SaGa Frontier Remastered

SaGa Frontier Remastered is a nostalgic trip back to the 90s that encapsulates the best and worst of retro JRPG design. There’s a ton of fun to be had here, but don’t be afraid to pull up a walkthrough if you’re stuck–and it is very easy to get stuck.

SaGa Frontier is as perplexing today as it was when it was released in 1998. No part of this game is welcoming. In no way does it try to help you figure it out. In fact, more often than not, it seems to actively try to get you killed by offering you opportunities you really just should not take on. Nonetheless, you'll be hard-pressed to find many RPGs that are so enthralling from a combat and mechanical perspective, that suck you in with a myriad of questions about more than just story, and ultimately compel you to do it again and again.

I enjoyed Saga Frontier Remastered, and it's unarguably the best version of the game, but you need to have some patience and a genuine fondness for PS1-era experimentation that fails as often as it succeeds. Saga Frontier is fun and interesting when it isn't being tedious or bewildering. Fans will probably be quite happy with the new version of the game, and it's the most accessible version of the game for newcomers. Don't be surprised if you pick it up and end up lost, confused, and wondering why the heck Lute got his own scenario.

The SaGa series is not for every RPGamer. Over 23 years after its initial release, the original game can be unwieldy and has not aged particularly well. With SaGa Frontier Remastered, Square Enix has demonstrated a skilled grasp at modernizing a gaming experience while preserving the foundation and integrity of the original. The improvements to graphics, gameplay, and story arguably make SaGa Frontier Remastered the most accessible entry-point for series newcomers while offering plenty to entice returning SaGa Frontier fans as well.

It essentially feels like Square Enix set a new standard with the SaGa Frontier remaster. It made up for lost time. SaGa series mechanics, with entries’ multiple storylines, battle systems that reward performing certain actions, and non-linear nature, were always ahead of their time. Back in the day, SaGa Frontier was among those that didn’t get its proper due. Now that the line as a whole is experiencing a renaissance, SaGa Frontier Remastered feels like something of a crown jewel.

When SaGa Frontier was first released in 1997, it was not magnificent, but it was memorable for its interesting attempts to do many things differently than the time-honored jRPG tradition demanded. When I played the remaster, I was pleasantly surprised how well the game stood the test of time. I wouldn’t call it an essential title every jRPG fan must play, but it is charmingly unpretentious and I enjoyed my time with it. [07/2021, p.42]

SaGa Frontier Remastered is a classic RPG with good stories, a combat system with many possibilities and a great soundtrack that may be a bit rough for the newest players but will delight the most veteran.

A game reserved for experienced players who are looking for an original experience coming out of the linear codes of the J-RPG and who are not allergic to the logic of the games of the PS1 era.

As far as remasters go, SaGa Frontier is an automatic recommendation for anyone who appreciated the original, as Square’s work on this new edition adds some quality-of-life improvements and upgraded graphics. Unfortunately, it’s a different story for newcomers expecting a more traditional sort of JRPG. Even so, Square’s original vision still stands apart from other RPGs of the time and this quality remains true in this remaster — for better or worse, the player will be experiencing a unique experience.

SaGa Frontier Remastered is often too obtuse for its own good, but behind it all is a unique and captivating RPG that benefits greatly from quality-of-life improvements and restored content cut from its original release.

SaGa Frontier Remastered is almost an impossible game for me to recommend to anyone with the expectation that it'll click. I can tell you it's a very unorthodox RPG, compelling in its unconventionality, and a delight to figure out. There's not much else like it at all, and it's even somewhat of an oddball within its own series. SaGa offers a certain flavor of RPG not seen often elsewhere, and maybe it's one you'll like, though it's a bit of an acquired taste.

SaGa Frontier Remastered is not a game for everyone. I wasn’t able to notice any of the new content in this initial playthrough, but I’m excited to play more and uncover all of the secrets. SaGa Frontier has always been known as being unfinished, but all of the restored content (which can be toggled off at the beginning of the playthrough for those wanting an original experience) and amazing quality of life improvements makes this the definitive version of this game. This is now the new bar for Square Enix remasters, one I hope they continue to meet.

SaGa Frontier Remastered is the definitive version of the cult classic, but like all cult classics, there are aspects that prevent it from achieving greater success to a wider audience. Those who enjoyed the original SaGa Frontier and were looking forward to this remaster should go out and buy it because the new content makes it worthwhile. For everyone else, however, some of the ambitious ideas in the title sounded intriguing in the abstract, but didn’t quite come to fruition during the execution. The Free Scenario concept is interesting, but ultimately SaGa Frontier suffers from lack of cohesion. The relatively short scenario campaigns by RPG standards do make playing through each character’s scenario more accessible, but with the exception of diehard SaGa fans, most players will want to move on after completing a few characters.

Compared to modern day videogames this acts as more of a museum piece, exemplifying when game quality was based on hours of content and less on quality. A time when players would spend hundreds of hours exploring every nook and cranny with little motivation other than “to see what happens.” The lack of direction, confusing combat system and sheer difficulty made me take the rose colored glasses off to a much harsher game. One that refuses to let you play any other way besides the rules set originally in 1989. The story is intriguing with twists and turns throughout. The animation is still top notch and famed composer Kenji Ito’s scores are still awe inspiring but it’s tough to see whether that is enough to want to fully revisit it. It hits different by today’s standards. With Saga Frontier, the developers were asking more if they could, and never asking if they should.

SaGa Frontier Remastered sees Square Enix's cult classic JRPG looking and playing better than ever, with a lovely HD lick of paint and lots of restored content and quality of life improvements providing hardcore fans with an experience they'll doubtless enjoy. However, this is still a game that's aged quite poorly in many respects; an idiosyncratic, eccentric and infuriating experience that refuses to guide you or help you in any way, and one that, in the end, is quite hard to recommend to anyone who isn't already a fan.

Enhanced remaster of a roleplaying classic that is visibly aged technically as well as mechanically.