SaGa Emerald Beyond Review - The Most Nuanced JRPG Ever

SaGa Emerald Beyond is a game that pushes the boundaries of player patience with its complex systems and lack of coherent storytelling. While it innovates with its combat mechanics and the breadth of worlds to explore, the game struggles to provide a cohesive and engaging narrative experience. Characters feel underdeveloped, and the story is often confusing, leaving players to piece together the plot without much guidance. Despite these challenges, the game offers a depth of strategy that may appeal to hardcore fans of the series or genre. However, for those looking for a more accessible and narratively satisfying experience, SaGa Emerald Beyond might not meet expectations.
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[@uchennaobi5985]

square enix sending game out to die with 0 marketing and budget rip.

[@LowResLeafa]

It had marketing

[@uchennaobi5985]

coming out next to stellar blade and eiyuuden ain't helping either

[@TheEregos]

@@LowResLeafa it didn't, this is the first time i have heard of it here.

[@captainziggy82]

Literally, today was my first time reading about it.

[@NoisyPixelNews]

I think it mostly had social media presence, but i also remember seeing it at little livestreams and the demo came out, but yea, we live in a bubble and reaching everyone is hard.

[@Merlandese]

"This is the chaos of this particular SaGa game; it's all a blend of chance and choices you'll never know the effect of your options because you'll never be given the proper amount of context needed to make these choices." Wait, what is particular about that in THIS SaGa? That's... that's the whole franchise! XD

[@MarxasThomas]

Pretty much 😂

[@Somnifuge]

Wow, I _hate_ those still frame renders for the dialogue sequences. Either have some art drawn or properly animate your in-game models, don't just render them and run a bad Photoshop filter over the image

[@kathrena1213]

those old school textbox from ff1-9 are miles better than this vn style conversation lol

[@Zero_Tester]

Kinda effed up considering it happened since Ps2 Minstrel Song days till now,you would think atleast they would put more effort on designing the ingame dialogue interaction by now

[@Drstrange3000]

I always find it as cost cutting or half-assed looking. It makes the product look cheap.

[@babyitsnatural]

It seems more like a game where you're not supposed to care about the story. You're supposed to be like "Let me see how strong I can make this team of cats" and not really think about why you have a team of cats.

[@primohikari8087]

eterian odesey is an old series.

[@NoisyPixelNews]

Haha you’re onto something here

[@cartwheel-te5cq]

Lol

[@Razlo]

Interesting seeing how wildly the scores for this game varies many sites have it in the 90s range, while it didn't connect for others.

[@NoisyPixelNews]

They’re just hipsters.

[@Razlo]

@@NoisyPixelNews SaGa Emerald Beyond is the new hit for vinyl collectors?

[@NoisyPixelNews]

It’s high brow JRPGs lol

[@lain11644]

SaGa games are WRPG in JRPG disguise that's why.

[@critical-thinker666]

they giving score for fanboys same as pixel. if anyone think that any switch game is more than 5/10 than they are delusional at best.

[@thevampyresade]

Everything you mentions sound like regular SaGa shenanigans to me.

[@NoisyPixelNews]

That’s great. I hope you have fun!

[@JesseDylanMusic]

Azario has probably been playing saga since it was released as ff legend in 1989. He’s probably well aware of the usual shenanigans.

[@Merlandese]

@@JesseDylanMusic He either forgot all those other SaGas or has grown tired of the usual shenanigans, based on this review.

[@NoisyPixelNews]

@@Merlandese haha, naaaah

[@JesseDylanMusic]

@@Merlandese I don’t remember a whole Lot of “yee haw” in saga 1-3, romancing saga 1-3, or saga frontier 1-2, but maybe I missed it 😂

[@amurter19]

A lot of it sounds like Scarlet Grace's problems, which is really fine with me cause that game is super fun.

[@Spezifischable]

From what I’ve played so far this is pretty much a big expansion on all of Scarlett graces mechanics. Its awesome.

[@DairunCates]

Not gonna lie. This sounds like you rushed through one of the five arcs and rushed out a review. The fact that there are unanswered questions in individual arcs isn't new to SaGa games, and there wasn't a mention of some of the New Game+ stuff I've been hearing hinted at.

[@jsboren]

Exactly, this review is missing major information about what is particularly interesting about this game, probably because the reviewer simply didn’t play long enough. Like the protagonists feel way different from each other. Possibly more than any other saga game before.

[@varsoonhks3211]

Yeah, the complaints about poor characterization and a team 'filled with cats' fell pretty flat for me given how flavorful Siugnas and Tsunanori plots have proven for me so far. The hugest thing this game is doing is its NG+ stuff and it's going to be massively slept on by a ton of people, it's a shame.

[@andysauruss]

The gameplay loop looks very similar to SaGa Scarlet Grace Ambitions. Curious how this game compares to that one?

[@jlt6673]

Imo it is intuitively very similar. Although united attacks have a different and easier precondition, the focus on combat is still on timeline manipulation and exploitation of different attacking types, imo. There are several new features like solo combo showstoppers and the ability to equip two different weapons. I spent over 100 hours on scarlet saga and cleared 3/4 of the stories and in my view emerald beyond is a big improvement in most respects.

