I know not every SaGa game appeals to even fans of the series, but I enjoyed this newest entry very much.

The combat system is pretty much the same as in Scarlet Grace, which is fine with me. It's a very dynamic system and one that requires planning. One difference is the lack of healing magic of any kind, so every HP is precious. The other new addition is Show Stoppers, a one-person combo where the character will choose from any of their equipped skills (if they can be used on the enemy). These combos become longer as the battle goes on (relates to the number of team BP available) and can be a clutch moment. Of course, your foes can trigger these as well, so it's something to watch out for.

The branching stories are back. As with Scarlet Grace and SaGa Frontier, the various regions (called Worlds in this edition with the whole universe called the Conjoined Worlds) are visited by all the protagonists, but with their own twists and the home world of the protagonist has it's own story line unique to that character.

In addition, as you complete scenarios, the game tracks the number of times you've played a story to it's conclusion as well as the overall number of completions. Both numbers impact details within the Worlds. Some worlds have multiple scenarios that will occur based on triggers like how many times you've visited this world across all playthroughs.

This makes replaying the game valuable not only because you enjoy certain scenarios, but to progress the world stories and see something different. Even if the scenarios repeat because you've revisited that world often, it's still a change of pace, which is welcome.

Likewise, you'll see various minor characters as well as the other protagonists on your journeys through the Conjoined Worlds. Each protagonist has a selection of these other characters (including protagonists) available for recruitment.

Weapon upgrading returns, and works similar to Scarlet Grace with one caveat...you can't buy gear, at least not directly. Also new is an item trading system. This is just offline but you can offer up items and get a random offers in exchange. Some of these trades are outright ripoffs (but still could be useful if you need that item to upgrade your gear) but some can net you equipment and materials that are rare or otherwise good quality.

Through the trading system, you can "buy" a starting batch of gear and upgrade from there. There is an item that's so common that it may as well as act as currency. This will especially help your first few playthroughs and/or if you choose not to carry over your gear to a new playthrough as this readily available item will act as a currency to help you equip your team.

Of course, gear as well as materials often drop from battles, making those battle spawn points important. More on those later.

A new game+ feature is added this time, extending on the usual "system data" record system that's a staple of many SaGa games. You have the choice to carry some, all, or none of your prior data accumulated across your playthroughs over to the new game you're starting.

Trials are a new feature, giving you a way to complete challenges to earn some gear or materials. Many of these trials are repeatable but some can be completed just once per playthrough.

Character development is more like Minstrel Song and SaGa Frontier in that a character's main attributes increase as they develop, unlike Scarlet Grace and Romancing 2 and 3 where they are fixed. Like Romancing 2 and 3, the characters can also grow their skill levels. This brings back the "anyone can be good at anything with enough time" aspect to team building.

Skill sparking is a returning favorite with custom techs being additions in this title. These are variants of the "regular" skills that might have lower cost or be an interrupt, etc. They are sparked the same way as "regular" skills are and are used the same way once learned.

Speaking of races, they make a return. There's humans, ephemerals, a vampire, mechs, and monsters. They each have their advantages and mechanics.

Like most SaGa games, this entry is not without its quirks and outright issues. Some patches have been released to address some of the lack of information issues and various softlocks and crashes. On PC, the game seems to run smoothly overall and I haven't had any crashes thus far. I can't speak for the other platforms, however.

I don't have a problem with the overall art style and presentation of the game, though some may feel like it's too much like a visual novel or not like the art direction in the story scenes. Exploring the worlds is more like Scarlet Grace than the older SaGa games as is engaging in battles (you go to a battle spawn point and fight to your heart's content instead of exploring traditional dungeons).

These spawn points have an out-sized importance because there's no going back, literally, during the world stories and after completing a world's scenario. In addition, the battle spawns aren't always available during a world's scenario. Fortunately, a spawn point is available before entering the final portions of a scenario leading up to the final boss. One of my playthroughs was saved because of this. It was my first time encountering the final boss (the first story I choose didn't end with the final boss) and my team was NOT prepared.

In addition, these spawn points are the only semi-reliable source of materials that you can use either to upgrade gear or exchange on the trading system.

Overall, I am very much enjoying this entry as you can see by my play time. I will probably try to 100% the game and continue replaying it here and there as I do with most of the SaGa games as I adore this series. I've played every one that has made it to North America starting with SaGa 1 (Final Fantasy Legend). SaGa Emerald Beyond hasn't damaged my love of this series and I would recommend it to SaGa fans as well as RPG gamers looking for a different approach to the genre's conventions.

I would give the game an 8/10. A solid entry for the series. A solid game overall. Has it's quirks, some coming with the SaGa package and some not, but an overall enjoyable experience.

I’ve been a SaGa fan since playing the first Final Fantasy Legend game as a kid, before I even knew the series was called SaGa. While it’s definitely different from previous entries, it’s a very fun game with challenging combat and an interesting approach to exploration. The game doesn’t just benefit from playing multiple times, it requires it to see the full extent of the worlds and the story. I’m still making my way through it but I’ve finished one run with every character so far and I’m really enjoying the subtle changes that are building from run to run. Definitely worth a try for any SaGa fan, and for any RPG fan that’s looking for something different.

You'll understand once you get a clutch glimmer to save the day for your entire party.