Are you ready to play one of the most challenging and maligned RPGs of the last decade?
As far as UNLIMITED: SaGa is concerned, we said let's tackle the basics of game design once again. We didn't try to emphasize the realistic details, but rather symbolize, and cut out the parts we didn't need. We thought, let's dare to do a "not express" thing and we calmly sticked to that route.
Akitoshi Kawazu, RPGFan Interview (2003)
Hard-core hobbyists may appreciate the title's extreme challenge level, esoteric presentation, and pioneering play mechanics. On the other hand, confusing campaigns and a mind-boggling mission structure guarantee casual enthusiasts just won't get the picture. - G4
Let's not kid ourselves - Unlimited Saga is overly deep and complicated to a fault. It's as if Square was trying to make a complex game but failed to add some serious polish or just cut out the excess. Into Liquid Sky
Graphics aside, battling with the Unlimited Saga system is clunky and completely unintuitive. The battle engine features an insane potluck of disparate elements, almost as if Square-Enix took all of the purged leftovers from ten or fifteen other games and smashed the scraps together to create the unholy videogame sausage that it is. GameCritics
There's a lot of game to be had if you can get past the game's quirks. GameShark
I've never had less fun playing a videogame. GameNow
----------------------------
Theres never been a game quite like Unlimited Saga. From the complete abandonment of standard RPG mechanics the absolutely astonishing soundtrack, US will leave you completely complexed for many, many hours. Most people that play the game seem to despise it with every fiber of their being.
However, unlike other games that are considered total and utter horseshit by their lack of difficulty, overly long cutscenes, or simplistic gameplay, Unlimited Saga is maligned because it barely makes any damn sense. While it is undoubtedly an RPG, everything is so far from the norm that it's like learning the genre all over again.
Overall, the game is structured more like Saga Frontier 1 than any of the other Saga games. Though having played any of the other games will be useful in understanding LP and Sparking, it isnt necessaryyoull be completely lost the first few hours regardless of your prior experience.
Like Saga Frontier, each playthrough is only 7-20 hours long, with each of the characters having a different story and game structure.
From easiest to hardest
Laura- A retired pirate is grieving the loss of her husband when she saves a prince from a group of bandits. Together, they must recover treasures from across the world so he can reclaim his throne. Her game is s
Judy- A young witch must reunite her family. She has a pretty straightforward game structure, though most of her party members are magic users.
Ventus- A courier searches for his brothers killer. His progression is linked to completing courier missions.
Ruby- A fake fortuneteller starts getting visions of the end of the world. Her quest is the only one that requires visiting all seven wonders.
Kurt- A nobles son goes on a journey after equipping a cursed gauntlet. Throughout his game, he will randomly be sucked in
Armic- Hes a dim-witted badger or something. His boss fights arent that hard, but instead of progressing by completing missions, Armics story advances as you collect resources for a rain ceremony. His last boss is only unlocked after fully completing the list, which can be a bit of a pain.
Mythe- A playboy inventor becomes obsessed with a girl in the photograph, and sets off to find the truth behind the ancient picture. His last boss sequence is far and away the hardest of all the characters.
GAMEPLAY:
I had a lot written here, but I think it is best people try to figure things out on their own before looking for help. In summary, LP matters instead of HP, maps are like a board game, you only gain HP and stats after successfully completing a mission, optional missions have turn limits, it uses the sparking system of SaGa fame, and there are a whole bunch of abilities only usable on the map screen to aid exploration.
HP/LP: Though the basics may be familiar to anybody that has played the other SaGa games, you no longer get knocked down or removed from combat when youre out of HP. Instead, HP acts more like a Stamina that used to perform attacks, and acts as a shield for your HP. A character is dead only when their LP reaches zero.
Board Map System: Instead of free exploration, maps are laid out like a board-game, with your party represented by a playing piece. There are numerous map abilities to utilize.