[@varsoonhks3211]

Scarlet Grace if the Unite Attack system wasn't as exploitable and the character campaigns were all under 10 hours and meant to be replayed for massively different scenes and routes.

[@peecee1812]

I'm having so much fun with this game, dropped Eiyuden for this for the time being. There is no better JRPG battle system than this game, it is ridiculously in depth, SaGa's biggest problem has always been clunky/messy UI that doesn't hold your hand in the slightest with explanation and lack of traditional story (which I actually like in this case since some of the stories are just ridiculous/hilarious sometimes like the screaming punk rocker chick waking up the slumber demon literally had me LOL). If you enjoyed scarlet grace which was has been out for many years now, this will be right up your alley as it's pretty much the same game but with vast improvements, w/ replayability being the main focus. 5.5 though wow, has there ever been a game worse than this score lol

[@NoisyPixelNews]

I’m glad you’re having fun with it :)

[@jlt6673]

Exactly the same here. I picked up eiyuden and emerald beyond. I find eiyudens battles very shallow so far, but it might get better. Emerald hooked me from the start.

[@peacockfilletsteak]

I don’t know, I think the negatives for you here are all selling points to me. It seems like a streamlined SaGa that also offers different experiences every time. I’m hoping I’ll enjoy it. I’ve seen negative reviews but the criticisms just aren’t dealbreakers to me. I should add that I LOVE Scarlet Grace Ambitions. It’s the one SaGa game I just COULDN’T put down for long. The combat and goofy story beats are just too fun. This looks like more of that but with Frontier-esque world diversity but no real confusion on where to go and do things. Which is super appealing to me. I know it’s also meant to be played several times with different characters, so I wonder how much multiple playthroughs would impact understanding of things like the overall story. I know the “president” here appeared in each demo in a different role, which seems significant, for example. I have it preordered so I guess I’ll find out for myself. It’s interesting to see and hear others’ thoughts though. I know a lot of reviewers didn’t really care for Scarlet Grace either and it became one of my favorite games.

[@MrValgard]

well ok, but when 1 person indie rpg can do things like animated grass in overwolrd or few varians of avatars to make any resemble of movment in avatars, idk how team of few ppl with any money can do less

[@NoisyPixelNews]

That’s…actually a really good point haha

[@NoisyPixelNews]

I also loved Scarlet Grace. I do hope you like this game.

[@peacockfilletsteak]

@@NoisyPixelNews Thanks. I know it'll be a divisive game as it's very unconventional, even for a lot of past SaGa standards. It could totally bomb for me for all I know! The demos really got me excited though. I love your channel, by the way. You tend to review the kinds of games I'm into, so you pop up all the time when I search a game I'm thinking on getting. Good stuff.

[@jlt6673]

If you liked scarlet saga you will love emerald beyond imo.

[@DarkCynder]

Def not a fan of the art direction, it loses the charm SF1 and 2 had. But that's just me I guess

[@barrier2616]

claims to be a SaGa fan then spends over half the video talking about story. SaGa games live and die by the combat system of which this is the best one yet.

[@NoisyPixelNews]

that's funny cause I remember charting my battles in SaGa Frontier to make sure the final boss didn't wreck me. Maybe we just play SaGa differently? - Azario

[@sirmel11]

You have a problem with someone talking about story, one of the main points of a game?

[@barrier2616]

On a positive note I really liked your sand land review! Lol

[@killerb255]

SaGa Frontier 2 was more story-focused.

[@NoisyPixelNews]

@@barrier2616 thank you

[@sillysmy]

"JRPG norms, and play it by the books narrative design..." That isn't the SaGa series at all. Have you even played any SaGa games before?

[@nastysoda9212]

he said that he goes to saga to get AWAY from those things.

[@sillysmy]

@@nastysoda9212 You're right. My mistake.

[@faulsname8869]

@@sillysmyyou’re the worst kind of person

[@jlt6673]

I understand your opinion but I disagree strongly with this review. The battle system in this game is stellar: imo it is one of the best in jrpgs and builds upon what made scarlet saga great, while eschewing the aspects or scarlet saga that sucked. The story is disjointed but not as bad as this review makes it sound. Some of the world's stories and lore are very interesting imo and a big part of the pleasure for me in playing through these is that you have different options and the game is nonlinear. I like this element of choice and I think replay value or just trying different things is huge here. I loved the area where you choose who lives or dies with unfreezing them. Contrary to this review, the game does tell you some details on the people you are unfreezing, so it becomes a trolley problem moral dilemma. The world with the alien flower people by far was my favorite and while the story did not have deep significance for bonnie and formina, I feel like the story in of itself was good and I enjoyed the experience. In terms of who this appeals to, in my opinion anybody who is tired of generic jrpgs and wants a different experience. Anybody who wants a good battle system that requires some thought and strategy and a nonlinear choose your own adventure kind of game. This game imo is way better than a 5.5/10. Although the graphics could have been better, the game itself is really fun. Battles are enjoyable and challenging and while the worlds arent very interconnected, individually several of them have interesting stories to tell.

