SaGa Frontier Remastered

[Pajaro Pete]

lucked into getting Riki into Zeroworm form and I think that's where he's going to stay from now until my switch dies

i'm surprised that i've basically memorized the sewers of koorong, i remember that being an annoying location when i played the game ages ago,

 

[Pajaro Pete]

Because of how bad bosses can be, I generally only make a hard save when I'm standing in the port at Kowroong, and quicksave otherwise.

I'm doing Riki's scenario and got Nusakan!
I don't know anything about how Mystics work! Yay!

Mystics are like Blue Mages, but not be confused with Monsters, which are also like Blue Mages. A Mystic's Faeblade, Mystic Glove, and Mystic Boot can be used to absorb monsters (monster-monsters, not robots or human enemies!), which gives a stat boost (based on the monster) and an attack (based on what absorbed it). This is how Mystics gain stats, aside from HP, WP, JP, and Charisma, their stats will not increase after battle like a human's would.

I guess if you had, like, a half-human, half-mystic around they'd be able to gain stats like a human and absorb enemies for a massive stat boot, but what are the odds of that happening...........

Also despite what you would assume, Mystics are bad at learning new magic spells

 

[Neo Skimbleshanks]

Mu's Tomb Rune Zombie is also the first real boss I encountered after getting to travel freely. It didn't seem impossible, but I started the battle with few resources (JP/whatever) and decided to backtrack, find Roufas, and mix my party around. Cotton was for much of this dungeon my second strongest party member but then I cycled in Liza and yeah she's learning a bunch of strong punchy moves. Also I keep having to guess which skills I need to dump in order to keep Cotton in some sort of wyvern (?) form that seems like the strongest thing he's shifting into atm.

2 more party slots... I think I'll take the other guy you can recruit during the RuneQuest and TimeLord, who I guess won't be as useful as could be w/o Rune magic... but I've made my choice. I will stick to it over the next three weeks it takes me to complete this five hour campaign.

 

[gorha]

I looked up two different monster FAQs and Furdo does not have Petrifying Gas (née StoneGas). His learnable moves are (going by PSone names) GremlinTouch, PoisonMist, and IllStorm.

It's weird, the FAQ I was using lists StoneGas as one of his skills, but I guess there are others that don't, and it looks like the translated Essence of SaGa Frontier book only lists Black Dragon and Crystal Tree as sources of the skill. I tried a few more times, mostly out of sheer bloody-mindedness at this point, and got it, but it turns out Riki's HP is too low to become a Black Dragon until he absorbs some more skills anyway. Moral of the story: it is indeed possible to get Petrifying Gas early by save scumming Furdo, but it's not worth it.

 

[spines]

Because of how bad bosses can be, I generally only make a hard save when I'm standing in the port at Kowroong, and quicksave otherwise.

this was a highly important consideration on the original version due to all the saves taking like two blocks on tiny ps1 memcards, although with much more space and a better menu on the new versions it can be eased back a bit to "don't overwrite true saves if you don't know how to get back to koorong"

 

[Destil]

Is there any rhyme/reason/lore around how the Region Map is organized? Is each ring in it supposed to be locally connected while moving between them is different dimensions or whatever?

 

[Paul le Fou]

I'm still not sure how any of the maps are connected tbh. For the longest time I assumed all or at least some of the areas were on different planets. The interstitial scenes look more like spaceships to me than airships! But I don't think it really says or even hints to that anywhere, does it?

 

[Lokii]

Oh, SaGa Frontier. You're so.... SaGa.

SaGa Frontier is the most SaGa, along with all the other SaGas that are the most SaGa (which is all of them)

 

[Lokii]

I'm still not sure how any of the maps are connected tbh. For the longest time I assumed all or at least some of the areas were on different planets. The interstitial scenes look more like spaceships to me than airships! But I don't think it really says or even hints to that anywhere, does it?

I like to conceptualize The Regions as a multicultural melting-pot society formed after the invention of inter-dimensional travel. You're literally hopping realities on those ships and this way you have a culture made up of ancient samurai, high tech robots, several crime syndicates, skeleton dinosaurs, and wizard schools. I think its a really evocative and unique setting.

 

[keele864]

Well, I sparked the

Spoiler

the last component of the DSC

while fighting the final boss of Emilia's story, but I lost the fight. Now I'm trying to grind and build up my characters, and of course it has not sparked again.

