never heard of this game b4

[a man and his harem]

is this game any good and or what is is about if anyone nos? .

[Houyo]

Pretty much, it's an open world sci-fi fantasy RPG with 8 different main characters each with their own stories. You pick one of the characters to play as and complete their story, recruiting party members (some of whom are the other main characters). Each characters story plays a different way with different gimmicks. Some are more traditional RPG with a focused plot, some are more open ended with a focus on exploration. For example, one character's plot is that she's trying to find her boyfriends murderer after being framed for it. Another is a mage travelling around trying to learn enough magic to defeat his brother in a duel. Another is a super hero who can only go into super mode when his party is KO'd so he doesn't reveal his identity.

I might as well list all of them at this point lol.

One is about a damaged robot on an important mission they can't remember.
One is a monster child from another world trying to save his planet.
One is a girl turned half vampire trying to escape and find a cure.
One is just a chill dude who goes around vibing.

And a new character they added for the remaster is a sci-fi cop.

One of the cool things about the game is that each story can cross over with the other ones, and when you complete one story you can start another character's story. Also the level up systems are unique. Pretty much there are 4 different races that are upgraded differently.

Humans gain stats at the end of battle, and the more they use their abilities they will randomly learn and use stronger abilities in the middle of fights.

Mystics are magic immortal people who trap the souls of monsters into their equipment. They don't level up, and they can only store 1 monster in each piece of equipment. But the stronger monster souls they capture, the stronger they are.

Robots don't level up, but they can equip any item in the game each with different statboosts and can equip more items than other races to upgrade themselves and will even change models based on the items they have equipped.

Monsters have a chance of shapeshifting into enemies they defeat, gaining all their stats and abilities and keeping those abilities until they transform into something stronger.

It's part of the SaGa series, which has a lot of similar features. I suggest looking up some old videos on youtube for gameplay examples and such. I really enjoy it, but it's not gonna be for everybody so be well informed!

[ErzPaladin]

If it's as sick as SaGa Frontier II gameplay-wise, then I wouldn't recommend it.

In SaGa Frontier II and Unlimited SaGa you aren't just having HP and MP. You're HP is split into HP and LP, while MPs are split into WP (Weapon Points) and SP (Special Points).

HP are regular HP. LP are points which can only be recovered in Inns. If your LP goes down on zero, then your char is technical dead, unless you're taking that char into an Inn.
Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but in Saga Frontier II you were/are forced into situations where you can't leave large aerias with LP-damaging monsters for entering a city with an Inn to rest. You've to complete a certain task/mission or you can't leave. And the save game system wasn't/isn't really helpful there either, cause it can be that you enter an Inn and are forced to quick save and then months/years pass by.
Why do months or years pass by? Cause Saga Frontier II doesn't allow the free traveling around the world for training your characters. You can enter places (fix points) on the world map for a dungeon or a field only for completeing your purpose. That's what SaGa Frontier II does.
In addition you can't train LP. You can't increase LP. It's a fix value for every character class. There do kinda exist some "classes" if you want to call it like that. It's not exactly like the class system of nowadays RPGs. Each char can switch between some classes for a passive skill or passive benefits. And some may have more LP than others. I don't recall all the details, cause this is more than 15 years ago that this was a topic for me.
Fact is, you couldn't/can't train LP and you can't recover LP without an Inn.

Now about WP and SP:

Weapons break in Saga Frontier II. They also break in Final Fantasy Legend I-II (which are SaGa I and II - the original SaGa games, sold as Final Fantasy franchise, even though it has nothing to do with it) and Unlimited SaGa. There also exists Final Fantasy Legend III for the Game Boy, but that game is actually more a Final Fantasy game than a real SaGa game, cause it doesn't support those typical SaGa features.

There's the addition that not all weapons or rather all equipment you can use, break. The problem is, that i don't know how it's named in english. In german they called those weapons/equipment "Quells" (maybe in english "Source"?). But those are extremely rare. Most of the Quells you only get storydriven.

Why is that now important? Cause you need to train your WP and SP. You need to combine/chain different standard-moves with sword-, dagger, bow, spear, glove, axe-weapons and such either to increase your WP value on every char and you learn new, hidden techniques due to this. And the most, extremely powerful techniques are well-hidden - so that it's not easy to unlock them.
So, you are having standard-moves like a punch or a sword- or spear trust and later on you can learn a "tornado-slash" by finding out the right combination.