Level Grid: Each time you complete a mission, each character must pick one skill tile to place on their grid, replacing one if it is already filled. What tiles you equip and where you place them determine your stats, what map abilities they can use, and the layout of your combat reel.
Combat Reels: After you select what weapon to attack with, the level of that attack is determined by a combat reel. It isn't at all random, though, is very responsive, and the tiles are laid out in a natural progression pyramid towards higher levels (assuming that you have those skills already).
You are allowed 5 actions per turn, divided among as many of your seven party members as you wish, with all going to one or two characters if you wish. Only those you select will be on the field that turn, while the others stay back and regenerate HP.
You can execute the commands in any order, and you can do them one-by-one or in a combo, in which case you get to do all of the reels at the same time. Combos increase both HP and LP damage.
Map Reels: My least favorite part of the game. Similar to the combat reels for traps and opening chests, except harder, and sometimes the game obviously destines you to winning or losing (critical failure? I don't know).
Item Fusion: Like in most SaGa games, weapons have durability, which can be regenerated by smithing another material back into it. However, the material of the weapon and the additive may react to make a new piece of equipment.
The more I think about it, the more I come to realize that Unlimited Saga is a reimagining of computer RPGs. Undoubtedly based on P&P RPGs, US goes off in a completely different direction than the Ultima series went (and everything they inspire).
And that barely even scratches the surface.
------
VIDEOS
Opening Movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxqEP2jjulE
The Map Board
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPSiQZCi_mc&NR=1
Spells
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23-IIgU4Nmc&feature=related
Best Basic Battle Theme Ever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GiiRHu4cyw
Some dude playing that awesome battle theme on his violin!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnQJXFQ1ddo
Early Boss Battle (fixed) --- Great Music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uYXC5_6_Nk
Superior US box art confirmed!
-----------------
What can I say? I really like this game. I beat it with four characters and got stuck at the lost boss with the other three. I'm going for a fifth completion as I type this. There's a lot of depth to get lost in, and the soundtrack is amazing. Go out and buy the game. You'll need the support group that will gather at this thread.
As far as UNLIMITED: SaGa is concerned, we said let's tackle the basics of game design once again. We didn't try to emphasize the realistic details, but rather symbolize, and cut out the parts we didn't need. We thought, let's dare to do a "not express" thing and we calmly sticked to that route.
Akitoshi Kawazu, RPGFan Interview (2003)
Hard-core hobbyists may appreciate the title's extreme challenge level, esoteric presentation, and pioneering play mechanics. On the other hand, confusing campaigns and a mind-boggling mission structure guarantee casual enthusiasts just won't get the picture. - G4
Let's not kid ourselves - Unlimited Saga is overly deep and complicated to a fault. It's as if Square was trying to make a complex game but failed to add some serious polish or just cut out the excess. Into Liquid Sky
Graphics aside, battling with the Unlimited Saga system is clunky and completely unintuitive. The battle engine features an insane potluck of disparate elements, almost as if Square-Enix took all of the purged leftovers from ten or fifteen other games and smashed the scraps together to create the unholy videogame sausage that it is. GameCritics
There's a lot of game to be had if you can get past the game's quirks. GameShark
I've never had less fun playing a videogame. GameNow
----------------------------
Theres never been a game quite like Unlimited Saga. From the complete abandonment of standard RPG mechanics the absolutely astonishing soundtrack, US will leave you completely complexed for many, many hours. Most people that play the game seem to despise it with every fiber of their being.
However, unlike other games that are considered total and utter horseshit by their lack of difficulty, overly long cutscenes, or simplistic gameplay, Unlimited Saga is maligned because it barely makes any damn sense. While it is undoubtedly an RPG, everything is so far from the norm that it's like learning the genre all over again.
Overall, the game is structured more like Saga Frontier 1 than any of the other Saga games. Though having played any of the other games will be useful in understanding LP and Sparking, it isnt necessaryyoull be completely lost the first few hours regardless of your prior experience.
