Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Interview With Game Producer Shinichi Tatsuke and Steam Deck Hands-On Preview

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, mistaking it for a typical JRPG. Now, I'm a huge SaGa fan (as evidenced by the photo below!), so I was thrilled to see *Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven*, a complete remake, announced for Switch, PC, and PlayStation.

For this dual feature, 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): Having remade the beloved Trials of Mana, and now Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, another classic, how does it feel?

Shinichi Tatsuke (ST): Both Trials of Mana and the SaGa series predate the Square Enix merger, originating from Squaresoft's era. They're legendary Square titles, and remaking them is an incredible honor. Both games were released nearly 30 years ago, offering significant room for improvement. It was a rewarding experience. Romancing SaGa 2 is unique, with systems that remain innovative even today. Its uniqueness made it a compelling title to remake, even after 30 years, ensuring its appeal to modern players.

TA: The original Romancing SaGa 2 was notoriously challenging (I got a game over in the first 10 minutes!). The remake offers multiple difficulty settings. How did you balance staying true to the original while enhancing accessibility? This might be many players' first SaGa experience.

ST: The SaGa series' difficulty is well-known, with dedicated fans worldwide. Some believe the difficulty is integral to the SaGa experience. Others find it a significant barrier to entry, preventing them from trying the series. Many know about SaGa but haven't played due to perceived difficulty.

We aimed to satisfy both groups: veterans and newcomers. Our solution was a new difficulty system: normal and casual modes. Normal caters to standard RPG players, while casual allows players to focus on the story. Our development team included core SaGa fans, making this a collective decision. It's like adding honey to spicy curry—the original *Romancing SaGa 2* is the spicy curry, and casual mode is the honey, making it more accessible.

TA: How did you balance delivering the original experience for veterans while adding quality-of-life improvements? How did you choose which features to modernize while maintaining the challenge for long-time fans?

ST: The SaGa series isn't just about difficulty; it's about understanding the game. The original lacked visible information, such as enemy weaknesses and defenses. This wasn't necessarily difficult, but unfair. For the remake, we made it fair and enjoyable by displaying weaknesses. We adjusted areas that were overly difficult in the original to create a fairer and more enjoyable experience for modern audiences.

TA: Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven runs exceptionally well on my Steam Deck. Considering Trials of Mana's releases on various platforms (PlayStation 4, Switch, mobile), has the team optimized specifically for Steam Deck?

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

TA: Can you comment on the development time for Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven?

ST: I can't provide 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 Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven?

ST: Trials of Mana taught us what players want in a remake. For example, regarding soundtracks, players generally prefer arrangements faithful to the originals, while leveraging modern technology to improve quality. We also learned that players appreciate the option to choose between original and rearranged tracks, a feature we included in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven. The graphics also differed; Mana's characters are shorter and more adorable, while SaGa's are taller and more serious. We used lighting effects for shadows in SaGa, unlike the texture-based shadows in Mana. We utilized many lessons from Trials of Mana, but also innovated in new areas.

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

TA: Trials of Mana eventually came to mobile. Are there plans to bring Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven to mobile or Xbox?

ST: We have no current plans for those platforms.

TA: Finally, how do you like your coffee?

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 Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven demo filled me with excitement and apprehension. The trailer looked amazing, but I worried about the Steam Deck experience. Thankfully, it's fantastic! The few hours I spent with the demo made me reconsider getting it on PS5 or Switch. It's that good.

The game looks and sounds superb on the Steam Deck. The remake gradually introduces battle mechanics, stats, etc. For veterans, there are quality-of-life improvements, improved combat flow, and new audio options. For newcomers, it's a great introduction to the SaGa series. The visuals enhance accessibility, but it remains true to the original *Romancing SaGa 2*. Even on the original difficulty, it's challenging.

The visuals are better than expected. I loved *Trials of Mana*'s remake, but *Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven* might surpass it (though my preference for the original game might influence that). The PC port is excellent on the Steam Deck. Audio and language options include the original or remake soundtrack, English or Japanese audio, and various graphics settings. The PC port allows adjustments to screen mode, resolution (720p supported on Steam Deck), frame rate (30 to unlimited), v-sync, dynamic resolution, graphics presets, anti-aliasing, texture filtering, shadow quality, and 3D model rendering resolution. I achieved a near-locked 90fps at 720p on my Steam Deck OLED with mostly high settings.

I used English audio for my first playthrough but might try Japanese later. The voice acting is good. A lot of effort went into modernizing the game while retaining its SaGa essence. I eagerly anticipate the full game and its console versions. *Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven* is a must-have for RPG fans. I hope this encourages others to explore the SaGa series. Square Enix, please give us *SaGa Frontier 2* next!

*Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven* launches October 24th for Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PS4 worldwide. A free demo is available on all platforms.

(Further mentions of other interviews are omitted for brevity as requested.)