We've seen a lot of past-generation games return in 2020, and now to add to the already long list, Square Enix has announced it'll be releasing a remaster of its 1998 PlayStation JRPG, SaGa Frontier.
Square Enix says SaGa Frontier Remastered will feature updated "graphics, events, cutscenes, enhancements" and even a brand new protagonist. It's launching on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms next Summer.
Above is the official announcement trailer, and below is some additional information about what to expect:
The team of eight have returned – now with Fuse added as a playable character!
Choose your favorite character and embark on your own unique journey.Each of the eight characters have different goals and endings. Your choices will affect how events unfold using the Free-Form Scenario System. This in-depth system will allow you to manipulate and expand a story all your own.
Challenge yourself in nail-biting battles by using “glimmer” as well as learning new skills such as the ability to fire consecutive special attacks from multiple team members
With beautiful graphics, as well as the addition of new events and features, SaGa Frontier Remastered is an experience not to be missed!
*Note that this game features English and Japanese text ONLY.
Is this the remaster you've been waiting for? Did you play the original release? Let us know in the comments.
Comments 89
Yatta !! So many awesome games in 2021 on switch
The best platform <3 <3
Honestly never heard of it, but I'll wait and see.
Square Enix remasters are usually really good or really bad.
Oh
my
God!
Awesome news ^^
Why do they keep remastering their crap games that no-one asks for, when Final Fantasy 1-6 are still not on the Switch?
FF6 remade with Octopath Traveller style graphics would sell like 5 million copies easily.
Thank you Switch, we love you.
I read about this one on The Cutting Room Floor. It was noted for uneven difficulty, and for being quite unfinished (a lot of unused content, including content related to that Fuse campaign). At the very least, it looks like the latter is being addressed.
Don’t we need a version of Romancing Saga 1 first?
I've played through the majority of the second game (SaGa Frontier 2), but never tried the original. Was even considering playing the original not so long ago, but now I'll definitely play this one next year.
Hope they continue with this remaster trend of the classics from the 90's/early 2000's!
@Dezzy FF6 has already received a remake on smartphones (which wasnt very loved to say the least).
I'd LOVE a remake of FF6 (and other 2D FF games) with a style like that, but doubt SE will do another remake when they have other less known classics like SaGa Frontier that has never been touched since its original release. And seeing how "mixed" the FF6 remake was, I think that is one of the reasons why that version of FF6 (and FF5 too) was not ported to the switch.
I loved the FF4 2D remake on the PSP and hope they would port a HD enhanced version of it on the switch and maybe FFT WotL aswell.
Yyyeeeeeaaaahhhhhh!! Good call square. Brave Fencer Musashi next plz
Wow, this game brings back memories: equally fun and frustrating memories.
That’s really quite cool. Personally I’ve played the Final Fantasy games quite a few times over the years and prefer lesser known but still important RPGs being given a second chance.
Could there FINALLY be a proper ending for best boy, Blue? In the 1998 version his ending... if you can call it that... was... disappointing, to say the least. I'll say no more unless prompted, but with the time they have to work on it now, I'd be surprised if that wasn't one of the things they fix. I DO love this game. It was my first SaGa, and still my favorite.
Finally I’ve been waiting for this rerelease! I’ll be jumping straight into Emelia’s story first thing, it’s so good!
@Citano
Yeah I ignore the remasters of FF5 and FF6 on cellphones because they look worse than the originals.
Those are some of the best RPGs ever made. They deserve proper big budget remakes. Or at least a decent visual update, like PSP versions of FF1 , 2 and 4
Awesome news. Now if only the oddly elusive first Romancing SaGa joined the lineup, Switch would be the borderline ultimate SaGa machine.
The game was pretty difficult because of how open it was. I was the musician and could go to the final boss right from the start and got wrecked. Struggled to get gold for the gnomes too in multiple scenarios. It was a game that I gave up on too fast and would love to give it another go now.