Heck, I don't even remember what it's called. Reading this thread reminded me of the

Spoiler

DSC's existence and that it involved martial arts moves,

but I didn't look up the components. I can't say I'll be going through this game unspoiled, since I played it two decades ago with a little FAQ experience, but I'm having so much fun letting the strangeness wash over me.

Trying to decide who to play next. Blue, because I want to remember how to do magic quests? Red, because he is the best? Riki, because he is the worst and I want to be done with him?

 

[nosimpleway]

The Deadly Suplex Combo is one kick and three throws:

Spoiler

Sliding, Giant Swing, Babel Crumble, and... Suplex.

Dream Super Combo? What? Who comes up with this stuff?

 

[Peklo]

The remaster adjusts the names of those arts in that Sliding is now Slide and BabelCrumble is now Collapse, for anyone who wants to cross-reference.

 

[MetManMas]

I like to conceptualize The Regions as a multicultural melting-pot society formed after the invention of inter-dimensional travel. You're literally hopping realities on those ships and this way you have a culture made up of ancient samurai, high tech robots, several crime syndicates, skeleton dinosaurs, and wizard schools. I think its a really evocative and unique setting.

I love how diverse the different regions are and that the Walled City, an airborne metropolis, an old timey medieval town, and a gothic vampire realm can all co-exist within the same game. It's very much the kinda thing the first two SaGa (née Final Fantasy Legend) games were doing with their layered worlds, just without the limitations of a monochromatic 8-bit handheld.

Heck, SaGa Frontier in general is basically a merging of the Game Boy and Super Famicom schools of the SaGa series. From the former you get the four mechanically distinct races (Mystics taking the Mutant/Esper slot) and diverse settings and from the latter you get multiple character scenarios and technique sparking.

 

[Pajaro Pete]

Blue's scenario is done, leaving Asellus and Riki and all three's Casefiles. I've been trying to diversify a bit when it comes to teams for each playthrough, but Lute and T260G have been clutch for letting other characters take a breather.

 

[YangusKhan]

I completed Emilia's story tonight. I tried the final boss once and died, and then I cheesed it with Time Lord. I think I got the happy ending?

Then I immediately jumped into Fuse to try and figure out how he works. I'm only mildly confused now after spending time running around seeing who I can recruit. In the waiting room after you choose to go to your co-protagonists final area, I also saw Red in there presumably because I finished him too and recruited him. But what's the point of fighting his final boss if the Fuse scenario is for Emilia?

 

[Neo Skimbleshanks]

I have to confess my conception as a child until just now was that all of Saga Frontier took place on more or less one Dragon Ball Z-esque planet where every genre was represented. (maybe Riki was from another planet? I dunno. Never played him) What did I make of the backgrounds during flight? Well, I guess I didn’t think about them, or perhaps just thought they meant “very fast.” Anyway, nice to know.

 

[Lokii]

Heck, SaGa Frontier in general is basically a merging of the Game Boy and Super Famicom schools of the SaGa series. From the former you get the four mechanically distinct races (Mystics taking the Mutant/Esper slot) and diverse settings and from the latter you get multiple character scenarios and technique sparking.

Yeah I wouldn't be surprised if this was the conception point for the project.

 

[Violentvixen]

I started this (Blue) last night and wow I was unprepared to just be dropped into a room and have my ass kicked by going into a sewer. Some glowy eyes blinked and then something jumped out and killed me in one hit.

I went back to a glowy crystal dungeon, aligned all the beams and it says I unlocked light magic and I bought some spells, but I don't see it as an option. It says shadow magic has to be given up to use light magic, but I didn't buy any shadow magic?

The different ships for different destinations are fun.

Oh and how do you use items in battle? I tried to use a cure in a battle but there was no option, then tried to use it out of battle and it says it only works in battle?

I'm guessing the original game came with a manual/map that went through some of this.

 

[Neo Skimbleshanks]

I believe you have to either equip the items specifically or (one per campaign) the backpack, which lets you use any items

 

[Lokii]

I went back to a glowy crystal dungeon, aligned all the beams and it says I unlocked light magic and I bought some spells, but I don't see it as an option. It says shadow magic has to be given up to use light magic, but I didn't buy any shadow magic?