That also includes the SP-system for elements. WP are normally used for weapons, while SP are for wood, water, sound and metal-elemental skills. Don't ask me why sound or metal or such. I really don't know. With that you can learn kinda magic-based techniques and there also exist Hybrid-attacks (mix of weapon and magic---> Tornado Slash).

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That's why I'm saying If SaGa Frontier I is as evil-sick as part II was/is, then I wouldn't recommend it, cause the hero generation - which you train most - dies out and will be a uncle or grand father of the final hero in this story. Then again Unlimited SaGa was even worse than SaGa Frontier II, so idk. Your choice.

Play it on a PSX emulator for free. That's the safest xD

[MaloJewell]

"One is just a chill dude who goes around vibing."

Lute's story is just as aimless as his character and it's awesome to play through.

[Houyo]

Originally posted by MaloJewell:

"One is just a chill dude who goes around vibing."

Lute's story is just as aimless as his character and it's awesome to play through.

Yeah, I never got why people hated Lute's story. His gimmick is just 'do whatever you want and all the side quests without worrying about plot restrictions' which is really a good niche for an open world RPG like this.

[SkyeSage]

Originally posted by Houyo:

Yeah, I never got why people hated Lute's story. His gimmick is just 'do whatever you want and all the side quests without worrying about plot restrictions' which is really a good niche for an open world RPG like this.

For me, it's that he was supposed to have a pretty big story that got axed last-minute (which isn't anyone's fault, just sucks)

[Houyo]

Originally posted by Straw:

Originally posted by Houyo:

Yeah, I never got why people hated Lute's story. His gimmick is just 'do whatever you want and all the side quests without worrying about plot restrictions' which is really a good niche for an open world RPG like this.

For me, it's that he was supposed to have a pretty big story that got axed last-minute (which isn't anyone's fault, just sucks)

Well, they may be adding some more of that back into the game. Though from the sounds of it, I think his story had to do with Fuse also so they may just roll Lute's cut content into Fuze's new story.

[Auspice]

Weapons don't break in SGF. Once you get the cometblade you have it forever. Obviously it's different depending on game; SaGa 1 and 2 had breakable weapons while 3 did not, for instance, but SaGa Frontier doesn't have breakable weapons other than the possessed weapons that can be broken with the FinalStrike skill if you don't want them in your inventory anymore.

Lute was not intended to have a huge story; his game was intentionally open-ended. However, the stuff in Essence does suggest he was supposed to have more than he got (which is almost zero). The only confirmed new stuff is Asellus scenario stuff, which notably includes getting Nusakan (!!) after clearing Dark Labyrinth. Since the trailer video shows Nusakan in her party during the EarthDragon fight... well I've got high hopes.

Interviews with the JP remaster devs (which includes both the director and composer of the original game) have said that there will be some "Fuse additions" to character stories, implying that you could replay (?) a character story after Fuse's story to see the changes Fuse makes to that character's story, and since Fuse is linked to the Lute/Mondo plotline which is linked to the Leonard plotline which is linked to the BlackX/Alkaiser plotline...

yeah stuff is interlinked and they're probably adding some content beyond the Asellus stuff, but the Asellus stuff is the only stuff we know for sure is being added besides the Fuse story

[Clangeddin.86]

Originally posted by ErzPaladin:

If it's as sick as SaGa Frontier II gameplay-wise, then I wouldn't recommend it.

-----------------------------------------------

That's why I'm saying If SaGa Frontier I is as evil-sick as part II was/is, then I wouldn't recommend it, cause the hero generation - which you train most - dies out and will be a uncle or grand father of the final hero in this story. Then again Unlimited SaGa was even worse than SaGa Frontier II, so idk. Your choice.

Play it on a PSX emulator for free. That's the safest xD

Worry not, this one is much better than 2 and Unlimited, despite the presence of LP, WP and SP in this title as well, the game is overall in a much better place in terms of balance.
Especially because, unlike the second episode, the game does not shuffle away your characters as the story progresses, which means that your progress and investment in the characters you play stays until the end. (in SaGa2 the only character with a progression worth a damn was Wil Knights)

Also, this game does not have the ♥♥♥♥♥♥ habit of locking you into "no return zones", which means that, with few exceptions, you can generally backtrack somewhere you can rest and even farm if you happen to be underpowered.

