SaGa for the first time with this remake’s modern graphics.

ST: The SaGa series' difficulty is well-known, and many hardcore fans appreciate it. However, this difficulty can be a barrier to entry. Many know the series but haven't played it because it seems too hard.

We aimed to please both veteran and new players. The solution was a new difficulty system: Normal and Casual modes. Normal caters to standard RPG players, while Casual lets players focus on the story. Our team includes core SaGa fans, so this decision was a collective effort. It’s like adding honey to spicy curry—the original is very spicy (difficult), so Casual mode adds that ease.

TA: How did you balance the original experience for veterans with quality-of-life improvements? How did you decide which features to modernize while maintaining the challenge?

ST: The SaGa series isn't just about difficulty; it's also about how understandable it is. The original lacked visible information, like enemy weaknesses and defenses. This wasn't necessarily difficult, but unfair. For the remake, we made it fair and enjoyable by displaying weaknesses and making other adjustments to previously overly difficult areas.

TA: Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven runs exceptionally well on my Steam Deck. Considering Trials of Mana also saw mobile and console releases, has the team optimized specifically for the Steam Deck?

ST: Yes, the full release will be compatible and playable on Steam Deck.

TA: How long was development for 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 the Trials of Mana remake that you applied to this one?

ST: Trials of Mana taught us player preferences. For example, players prefer soundtracks faithful to the originals, but with improved quality thanks to modern technology. We added the option to switch between original and rearranged tracks, a feature well-received in Trials of Mana.

We also learned about visual differences. *Mana* characters are shorter and more adorable, while SaGa characters are taller and the aesthetic is more serious. We used lighting effects for shadows in SaGa, unlike the texture-based shadows in *Mana*. We used many lessons from *Trials of Mana*, but also innovated in new areas.

(At this point, I thanked him and the team for the "Romancing SaGa 2 Primer" video.)

TA: Trials of Mana eventually came to 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. I don't drink beer either.

(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 was exciting but also slightly worrying. The trailer looked great, but I wasn't sure about Steam Deck compatibility. Thankfully, it's excellent! The few hours I spent with the demo made me reconsider getting it on PS5 or Switch. It's that good on the Steam Deck.

Visually and aurally, it's superb on the Steam Deck. The remake gradually introduces the basics. For returning players, there are quality-of-life improvements, and newcomers will find it a great entry point. The visuals enhance accessibility, but it retains the core *Romancing SaGa 2* experience. Even on the hardest difficulty, it's still challenging.

The visuals exceeded expectations. While I loved *Trials of Mana*'s remake, *Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven* might be better (though that’s subjective). The Steam Deck port is also surprisingly good. The game offers many audio and visual options: screen modes, resolutions, frame rate, v-sync, dynamic resolution, graphics presets, anti-aliasing, texture filtering, shadow quality, and 3D model resolution. I maxed most settings and still got near 90fps at 720p.

I used English audio initially, and the voice acting is good. I might switch to Japanese later. The game successfully blends a modern feel with classic SaGa elements.

I’m eager to play the full game and try the console demo. *Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven* is a must-have for RPG fans. I hope this introduces more people to the SaGa series. 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 free demo is available on all platforms. Check it out!

(Further interview mentions omitted for brevity.)