Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven puts a promising twist on turn-based RPGs

Despite the name, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is less about romance about more about legacy. This Square Enix remake of a non-linear 1993 RPG features an Inheritance system where protagonists eventually take the skills of another, growing stronger with each generation. It takes multiple lifetimes to take down the big bad, which might play out differently depending on who inherits the throne.

While I didn’t get much time to get to know the characters themselves during a 30-minute demo at PAX West, the satisfying turn-based combat and signature Glimmer mechanic signal a strong showing for turn-based RPG fans.

Watch the throne

In Romancing SaGa 2, seven heroes who saved the world were sealed away into another dimension, fated to return to save humanity again. They eventually make a return, but they are corrupted by the alternate dimension and decide to take revenge on the world that abandoned them.

The Emperor of Avalon, the capital of the Varennes Empire, has taken the responsibility of defeating the seven heroes turned villains, but they are so strong that you can’t beat them all in one lifetime. Revenge of the Seven follows three Emperors across the Varennes Empire, each of which inherit skills from the previous leader. The demo I tried focused on Gerard, the son of the recently deceased King Leon and the first-generation protagonist. The other two are up to you.

Revenge of the Seven features typical turn-based combat with type advantages thrown into the mix. Similar to Shin Megami Tensei or Persona, each enemy has a set of weaknesses that you discover as you hit them with different attacks. Revenge of the Seven encourages you to switch up your party before major battles, depending on the different kinds of strengths and weaknesses they have. For example, a multi-hit bow attack will come in handy for mobs weak to arrows. It’s also wise to add someone with a healing ability to the team, even though the default setting fully heals characters’ HP after every