Romancing SaGa 3 is a 1995 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Famicom (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) as a Japanese exclusive. A remaster was released worldwide in 2019 by Square Enix for mobile platforms, consoles and Windows. The sixth entry in the SaGa series, it follows eight characters who are drawn into the search for the Child of Destiny, a figure who could bring either salvation or ruin to the world. Gameplay has the chosen character exploring the world, completing a variety of quests and with some characters engaging in campaign-specific mini-games. The turn-based combat carries over established SaGa mechanics including usage-based statistic growth and learning new moves based on a character's weapons and combat actions.
Production began in 1993 shortly after the completion of Romancing SaGa 2. series creator Akitoshi Kawazu returned as director, writer and co-designer. Other returning staff included battle designer Kyoji Koizumi, character designer Tomomi Kobayashi, and composer Kenji Ito. Kawazu returned to the world structure of the original Romancing SaGa, and took in staff suggestions when creating its character-specific mini-games. The remaster began development during 2017, with the goal being to replicate the original game on modern hardware. Due to loss of the original assets, parts of the game had to be reconstructed.
Romancing SaGa 3 sold over one million copies in Japan, and saw generally positive reviews. Journalists mainly praised its open-ended gameplay design, music and graphics. Criticism focused on its storyline, and a lack of explanation of its mechanics. The remaster was further praised for its faithful graphical upgrade. The staff began developing a fourth Romancing SaGa, but it was moved to the PlayStation and renamed SaGa Frontier (1997). The setting of Romancing SaGa 3 was later used for the initial storylines of Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe (2018). A 3D remake of the game, Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United, is set for release in February 2027 for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X and Series S and Windows.
Gameplay
Romancing SaGa 3 is a role-playing video game in which the player takes control of one of eight playable characters with dedicated opening campaigns. Additional characters, including the other potential protagonists, can be found and recruited to the party throughout the game. After the initial storyline, the game follows a version of the recurring "Free Scenario System", giving the player complete freedom to complete both main objectives and side quests in any order. How the player chooses to complete a quest influences the character's "Karma", which can open or lock potential quests. The player unlocks new locations by talking to non-playable characters, or travelling there either with vehicles or by opening a quest. While in towns, the player can rest at inns and shop using the in-game currency for weapons and equipment. Party members can be recruited across the game, while some will force their way into the party.
While exploring dungeon environments beyond towns, enemies are represented using sprites, with the party engaging in battle when they touch an enemy. Battles use a turn-based combat system, with a party of up to five characters arranged in a Formation, with different Formations providing different boosts to the party such as speed and attack power. The player selects the party's actions and then the turn plays out, with the party and allies performing actions including attacking, healing, and defending. Each character has an initial preferred weapon, but can be equipped with any weapon by the player, with certain attack abilities locked to weapon types.
As with other SaGa titles, there is no experience point system, with characters instead raising their health or stat attributes at the end of a battle. What stats are raised is determined by actions taken in battle, and a character's innate attributes. Depending on actions taken in battle and a character's weapon proficiency, new abilities can also be unlocked through the "Glimmer" system. Characters have a limit of eight skill slots, with the player needing to replace skills when slots are full and a new skill is Glimmered, but once a skill is mastered through repeated use it can be taught to any of the characters.
Each party member has health (HP) which regenerates after a successful battle, SP and MP to use for physical and magical abilities respectively, and Life Points (LP) which has a limit for each character. When knocked out in battle, a character loses one LP, and if attacked while unconscious they continue to lose LP. If most characters lose all LP they are subject to permanent death, with the main character's death or a party defeat resulting in a game over. These different health and magic metres are restored by resting in towns at an inn or using items.
There are additional modes and minigames available, some dependant on the selected playable character. "Commander Mode" has the player character controlling the rest of the party from the reserve slot, issuing general commands that they act upon. While playing as Mikhail, the player must manage a nation and participate in a war minigame, which has two sides fighting each other with command-based attack or defence actions with strength determined by a Morale meter. In Thomas's route, the player can engage in a trading system, completing merchandise deals to earn in-game currency. The 2019 remaster includes a New Game Plus option, allowing the player to start a new playthrough using data from another save file, and an autosave after each combat encounter.
