From the masterful engineers at Square comes Romancing SaGa 3, the latest entry in a series thus far landlocked to Japan. We previously covered RS 2, similarly a Square-developed SNES title, and 3 is a wholly competent follow-up. Prepare for a non-conventional RPG with open, non-linear gameplay which will allow the player to experience a high degree of freedom and control. Players can pick among eight starting characters, all with an entirely customized scenario. Once you choose your own adventure, you can explore a spacious world with tons of dungeons, towns, and quests to delve into. Albeit an exciting concept, the open-endedness can also leave one feeling a touch aimless, too. And alas, the typical trope of stopping an evil force set on conquering the world does eventually unearth itself.
Battles are emphasized far more than in the Final Fantasy universe. Five party members may engage in combat at once, each with a multitude of abilities and weapons to be equipped. Your characters do not gain EXP or levels in this RPG, however. Square instead programmed SaGa to focus on fighter stats. Your crew will gain random increments in their stats after each victory, as well as learn new techniques and, potentially, entirely new classes. Techs can also be taught to other party members, which is a helpful feature in boosting some of the weaker groupies present on the road. Visual design is most certainly not a high point in SaGa 3, though a handful of spells do exhibit a cool appearance once cast. Overall, not too shabby, though far from Square's finest work on SNES.
Printed in Issue #33, January 1996
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