[Asmosis]

can you switch between main character stories on the fly? or once you pick one you *have* to fully complete their story before you can start another?

Outside of the individual characters, is there some overarching story/threat going on? or is it more of a sandbox "do what you want if you feel like it" kinda game. If so, sounds like it was way ahead of its time.

[Chiramu]

Originally posted by Asmosis:

can you switch between main character stories on the fly? or once you pick one you *have* to fully complete their story before you can start another?

Outside of the individual characters, is there some overarching story/threat going on? or is it more of a sandbox "do what you want if you feel like it" kinda game. If so, sounds like it was way ahead of its time.

Like with SaGa Scarlet Grace or Romancing SaGa 3, I imagine you pick a character and play through their story, it's not an RPG where you see people in the hub-world. SaGa games are story driven, if you could switch on the fly then the story would get lost of the characters.

[aikouka]

I recall playing this when it was on the PlayStation, and I remember enjoying it quite a bit. Although, even with that, I can't really remember why I enjoyed it or found it memorable to remember it more than some other RPGs from that era.

In some ways, I guess you could consider this is a bit of a "spiritual predecessor" to Square's Octopath Traveler. I'm interested in picking it up, but I do still want to see how good the port is to the PC.

[ErzPaladin]

Originally posted by aikouka:

I recall playing this when it was on the PlayStation, and I remember enjoying it quite a bit. Although, even with that, I can't really remember why I enjoyed it or found it memorable to remember it more than some other RPGs from that era.

In some ways, I guess you could consider this is a bit of a "spiritual predecessor" to Square's Octopath Traveler. I'm interested in picking it up, but I do still want to see how good the port is to the PC.

you could say the same about Unlimited SaGa or even funnier... Live a Live.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_A_Live

Actually Live a Live comes most into my mind, when it comes to a Octopath Traveler predecessor. That game was pretty weird, too. Especially that "Alien"-chapter

[SkyeSage]

Originally posted by Asmosis:

can you switch between main character stories on the fly? or once you pick one you *have* to fully complete their story before you can start another?

Outside of the individual characters, is there some overarching story/threat going on? or is it more of a sandbox "do what you want if you feel like it" kinda game. If so, sounds like it was way ahead of its time.

You can start and stop a character's scenario at any time. The only character that will have restrictions is Fuse, with a new piece of his scenario unlocking when you complete one of the other seven protagonists.

It's a mix of both. These characters have their own plots happening in a singular universe, with their paths sometimes crossing (and in the case of Fuse, literally interfering). You can also prance around (when the game lets you) doing whatever you want, so long as you don't get slammed by an enemy that's a couple battle ranks too high for your current party. It's pretty non-linear (except in a few key areas) and open world.

[Nalkor]

Originally posted by Asmosis:

can you switch between main character stories on the fly? or once you pick one you *have* to fully complete their story before you can start another?

Outside of the individual characters, is there some overarching story/threat going on? or is it more of a sandbox "do what you want if you feel like it" kinda game. If so, sounds like it was way ahead of its time.

The threat/story is largely unique to each character, they might interact with other villains in a basic or brief manner, and only Lute could be considered open-ended gameplay as the other characters have chapters/arcs that typically end after beating a hell of a boss battle. You can start other characters, but in the original, there were bonuses to beating a character's story and using the same game data (not save data) when starting a new character. Beating the game as a character (not sure which) and then starting as Red would have Red start with an extra move or two already learned and I think canonically, Lute's story happens last because he gets distracted by helping everyone else first.

[Auspice]

Canonically they're mostly simultaneous. T260 technically starts first (since her story begins long before the other characters are born)

Asellus also technically starts before everyone else since she is hit by a carriage at the start and is asleep for over a decade before her game starts proper. Most likely, Blouge start their story last, but probably end before Lute.

I suspect that Mondo (Lute's story antagonist) will be employing another super robot for the final final boss of Fuse's story, since that was how it was supposed to go in Essence. We've already seen a few clips of the Fuse additions to the story, like him arresting Orlouge at the conclusion of Asellus' story, which were documented in Essence.