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So after choosing 1 of 8 total paths to begin your adventure, you're on your own to recruit teammates and traverse among the 10 regions of the world Mardias. I tested out 3 of the 8 scenarios and there are definite advantages to starting as some characters over others. So what can you do to customize your adventure? Most RPGs have a selling point, such as the Nippon Ichi games pushed the use of gridless combat, well, Romancing SaGa takes the intricacies of a host of other games and throws them all together in one rather complex system that covers everything from shopping to fighting. For example, there are trade consortiums behind the shops, so buying trends and purchase amounts will affect future dealings—we've seen this before in other titles, but it has been expanded a bit here. You'll see this all over Romancing SaGa, and for once I say that the little things rather than the total experience are what make this sustainable for at least a rental period—maybe more.
In order to handle the hordes of enemies (and I do mean hordes!)—the visible enemies on the map are insanely plentiful. You'll need to train in classes, such as swordsman, martial artist, trader, and others. Mastering a class gives you expertise in certain weapon sets and you can train across all classes as the game progresses to gain mastery of all skills.
Once in battle, things open up and Romancing reveals its strongest hand. New techniques will be learned on the fly and combinations will be created as characters gain more powerful attacks in their skill sets. There are also a few other anomalies to the standard turn-based system. Undodgeable "surges" and huge damage "reverses" are just a couple of the random effects that can make each battle unique. You'll find yourself craving bigger and badder enemies in order to test fate and discover what magical elements may appear, ultimately turning the battle in your favor.
Although I could regale you with other highlights, the bottom line folks is that Romancing SaGa was something of a disappointment for me. It's an average experience and if the verge of exciting RPGs set to release throughout 2006 are any indication, I'll have little time for indulging games of this level. In short, it fails to deliver and left me wanting more.
If you're a completist, then you will probably want to experience at least a bit of the combat and structure. Just don't dismiss this title outright based on Unlimited SaGa (an earlier release in the series that is largely considered one of the worst RPGs to ever hit the PS2), or the general tendency to sink a title for surface elements before really testing out all it has to offer. While the game may be somewhat lacking in scope to be considered "romantic", there's enough material present to consider giving it a first date.
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