[@benjaminabel]

The voiceover and visual style are just weird. Not in a good way. I could only take 10 minutes of the demo.

[@bloodyninja2411]

I couldn’t

[@magicalcat-girl5272]

The voice acting of this game was just okay but yeah, i really couldn't finish the demo for the nintendo switch. It was just awful. There was no city to explore or anything. Just chessy dialogue and more dialogue.

[@varsoonhks3211]

Filtered.

[@varsoonhks3211]

@@magicalcat-girl5272 Don't ever play a Front Mission game, then.

[@magicalcat-girl5272]

@@varsoonhks3211 okay, the demo was just awful anyway. I'm glad that i didn't buy the game.

[@varsoonhks3211]

"I don't know who this is catering to." It's me. It's catering to me. SaGa Frontier is my favorite RPG of all time. I love that it respects the player's time and intelligence and that campaigns are only 6 to 10 hours long. I loved SaGa Scarlet Grace. It was easily the RPG of decade for me, completely revitalizing my interest in turn based complexity while also proving how much useless chaff could be cut from an RPG. Gone were pointless treks through forgettable dungeons, filler encounters, and hours of downtime. Everything felt purposeful and I had agency to take myriad paths in forging my own adventure. Emerald Beyond is the Frontier to Scarlet Grace's Romancing SaGa. It is a fusion of all of my favorite parts of both the aforementioned games. When you say you're focused on the narrative because that's "all this game is", you're missing the forest for the trees. Emerald Beyond is as much its branching-path choose-your-own-adventure, make-of-it-what-you-will evocative adventure as it is an excellent exploration of one of the most enjoyable combat systems in any RPG. I wouldn't blame anyone for failing to grok the systems in place, but almost all your critiques of the battle system fall flat. It sounds like you got hosed by interrupts because you didn't build a team that could quell them. The whole "You should just throw the turn" mentality is so incongruous with the actual systems at play, especially when many of those big several interrupt turns make for perfect turns to begin channeling spells, too. So, naturally, it made sense that you wouldn't like how spells need to channel for their powerful effects and combo potential, especially if you're failing to incorporate them in battle such to the extent that you're prepping a spell when you know you can end the encounter before the channel time finishes. The whole 'you get lucky' angle is an exciting aspect of the system, but relying on it to defeat difficult battles is also a recipe for disaster--you could just instead learn what the enemy weaknesses are, what they always take critical damage from, and set your team up properly before a fight to exploit those weaknesses. Maybe I've got much more of a understanding of these systems because I put a lot of time into Scarlet Grace, which this system builds off of, but approaching this game like it's any other JRPG or even any other SaGa game is a recipe for a bad time. Learn its systems, read the tips and glossaries afforded you, actually consider your team members and even what benched party members can do to offer variety in strategies, consider your formations and how dynamically they can affect what you're capable of in a fight. I think it's wild that you would bring up the combat system but not mention some of its most standout features, such as Overdrives, Showstoppers, and how even bosses follow the same weakness and resistance rules that basic enemy types do. There's a similar sense that you really didn't comprehend how the mechanics worked when talking about the trading system, as no guides are needed to parse that you post an item and you are offered other items of relative equal or lesser value. Completing another battle just refreshes the items offered for a different set. I don't particularly feel like this is some huge personal failing on your behalf--the game could absolutely use better modes of conveying all of the mechanics I'd mentioned here, but it feels bad to see someone so critically lambast an RPG I've loved for a myriad of issues that aren't problems I experienced at all. If anything, my biggest critique of battles is that there's less information for what is available to be learned and worked towards than in Scarlet Grace and that the Item Trading and Sensei Trials both require a little too much micro management between each and every fight for how incrementally those systems reward you. Speaking of the actual plot--I liked piecing together the larger significance of what was happening in these worlds and across them through the multiple playthroughs of different protagonists. This game does something I've seen in hardly any RPG before, where a second playthrough differs massively from the first--not just in terms of options available for worlds to go to, but also in the stories told in those worlds and even the stories told within the main adventure unique to that protagonist. Sadly, I think that a lot of people, even fans of SaGa, are going to miss out on this massive aspect of the game solely because there's so much of an attitude of 'Why do a second playthrough on a character?' especially when you have different protagonists to choose and play through as well. In my experience, though, when I finished Tsunanori's story for the first time, I did not feel the catharsis I am used to from a SaGa game--I wanted to spend more time with him and my team of Kugutsu. So I did a second adventure and it felt much more a *continuation* of his story rather than a repeat. I was amazed. Emerald Beyond is a 10/10 game for me and I can see myself easily dumping 300+ hours into it and coming back over the years as I usually do with Frontier, especially given the short nature of the character campaigns here as well. Got an evening to kill? Time to give a certain character another playthrough, maybe try out a different team setup, see what options I'm given, try to take some new routes. That's awesome. This review, though, seems like such a surface-level skim that was pushed out after engaging primarily with the first playthrough of a single protagonist's plot. The failure to discuss those larger cross-character links, NG+ discoveries, and how the worlds are developed through the different protagonist perspectives all speaks towards a low level of engagement with the game as a whole. Given there's no Siugnas footage here and the majority of what is presented is from the single first playthrough of the duo cop plotline with only opening segments of others shown, it's hard to take this review as reflective of an opinion of someone who has actually played the whole game. Instead, it really comes off as though you've played about a tenth of what's on offer and bounced off of it really hard. For you, though, I'd suggest trying out Scarlet Grace if you haven't. Outside of Leonard's story, I'm sure that the more linear and straightforward narratives as well as focus on deuteragonists might do well to give a little of what you felt was missing in this one. Side characters, yes, will continue to be mostly expressed in battle dialogue and expressive voicelines, but there's far more emergent character plots from regional narratives. It seems the more grounded high fantasy adventure will also provide a little more context that might satisfy that want for a more actualized world rather than the fragmented Regions that Emerald Beyond has on offer.

