Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Interview With Game Producer Shinichi Tatsuke and Steam Deck Hands-On Preview

Many long-time gamers discovered the SaGa series through its numerous releases on past consoles. For me, Romancing SaGa 2 on iOS was my introduction almost a decade ago. I initially struggled, approaching it like a typical JRPG. Now, I'm a huge SaGa fan (as the photo below shows!), and was thrilled to see Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, a complete remake, announced for Switch, PC, and PlayStation.

For this dual feature, I played the Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Steam Deck demo and interviewed producer Shinichi Tatsuke (who also worked on Trials of Mana's remake). We discussed the game, lessons learned from Trials of Mana, accessibility, potential Xbox and mobile ports, coffee, and more. This interview, conducted via video call, has been transcribed and edited for brevity.

TouchArcade (TA): What's it like remaking beloved games like Trials of Mana and now Romancing SaGa 2?

Shinichi Tatsuke (ST): Both Trials of Mana and the SaGa series predate the Square Enix merger—they're legendary Squaresoft titles. Remaking them is an incredible honor. Both games, originally released nearly 30 years ago, offered significant room for improvement. Romancing SaGa 2, with its unique systems (still unique today!), was a perfect candidate for a remake.

TA: The original Romancing SaGa 2 was notoriously challenging (I got a game over in the first ten minutes!). The remake offers multiple difficulty settings. How did you balance faithfulness to the original with accessibility, especially for newcomers encountering the SaGa series with modern graphics?

ST: The SaGa series' difficulty is well-known, and many hardcore fans consider it essential to the experience. However, many potential players are deterred by its reputation. We aimed to please both groups. The solution? A new difficulty system. "Normal" mode caters to standard RPG players, while "Casual" mode prioritizes story and narrative. Our team included core SaGa fans, so this was a collaborative decision. It's like adding honey to spicy curry—the original is very spicy (difficult), and the casual mode is the honey, making it more palatable.

TA: How did you balance the original experience for veterans with quality-of-life improvements? How did you choose which features to modernize while retaining the challenge?

ST: The SaGa series isn't just about difficulty; it's about the understanding of the game. The original hid crucial information like enemy weaknesses and defense stats. We felt this was unfair, not difficult. The remake makes this information visible, creating a fair and enjoyable experience. We addressed other overly challenging aspects to make it more accessible for modern players.

TA: The Steam Deck version runs exceptionally well. Considering your work on Trials of Mana across multiple platforms (including mobile), was the game specifically optimized for the Steam Deck?

ST: Yes, the full game will be compatible and playable on Steam Deck.

TA: How long did Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven's development take?

ST: I can't give specifics, but main development began in late 2021.

TA: What did you learn from the Trials of Mana remake that you applied to Romancing SaGa 2?

ST: Trials of Mana taught us what players want in a remake. For example, regarding soundtracks, players generally prefer arrangements faithful to the originals, but with improved quality due to modern technology. We also learned that many prefer the original soundtrack, so we included an option to switch between original and rearranged tracks, as we did in Trials of Mana. We also adjusted graphics; Mana characters are more "adorable," while SaGa characters are taller and more serious. We used lighting effects for shadows in SaGa, unlike the texture-based shadows in Mana. We used existing knowledge but also developed new techniques.

At this point, I thanked Tatsuke and the team for the English "Romancing SaGa 2 Primer" video.

TA: Trials of Mana eventually came to mobile. Are there plans for Romancing SaGa 2 on mobile or Xbox?

ST: No plans currently.

TA: Finally, what's your coffee preference?

ST: I don't drink coffee; I dislike bitter drinks. I don't drink beer either.

Thanks to Shinichi Tatsuke, Jordan Aslett, Sara Green, and Rachel Mascetti.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Steam Deck Impressions

Receiving a Steam key for the demo was exciting but also slightly concerning. The trailer looked great, but I wasn't sure about the Steam Deck experience. Thankfully, it's excellent! The few hours I played made me question even bothering with the PS5 or Switch versions. It's that good.

The game looks and sounds fantastic. The remake gradually introduces battle mechanics, stats, etc. For veterans, quality-of-life improvements enhance information presentation and combat flow. Newcomers will find it a great introduction to the SaGa series. The visuals improve accessibility, but it's still undeniably Romancing SaGa 2 with modern enhancements. Playing on the original difficulty remains challenging.

The visuals are better than expected. While I loved Trials of Mana's remake, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven might be superior (though that's subjective). The Steam Deck port is surprisingly good. Audio and language options include original and new soundtracks, English and Japanese audio, and various graphics settings.

The PC port offers extensive customization: screen mode, resolution (720p support on Steam Deck), frame rate (30 to unlimited), v-sync, dynamic resolution, graphics presets, anti-aliasing, texture filtering, shadow quality, and 3D model rendering resolution. Even with mostly high settings, I achieved near-locked 90fps at 720p on my Steam Deck OLED.

I used English audio for my first playthrough. The voice acting is good, but I'll likely try Japanese later. The remake successfully modernizes Romancing SaGa 2 while retaining its essence.

I look forward to the full release and exploring the console demo. Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is a must-try RPG. Hopefully, this will encourage players to explore other SaGa titles. Square Enix, please give us SaGa Frontier 2 next!

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven launches October 24th on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PS4. A free demo is available on all platforms.

(Further mentions of other interviews and games omitted for brevity.)