You have to assign skills and magic to your characters in order to use them in battle. You can do it in the menu under the "Arts" option. Each character can only hold 9 skills at a time. The magic you bought is available now, and since you got the gift for Light magic (indicated by a little star) you might learn new powerful Light spells at the end of any battle in which you cast a Light spell. And yes, any character that's got Light magic won't be able to equip Dark.

Oh and how do you use items in battle? I tried to use a cure in a battle but there was no option, then tried to use it out of battle and it says it only works in battle?

You have to equip individual items in weapon slots to use them in battle. If you equip the "backpack" item you'll have access to all items without have to assign them to a slot.

Edit: Another aspect with items/healing that goes against the usual methods is that you can revive characters from KO with any healing item or art. There's no phoenix down equivalent. If a character losses all their Life Points you won't be able to revive them until you rest at an inn.

 

[Violentvixen]

Well, I'll be getting that backpack item then! Thanks!

I fell asleep while playing so probably just wasn't thinking clearly enough to systematically go through all the menus and see what they do, should have done that.

 

[Lokii]

Well, I'll be getting that backpack item then! Thanks!

Your main character should actually start with it.

I fell asleep while playing so probably just wasn't thinking clearly enough to systematically go through all the menus and see what they do, should have done that.

SaGas are katamaris of idiosyncrasies. Luckily this remaster has a Help menu under settings that covers a ton of information and is very worth going through.

 

[Sprite]

Yeah I pretty much always have several FAQs open.

I worry that in my zeal for this game I have not adequately warned new players of how much of a mess it is.

 

[Lokii]

I personally wouldn't describe SaGas as "messes." They zig where other JRPGs zag but that doesn't mean they're products of incompetence IMO.

I was listening to a podcast the other day that was breaking the series down for new players and it framed the need for guides and outside information as 1. creating that community-shared information space that Souls was praised for, and 2. an aspect of the tabletop-inspired design. Just as tabletop roleplaying requires consulting of supplementals so does SaGa, or so goes the argument. I kinda like it. Regardless if it's intentionally trying to evoke a different kind of role-play experience, or if its using secret information to create depth, or if it's just Kawazu being Kawazu, there should be no stigma to using outside resources to learn how these games work.

 

[Destil]

Something I missed until I was done Blues’ entire quest: the Region Map item in his inventory lets him warp between areas from anywhere. I do ‘t think anyone else gets it, I don’t know if you can keep it in NG+

Kawazu supposedly used to play imported boardgames with minimal translations, and I love the man for allowing that to inspire his game design for decades.

 

[MetManMas]

Yeah, don't be ashamed to reference a FAQ if you need to. It helps to know which moves you need to get the monster build you want. Heck, I keep Sphinx's Riddle on my Riki just so I have a reliable back-up monster I can easily alternate back to every other meal just in case my move absorbing turns him into something less useful.

That said, if the remaster ever adds more QOL features down the line I hope one of 'em is a bestiary. Not just 'cuz I'd like an in-game way to see which monsters carry what, but also because the monsters in this game are amazing and I would love to look over the lot of 'em.

 

[Lokii]

My favorite monster I never noticed what it is until the HD remaster made it clear is the mushroom growing out of the dead flying rabbite (rabbat).

 

[YangusKhan]

I used to think the Ghostrider enemy was some kind of horrible fish monstrosity wrapped in a brass instrument like a tuba. But now I see it's a little ghost person riding some kind of one-eyed... thingy.

 

[keele864]

Kawazu supposedly used to play imported boardgames with minimal translations, and I love the man for allowing that to inspire his game design for decades.

Not terribly far from the secret origin of the Dark Souls games, Miyazaki trying hard to read books in other languages and getting the gist but not the details

 

[estragon]

Something I missed until I was done Blues’ entire quest: the Region Map item in his inventory lets him warp between areas from anywhere. I do ‘t think anyone else gets it, I don’t know if you can keep it in NG+

Very curious to know the answer to this, but I'm guessing probably not. Unless they went to the trouble of coding in times when it turns off for all the characters, it seems like it would very likely break the game for the more linear scenarios? (Not "break" as in makes them easy or hard, but "break" as in introduces a bunch of bugs that are too much trouble to resolve.)