[@aftermarkgaming]

I feel like this is the exact game SE's new CEO was looking at when he announced they would be focusing on triple A in the future and putting out less mid-range titles.

[@junzeroni]

This bums me out because the last wave of mid-range titles (e.g. Harvestella, Triangle Strategy) was actually pretty solid.

[@pluma8547]

Yea but the last mainline Saga game we got was 6 years ago, id be very surprised if they dropped this series entirely since it is Kawasu’s baby, its nearly as old as ff

[@dgayle2348]

Looks like a quirky Dreamcaat game. I'm in.

[@Spezifischable]

Just saying you can „quell“ interrupts the same way you could in Scarlett Grace. Same with Magic users. Use Defence and deflect abilities or formations to shield them. Sounds like you didn’t play the previous saga game „Scarlet Grace“. Pretty much the same combat system and it’s awesome once it clicks. Granted this game is very bad at explaining the mechanics.

[@AnimeMassiah]

Could I pick your brain for a second, because om curious. What exactly about SaGa Re;Universe makes it a modern SaGa experience?

[@NoisyPixelNews]

It’s hella fun - Azario

[@Zero_Tester]

​@@NoisyPixelNewsit way too grindy though,and by the times you fully maximized one character,another new one would powercreep it or outlived the character usefulness in game

[@Alexthelion93]

You have no idea how grateful I am for game demos! Every game should have one. I tried it on PC, and it lost me from the very beginning. I didn't find any redeeming qualities here, unfortunately. I never played any game in this series, and this one made me lose interest. Thanks to demos, you lose no money and spend little time in making your decision. 🤠

[@Drstrange3000]

Same. I saved so much money from games having demos. I think having the. required would help to make each studio give there best effort.

[@MJ-oi6ul]

That’s why pokemon stopped making demos because the games are so glitchy now should not be released but fans tell you “YOU WONT KNOW TILL YOU TRY” forcing you to buy them out of pressure and they sell MILLIONS

[@HowManyRobot]

This series feels like every new entry is a tech demo for the next remake. All of the full remakes take the framework of the game they're ostensibly remakes of, and add everything that worked from the rest of the series. Can't wait to play the remake of this one in 20 years!

[@bloodyninja2411]

Yeah the voice acting killed me(they had no budget) seems would have been a better game for the iPhone

[@killerb255]

There is an iPhone version of this game as well

[@KINGJA92]

Romancing Saga Re:Universe definitely worth a play. In the JP version they did add the characters from Emerald as free story quest. They’re pretty good too

[@eastcoasttone3952]

Def a wait for a sale type of game

[@ACameronUK]

This game looks hideous…I love it ☺️

[@cantrip7]

The thing about the frozen area is that some characters like the final emperor and some don't. You can anticipate which character like the final emperor based on their description or the area they're in, and that determinea the end goal of the area. Trying to anticipate how the branching functioned was really interesting to me. I won't argue that this is a bizarre game, and it's difficult to imagine who the target audience is. Weirdos? I'm weirdos.

[@nc-my6ue]

Sorry, but I can't take anyone who recommends Re:UniverSe over an actual mainline seriously. These games are not for casuals, EB is certainly not without faults either, but recommending a shallow gacha that only exist for nostalgia fanservice over this one is just too jarring, you're putting extremely questionable opinions over basic common sense and it's not good to see, it's just shallow clickbait for bored people and another example of how gaming journalism is a joke.

[@drowningin]

Tried the demo, not for me. I liked most of the SaGa games I’ve played, but this one doesn’t appeal to me

[@Zero_Tester]

Yeah,as for me,the decent Saga games ive played was RS 2 Saga Frontier Unlimited Saga RS3 Minstrel Song

[@InsomniaticVampire]

​@@Zero_Tester I'll try one of those. This demo wasn't fun or interesting.

