The resurgence of the SaGa is continuing beyond the newly-released SaGa Frontier Remastered, as Square Enix has confirmed that more SaGa remasters are on the way. The SaGa series has an odd history, especially outside of Japan, where the first three games were localized as Final Fantasy titles.
The first three SaGa games were released on the Game Boy as the Final Fantasy Legend trilogy outside of Japan. They were followed by the three Romancing Saga games, which were Japan-exclusive RPGs for the SNES. The next games in the series were the Saga Frontier titles for the original PlayStation, and these were released outside of Japan. These were followed by Unlimited SaGa, a remake of the first game called Minstrel's Song, Emperors SaGa, Imperial SaGa, and SaGa: Scarlet Grace. The series has had a surge of popularity in Japan, thanks to the success of the Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe mobile game, leading to many of the older titles being remastered for modern systems. The most recent of these is SaGa Frontier Remastered, which is now available on most modern platforms.
Square Enix held a livestream to celebrate the launch of SaGa Frontier Remastered. According to Famitsu, SaGa series creator Akitoshi Kawazu confirmed that more remasters were on the way, along with a new game in the series. Kawazu specifically named the original Romancing SaGa, SaGa Frontier 2, and Unlimited SaGa as games that will be remastered, although he didn't give any time frame for their release, nor did he mention any platforms that they would be released on.
The original Romancing SaGa has already been remade on the PS2, but it seems like it's the Super Famicom version that is being remastered. Romancing SaGa follows the story of eight different characters as they try to stop the evil god Saruin from being released from imprisonment. Romancing SaGa 2 and Romancing SaGa 3 have already been remastered for modern systems. SaGa Frontier 2 is one of the most traditional JRPGs in the series, as it follows two different characters in a medieval setting. The most memorable aspect of SaGa Frontier 2 was its beautiful watercolor artwork, which was created long before Bravely Default used the same style. Unlimited SaGa is one of the least popular entries in the series, due to its poorly explained gameplay style, which was heavily experimental for the time.
It's nice to see Square Enix remastering its old catalog, especially when it involves bringing Japan-exclusive games to the West for the first time. There are rumors that games like Live A Live are being remastered as well, which means that it's a great time to be an old-school Square Enix fan.
Saga Frontier Remastered is available now on Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Steam.
Source: Famitsu