The Super Nintendo had a lot of RPGs made for it; the Super Famicom even more so. With the likes of Star Ocean, LiveALive, Shin Megami Tensei, Terranigma, Breath of Fire, Dragon Quest, and Super Mario RPG all on store shelves, how is a game developer supposed to compete? Well, one way to go about it is to reach out to a different audience. Perhaps try a more humorous tone and go for a completely off-beat setting. Establish your game strengths in its writing than in its mechanics. That's how something like Earthbound came to be.
...Or, how about you market your game as hard as balls! A true epic that towers above rest in all merits, that makes all up-and-comers look like child's play and that only the hardest of the hardcore can hope to beat. I mean, it was the 90's after all; if an advertisement wasn't insulting your masculinity, was it even really trying? Thus this was the road publisher Enix and development studio Produce! went down upon in 1993 with The 7th Saga. A game so brutal that 30 years later forum posters still warn of its non-linear world design and crushing encounter rates.
Now, I would never claim that I was good at video games. I have ever only played one of the titles I listed in the first paragraph, in fact. However, I am that peculiar mix of curious and stubborn that when folks on that internet claim something in impossible to beat, I go "Can't be that bad." And so, let me recount my adventure diving heading first into the world of Mode 7 dungeoneering, and let's see if the 7th Saga truly is an epic worth remembering of another shelf-warming RPG.
Story
Five thousand years ago on the planet Ticondera, a great evil that threatened to end the world was defeated and sealed away by a great hero with seven mystical runes of power. In the present day, the hero's descendant King Lemele rules over the entire planet in a fair and just manner. However evil loom over the land, thus the King (having no genetic heirs I guess) has assembled and trained seven apprentices in the art of battle to reclaim the scattered seven runes and bring piece to the land. Not as a team though, but as rivals. He who obtains all 7 runes will be bestowed upon them ultimate power and made the new ruler of Ticondera.You play as one of those 7 apprentices, and it's a pretty diverse line up. There is: Valsu the haughty Cleric, Lejes the sinister Demon, Esuna the mystic Elf, Wilme the orange alien, Kamil the wayward Knight, Olvan the husky dwarf, and Lux the silent Android. Each apprentice has there own strengths and weakness, individual pool of spells they can learn, armor and weapon types they can equip, and varying routes of progression across the game. Naturally I chose Lux, because when was the last time you could play as ED-209 in a fantasy RPG? (don't @ me about FFVI, I haven't played it yet) Lux packs a punch with the highest strength and defense stats of the group, as well as his own unique set of thunder and laser spells. The drawbacks being none of the shops sell any armor or weapons for him, and playing as him requires you to listen to his mechanical footsteps for the entire 20-30 hour run.
Once set on your choice of protagonist, you get a rune-detecting crystal ball, a brief hint on combat from one of the guards, and you are on your way! And really, until the four-fifths mark, that's basically all the plot you get. Due to the open nature of the game, plot beats and quests in general are hard to find. You'll spend your time talking chatting with random NPCs, inspecting random object for clues, and stumbling across random caves to find some inkling of progress. Sometimes a NPC will give you a hint to where the next rune is, or what trouble is ailing the given townsfolk at time and you'll just have to remember that for later. You'll come across the other 6 apprentices in your quest, but they're barely characters and are somewhat all interchangeable. Hardly any reoccurring villains either, just random evils to purge.
And once you finally get to the big chunk of exposition near the end, I will say it has a interesting twist, but hardly personal or all that relevant of to anyone other than the player character. As such, the story in the 7th Saga is nothing worth dwelling on. It merely serves as context for your globetrotting adventure, and will easily leave your memory in T-24 hours after beating it.
