Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven details story, structure, characters, battle basics, inheritance system, free-form scenario, and more

Alongside the announcement of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven in today's Nintendo Direct, Square Enix has shared information on the game's story, structure, characters, battle basics, inheritance system, free-form scenario, and more.

The details can be found below, via Square Enix.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven arrives on October 24 to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam)

Story and Setting

It is the Imperial year 1000. Terrifying fiends plague the land and various nations struggle to contend with both this incursion and their own internal conflicts. The people wait in hope for the fulfilment of an ancient legend that foretells the coming of seven great heroes who will save their ravaged kingdoms.

Then, one fated day, Avalon, the capital of the Varennes Empire, is suddenly and brutally attacked. The aggressor is none other than Kzinssie, one of the seven heroes of legend. The people are crushed underfoot and Prince Victor, the brave and noble heir to the imperial throne, is slain.

The citizens of the empire are overcome with despair in the realisation that the legends were false, But Victor’s father, Emperor Leon, swears his vengeance on the Seven and their mighty powers.

He uses the fabled “inheritance magic” bestowed by the seeress Orieve to pass his powers on to his other son Gerard, trading his own life for a chance for his heir to strike back.

This act marked the first chapter in a deadly tale of a war fought long ago, an epoch-spanning struggle between the imperial line of Varennes and the Seven Heroes.

What is Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven?

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is a complete 3D remake of the original Romancing SaGa 2, first released in 1993 in Japan.

Keeping the epic story of the wars fought between the imperial line of Varennes and the Seven Heroes of ancient myth, as well as all the unique and ground-breaking mechanics from the SaGa franchise, such as “Glimmers” and “Formations”, Revenge of the Seven re-works the battle and character growth systems and adds in numerous new features, such as difficulty selection, making it easily accessible to both long term fans of the series and complete newcomers.

The expansive world of Romancing SaGa 2, that was originally depicted using pixel graphics, has been fully updated to gorgeous 3D.

All the main characters, such as Leon, Gerard and the Seven Heroes have also been updated, with impressive 3D visuals that keep the distinctive character of the original sprites.

Key Art

Characters

Leon

Incumbent emperor of the Varennes Empire.

Leon strives to unite the lands and bring peace amidst the growing fiendish threat. When the imperial capital of Avalon is attacked by Kzinssie, he takes the fight to the invaders, but is slain in cold blood.

Gerard

Second prince of the Varennes Empire

Second in line to the throne of Varennes. A man of mild temperament who dislikes conflict, Gerard is entrusted with the secrets of inheritance magic as well as the throne and the future of the empire itself by his father Leon. As the first generation of the new imperial line, he begins the war to defeat the Seven Heroes.

Bear

Imperial Heavy Infantry

A member of the Imperial Heavy Infantry unit that has sworn fealty to the Emperors of Varennes. With his imposing physique clad in thick armour, Bear fights in the front rank of the empire’s unique “Imperial Cross” formation, where he proudly bears the brunt of enemy fire. He is the solid wall that protects the empire.

Character Classes

There are over 30 individual character classes to choose from, covering a wide variety of different races and professions. Each class has its own unique characteristics, with different proficiencies for weapons and spells.

Imperial Light Infantry

  • James
An imperial soldier with balanced combat skills. Specialising in melee combat, he prefers to use spears and greatswords when taking to battle.
  • Liza
An imperial soldier with well-rounded skills. She wields a wide variety of weapons but prefers swords and shortswords.

Imperial Ranger

  • Therese
A warrior of the empire who survives off the land. Highly dextrous, she is skilled with bows and shortswords.
  • Henry
A warrior of the empire who operates as a tracker in the wilderness. Uses his archery skills to take down enemies from afar.

Mercenary

  • Hector
A skilled mercenary who follows those he considers to be strong. Hector is a close-quarters fighting expert who wields axes and greatswords.
  • Andromache
A sellsword who follows those with power. She is a well-rounded fighter who can adapt to any range with excellent sword and bow skills.

Court Mage

  • Aries
A mage who serves the empire. His talents lie in the manipulation of potent wind and water magic.
  • Emerald
A powerful mage who serves the empire. She possesses great skill in conjuring fire and wind.

