Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United Preview. I was recently given the chance to play two demos of the upcoming Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United, a remake of the classic 1995 JRPG from Square Enix. I’ll start by admitting I’ve never been truly great at strategic turn-based titles, but from the time I had with the demo, I really enjoyed the experience. Though I only had access to some limited areas, the locations were visually impressive and the combat smooth and responsive. Here’s some some key takeaways from my preview.
User Interface
One of the first things I decided to check was to see how much you could customize the HUD layout. I know with a lot of more modern games, folk have had issues with information overload and I can tell you now, if there’s something you want removed from the screen, Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United has you covered. There were options such as removing the mini map, or locking the mini map in place if you don’t like the compass style effect – I know this is one thing I will probably toggle as I prefer a static mini map. The quest system had the ability to turn off markers, if you wish to do the game in a more exploration based fashion. There were a ton of notification options that you could toggle too.
This customisation wasn’t just limited to the open world part of the game however, as you can also customize several different UI elements for the battle system, too. Due to my limited time with the demo, and because I would probably play how it comes default, I didn’t get much time to toggle any of these but I wanted to check because I know some folk really enjoy when these can be removed for their gameplay experience.
Exploring And Battle
As I got more into the demo, the art style is something that really impressed and stuck with me. I had access to two varied locations, and though the demo seemed quite linear I’m not sure if this will be the case in the final game. As you explore around, the enemies are on the field. If you are able to attack them without being noticed, you will gain priority in battle and you will deal a small amount of base damage before the start of the first turn. This can really help out when fighting several enemies in the same battle. Foes will have a marker above their head if you can hit them to trigger the sneak attack.
To me, what was unique about the battle system from my experience, was the ability and spell learning. If a skill has a lightbulb next to it, depending on the brightness of the bulb, you have the ability to learn a different skill after using that technique. This felt really cool when it happened and as someone who has had no experience with the franchise before, this felt unique to me. In regards to the technique system, during the demo I was informed that if a technique is mastered then it can be taught to other characters.
In addition, when trying to learn new techniques, you are more likely to learn them (or in the game’s term, “Glimmer”) when you are fighting enemies that are slightly higher level then you, thus rewarding you for challenging fights. Once you have unlocked the tech or spell, you can use it that turn and can be selected in future turns of the battle.
As you perform attacks, the overdrive gauge fills up. Once you fill up the gauge you can do a combo attack that ignores the enemies’ weakness and attack order. The ones I saw looked really cool and I can’t wait to see what other overdrive moves will be available in the final version. The overdrive menu will pop up once the bar is full, and its a separate menu that you need to tab over to with R1/L1.
Once you have finished battle, your HP total will heal back up, but your BP will not be restored. BP is the system that is used for spells and techniques, which helps balance the system
I didn’t spend that much time with the formation menu, as I wanted to just get some time trying the game, but one thing that felt unique to me was the type of characters in the party. The demo had a pixie and a snowperson; it was a crazy party set up! Though I will say spending some time in formation might be very important for hard mode, as I had certain characters get targeted quite alot during the battles lol it almost felt mean.
Romancing SaGa 3 Won Me Over
I had quite a bit of fun with the two demos that I tried out. The first demo I played on normal mode, but for the second demo, the rep suggested hard mode which is actually the original difficulty for the game. Having said that, after they saw me struggle on normal, they did suggest perhaps not bumping up the difficulty after all. I still gave it a shot though, and frankly it didn’t feel that much different in this demo, what with the short time I had. Still, this could change in the full game.
In terms of graphical fidelity, Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United looks really stylish, and gameplay was overall fluid and enjoyable. It felt punishing even on normal, without feeling like it was too challenging. The amount of UI options you have at your disposal made customisation of everything such a joy, allowing you to have all the information or none of the information depending on your playstyle.
I enjoyed my experience with Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United and I might end up picking up the full game when it comes out. I went in not expecting much, and came out a converted fan. If you enjoy turn-based strategy games featuring a good story and some unique characters, I would really suggest picking this up when it comes out.
Thanks to Square Enix for the chance to go hands-on with Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United.