It's not for those who hated SaGa Frontier 2 and want to like it; it's for those who liked SaGa Frontier 2 and want to love it.

In Square Enix’s endless quest to modernize and enhance seemingly every SaGa entry—and I am 100% here for it—the long-awaited remaster of 1999’s SaGa Frontier 2 is finally here! With the inclusion of numerous QoL features and a built-in help system, this dual-narrative tale spanning nearly a century has never been more approachable—and arguably never been better. That said, even with all these improvements—and despite being one of the most linear entries since the Game Boy era—Saga Frontier 2 Remastered is still an unconventional RPG that may raise eyebrows, and is certainly not the ideal entry point for franchise newcomers.


Narrative: Unlike most early SaGa titles, which tend to emphasize systems over story, Saga Frontier 2 Remastered puts the narrative closer to front and center. The game presents two distinct yet interconnected journeys that span generations, weaving a tale where empires rise and fall and characters grapple with legacy, war, and personal growth. Events carry meaningful consequences across time, and it’s genuinely compelling to witness how actions echo through decades—often remembered, but sometimes forgotten.

That said, describing the narrative as “deep” can be misleading without context. While the scope is impressive, the plot is relatively straightforward, and many characters lack significant development. Exchanges with NPCs can also be hit or miss, though many do change their dialogue periodically in tandem with story progression. From a modern lens—and even by 1999’s standards—it’s not on par with the most iconic RPG narratives, but it remains one of the more narratively focused and cohesive stories within the SaGa series.

For me, what sets it apart is how grounded much of the storytelling feels. Though there are certainly fantastical elements, particularly in the latter sections, many core themes revolve around war, betrayal, political shifts, and personal perseverance. It's refreshing to follow heroes and heroines from humble beginnings to their ends—and for some, well beyond their time—without everything revolving around some otherworldly or insurmountable foe the entire way.

Presentation: The watercolor visual style, a signature feature of the original, remains one of the remaster’s strongest points. Though more familiar now, this aesthetic was unique in 1999 and still exudes charm today. Combat abilities remain true to the series; flashy and satisfying, both in visuals and sound.

Masashi Hamauzu—an up-and-comer then, now known for Final Fantasy XIII, The Alliance Alive, and more—takes over composing duties from series veteran Kenji Ito. While Ito’s absence is certainly felt, Hamauzu delivers a memorable and emotionally resonant soundtrack, particularly with his various iterations of the Feldschlacht battle theme that showcase his distinctive style. He brings a different flavor to the franchise—but one that still feels fitting.

Combat and Progression: SaGa’s signature turn-based combat and character progression returns, including the beloved “sparking” mechanic where characters can spontaneously learn new abilities mid-battle. These “Arts” can be shared among party members using similar weapons or magic types, encouraging and rewarding experimentation. Combos—where characters link Arts together—are both devastating and cinematic, while positioning, order, and role assignments give a bit more flexibility and strategic depth to how you want your party built and to perform. One-on-one duels are a great way to spark new Arts early on, and can also be used strategically to avoid some of the more challenging (or annoying) group encounters. As usual for the series, stats increase organically through combat based on your actions rather than through traditional leveling.

QoL: Speed-up features for both field movement and combat are game changers, directly addressing the common pacing complaints from the original. The inclusion of the digging mini-game, now unburdened by the era-specific limitations it previously had, provides a steady stream of resources to support your journey. And the addition of a help system or compendium is a huge quality-of-life improvement for any SaGa title.

The new parameter inheritance system—where progress from benched party members carries over to active ones—greatly reduces the need for grinding (for the base game). For longtime fans, this may make the game feel significantly easier, but for newer players, those with sights on the postgame, or players who just want to experience the adventure at a steadier pace, it’s a welcome and thoughtful tool that can also be ignored entirely.


Wasted Time: If you’re unfamiliar with the full story (like I was), you may find yourself wasting a lot of time due to how the campaign is dished out. Rather than a single seamless narrative, SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered is divided into dozens of mini scenarios that tend to follow a single thread of story. While some of these can be lengthy, the majority are very short and some don’t even feature combat whatsoever. This can lead to spending unnecessary time re-equipping characters, assigning Arts, and adjusting formations—only to discover that the current scenario contains no combat and ends within minutes.

Unfortunately, without a guide, there’s no way to tell in advance whether a scenario will feature combat, though Gustave’s scenarios tend to involve less combat than Wil’s. It ultimately happened frequently enough that I eventually stopped trying to optimize my party and instead focused on enjoying the journey for what it was.

Rinse, Reuse, Repeat: While not backtracking in the traditional sense, Saga Frontier 2 Remastered frequently sends players to the same dungeons across different time periods. Occasionally these areas evolve with the narrative, but often they feel largely unchanged aside from a new objective. Over time, this repetition can start to resemble something like Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, where reused dungeons begin to feel a bit stale.


Not A Sequel: Despite the “2” in the title, Saga Frontier 2 Remastered is a standalone story and does not require playing SaGa Frontier to enjoy it—though any prior knowledge of the franchise and its unique mechanics will undoubtedly help kickstart the adventure here.


You’re a fan of SaGa (me), wanted to love the original but unfortunately didn’t (also me), or just want a unique JRPG to play. Saga Frontier 2 Remastered offers a rewarding experience for those willing to embrace its unique structure. It may not be the best entry point for new players, but it still holds up as a compelling journey.

For a game celebrating its 26th anniversary (25 in the US), I was pleasantly surprised by both the depth and focus of the narrative—for a SaGa entry, that is. The familiar gameplay systems, combined with new QoL features, made my trek across nearly a century of in-game history both enjoyable and memorable. The inclusion of NG+, postgame content, and the series’ trademark branching paths ensures there’s plenty to discover even after the initial credits roll.

As a longtime SaGa fan, I’m genuinely glad this remaster encouraged me to finally finish an entry I once bounced off of. It may not be the most beloved installment, but it’s undeniably SaGa—always unique, and always an adventure.

Based on a BAD, OK, GOOD, GREAT rating scale.
Played entirely on Steam Deck.
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SF2 was a pretty hard game, I never understood the mechanics really well and cheated most of my playthrough with a gameshark. The remaster brings a lot of QOL improvements which eased the difficulty of the game with a caveat: the game becomes too easy.

Parameters inheritance allows everyone becomes some sort of Mystics on SF1 in a sense that you could hack your status by using other characters' progressions. Of course this is entirely optional.

Story wise, this game has different narratives from two perspectives encompass for 3 generations. At some point, the characters story arcs will overlap and meet in an epic finale that brings everyone together.

One of the downside is, this is the most linear SaGa game in the series and doesn't represent the freedom that usually a feature of SaGa series. Despite the restrictions of the game as you cannot really explore the whole world freely like SaGa Frontier, the game's world building and storytelling make up for it.

The new game plus also gives us a nice closure of what happened to Gustave after 20 years of mystery.
Thank you Square Enix!