Synopsis In the game's backstory, an event called the Rise of Morastrum occurs once every three centuries; a solar eclipse occurs, with every newborn of that year except one destined to die; this survivor is called the Child of Destiny and receives great power. 600 years prior, the Child of Destiny became an evil ruler called the Archfiend, while 300 years prior the Child of Destiny was a hero called the Matriarch who toppled the Archfiend. Prior to the game's opening, the Rise of Morastrum occurs again, and people begin seeking the Child of Destiny to discover their eventual fate. The eight main characters, all known or acquainted with each other, set out on their own quests and end up involved in the hunt for the Child of Destiny. The eight are Julian Nord, a reckless and just swordsman; the tomboyish Ellen Carson; Sarah Carson, Ellen's shy younger sister; Thomas Bent, a fledgling businessman; Mikhail Ausbach von Loanne, the current Marquis of Loanne; Monika Ausbach, Mikhail's sister; Katarina Lauran, Monika's attendant and guardian of a relic of the Matriarch; and Khalid, a wandering mercenary exiled from his homeland.
During their journey, the chosen protagonist learns that the Rise of Morastrum is tied to a realm called the Abyss and its ruling Four Sinistrals, which creates the heralding eclipse to manifest their power through the Child of Destiny. The Matriarch's birth and rise to heroism prompted the Sinistrals' fall, but with the latest Rise of Morastrum the Abyss Gates linking their realm to the world open again. It is also revealed that this time, two Children of Destiny have been born; Sarah and a man referred to as the "Young Boy". The chosen protagonist and their party close the Abyss Gates and defeat the Sinistral clones sent through to wreak havoc in the world. Depending on the chosen character, one of the Children will attempt to sacrifice themselves to the Abyss to maintain peace until the next Rise of Morastrum, but the party and the other Child follow through a surviving Abyss Gate. In the Abyss, Sarah and the Young Boy combine their powers, awakening Oblivion, a being embodying the Abyss's power. Oblivion's death decimates reality, but Sarah and the Young Boy use their power to restore the world.
Development Early work on Romancing SaGa 3 began at series developer and publisher Square in December 1993 shortly after the release of Romancing SaGa 2, with full production beginning in the summer of 1994. Series creator Akitoshi Kawazu returned as director, designer and writer. Other returning staff included Kyoji Koizumi as battle designer, and sound designer Minoru Akao. The game was produced by Michio Okamiya, who was chosen by Kawazu after previously working in the company's advertising division. Kawazu described production as "troublesome".
While Kawazu wanted to return to the narrative and gameplay style of the original Romancing SaGa, he was unsure how to do it while innovating on the design. An early suggestion was to make the game a direct sequel to Romancing SaGa, but Kawazu wanted it to be an entirely original work. With this game, Kawazu became "more proactive" in designing side quests that players could enjoy and get lost in. Kawazu gathered ideas from the development team, which led to the character-specific mechanics such as Mikhail's war campaign and Thomas's trading mini-games. They were originally grander than the final versions, with Kawazu intending players to clear the whole game using these character-specific mechanics. Ultimately the battle system was the strongest element out of the implemented mechanics, so it became the dominant gameplay feature. Kawazu never intended players to play through the game as all the characters, so there were no completion bonuses.
The scenario was designed to combine the freedom of choice of earlier titles with the overarching narrative, with all the protagonists being part of a shared world and crossing paths during the adventure. The original story began with the concept that humans worldwide have superstitions regarding eclipses. Kawazu built on that the premise that there is something to fear, and that eclipses meant death to many people, so any survivors would be special. When writing the story, Kawazu decided that the heroic Matriarch should be a woman as traditionally the demonic antagonists of games at the time were male. This naturally led into the plot twist of there being two Children of Destiny, a man and a woman. Kawazu did not communicate this clearly to the development team, so when graphic designer Hiroshi Takai created the opening cinematic, he wrote the Matriarch as a "Hero King". A feature Kawazu had to drop was the characters realistically changing clothes during their adventure, which would have been prohibitively complicated.
The characters were designed by returning artist Tomomi Kobayashi. She wanted to achieve a "classic [and] cool" look for her characters, aiming for an elegant style. One of the designs she remembered as a challenge were the non-human characters such as a lobster and a snowman. Speaking of the snowman specifically, Kawasu originally wanted a European stereotypical snowman, which she created after an early draft design based on the Michelin Man was rejected. Kobayashi's favorite characters to design were Leonid and Mikhail. Kazuyuki Ikumori returned as graphical designer, with Romancing SaGa 3 being his last work on the SaGa series. Kazuko Shibuya returned to as sprite artist for the game after being abscent for Romancing SaGa 2 due to her work on the Final Fantasy series. She was invited onto the project by Kawazu after finishing her work on Final Fantasy VI (1994), and later felt "lucky" to have worked on Square's last two major Super Famicom releases.
Music