Who doesn't love a good RPG? Players have been adventuring and roleplaying through games in the genre for countless years. One of the more unique series of games in the SaGa series which had some of its games released in the west as Final Fantasy Legend.
Some of these games were massive hits upon their original release and others have been relegated to the shadows where they are best forgotten. For those looking to pick up the series, it can be good knowing which ones are well-reviewed by fans and critics alike to find a good starting point.
13 Unlimited SaGa
An expansive story following seven different characters may sound like a lot of fun, but in the end, it made Unlimited SaGa's story hard to follow. It's the kind of game that feels like Square was attempting to add in tons of depth purely to make the game deep and not to enhance its gameplay. A lot of reviewers and fans said it made the game confusing and difficult to get into.
12 Emperors SaGa
Emperors SaGa changed a lot of the core elements of games in the series and not necessarily for the better. The combat system was changed from a more typical RPG system to one with playing cards. Needing to buy digital cards with real-life currency rubbed a lot of the wrong way. Combine this with its recycled plot points from other games in the series and it's not a surprise that this one never got a North American release.
11 Romancing SaGa
The open-ended structure of Romancing SaGa's gameplay was revolutionary for its time but it was hard to enjoy with the rough execution of its battle mechanics. Fights were generally confusing for players to get through which is never good in a genre where battles are so prominent. Still, the PlayStation 2 version was able to qualify for the Ultimate Hits label shows just how many people ended up buying the game.
10 Imperial SaGa
Imperial SaGa was released as part of the series' 25th-anniversary celebrations. This browser-based title was more reminiscent of the original games and drew a lot of inspiration from them in terms of mechanics though had a darker story than fans were used to seeing. With Adobe Flash's waning support, the developers ended their support of the game in 2019 making it hard to experience in any way today.
9 Final Fantasy Legend III
It's not easy to keep up the hype all the way through a trilogy but Final Fantasy Legend III managed to do so quite nicely. It was the third best-selling title in the original series of the games and got mostly positive reviews when it was released.
The biggest complaint about the game was that the storyline felt too similar to its predecessors to really stand out. Still, Final Fantasy Legend III did bring some serious changes to the formula of the series with its addition of an experience point-based leveling system.
8 Romancing SaGa 2
The non-linear story of Romancing SaGa 2 was groundbreaking upon its original release but its intense difficulty was not. There were a plethora of mechanics for players to unravel to get the most out of their characters in battle which was incredibly rewarding for those who could figure them out. It was certainly an improvement on its prequel and remains one of the more popular games to recieve a remake in the series.
7 SaGa Frontier 2
As the eighth game in the SaGa series, SaGa Frontier 2 showed just how excellent the games could be when Square hit its stride. The game showed there was still a place for 2D graphics when it was released and boldly added a large host of changes to the expected mechanics of the game. While not everyone loved the changes, it was considered to be a serious hit managing to be a best seller within Japan.
6 Final Fantasy Legend II
Final Fantasy Legend II built massively upon its predecessor to create an incredible gaming experience. The story was more developed, a fifth ally was introduced, and there were over twelve worlds to explore throughout the It is still considered to be one of the best games released on the original GameBoy and it's easy for us to see why.
5 Romancing SaGa 3
It's a shame that Romancing SaGa 3 was unavailable in English until 2019 when a remake of the title was released. Its characters were far less generic than its predecessors and the open world was innovative leading it to become the third best-selling game in the entire SaGa franchise.
The only major problem with Romancing SaGa 3 was its difficulty. While fans enjoyed the open world of the game, it's hard to deny that it sometimes made it hard for players to know what they actually needed to do next. It's definitely a game where players want to read the manual from front to back.
4 SaGa Frontier
Fans had to wait five years for the SaGa series to make its way back to the west but SaGa Frontier was worth the wait. While American reviewers were mixed on its merits, those from Japan praised the game for its Free Scenario System. It eventually became a best seller in Japan to the point where it was released under three separate budget labels throughout its original lifetime.
3 The Final Fantasy Legend
Released as Makai Toushi SaGa in Japan, The Final Fantasy Legend is considered one of the best games on the GameBoy. It was Square's first game to sell over a million copies and received incredibly high marks from reviewers in every country. The only criticism lobbied against it is that it can be quite difficult but seeing as how there are way harder RPGs out there, we find it tough to agree.
2 Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe
Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe is by far one of the most popular games of the series despite being a mobile game. It maintains an over 4.5 star rating on the Google Play app and 4.8 stars on the iOS store. Seeing as how the game has already been downloaded more than 15 million times it is unlikely that its popularity will be waning any time soon.
1 SaGa: Scarlet Grace
Buying one RPG is good. Buying four RPGs for the price of one is even better! SaGa: Scarlet Grace featured four full storylines for differently styled characters in the game which offered up loads of content for players to explore. While is has the intense difficulty the series is known for, Scarlet Grace makes it a bit easier to break through the initial wall and understand its mechanics.
Its remake, SaGa: Scarlet Grace - Ambitions is by far the most positively reviewed game in the entire franchise by critics. It stays true to the spirit of the games all while adding modern flairs that make it even more enjoyable.