Vagabond

  • Cat
A thief based in the undercity beneath Avalon. Quick and dextrous, she is skilled with shortswords.
  • Sparrow
A thief based in the undercity beneath Avalon. A proficient close-quarters fighter who relies on speed.

Inheritance

Through the Inheritance system, you can select the next Emperor and pass down the powers of the previous generation to them. Inheritance automatically occurs when the current emperor is reduced to zero LP, when the party is wiped out, when time moves on to the next era, or when the current ruler abdicates.

All playable characters can become an emperor.
You can use Inheritance to move on to the next ruler in the imperial line at a time of your choice. (However, is not possible to have two emperors abdicate in a row).

Battles

Battle System

In battle, the turn order for every ally and enemy is shown on a timeline. Once that character’s turn comes around, they can act immediately. If a character is incapacitated, their life points (LP) are reduced, and they will die if the LP total reaches zero.

Battles are triggered by touching enemy models.
Enemies may be weak against certain weapons or spells, so choose your attacks carefully to gain an advantage in combat.

Abilities and Spells

There are eight weapon types to wield, each opening up different abilities. Fight using swords, greatswords, shortswords, spears, axes, clubs or martial arts. Your mages can also manipulate the powers of six magical disciplines with unique characteristics. Master pyrology, hydrology, aerology, terrology, cosmology and umbrology.

Glimmer and Evasion Systems

If you use an ability with a lightbulb icon in battle, you can sometimes trigger a “glimmer” and learn a new technique. When targeted by an enemy attack, it is also possible to evade and completely avoid taking damage.

Glimmer

Glimmers trigger more easily when fighting powerful foes.

Evasion

An ability that you have evaded once can be automatically evaded in future as well.

United Attacks

The overdrive gauge will charge up whenever you use a spell or attack an enemy’s weakness.

Once this gauge is full, it can be spent to unleash a potent United Attack.
Once the overdrive gauge is charged to maximum…
You can then trigger a mighty United Attack which enhances your character’s abilities and spells!

Formations

By arranging your fighters into formations before a battle, you can enhance them with a variety of advantageous effects and status boosts.

Different formations offer different benefits and new ones can be learned depending on the class of the character who becomes the Emperor.

Free-Form Scenario

In this game, every action the player takes will have a major effect on story progression, from the options they choose to the order they visit locations and the actions they take there. The story will progress whatever you do, but the events that occur can have countless variations. Act as you wish and write your own heroic tale in the history of the empire!

Cumberland Succession

In the intrigue surrounding the succession to the throne of Cumberland, the Emperor’s decision will have a major impact on the kingdom’s survival.
Depending on the player’s choices…
The succession crisis is solved, and Cumberland comes under the empire’s control.
Civil war breaks out and the kingdom is destroyed.

Canal Fortress

When assaulting the Canal Fortress that has been occupied by a mysterious group, you can choose to sneak in at night or to ask a vagabond for aid in the infiltration. The way you take the fortress will vary significantly depending on the actions you take.

Attacking the Canal Fortress
Sneak in at night by boat
Major enemy forces lie in wait
Ask a vagabond for aid
The vagabond finds you a safe passage in

World Map

The player is free to adventure in the different regions on the world map in any order they please. Each region is beset by its own problems and solving these crises allows you to win over the local forces and bring them under your influence.

Aim to unite all the lands under your banner as the Emperor of Varennes!
The player is free to visit regions in any order, but the story can play out very differently depending on the order chosen.

City Development

In Avalon, capital city of the Varennes Empire, the player can research and build various facilities, such as the Smithy and the Incantations Lab where you can develop new weapons and spells.

Difficulty and BGM Options

You can select from three difficulty levels: “casual,” “normal” and “hard (classic).” “Casual” is an easier, more accessible experience for newcomers to the SaGa franchise, while “normal” is ideal for players who are familiar with standard RPGs. “Hard (classic)” offers more of a challenge based on the difficulty of the original Romancing SaGa 2. It is also possible to switch the BGM between the original score and a new, fully rearranged version from the options screen.

Difficulty level can be adjusted from the options menu at any time.
Includes a new, fully re-worked version of the BGM tracks as well as newly composed tracks for this title by original composer Kenji Ito.

Environments