Square Enix teases a remaster for a 25-year-old JRPG gem that experiments with branching storylines, open-world exploration, and watercolor design: "Please wait a little longer"

02.04.2024 - 13:19 / gamesradar.com / Iain Harris

It looks like another one of Square Enix's age-old JRPGs is being lined up for the remaster treatment, giving heaps of new RPG fans the chance to play Saga Frontier 2 who might not have had the opportunity - or, you know, might not have been alive - in 1999. 

Mobile spin-off Romancing Saga Re;universe has just kicked off a Saga Frontier 2 event to mark the beloved JRPG's 25th anniversary. That's cool, but a Saga Frontier 2 remaster would be even cooler, so Famitsu reached out to see if any plans were in the works. As Automaton reports, director Akitoshi Kawazu asks that you "please wait a little longer" and that you will not be let down after doing so. 

It's also worth mentioning that Saga Frontier 2 character designer Tomomi Kobayashi initially set tongues wagging last year when she mentioned that it "looked like" that the JRPG "would be (maybe?)" released this year in a comment blog comment that's since been deleted.

Well, color me intrigued. The Saga series has cultivated a loyal fan following over many years, and plenty of the appeal can be seen in Saga Frontier 2 itself. You've got the kind of turn-based battles that might you in mind of Final Fantasy, though here you'll find branching storylines designed to put player choice at the heart of the plot. There's also a great push toward open-world exploration, though what will immediately grab you before that is the lush watercolor art style with which everything is designed.

Square Enix gave the first Saga Frontier game the remaster treatment back in 2021, improving the graphics, adding features, and introducing a new main character to the cast. Reviews from critics have been solid, and those among fans on Steam are enough to earn a 'Very Positive' score from 451 entries at the time of writing. Still, if you enjoyed seeing the Final Fantasy developer's sci-fi take in Star Ocean The Second Story R, then Saga Frontier is another enjoyable romp that sees the studio tackle some other ideas.

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