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The basic concept of the game is that one can play as any of seven different characters, all of whom exist in the same setting: a solar system known as 'The Regions', this, with each Region being a planet with its own culture, game-level of technology, and form of magic. Travel through most of the Regions is easy due to inter-regional ships traveling regularly between them. Four types of beings exist within the regions: Humans, the Mystics (similar to vampires), the Monsters (shapeshifters) and the Mechs (robots). Each character has a quest to fulfill, but there are also several optional quests that any of the characters can participate in. Some of the main characters even encounter each other during their quests.
The basic concept of the game is that one can play as any of seven different characters, all of whom exist in the same setting: a solar system known as 'The Regions', this, with each Region being a planet with its own culture, game-level of technology, and form of magic. Travel through most of the Regions is easy due to inter-regional ships traveling regularly between them. Four types of beings exist within the regions: Humans, the Mystics (similar to vampires), the Monsters (shapeshifters) and the Mechs (robots). Each character has a quest to fulfill, but there are also several optional quests that any of the characters can participate in. Some of the main characters even encounter each other during their quests.


For added incentive, beating a character's game and saving its completion to the system data adds some nice bonuses. For example, after beating one character's game, essentially every character starts off stronger and with better gear than before.<ref name="tips">{{cite book |author=Studio Bentstuff |title=サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 |year=1997 |publisher=[[ASCII (company)|ASCII]] |language=Japanese |isbn=4-89366-895-1 |pages=p. 65 |quote= }}</ref> For example, after beating one character's game and saving its completion to the system data, Mei-ling starts off with 90, 110, or 130 HP and occasionally a Hard Leather instead of a Fiber Vest when you recruit her.<ref name="inistats">{{cite book |author=Studio Bentstuff |title=サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 |year=1997 |publisher=[[ASCII (company)|ASCII]] |language=Japanese |isbn=4-89366-895-1 |pages=pp. 106-117 |quote= }}</ref> Her initial statistics may depend on how many battles players fought in their previous quest that they saved on the system data.<ref name="tips" /> Similarly, this also applies to some of the protagonists. In this case, Red starts with off 120, 150, or 180 HP and has Chop already learned.<ref name="inistats" />
For added incentive, beating a character's game and saving its completion to the system data adds some bonuses. For example, after beating one character's game, essentially every character starts off stronger and with better gear than before.<ref name="tips">{{cite book |author=Studio Bentstuff |title=サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 |year=1997 |publisher=[[ASCII (company)|ASCII]] |language=Japanese |isbn=4-89366-895-1 |pages=p. 65 |quote= }}</ref> For example, after beating one character's game and saving its completion to the system data, Mei-ling starts off with 90, 110, or 130 HP and occasionally a Hard Leather instead of a Fiber Vest when you recruit her.<ref name="inistats">{{cite book |author=Studio Bentstuff |title=サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 |year=1997 |publisher=[[ASCII (company)|ASCII]] |language=Japanese |isbn=4-89366-895-1 |pages=pp. 106-117 |quote= }}</ref> Her initial statistics may depend on how many battles players fought in their previous quest that they saved on the system data.<ref name="tips" /> Similarly, this also applies to some of the protagonists. In this case, Red starts with off 120, 150, or 180 HP and has Chop already learned.<ref name="inistats" />


Fulfilling all seven main quests allows the player access to the "2nd Division" room, in which the player can fight all final bosses and talk to the game's programmers.<ref>{{cite book |author=Studio Bentstuff |title=サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 |year=1997 |publisher=[[ASCII (company)|ASCII]] |language=Japanese |isbn=4-89366-895-1 |pages=p. 206 |quote= }}</ref>
Fulfilling all seven main quests allows the player access to the "2nd Division" room, in which the player can fight all final bosses and talk to the game's programmers.<ref>{{cite book |author=Studio Bentstuff |title=サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 |year=1997 |publisher=[[ASCII (company)|ASCII]] |language=Japanese |isbn=4-89366-895-1 |pages=p. 206 |quote= }}</ref>

Revision as of 04:46, 12 January 2008

SaGa Frontier
North American cover art
Developer(s)Square
Publisher(s)Japan Square
United States SCE America
Designer(s)Akitoshi Kawazu
SeriesSaGa series
Platform(s)PlayStation
ReleaseJapan July 11, 1997
United States March 24, 1998
Genre(s)Role-playing game
Mode(s)Single player

SaGa Frontier (サガ フロンティア, Saga Furontia) is a Sony PlayStation console role-playing game by Square, released in Japan on July 11, 1997 and in North America on March 25, 1998. It is the first SaGa game to be released in North America since SaGa 3 (Final Fantasy Legend III) in 1993 and is also the first SaGa game to be released on the PlayStation as well. The second three games, the Romancing SaGa trilogy, were marketed exclusively in Japan (except for the Playstation 2 remake of Romancing SaGa).

Gameplay

The basic concept of the game is that one can play as any of seven different characters, all of whom exist in the same setting: a solar system known as 'The Regions', this, with each Region being a planet with its own culture, game-level of technology, and form of magic. Travel through most of the Regions is easy due to inter-regional ships traveling regularly between them. Four types of beings exist within the regions: Humans, the Mystics (similar to vampires), the Monsters (shapeshifters) and the Mechs (robots). Each character has a quest to fulfill, but there are also several optional quests that any of the characters can participate in. Some of the main characters even encounter each other during their quests.

