Romancing SaGa 2

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. DarkStation
    Jan 23, 2018
    70
    If you're looking for a quirky old-school RPG, Romancing SaGa 2 is right up your alley. There's perhaps a reason it never got a release in the west until now; it's far from being a player-friendly. Many of the quirks that make Romancing SaGa 2 so special are things that many modern players aren't most likely to enjoy, so you must be sure what you're signing up for before you lead the Kingdom of Avalon to the glory.
  2. Hardcore Gamer
    Jan 2, 2018
    70
    Romancing SaGa II is not without its issues, but it’s an entertaining title overall. Fans of the SaGa series should check it out just for the historical aspect of it, provided they have tempered expectations for what they will get from the experience. Romancing SaGa II has the look and basic gameplay elements of traditional JRPGs, but deviates from the standard formula with nonlinear story progression, an heir system where multiple generations continue the quest and a nontraditional character growth system. These ideas make for an interesting experience, but the game’s age shows the limitations of the execution of these ideas. Porting this title from mobile without any new updates to optimize the console experience wasn’t ideal, which shows in the text bubble interface that dominates the battle screen and in the poor controls. Anyone willing to overlook those flaws, however, can have a lot of fun with this one.
  3. Vandal
    Dec 29, 2017
    70
    Romancing SaGa 2 isn't Square's best RPG, but it's unique and different. This version adds new content and enhanced visuals, so it's probably the best way to experience this classic.
  5. RPG Site
    Dec 20, 2017
    70
    If you can manage the noticeable gameplay design flaws and the eyesore that is the user interface, Romancing SaGa 2 is still an excellent experience culminating in a highly eccentric entry for the series. Thanks to its sheer density of content, I would still recommend giving this one a try, regardless of the platform you go with.
  6. IGN Spain
    Dec 20, 2017
    65
    The Romancing SaGa 2's comeback is a nice thing for the RPG lovers, the nostalgics and the newcomers. But the absence of new features, improved graphics, sounds or effects make it feels exactly like the mobile phone version.
  7. Cubed3
    Jan 8, 2018
    60
    This review is of the PlayStation 4 version of Romancing SaGa 2, and this is something of a negative in the grand scheme. This new remaster is hitting almost every possible platform and this may not be the best option. While the upgraded graphics look a great deal better, they really don't require an HD TV and it feels like this would fit better on Nintendo Switch or Vita. Despite that, there is a great and original experience here, one that hardcore old school RPG fans may have completely missed out on. It may not be for everyone but this is a perfect opportunity to try a classic and unique Japanese experience.
  8. Push Square
    Jan 7, 2018
    60
    In its systems and its storytelling, Romancing SaGa 2 is still a unique RPG -- one that genre enthusiasts may want to experience for its unorthodox methods alone. For all of its strange intricacies, though, this is a flawed fantasy adventure, hindered by potentially significant balancing issues and a horrible looking user interface. As a curiosity, Romancing SaGa 2 is worth looking into, but a lot more could have been done to bring the overall package up to speed.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 12
  3. Negative: 2 out of 12
  1. SaviorGaming
    Dec 24, 2017
    7
    Romancing Saga 2 lets you play through multiple lines of a royal family as you fight evil forces. The concept sounds better than it actuallyRomancing Saga 2 lets you play through multiple lines of a royal family as you fight evil forces. The concept sounds better than it actually is as it really feels more like having to start the game over again many times. The story is fun and watching your kingdom grow is fun tho.Some fans of JRPGs will enjoy this but most people will want to avoid this one.… Full Review »
  2. endium
    Dec 23, 2017
    5
    I played Romancing Saga 3 a long time ago and loved how unique it was, so I jumped to support and play Romancing Saga 2 when it was releasedI played Romancing Saga 3 a long time ago and loved how unique it was, so I jumped to support and play Romancing Saga 2 when it was released this year (vita version specifically).

    I love how unique some of the concepts are and am surprised I haven't seen other games emulate more of them. Overall I think this is a very good game, considering when it was made.

    Unfortunately there are some inexcusable flaws with the port of this game that should have been addressed. I won't list them all here but they include not getting any information on basically how this game works and how to play. There's no info on what stats do or how skills are learned. I don't mind to a certain extent but some basic info is required.

    Next, the UI seems very much geared towards mobile to a detrimental effect. There's just not much information in the menus.

    For example, you can only see the description for an item from the inventory menu, not on the equipment menu. You can't see something in the inventory menu while it's equipped. And some items are unequipable.

    I love how you go through generations and get new characters, but towards the end of the game it can take nearly an hour to set up a new party. You can remove and add skills, but only one skill at a time even though you probably want a bunch for a certain weapon type. You can teach multiple magics, but only one at a time even though you probably want all spells for that element. The interface for doing all of this is very inefficient. You can add a bunch of different character classes but for some of them you have to trek through dungeons just to get them each time. There are multiple small issues like this that add up to a bad modern experience.

    Finally, I like that the enemies scale to your level, but they could have updated the balancing a bit for this release. You will randomly face enemies that seem tens of levels above the other enemies in the area, and before you know it the whole party is wiped dead. This wouldn't be so bad if the sprite wasn't the same as all of the others and if you didn't have to wait for them to act to see how strong they are.

    I wouldn't blame Square that much if they released at a price that reflects they level of improvements they made to the earlier ports, however for these flaws to still exist I can only recommended getting this game if you see it on sale. It's not really worth more than $9.99 at best.    … Full Review »
  3. LastResource
    Jan 14, 2023
    10
    worth it and glad to play this game again. so much memories and nostalgia within this spin off game in the series.
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