[@killerb255]

@@InsomniaticVampire I agree with that list minus Unlimited Saga. For the people complaining about Emerald Beyond's graphics, Unlimited isn't going to change anyone's mind! :D

[@Zero_Tester]

@@InsomniaticVampire also try some game like Ruina Fairy Tale Of Forgotten Ruin on PC Vanguard Bandits Farland Saga on PC Growlanser 1 till 4 Galerian on PS1 Koudelka on PS1 Shadow Of Memories on PS2 or PC Fragile Dream Farewells Ruin Of The Moon on Wii(use emulator if you dont have the Wii Arc Rise Fantasia on Wii The Last Story on Wii

[@magicalcat-girl5272]

Yeah, i also played the demo and it was just terrible, there was no city to explore or anything. It was just chessy dialogue and i couldn't even finish the game. Just annoying and boring.

[@DavijoBoy]

The only SaGa game I have ever enjoyed is SaGa Frontier 2. Can't wait for the inevitable remaster of that one!

[@koukosho2147]

Bought this game on iphone bc it was 50$ and i wanted to see what it was abt, its kinda cool

[@Raytheman581]

Is there a guide somewhere that someone knows about with all the playable characters?

[@NoisyPixelNews]

The game just came out but I’d check the gamefaqs forums

[@webslinger325]

Sweet Christmas discount backlogs🎉

[@DariuszBlasi]

After spending some time with this game - I am on my last character playthrough - and I KNOW now i will play it again because all the playthrough change dramatically - this review is just unfair - is one of the best games this year - I ame surprised how BIG this game is.

[@RikaRokiju]

You clearly don't like SaGa games and I don't believe you've played any of them. Recommending people to play SaGa Re;Universe, the gacha auto battler that is devoid of anything that makes SaGa, SaGa, and is way more story heavy than Emerald Beyond, if they want a better SaGa experience is frankly absurd. Why review a game in a series you clearly have zero experience in and clearly don't like the design of, that you'd recommend people to play an AFK game you don't even have to interact with. Re;Universe literally has a mechanic that plays the game for you without even having the App open.

[@NoisyPixelNews]

Haha, you must not know me. Hi, I’m Azario, I’ve reviewed all the re-released and remastered SaGa games. When I was 9 I found the super famicom versions of Romancing SaGa and broke the plastic tips off the cartridge to play on my Super Nintendo. SaGa Frontier 2 is my favorite game of all time. This is also the last time I take time to “prove” myself to anyone in these comments. - Azario

[@Defaultasmana]

But you see how it's strange right? You like Romancing SaGa, yet instead of recommending people to play Romancing SaGa 3's remaster, you instead recommend that they play an AFK gacha game that doesn't represent SaGa at all. It's just really strange. You like the battle system in this game, why would you recommend a game that plays itself? Re;Universe is Cutscene -> Autobattle -> Cutscene -> Autobattle. There's no exploration or anything else. I don't understand your logic here at all.

[@NoisyPixelNews]

Re universe is probably the lease predatory mobile game I’ve played. I’ve been playing since launch and I think I put $10 in once cause I was bored one weekend. I mentioned that game because it’s ongoing and fun SaGa.

[@Defaultasmana]

​@NoisyPixelNews It's mainly because you said it's a good modern SaGa experience. But it doesn't have any of the SaGa game mechanics, game structure, literally anything. If someone who liked Scarlet Grace like you did, maybe they played Minstrel Song, or maybe a Romancing SaGa 2/3 newcomer, heard what you said and played Re;Universe, they'd be disappointed because it's nothing like those games. I think it's important to set expectations on what the game even is. That it's an Autobattle game and a gacha game with SaGa characters in it but lacks what makes SaGa, SaGa.

[@morriganrenfield8240]

​@@NoisyPixelNewsyeah you don't need to. You know how goofy gamers are, they do zero research to see if their outlandish comments match up with reality.

[@SheIsTheOneNamedSailorMoon]

I cringed watching this, the voice acting is really bad. 😆 Sexy cowboy cop, strange choice. Seems like a rip off from Tina from Dead or Alive. I'll pass on this one.

[@aoihitori]

I won't be surprised if a character said Wowzers and Gyatt.

[@Rain-sr9pp]

I've been wanting to get into the Saga series but haven't yet. I did pick up and try a bit of Frontier but it wasn't clicking. Any recommendations?

[@Zero_Tester]

Not a Saga games but tried Octopath Traveler as well For Saga recommendation RS2 Saga No Hihou(translated rom

[@DairunCates]

Romancing SaGa 3 is gonna be your most traditional faire while still getting the most SaGa flavor. If you want to dive straight into the best combat system in the series and don't mind jank and lack of graphicsl polish, you would want to go for Scarlet Grace. Minstrel Song HD is also a good entry point if you want 3D over RS3's gorgeous pixel graphics. It's a bit harder at the beginning though. I would overall avoid RS2 personally. It's one of the more obtuse ones that got released on modern consoles. The permadeath mechanics are pretty brutal starting out though, and the glimmers rates are low. The GB collection is a solid bang for your buck at 20 bucks for 3 games, but I think you may have trouble getting into it if you're not invested already, and it lacks SaGa's trademark choices and branching story stuff.