@Dezzy You are wrong about FFVI selling millions on Switch if remade in the vein of Octopath Traveler. It will never happen.
...BILLIONS is the correct number range. No less. 😁 because people would buy it again and again to tell Square that they love it and to do more like that.
Nice, might be a good one to check out. I'm glad Japanese third-party publishers are starting to put more games on Switch.
Oh that looks really cool!
Is it a stand-alone thing like FF or do I need to know about the Saga ... saga?
Something funny about it coming to Switch, but skipping Xbox.
Yes I need this for the Switch. Hopefully Square Enix brings more remaster classics to Switch and PC soon too after this, we still need Star Ocean: Second Evolution, SaGa Frontier II, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Brave Fencer Musashi, Final Fantasy Tactics, Threads of Fate, Grandia III, and Parasite Eve 1 & 2.
@Yanina It's completely stand-alone. If I remember correctly, much like Final Fantasy 7, this is the series' first foray into cyberpunk.
@AnnoyingFrenzy It had to come to Switch as the SaGa series originally started on Nintendo. There are no SaGa install base on the Xbox so that's why the Xbox is missing out plus JRPGs doesn't sell that well on Xbox anyways.
@KimBread Nice! Thank you
Yes FF6 in Octopath remaster would be an instant buy.
This game is amazing! I played it a ton on PSX. Nice amount of freedom compared to the super linear FF games at the time and a really cool battle system. This is such great news! Woohoo!
Why aren’t more JRPGs translated into languages other than Japanese and English? I know it’s a lot of text compared to your average video game, but novels are all text and they get translated into every language ever
Now this I'm interested in. Never played it but always thought this and its sequel looked fantastic on PS1.
Got the original and love it. Will definitely pick this up
A really old game coming to Switch? Well this is new
@KimBread My apologies for being that guy and saying "Actually", but the series has had weird cyberpunk elements from the start, with the SaGa/Final Fantasy Legend trilogy on Game Boy.
Man, what I'd give for a remake of those games - nothing else lets you have a mutant, a dragon, and a robot in your party, or kill god with a chainsaw.
That said, this is a day one purchase for me.
Oeh, kinda like what i see. Never heard of this game, but i like it.
@ALinkttPresent I suggest looking up Legends of Localization. There's a lot going on with RPGs - putting aside plot dialogue, you've got NPCs and menus and item descriptions and so on. Making sure all of that is translated and actually makes sense in the context of the specific screen it's on remains a huge undertaking to this day.
@Dezzy Nice the saga series is really quite good. Things aren’t bad just because you aren’t familiar with them.
Aw man, now this is exciting news.
@Zebetite Welp, I definitely didn't remember correctly then! It's been too long since I've played any of them. Frontier 2 being the last one I played, and when did that come out? 2000?
Really hope Square Enix is working on a sequel to Forgotton Anne.
I remember playing this back in the day. I had the official strategy guide, and it said to do some sort of trick to get infinite money or something, and I couldn’t get it to work, so I just gave up on the game entirely.
When I was younger I once rented SaGa Frontier so I never beat it so I might pick it up when it comes to the Switch.
@Dezzy Yes, this all day.
I loved SaGa Frontier 2 back in the day. I still have the official guide, the artwork in it is stunning!
Hope they remaster that as well.
The shrill sound you hear followed by a crash is me fangirl screaming at the top of my lungs, running around and then tripping on something.
.... I’m ok....
Give me all the SaGa games you can port squeenix. I’ll even take Unlimited.
Damn outta the blue and this is sick af!
@Dezzy I made an account just to say your comment is crap. FF games have been ported to almost every console/pc/phone possible and this game hasn't been touched since the day I bought it in 1998. Not everything has to be for YOU.
@Dezzy I couldn't agree more and I've been waiting for these. Give us FF1-6 Collection on Switch asap before all these other games. Even if they are the unretouched originals I'd buy it day one, especially physically.
Ok, now do Vagrant Story and Parasite Eve.
