SaGa Frontier 2's name was always kind of an albatross around its neck. Despite what it is called, it has almost nothing in common with the previous SaGa Frontier game, and that disappointed some people when the game was originally released. That might be part of why it seemed to have a rough reputation, since people were more excited about something that resembled the first game. Additionally, it's a weird and obtuse game, so it never quite received the same love as its predecessor. However, I love SaGa Frontier 2, and in some ways, I think it's a more fun game than SaGa Frontier. That's why I'm glad SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered is such a top-notch port, as it gives the game a much-needed second chance.

SaGa Frontier 2 is divided into two stories that initially seem to be unconnected. One story follows Gustave XIII. Born to a royal family known for its power to wield magical Anima, Gustave's life is turned upside-down when he undergoes a ritual meant to show his magical power. However, this ritual does the opposite and reveals that Gustave, far from being gifted in magic, seems to have no magical power at all. Exiled by his father, Gustave must now navigate a life in a world where he is constantly threatened. On the other side of the story is a young boy named Wil Knights, who makes his living excavating powerful treasures from ancient civilizations. Wil's duty is to protect the world from the danger of these artifacts, the worst being The Egg, an object that has the potential to threaten the entire world.

Plot-wise, you'll swap between the two characters at the end of each chapter, gradually discovering more about how everything comes together until it finally peaks in the game's finale. I found this to be a mixed bag. I found Gustave to be a far more interesting lead than Wil. I tended to stick with Gustave until I had to play as Wil, which sometimes didn't work in Wil's favor. It isn't even that Wil is bad, but Gustave's politics-and drama-heavy story felt more exciting to me. The Remastered version also includes new plot moments that help round out some of the rougher edges of the plot and flesh out the characters.

SaGa Frontier 2's combat system is a standard turn-based combat system built around some rather unusual mechanics. You and the enemy take turns hitting each other by using a variety of special abilities. Weapon abilities are learned by equipping and using weapons, while spells are tied to a character's specific Anima abilities. There are also special options that might become available if you have certain items or are fighting in certain areas. You can even do special team attacks by using multiple different skills one another. You can also "spark" or randomly trigger new skills mid-battle.

Probably the weirdest thing about SaGa Frontier 2 is that you don't really have traditional levels. Instead, your characters have roughly four stats: HP, LP, SP and WP. HP is … well, it's HP. You take damage, and if you lose too much HP, you go down. LP is sort of like a second HP bar. If you lose all your HP, you lose 1 LP and recover HP. However, you can also spend LP to fully recover your HP in between rounds or to perform special attacks if you don't have other resources. If LP reaches zero, then that character is dead. If your main character reaches 0 LP, then it's game over.

SP and WP are basically magic skills and special skills, respectively. You need these points to perform special attacks and will gradually and somewhat randomly gain more between fights, in addition to a low level of passive regeneration. Oddly enough, this is also tied to a character's age. Older characters regenerate SP more quickly, while WP regeneration slows down as you age. That means physical characters will want to practice and master their physical abilities when they are younger, while mages will come into their own with age. You also have to play around steel equipment, which is basically anti-magic gear. It's fantastic in some situations but limiting in others, except for Gustave, who basically thrives on his anti-magic abilities.

Also, there's a "duel" system in SaGa Frontier 2 where, instead of bringing a full team into combat, you can have one character duel the opponent. Instead of choosing attacks, you select from multiple different kinds of attack commands, like cleave or slash. Combining these skills can "spark" new combat techniques. This lets you hyper-optimize on learning specific abilities or attributes for one character in exchange for the rest of your party getting no benefit. It's important to balance team and solo battles; if you never give anyone solo training, they'll fall behind in skills.

The system in SaGa Frontier 2 is pretty complex and, mercifully, it's much better explained in the Remastered version than in the original game. It largely amounts to figuring out powerful combos and efficient ways to defeat enemies, but understanding the interplay of all the mechanics gave a much younger me a headache. You still need to be willing to read the game's tutorials and experiment, but SaGa Frontier 2's combat system is much better and far less obtuse. Remastered also gives you more options for transferring stats and abilities from characters in one generation to the next generation, and that helps cut down on grinding.

The Remastered version also includes some additional bonus scenarios, including post-game optional superbosses that are a genuinely fantastic addition to the game. There were quite a few parts of SaGa 2 that felt a bit underutilized, and the ability to throw late-game units at challenging foes makes it rewarding to learn the ins and outs of the combat system. The quality-of-life mechanics go a long way toward making them fun instead of frustrating.

The third kind of combat in the game is a very mild RTS system where you take control of Gustav's armies and guide them to fighting opponents. These battles are more for flavor than anything. While they have some theoretical tactics, most of them are effortlessly easy and involve using the strong units you already have to overwhelm the enemy. The exception is one infamously difficult mission that requires insanely specific strategies and a bit of luck to finish. Unfortunately, the remaster didn't do much to improve it. I don't dislike the RTS combat (that one mission aside), but it's largely forgettable.

I've always been fond of the combat in SaGa Frontier 2, but it requires a heavy investment, even with the Remastered changes making it easier to understand and harder to get softlocked or roadblocked. This has always been the case with SaGa games, which are often very mechanically heavy and somewhat obscured games, but I think Frontier 2 is tougher to understand at first than SaGa Frontier 1. If you're willing to invest the time and energy, it's a whole bucketload of fun to play.

SaGa Frontier 2 was one of the best-looking games on the PS1, and the remaster does a fantastic job of capturing that. The entire game is done in a gorgeous watercolor aesthetic, and it's genuinely delightful to see in motion. It's probably the best-looking SaGa game until decades later, and I still prefer its art style to some of the more recent games. The music is likewise fantastic, and Masashi Hamauzu's work on the game remains some of his best. Obviously the PS1 limitations still show through in places, but Frontier 2 is an example of how strong art styles go a long way.

SaGa Frontier 2 was always a bit of a black sheep in a franchise of black sheep, with weird mechanics and an unusual plot structure making it lack the instant pick-up-and-play quality of the first game. It's always been a favorite of mine, and SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered is a top-notch upgrade to an excellent game. You have to forgive some of its eccentricities, but if you're looking for an old-school RPG that's worth your trouble, then SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered is a must-play.

Score: 8.0/10