[@Rain-sr9pp]

@@DairunCates Sweet. Thank you for the detailed reply. I actually own the GB collection so I could definitely try that and graphics do not bother me. Also I have been intrigued by Romancing Saga 3 before. Now I've got some direction!

[@Rain-sr9pp]

@@Zero_Tester Thanks for the recommendation. I have not played Octopath either.

[@DairunCates]

@@Rain-sr9pp The GB issue isn't the graphics so much as those are the earliest SaGa games and have some weird polish issues. Just as an example, the first game has a wraparound bug where if a stat gets above 255, it goes back to 1 despite the game only being able to visually show up to 99 in any stat. That's also the game with the most insanely scattered story and the one where you infamously kill "Amish Gamer God". Don't get me wrong. I LOVE the GB games, and if you get into them, you'll love Romancing SaGa, but they're not the most accurate barometer of the rest of the series. Also, you're welcome on the reply. Always up to help people get into niche series they may be interested in.

[@Kurofune]

I'm sorry, but the (lack of) art direction in this game hurts my eyes, those oversaturated cel shading renders look terrible.

[@VAANET]

I turned the demo off after i heard the main characters dub. It was awful

[@JMrealgamer]

These things are happening in different worlds in the heavens (sky/space). As the chosen one which you know you are because of the emerald light that guides you from the protagonist. Anyway it’s definitely different but it’s not the 1st RPG that tries something different. I’m enjoying it so far.

[@goldensyrupgamingshow2978]

Your outro music is unhinged

[@NoisyPixelNews]

I dun goofed there. Damn

[@mhjmstultiens]

Are those portraits drawn with AI? As for the story telling: without proper context explanation that's a big no-no for me. All around feels like a mediocre game. A shame, the combat looks interesting, but even in the demo I felt there wasn't enough of it.

[@skydancer9198]

I'm so glad I watched this before I bought the game. I hate static frames in cutscenes. I couldn't get into scarlet nexus because of that same reason and that game had AMAZING game play. For game play this hard with this weak of a story it isn't for me. This was going to be my first SaGa too... I was interesting the Saga series because I like alliance alive and legend of legacy and heard the two were supposed to be spiritual successors. Hopefully the revenge of the seven will be better.

[@addisonsani1552]

Something about the dialogue stillframes fives me big first wave PS2 game vibes. The fact that this game is confusing, haphazard, and like development was truncated proves that it belongs in the saga series.

[@deathstick7715]

Is it digital only

[@pipzgutz]

outside Japan yes

[@Katie-hb8iq]

The demo was one of the worst demos I ever played.

[@MusicIsMyFirstL0ve]

Sorry but this game looks so damn boring.. Metascore says 79 on ps5 😅 I would give it a grade 0

[@larryw2589]

I will give the benefit of doubt with this one. If this game failed in release figures I will blame on their release strategy. The mobile release dragged the graphics quality down. It is worse than even scarlet Grace. Having said that, the PS5 demo is good enough to show what this game could be. Story wise I would compare it with Saga Frontier 1 (with a modern settings, multiverse travelling), while scarlet Grace is more in line with ultimate saga series. I mostly bought this game because of the battle system. Reminds me of the crash soul difficulty of the saga frontier….

[@jackal27]

God, this really sounds like the most unapproachable entry since Unlimited Saga. Bummer.

[@DairunCates]

It's really not. It's janky (what SaGa entry isn't though?), but a friend is playing this one as their first one and doing fine. This review really seems like an outlier among most reviews.

[@jlt6673]

It isnt that way at all. The game explains everything to you fairly carefully in terms of the mechanics. They streamlined a lot from scarlet saga to make the game accessible.

[@RavenousSpectre]

The demo was boring so nah not bothering

[@kautsar7806]

Will pick this up on discount for my mobile device (as you said it is probably intended for)

[@demilembias2527]

honestly i dig this art style, like it kinda does suck but I respect the comittment to playing around with more western looking design sensibilities. also, you don't see hijabi anime characters every day so that's definitely novel lol.

[@frankie5821]

Kinda sad it's not a banger, I was looking forward to playing the hijabi char 🤣

[@magicalcat-girl5272]

The demo was really terrible and boring for me. It was just chessy dialogue. I'm going to skip on this game.

[@jettythesunfish]

I liked the demo enough for this to pique my interest. Definitely a buy for me.

[@uzairkhan7166]

I just wish they had a easy mode in it so that I could just enjoy the storie mode

[@rayedd74]

aweful artstyle... look at romancing saga 3, what the hell is SE doing, makes me scratch my head

[@EnriqueDelSuave]

The camera is so jarring my head hurts

[@JohnDoe80808]

"Annnnd then he gets eaten" 😂 no further explanation required 😅

[@NoisyPixelNews]

It’s pretty funny

[@JesseDylanMusic]

Someone gave it a 90??

