I missed its 20th anniversary by one year, and I'm sad to realize that Square-Enix seems to have done literally nothing for the game (maybe some collab for Imperial SaGa I guess?). Anyway, SaGa fans knows to not expect too much.
SaGa Frontier is another oddity in the SaGa franchise, originally supposed to be Romancing SaGa 4, this game decided to go its own route. Ditching its fantasy roots for a science-fiction universe, the game goes through 7 different stories for each main character who can be picked at the start of the game.
The ambition of Frontier was miles above anything that has been done in the series before, and it is something that ultimately ate the game from within. Square was apparently wasn't very fond of delays and going over budget, and just like Xenogears, suffered from huge cuts that didn't allow the game to fully realize its vision. Yet what remains is enough to marvel at the level of craft on display.
Of things to have been cut, Fuse's scenario stings the most as he was supposed to travel between the stories of seven characters, and his scenario would change in relation to what the player did in those seven other chapters. Asellus' chapter was also supposed to have much more development about the dichotomy of her human and mystic blood. The Cutting Room Floor has Frontier has one page filled to the brim of things that didn't make the cut: quests, art, music, world map, there isn't a single area that didn't see itself being cut. The SaGa Frontier that we know is an incomplete one, but it didn't prevent the game from being one of the greatest entries in the genre.
Everyone was at the top of their game. From creator Akitoshi Kawazu, to developer Koichi Ishii of Mana series fame, to artist Tomomi Kobayashi, whose artwork can be seen throughout throughout this post. Let's not forget Kenji Ito too. His musical work is one of the highlights of his career.
Despite being incomplete, or should I say because it is, SaGa Frontier stands as a fascinating entry in the series. The seven chapters all strives to achieve something different. For example, Red's chapter is a Tokusatsu show with his Alkaiser transformation. Meanwhile Blue is a playable villain out to kill his brother for the sake of the Magic Kingdom. Blue is also famous for its famous end card title, in which "THE END" shows up the very second you deal the final hit on the final boss. People chalked it up to the game being unfinished, but Kawazu recently said that the ending was always made as intended, and the final trip to hell was the epilogue. Imagine something like this happening today. Even more, the confrontation between Blue and his brother Rouge decides who gets to continue. If you die with Blue in the battle against Rouge, you simply play as Rouge for the rest of your adventure. SaGa Frontier is always surprising the player at every turn.
Frontier never shied away from trying new things. Most chapters are compelling stories that doesn't try to fit the mold but break away from it. All of this while it retains its open-ended world aspect of doing whatever you want whenever you want. You can recruit many characters, some exclusive to your quest, some are even the main characters of other chapters, and then there are many sidequests. The art direction is also up there. With the switch to science-fiction, a fantasy world can be mixed with a cyberpunk world. You can find yourself in a japanese-style town to then be whisked away to a steel factory immediately after, and then end up in a surreal world of what seems a kaleidoscope of colours. Frontier spared no expense.
My favourite chapter is obviously Blue, for the freedom it gives and for the sheer novelty of playing an asshole with dubious motivations. Its surprising ending is also something that stuck in my head for years and years. But Asellus, despite the cuts, is an equally interesting chapter in how her humanity is questioned and how she has to live with being a half-mytic, half-human who lost 14 years of her life without aging a single second. Asellus is also pretty obviously a lesbian, which is something a lot of people on the internet tried to deny over the years, as if her eloping with White Rose to escape the grasp of Orlouge and one of her endings has her saying she'll get 200 princesses for herself.
The gameplay system also came back with a vengeance, especially with the snappy combo system that allowed to chain skills together in order to deal extra-damage. Being able to chain skills with more than 2 characters was exhilirating. The depth of the combat was also present, especially when it came to the magic system. There are 5 categories that contains 2 spell types. Only one spell type from each category can be obtained, and the character you play as needs to have the gift for a spell type in order to learn stronger spells. It also has its purpose in the story too, as Blue and his brother Rouge are the only one who can access Realm Magic due to their upbringing in the Magic Kingdom. Some unplayable characters also has the gift for specific types that can only be acquired by defeating them, or buying it from him, depending on your relation to the character, such as TimeLord. It's also one of the reasons Blue is my favourite chapter, as his quest to obtain the gift for all magic, and becomes a strong magician as spells can become incredibly powerful and satisfying.
All of this obviously wouldn't be this awesome if Kenji Ito wasn't in the music department. If anyone doubted his skill back then, SaGa Frontier put everything to rest and elevated the man as one of the greatest video composers of its time who could stand among the likes of Hisayoshi Ogura, Nobuyoshi Sano and Nobuo Uematsu. Of note, Kenji Ito had created SEVEN final boss themes, on top of five different battle and boss themes. Red's final boss theme is especially of note. Kenji Ito is one of the few composers I know who is able to put feelings and emotions in his intricate prog rock themes, you can feel the scene even without the context.
Listen to Asellus' final boss theme in comparison. Completely different feeling, it's like you're transported in another universe. SaGa Frontier's soundtrack is a monument of the JRPG genre.
Despite being a million seller in Japan, the west has obviously shunned this game for, well, being a SaGa game and it also never reached Europe. It's too bad, but the achievements of Frontier has not been unnoticed for its small, but dedicated western audience.