I played this game soooooo much during the ps1 era, and I loved the stories a lot, this game is what I call a gem, which is a game that will forever sparkle, Assellus story is something that I wanted square to make into a bigger game because its fantastic. Blue's story is great, Emelia is a story of revenge straight up a B movie. Red has a great Power Rangers like story. Riki story has a Lord of the Rings influence on it, the robot has a good science fiction story and there's Lute who has the shortest story of them all. In the trailer they said they will add content that wasn't in the original and I knew it, there were some things that felt missing.
Also if they ever announce FF Tactics: The War of the Lions remaster for switch I would straight up cry.
Didn't play this on PS1 b/c I was busy playing all the other JRPG, mostly FF1-9. But there was 1JRPG I never played b/c it had like 106 playable characters and that just seemed too daunting of a task. I thought it was this 1 when I started typing this but now I think it was a Suikeden game. There were just so many JRPG to play on PS1. Xenogears, Legend of Dragon, Chrono Cross and Trigger. Maybe some Mana games? So. Many. JRPG.
@rjejr Suikoden actually has 108 playable characters, aka, “The 108 Stars”
British and Australian. I think you can thank me, because I contacted DotEmu to know if they could sign any agreement with Square Enix to release unreleased games in PAL countries for the first time in these countries
@Ryu_Niiyama Don't forget the Collection of SaGa: Final Fantasy Legend is coming next month too. It's great to catch-up on the SaGa series now. The other three SaGa games we still need are Romancing SaGa 1, Unlimited SaGa, and SaGa Frontier 2.
Ports and remakes are great and all but I wish SE would make some more new entries instead. At least I have Bravely Default 2 to look forward to. Still wish we could get some kind of Final Fantasy spin-off exclusive for the switch that is a new entry but whatever
@Yakuboto yeah this is awesome. I know some people are not jazzed at the graphics but honestly miles better than some I have seen *coughs~ Mobile final fantasy remakes -.-
Still waiting on Tactics: War of the Lion. Come on Square...
Never got to play this. Often admired it on my SquareSoft on PlayStation demo disc when I was a young teenager.
@Antraxx777 Thanks. I''m still taking the 106 and my poorly spelled Suikeden as a win. 😁
I remember this game, couldn’t figure it out at all! Hopefully it’s not as obtuse as it used to be.
No offense to anyone who likes this game but I remember buying this game back in the day when other truly great RPGs walked the Earth and let me tell you, this game is terrible! The game is very very lose structured and very obtuse to the player. Major game mechanics and functions are not explained at all and in general it's just not fun. One of the few games I just gave away bc I hated it so much. Square has so many amazing games from this era, why remaster this one is beyond me. Buyer beware, Final Fantasy this is not.
Hmmm, what about NEW games???
@Dezzy You can go sit in the corner. Forever.
Please, add an option for non-blurry backgrounds for once.
@gaga64 Romancing SaGa 1 supposedly was last remade on the PS2 as "Minstrel Song". Though I didn't play much of that.
From what I heard the original version of RS1 was rather disappointing with cut content, and only some of it was restored on the WonderSwan Color.
Not that it matters too much, since the only officially localized version was that PS2 game.
(there is a fan-translation of the SNES version, but given that the original apparently had a number of bugs on its own, combined with the game's pseudo-randomness in its progression meant it could still be a rough game.)
@Dezzy I’ve been begging anyone who can hear me for this since Octopath came out!
Please Square!
They should make a definitive edition of Xenogears instead of rehashing Saga Frontier, which was perfectly fine in its original PS1 version.
@drewber2635 Oninaki, I am Setsuna, Lost Sphear, Forgotten Anne, etc? C'mon they did make em, you're probably just ignoring them.
@Retro_Player_77
With how well FE did, I think FF Tactics would be received well.
But FF6, FF4 and Chrono Trigger would all obviously sell MILLIONS!
