Trailers from the Saga Frontier Remastered and Legend of Mana Remastered were shown at today’s Nintendo Direct. While the Saga Frontier remake was announced via Tweet last fall, this is the first time we’re seeing either game in action. These 32-bit RPGs debuted on the PlayStation. However, they were underappreciated in their original incarnations, which is what makes their appearance on the Switch so exciting. Given the increasing rarity of original PS1 copies, this will be the first opportunity many have to play the two games.
Nintendo Direct gives us a look at two of Squares most underrated RPGs
Saga Frontier Remastered
Saga Frontier is a great RPG that allows players to play through the story of seven (eight in the remaster) different protagonists. The game is notable for being very open, and facets of each storyline can change depending what order they’re played in and what decisions are made during them.
Unfortunately, Saga Frontier was overlooked by many when it was released in March 1998. It had the misfortune of being released just a few months after Final Fantasy VII debuted and shook the foundations of gaming. With its more traditional battle system and 2D sprites, Saga Frontier flew under the radar, which is a shame.
Saga Frontier Remastered doesn’t just include visual updates, though. The developers have gone back and taken the opportunity to include a storyline that was cut in the original release. This helps round out the overall narrative more, and other parts of the plot have been changed to make more sense as a result.
Legend of Mana Remastered
Legend of Mana is absolutely beautiful, featuring some of the best sprites of the time. However, like Saga Frontier, it was overshadowed in the US by more well-known series. This remaster adds some visual polish and also makes the Japan-only Pocketstation minigame Ring Ring Land available in-game.
One of the criticisms of Legend of Mana upon its original release is that the story is unfocused. However, I think that makes it a perfect release for today. It has more laid-back vibe with a lot of setpieces and side quests, as well as crafting and pet raising. It was a bit ahead of its time, which makes me think it’ll get a new appreciation when the remaster releases.
We don’t have long to wait to play these two either. Saga Frontier Remastered is available on Switch, PS4, and PC on April 15 for $24.99, and Legend of Mana Remastered will release on July 24 on Switch PS4 and PC for $29.99.