Like Saga Frontier, each playthrough is only 7-20 hours long, with each of the characters having a different story and game structure.
From easiest to hardest
Laura- A retired pirate is grieving the loss of her husband when she saves a prince from a group of bandits. Together, they must recover treasures from across the world so he can reclaim his throne. Her game is s
Judy- A young witch must reunite her family. She has a pretty straightforward game structure, though most of her party members are magic users.
Ventus- A courier searches for his brothers killer. His progression is linked to completing courier missions.
Ruby- A fake fortuneteller starts getting visions of the end of the world. Her quest is the only one that requires visiting all seven wonders.
Kurt- A nobles son goes on a journey after equipping a cursed gauntlet. Throughout his game, he will randomly be sucked in
Armic- Hes a dim-witted badger or something. His boss fights arent that hard, but instead of progressing by completing missions, Armics story advances as you collect resources for a rain ceremony. His last boss is only unlocked after fully completing the list, which can be a bit of a pain.
Mythe- A playboy inventor becomes obsessed with a girl in the photograph, and sets off to find the truth behind the ancient picture. His last boss sequence is far and away the hardest of all the characters.
GAMEPLAY:
I had a lot written here, but I think it is best people try to figure things out on their own before looking for help. In summary, LP matters instead of HP, maps are like a board game, you only gain HP and stats after successfully completing a mission, optional missions have turn limits, it uses the sparking system of SaGa fame, and there are a whole bunch of abilities only usable on the map screen to aid exploration.
HP/LP: Though the basics may be familiar to anybody that has played the other SaGa games, you no longer get knocked down or removed from combat when youre out of HP. Instead, HP acts more like a Stamina that used to perform attacks, and acts as a shield for your HP. A character is dead only when their LP reaches zero.
Board Map System: Instead of free exploration, maps are laid out like a board-game, with your party represented by a playing piece. There are numerous map abilities to utilize.
Level Grid: Each time you complete a mission, each character must pick one skill tile to place on their grid, replacing one if it is already filled. What tiles you equip and where you place them determine your stats, what map abilities they can use, and the layout of your combat reel.
Combat Reels: After you select what weapon to attack with, the level of that attack is determined by a combat reel. It isn't at all random, though, is very responsive, and the tiles are laid out in a natural progression pyramid towards higher levels (assuming that you have those skills already).
You are allowed 5 actions per turn, divided among as many of your seven party members as you wish, with all going to one or two characters if you wish. Only those you select will be on the field that turn, while the others stay back and regenerate HP.
You can execute the commands in any order, and you can do them one-by-one or in a combo, in which case you get to do all of the reels at the same time. Combos increase both HP and LP damage.
Map Reels: My least favorite part of the game. Similar to the combat reels for traps and opening chests, except harder, and sometimes the game obviously destines you to winning or losing (critical failure? I don't know).
Item Fusion: Like in most SaGa games, weapons have durability, which can be regenerated by smithing another material back into it. However, the material of the weapon and the additive may react to make a new piece of equipment.
The more I think about it, the more I come to realize that Unlimited Saga is a reimagining of computer RPGs. Undoubtedly based on P&P RPGs, US goes off in a completely different direction than the Ultima series went (and everything they inspire).
And that barely even scratches the surface.
------
VIDEOS
Opening Movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxqEP2jjulE
The Map Board
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPSiQZCi_mc&NR=1
Spells
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23-IIgU4Nmc&feature=related
Best Basic Battle Theme Ever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GiiRHu4cyw
Some dude playing that awesome battle theme on his violin!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnQJXFQ1ddo
Early Boss Battle (fixed) --- Great Music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uYXC5_6_Nk
Superior US box art confirmed!
-----------------
What can I say? I really like this game. I beat it with four characters and got stuck at the lost boss with the other three. I'm going for a fifth completion as I type this. There's a lot of depth to get lost in, and the soundtrack is amazing. Go out and buy the game. You'll need the support group that will gather at this thread.