[@PM-xc8oo]

What a mess. I have a soft spot for the old Gameboy Saga games but this and a lot of other Saga games since then just seem like hot messes. I"m sort of surprised these even keep getting released. Also given how poorly fleshed out the characters are I'm not sure why they didn't just go back to the old system of creating a party of generic characters from the ground up. That was a big part of the fun anyhow and the main thing I liked about the older games. Turning your characters into crazy cyborgs and eating random monster meat to see what your monsters could turn into was pretty rad. Has anyone said anything about an English physical release?

[@killerb255]

SaGa Frontier would be the next closest thing to the three Game Boy SaGa games.

[@PM-xc8oo]

@@killerb255 yes this game is near the top of my backlog to-do list. I played it a bit back in the day on a rental but never got around to finishing it. Definitely need to give it another go.

[@cantrip7]

Though it doesn't have create-a-characters, this game DOES adapt the racial mechanics you mentioned; monster skills can be absorbed by different kinds of party members, and robots get their skills and stats from equipment instead of glimmering.

[@PM-xc8oo]

@@cantrip7 good to know. Game does look intriguing though I may wait for a steam sale.

[@MrValgard]

idk it looks like negative budget, fr 1 person indie with 0 budget have better quality/more animations/better presentations. It looks like indie made in 2000 era

[@morriganrenfield8240]

It might have literally no budget. Tokyo rpg factory games quite honestly had better production values and those were ten person team games.

[@NoisyPixelNews]

That’s what I’m saying. Give me Setsuna!!! - Azario

[@MrValgard]

@@morriganrenfield8240 Tokyo rpg factory looks amazing compare to this one

[@morriganrenfield8240]

@@NoisyPixelNews mmhmm

[@Zero_Tester]

And lot of games from PSX was much better than half assed attempt like this,oh how i wish Jrpg with horror aesthetic like Koudelka or PE 1 was still being in trend

[@kinh0t]

just look at these bland boring characters, wow, total garbage

[@Spenerico]

This looks as ugly as it does low budget.. It is a series I wanna get into but def not this one.

[@ProfessorFessor]

This is not a good review… SaGa games are heavily focused on combat gameplay and building up your team so saying story is all you have is weird. Also he comments on how enemies with ??? on the timeline will interrupt you and, according to him, it’s best to not do anything that turn. Techs with “quell” will disable the enemy from using interruptions and quell is on the most basic one handed gun tech. If you take the time to learn what quell does, you will learn how to deal with these ??? skills. That said, the fact that this was brought up as a complaint is a good thing to discuss, the game does not explain what quell does in normal gameplay, nor is it initially clear what the ??? attacks will do. The game expects you to see things like “quell” listed on a tech and look up what it does in the ingame documentation. And even when you know that, you still have to learn what kind of attacks that enemy can interrupt because they might interrupt your attempt to quell their attack. SaGa is a game that expects you to work at understanding its systems. It won’t give you enough direction, and discovery is often painful. It’s a niche game series and if you aren’t the type of player that’s ready for that, it’s not a game for you.

[@Ravum]

You say it doesn't tell you anything about the frozen people but it does. Did you not read or what?

[@fieradrake7855]

Cannot handle the MC voice on the demo. Game play is just rinse and repeat and no city to explore.😢

[@killerb255]

Which MC? There are six of them.

[@fieradrake7855]

@@killerb255 sorry, the demo is just the 1 choice. Forgot his name but it's very japanese Tsunanori

[@magicalcat-girl5272]

The demo was really terrible. No city to explore or anything. Just chessy dialogue.

[@varsoonhks3211]

Maybe play a city exploration game instead of a combat-focused team building RPG, then?

[@fieradrake7855]

@@varsoonhks3211 to be honest, a lot of jrpg has city exploration too. Persona, dragon quest, final fantasy. This one is just pretty bland

[@patricksoltys6687]

So what you’re saying is… it’s a saga game.

[@quickpawmaud]

I love the older Saga games but these last few are just not for me at all. Idk wtf they are even trying to do. Romancing Saga 2 and 3, Minstrel Song, and Frontier are all games I really like. I tried Scarlet Grace and quit almost immediately this game seems closer to that than the ones I like.

[@varsoonhks3211]

This shares much more in common with Frontier than Scarlet Grace did, but if it's not your cup of tea, that's fine.

[@meryl17]

@@varsoonhks3211 Not really, after playing the demo and watching some gameplays I can confirm that it's nothing like SaGa Frontier. The appeal of SaGa Frontier was being a sandbox RPG, after a short itroduction of your character you could go anywhere at any time, recruit characters, explore and grind as much as you wanted before continuing with the story. In Emerald Beyond your character is confined to one area and you can't go anywhere else until you finish the story of that area, then you can choose from several worlds as your next destination, but only one at a time. It's a very restrictive and repetitive gameplay loop. It's funny because I think Scarlet Grace gave more freedom to the player, although it's been a while since I played it.