To close this out, Kotaku had asked Akitoshi Kawazu if he ever considered a remake of this game with the full missing content and that's what he had to say.
SaGa Frontier is another oddity in the SaGa franchise, originally supposed to be Romancing SaGa 4, this game decided to go its own route. Ditching its fantasy roots for a science-fiction universe, the game goes through 7 different stories for each main character who can be picked at the start of the game.
The ambition of Frontier was miles above anything that has been done in the series before, and it is something that ultimately ate the game from within. Square was apparently wasn't very fond of delays and going over budget, and just like Xenogears, suffered from huge cuts that didn't allow the game to fully realize its vision. Yet what remains is enough to marvel at the level of craft on display.
Of things to have been cut, Fuse's scenario stings the most as he was supposed to travel between the stories of seven characters, and his scenario would change in relation to what the player did in those seven other chapters. Asellus' chapter was also supposed to have much more development about the dichotomy of her human and mystic blood. The Cutting Room Floor has Frontier has one page filled to the brim of things that didn't make the cut: quests, art, music, world map, there isn't a single area that didn't see itself being cut. The SaGa Frontier that we know is an incomplete one, but it didn't prevent the game from being one of the greatest entries in the genre.
Everyone was at the top of their game. From creator Akitoshi Kawazu, to developer Koichi Ishii of Mana series fame, to artist Tomomi Kobayashi, whose artwork can be seen throughout throughout this post. Let's not forget Kenji Ito too. His musical work is one of the highlights of his career.
Despite being incomplete, or should I say because it is, SaGa Frontier stands as a fascinating entry in the series. The seven chapters all strives to achieve something different. For example, Red's chapter is a Tokusatsu show with his Alkaiser transformation. Meanwhile Blue is a playable villain out to kill his brother for the sake of the Magic Kingdom. Blue is also famous for its famous end card title, in which "THE END" shows up the very second you deal the final hit on the final boss. People chalked it up to the game being unfinished, but Kawazu recently said that the ending was always made as intended, and the final trip to hell was the epilogue. Imagine something like this happening today. Even more, the confrontation between Blue and his brother Rouge decides who gets to continue. If you die with Blue in the battle against Rouge, you simply play as Rouge for the rest of your adventure. SaGa Frontier is always surprising the player at every turn.
Frontier never shied away from trying new things. Most chapters are compelling stories that doesn't try to fit the mold but break away from it. All of this while it retains its open-ended world aspect of doing whatever you want whenever you want. You can recruit many characters, some exclusive to your quest, some are even the main characters of other chapters, and then there are many sidequests. The art direction is also up there. With the switch to science-fiction, a fantasy world can be mixed with a cyberpunk world. You can find yourself in a japanese-style town to then be whisked away to a steel factory immediately after, and then end up in a surreal world of what seems a kaleidoscope of colours. Frontier spared no expense.
My favourite chapter is obviously Blue, for the freedom it gives and for the sheer novelty of playing an asshole with dubious motivations. Its surprising ending is also something that stuck in my head for years and years. But Asellus, despite the cuts, is an equally interesting chapter in how her humanity is questioned and how she has to live with being a half-mytic, half-human who lost 14 years of her life without aging a single second. Asellus is also pretty obviously a lesbian, which is something a lot of people on the internet tried to deny over the years, as if her eloping with White Rose to escape the grasp of Orlouge and one of her endings has her saying she'll get 200 princesses for herself.
The gameplay system also came back with a vengeance, especially with the snappy combo system that allowed to chain skills together in order to deal extra-damage. Being able to chain skills with more than 2 characters was exhilirating. The depth of the combat was also present, especially when it came to the magic system. There are 5 categories that contains 2 spell types. Only one spell type from each category can be obtained, and the character you play as needs to have the gift for a spell type in order to learn stronger spells. It also has its purpose in the story too, as Blue and his brother Rouge are the only one who can access Realm Magic due to their upbringing in the Magic Kingdom. Some unplayable characters also has the gift for specific types that can only be acquired by defeating them, or buying it from him, depending on your relation to the character, such as TimeLord. It's also one of the reasons Blue is my favourite chapter, as his quest to obtain the gift for all magic, and becomes a strong magician as spells can become incredibly powerful and satisfying.
All of this obviously wouldn't be this awesome if Kenji Ito wasn't in the music department. If anyone doubted his skill back then, SaGa Frontier put everything to rest and elevated the man as one of the greatest video composers of its time who could stand among the likes of Hisayoshi Ogura, Nobuyoshi Sano and Nobuo Uematsu. Of note, Kenji Ito had created SEVEN final boss themes, on top of five different battle and boss themes. Red's final boss theme is especially of note. Kenji Ito is one of the few composers I know who is able to put feelings and emotions in his intricate prog rock themes, you can feel the scene even without the context.
Listen to Asellus' final boss theme in comparison. Completely different feeling, it's like you're transported in another universe. SaGa Frontier's soundtrack is a monument of the JRPG genre.
Despite being a million seller in Japan, the west has obviously shunned this game for, well, being a SaGa game and it also never reached Europe. It's too bad, but the achievements of Frontier has not been unnoticed for its small, but dedicated western audience.
To close this out, Kotaku had asked Akitoshi Kawazu if he ever considered a remake of this game with the full missing content and that's what he had to say.