For added incentive, beating a character's game and saving its completion to the system data adds some bonuses. For example, after beating one character's game, essentially every character starts off stronger and with better gear than before.[1] For example, after beating one character's game and saving its completion to the system data, Mei-ling starts off with 90, 110, or 130 HP and occasionally a Hard Leather instead of a Fiber Vest when you recruit her.[2] Her initial statistics may depend on how many battles players fought in their previous quest that they saved on the system data.[1] Similarly, this also applies to some of the protagonists. In this case, Red starts with off 120, 150, or 180 HP and has Chop already learned.[2]

Fulfilling all seven main quests allows the player access to the "2nd Division" room, in which the player can fight all final bosses and talk to the game's programmers.[3]

Main characters

Main article: List of SaGa Frontier characters
  • Red: A teenage boy whose family is destroyed by the evil organization called Black X. Granted the identity of the superhero Alkaiser, he struggles to destroy Black X.
  • Blue: A magician from the Region called the Magic Kingdom, he has been ordered to learn as many different types of magic as he can and to meet his own twin brother in a duel to the death.
  • Asellus: Formally a human girl, she was run over by a carriage and given a blood transfusion by a Mystic Lord. Chosen as Charm Lord's heir, she is despised by human and mystic alike. Can she escape her dark destiny or will she embrace it?
  • Emelia: A beautiful woman accused of killing her own boyfriend, she becomes a secret agent in order to track down the real killer.
  • Lute: A wandering bard with no apparent worries... until he finds himself facing off against his father's apparent murderer.
  • T260G: An ancient Mech awakened in modern times, it must try to remember its original mission and fulfill it.
  • Riki: A young Monster who must find the ten Rings of Power to save his home Region from dying.
  • Fuse: IRPO Agent and close friend of Ren. His quest was cut due to time restraints. Fuse is the "lost 8th quest"; his story was supposed to clear up, among other things, the strange 'retrieve the flower from Suzaku' subquest.

Development

Saga Frontier was developed by the then-Square Production Team 2 (referred to as 2nd Division in the game) with Akitoshi Kawazu as director, Koichi Ishii as planning chief, Kenji Ito as composer, and Tomomi Kobayashi as illustrator. This production team included Kyoji Koizumi, Miwa Shoda, Kazuko Shibuya, and Minoru Akao among others.[4]

Originally, the title of this game was Romancing SaGa 4 during early development.[5] In that stage of development, two more heroes' quests were also being planned, in addition to the existing seven lead characters. One of them was Fuse, the IRPO agent who may be enlisted as a playable character in the actual release. In his quest, Fuse was supposed to be able to take part in other characters' scenarios, and the ultimate goal of his quest might be determined by what the player did in the course of gameplay. The "ninth" protagonist was to be the daughter of a channellers family who is engaging in a controversy as to who of them shall inherit the property of their former patriarch. This scenario seems to be dropped during the early development because of being too comedic.[6][7]

Due to time constraints, some plot points of Asellus' story were removed. During those events, Asellus was supposed to visit Dr. Nusakan's clinic, Bio Research Lab, Lambda Base, and Furdo's Workshop so that she would find her true identity so that she would decide to live as a human being or as a mystic. These quests were also intended to affect her scenario's ending.[8]

In addition to the usual fantasy fare, there are a few esoteric references to classic Science Fiction works including a powerful Realm Magic spell called "Vermillion Sand" after a J.G. Ballard story.

Audio

SaGa Frontier Original Sound Track is a soundtrack album of video game music from SaGa Frontier, comprised of three compact discs. The music was composed by Kenji Ito. On Disc 3 of the soundtrack, there is a 'hidden' track, in the pregap, which can only be heard when rewinding the CD from the beginning; this was originally supposed to be a Riki's theme.[9][10] There also are alternate titles for those pieces of music which can be seen in the songlist in the in-game "2nd Division".[11]

References

Track listings and lengths found at "Chudah's Corner"

  1. ^ a b Studio Bentstuff (1997). サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 (in Japanese). ASCII. pp. p. 65. ISBN 4-89366-895-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  2. ^ a b Studio Bentstuff (1997). サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 (in Japanese). ASCII. pp. pp. 106-117. ISBN 4-89366-895-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  3. ^ Studio Bentstuff (1997). サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 (in Japanese). ASCII. pp. p. 206. ISBN 4-89366-895-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  4. ^ Studio Bentstuff (1997). サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 (in Japanese). ASCII. pp. pp. 262-265. ISBN 4-89366-895-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  5. ^ Studio Bentstuff (1997). サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 (in Japanese). ASCII. pp. p. 278. ISBN 4-89366-895-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  6. ^ Studio Bentstuff (1997). サガフロンティア 解体真書 (in Japanese). ASCII. pp. pp. 356-359. ISBN 4-89366-809-9. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  7. ^ Studio Bentstuff (1997). サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 (in Japanese). ASCII. pp. p. 269. ISBN 4-89366-895-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  8. ^ Studio Bentstuff (1997). サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 (in Japanese). ASCII. pp. pp. 231-233. ISBN 4-89366-895-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  9. ^ Studio Bentstuff (1997). サガフロンティア 解体真書 (in Japanese). ASCII. pp. p. 244. ISBN 4-89366-809-9. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  10. ^ Studio Bentstuff (1997). サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 (in Japanese). ASCII. pp. pp. 322-323. ISBN 4-89366-895-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  11. ^ Studio Bentstuff (1997). サガフロンティア 裏解体真書 (in Japanese). ASCII. pp. pp. 320-321. ISBN 4-89366-895-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
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