Lost Classics: Saga Frontier (PS1)

At one time, Square’s Romancing Saga franchise was as big as Final Fantasy. Romancing Saga’s key difference from most other RPGs was its non-linearity. The plot changed dependent on which character you selected as well as what choices were made in certain dialogue situations. However, for the longest time, the series was only released in Japan, necessitating various fan translations. The most the U.S would ever see of the series were the Game Boy Romancing Saga titles, which were released under the name Final Fantasy Legend. Saga Frontier for the Playstation 1 marks the first time that the series has hit North American shores on a console. While the game is a bit on the simplistic side compared to its predecessors, it’s free scenario system made the game enjoyable.

Saga Frontier takes place in a collection of planets known as the Regions. You begin the game by picking one of seven protagonists, each with their own background, abilities, and storyline. The game’s characters include a woman who was framed for murdering her lover, a monster out to save his homeland, and a young man who is made into a superhero in order to avenge his father’s death. You’ll meet up with the other characters throughout the course of each storyline, and you’re free to travel in between the Regions most of the time. Although the non linearity tends to get confusing at times, the game’s pacing is a bit more relaxed than a Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest game. There are times when the game’s plot will change depending on choices that have been made, who your character is, or who is currently in your party. The combat features your usual mix of weapons and magic. However, there are several different disciplines of magic, each with their own spells. Also, there are hidden combination attacks similar to Chrono Trigger. Like in the Game Boy Saga Frontier games, there are different races such as humans, robots, and monsters. If you complete the character’s main quest one after the other, you can carry over save data to the other character’s quests to give them an advantage. Completing all the quests opens up a special room where players can fight all the final bosses and speak to the game’s programmers.

While Saga Frontier wasn’t as well received as many of Square’s other Playstation 1 titles, it was still a solid RPG, and the free scenario system made the game rewarding for players who liked to explore. It was released in the Playstation Network store last year in Japan, so hopefully it won’t be long before U.S gamers can download it from the PSN store as well. In the meantime, you can click the thumbnail above to hunt down a copy at Amazon.com.