[@charlielyrictarot]

Every sage game is like this

[@BluntStop]

only get it if you want more Saga Scarlett battle system. only get it if you beat Scarlett just so you'll appreciate Emerald better. it's hard to recommend, only on mobile. but it's 50 bucks. it reminds me of Megaman Dive Offline

[@varsoonhks3211]

Scarlet Grace Ambitions is on a ton of systems, including Steam and Playstation.

[@BluntStop]

and mobile, with cloud sync save. Something this game(emerald beyond) currently doesn't offer on mobile

[@charmedcharmed3511]

Thanks for the review. As a turn-based games fan, I was drawn to the PS5 demo but was quickly put off by the voice acting and confused by the battle system. Won't buy it!

[@derekminna]

I woild have bought it if it looked more like their retro game

[@TheVoltrom]

A shame what happened to saga series

[@frommarswithmalice9174]

I kind of feel like you were a little unfair with the game but that's okay I respect your opinion by all means but after playing the second scenario through and then the third pieces of the puzzle started to come together story-wise again I respect your opinion I just feel you were a little overly harsh thank.you for the review none the less.

[@JesseDylanMusic]

Well that’s heartbreaking. Now square is going to triple down on AAA and say lower budget doesn’t sell. And my gawd that localization. Jeez. Do most people like that or what?

[@n.b.2164]

Saga games always look intriguing, but than you play them and they are confusing and boring due to little story and very high random encounters.

[@killerb255]

SaGa games haven't had random encounters since the fourth one.

[@n.b.2164]

@@killerb255 you can tell I haven't played a saga game in a long time.

[@jakabara1019]

Masa Allah muslim karakter Formina Frankyn I like this Games Subhanallah 👍👍👍💯💯💯

[@yayuu7184]

Don't give the plot away thanks

[@adamgodinibrahim1348]

That was a play 10 mins and delete game, squarenix what the heck

[@killerb255]

SaGa games aren't for you, then.

[@adamgodinibrahim1348]

This one isnt, saga frontier ❤

[@varsoonhks3211]

Pearls before swine

[@DarkAnomaly]

You defrost citizens with matches for no reason? lol wut? what a bizarre game 😂

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

This looks _very_ cheaply made.

[@varsoonhks3211]

Well, it's good that it's a damn good game that doesn't rely on looking well made. Substance over style, that sort of thing.

[@DocFunky]

I’ve been a JRPG fan since I was a kid, but man, the SaGa series is just too bizarre for me. Even after watching this review, as detailed as it is, I feel like I have absolutely no idea what’s going on (in the story or the battles)…which is exactly how I felt with SaGa Frontier on the PSX all those years ago. 😅

[@killerb255]

SaGa games are what happens when a Japanese developer becomes a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, goes completely nuts with a ton of ideas, and somehow has a lot of clout within Square Enix. That's Kawazu for you! SaGa games are JRPGs with a lot of WRPG ideas.

[@ebenbaker1]

I only looked it up because it's £45 on Google play store 🤣 looks pretty meh

[@MarioMasterProductions]

Honestly, this doesn't interest me.

[@deusvlad2.083]

Thanks either way for speaking the truth, and not scamming us like other reviewers, who are probably woke lol

[@Seisokujin]

Unlimited SaGa has ruined this franchise for me. Square Enix are my personal fav developers...who also created my most disliked JRPG of all time

[@joshk6929]

Failed marketing and looked up the game turned out to me a mediocre one too, that explained it why there has been zero exposure.

[@GinisisDroid]

Is anyone here actually play this game? And can tell if its worth playing only for combat? I dont understand why people so much care about atory in these kind of games, JRPG almost always have horrible dialogue and stupir story children tje world, i care only about the gameplay so how is the gameplay?

[@varsoonhks3211]

The gameplay is phenomenal, it's one of the best turn based systems ever put into a video game. It's also fairly complex and rewards engagement, so if you're not ready to actually learn the systems and just want to mash 'confirm' through every battle like many other games, you're not going to have a good time.

[@Xboxcampking334]

Oof people on Twitter or x was hypein this game up welp 😂

[@NoisyPixelNews]

It’s because they didn’t spend $50 on it.

[@juancarlosreyes9275]

Can anyone see that this game Is dei infested

[@deusvlad2.083]

It's no longer a JRPG if it's been influenced by middle-east or west idiologies lol

[@killerb255]

SaGa games have always been influenced by WRPGs. Kawazu is a huge fan of Dungeons and Dragons.

[@deusvlad2.083]

@@killerb255 Not if it's traditional like Saga frontier 1 that's mostly Eastern about 99% to be exact lol.

[@whitenoise8619]

Can u romance the Muslim girl? Never done that in a game before 😮

[@olbericaegis206]

Worst jrpg i ever played, NO JOKE or trolling...

[@jasonxvon7758]

looks like a mobile jrpg D:

[@火災のアイスクリーム]

the art style looks like garbage in comparison to RomaSaga2 Remake

[@deusvlad2.083]

Don't bother I heard this game is only digital and it's expensive to boot it's woke. lol

[@Bajso84]

Disappointing

[@koontzsama]

Saga has jever been a brainless turn base RPG just saying