And while we are dreaming, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 + 2.8 would be great too!
And speaking of FE, I'll take FE 6-10
@Zebetite
"mutant, a dragon, and a robot in your party, or kill god"
Play Disgaea 1
Not so sure about this one. It reviewed pretty poorly back then. On the other hand, I enjoyed SaGa Frontier 2 very much, though I never got to finish it. I hope that gets remastered as well, or, better yet, is included with this one as a remaster bundle.
1998 was the peak of my RPG career. This brings back memories even though I wasn’t blown away by it
Saga frontier 2 was great as well and a lot like octopath traveller
This was my first game when I got a PS1 in the late 1990s. At first, I thought it was a weird game, but I loved it once I got used to it. I beat the game with every character. I will probably revisit this one.
@Dezzy FF6 remade with Octopath Traveller style graphics would sell like 5 million copies easily.
I would buy that Day 1!
I'm hoping there's a special edition Physical Copy that includes an OST/Artwork/behind the scenes Blu-Ray. Since this is the game that got me into RPGs in the first place it's always been special. I still have my May '98 EGM2 that has the basic walkthrough for all 7 stories so a digital only release would be a letdown.
Someone in the Reddit thread for this mentioned that all these random SaGa remasters from the last few years are because of one dude at Square who was a HUGE fan of the games when he was a kid. His name is Masanori Ichikawa. If only we could find someone like that for the first few FF games...
This game is trash
@Dezzy i agree that they should remake the snes FF games or even Chroni Trigger with Octopath style graphics but this is just a remaster. I’m fine with them doing this too. They had a lot of RPGs for the PSX like this that should see the light of day again. Like I’d like them to put out Xenogears or Vagrant Story as well.
Another one out of the blue. How interesting.
This is awesome. I am personally excited but I feel like this is a REALLY niche market in the U.S. Maybe I'm wrong and it will sell super well! I'm kind of surprised they didn't wait to see how the first Saga collection sold.
I really, really hated this game. I bought it when it first came out. It is too open ended. Everywhere I went I was grossly underpowered. There was no direction. I was always lost and extremely frustrated and tired of getting wiped out over and over again. There were so many other Square games back then that were better. How about a remake of Xenogears?
@Retro_Player_77 Those are more like indie titles to me to be honest, or at least they feel that way. Those titles are mediocre at best and are definitely not AAA. I want more AAA titles from SE
@Dezzy Saga Frontier isn't a crap game. Its literally my favorite game and a great JRPG.
One of my favorite PlayStation games, ever. I consider it an unfinished masterpiece. So excited to finally play the Fuse campaign after all these years! This is a day one purchase for me.
This is very exciting!🤯
Why do they keep remastering their crap games that no-one asks for, when Final Fantasy 1-6 are still not on the Switch?
@Dezzy I think this ill-advised comment has been answered in this thread, but I am compelled to register my extreme annoyance here. MANY PEOPLE have been pleading with Nintendo, Sega, Konami and more to make their extensive catalogues more widely available (and I would add Treasure to that list, to say nothing of Microsoft/Rare; even Sony or Bethesda, before the DOOM games were ported). Here we have Square Enix evidently taking their stuff more seriously, and they get your raspberry. Come on.
You're not the only one who wants Final Fantasy games brought forward and shown greater respect, my friend. My SNES never got to load FF 5, let alone Dragon Quest 5/6...
This looks rad. I've never played it though I would love to so will be picking this up. I have memories of Unlimited Saga. What a difficult and confusing game. That said, I'd love to play it again. I'm not sure my crusty old PS2 with no disc cover flap in my shed still works though! Hoping for a rerelease of that since everything else is coming.
Definitely going to get this!
I hope they remaster Chrono Trigger with Illusion Of Gaia, including Ogre Battle: March Of The Queen, and those Oldschool Final Fantasy Games, From the 8 bit Generation into our technology HD quality of today! That’d be a dream 💭 come true for me🙋🏻♂️
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