Presentation
What did stick in my mind, however, was the overwhelming sense of dread this game managed to provoke. I imagine part of the reason why Enix chose to be so confrontational in the marketing was because the game's art style WAS confrontational. I hope I don't stir up any trouble by saying this, but a lot of popular Japanese games at the time looked... cute. As in they looked Anime: cool guys with cute girls striking dynamic posing with poppy color schemes. The stuff kids love. The 7th Saga is none of that, instead taking its artistic inspirations more from H.R. Giger than Akira Toriyama. The overworld is empty, composed entirely of gray mountains and drying grass plains. The caves are dark and windy. Each castle feels haunted, with what felt like never ending foreboding floors. The combat sprites are big to emphasis the greebles, discoloration, and muscle definition on foes. You are fighting zombies, imps, decaying cyborgs, flying brains, flaming madmen, withering wraiths and everything else that goes bump in the night. It's dark fantasy, but not held back by classic Tolkienisms or adhering to the strict D&D bestiary. Sure, once you get into a proper town, the SNES's usual bright reds greens and blues shine and radiate safety. But all that does is further juxtapose how intentional bleak the rest of game wants your journey to feel. And it's awesome.Couple that with a brilliant chiptune score, and you've got yourself truly memorable experience. Seriously, for a composer who's apparently only been credited for two games (Norihiko Yamanuki, Bosatsubeat on Bandcamp), he went all out on this soundtrack. Light and fanciful where it needs to be, haunting when out exploring the depths. Filled with glory and horns when in the pretense of kings, yet sparse and ethereal while traversing the wasteland. The battles themes, which you'll hear constantly, thankfully never get old. They're the prefect mix of spine-chilling, epic, and adrenalizing. Some of the best I've heard on the SNES.
Game Play
No beating around the bush here: the game is hard. And its not just hard because the all enemies hit like freight trains, or that the encounter rate is tuned too high, or that you start off with less than 10 hit points. No, the 7th Saga is hard because it goes against your preconceived notions of how a JRPG should work. If you go in thinking you're Cecil Harvey, you're going to get your butt whooped. Case in point, the moment you first step out of Lemele's Castle and on to the plains, you'll likely come across an insectoid-crustacean spear-welding alien bastard calling himself a Hermit. He'll drag you into a (nicely animated) Mode 7 wide shot of the field, squaring off at you in battle like it's Punch-Out or something. Now, if your first instinct was to press the [Attack] command, then congratulations you've already made your first mistake of the match. You'll be lucky to escape alive, and that only the first enemy of the game.You see, in the 7th Saga, attacking and defending are mutually exclusive. While defending, you'll have no room to attack, and while attacking you leave yourself wide open for a counterattack. However, if you defend first, your attack on the next turn hits for double. This is intentional, and is the first piece of advice the game offers you. Always defend before you attack, because despite the supposed 5 years you've spent training under King Lemele for this moment, you are the underdog. And the game makes sure to remind you of that until the bitter end. Buy as many healing, mana, and stat-buff potions as you can. You're going to need them.
At least in the early game. As you defeat bosses, you'll be rewarded with the sacred runes. Not only do they unlock story progress and fast travel, they'll bestow buffs when used in battle, significantly improving your odds. However, runes can be lost! In various in cities, you'll randomly encounter some the apprentices, similarly stumped on their quest. They may challenge you in a duel, with your accumulated runes forfeit if you lose. You can win them back, however these duels get significantly harder as the game continues (more on this later.) The apprentices are still worth talking to though, as some may ask to join your party. Only one at time, but for a first time play-through I highly recommend you take on a partner as this is most likely the most significant upgrade you'll get the entire game. Especially if you pick a partner that covers the particular strengths your chosen apprentice lacks (Esuna or Valsu go great with Lux, for instance).
Let's talk about navigation, because that also ended being a bit of a hurdle. When in a location, you are given a command list similar to that of an adventure game which includes Talk, Search, and Status actions. These commands are the same for every object and NPC you'll encounter, and sometimes you'll have to search a person or talk to an object to progress, with few hints as to when and where. Searching specific grid coordinates in a location will occasionally yield a treasure. You'll only ever find these treasures by either searching everything single object in a room, or by using a guide. However these treasures are never truly essential in your quest. Those that are (Runes) are found using the crystal ball given to you at the start. The ball also works as a radar of sorts for random encounters, as they'll appear as roaming white blips. With some careful maneuvering, you can actual avoid running into an encounter by dodging a blip, another eventually there will be so many blips moving so fast that battle becomes inevitable. Random battles are the games way of blocking off areas on the map, as you'll quickly encounter some absurdly tough fights if you're going in a direction you probably shouldn't yet.
The biggest drawback of the game play though is that the level scaling is busted. See, the original Japanese release Elnard (エルナード) was actually much easier. I supposed Enix sought fit to make the Western release harder (counter to what Square did with Mystic Quest) by reducing your attribute gains when you level. However, that reduction DOES NOT apply to the rival apprentices, making fights when them at higher levels practically unwinnable. There are a number of hacks floating about that restore the game to Elnard's original scaling, but I was enticed by the challenges the Western version offered and turned them down. And I will admit, I cheated out the final level of the game (more on this later), mostly due to my exasperation at the title. I was enjoying it, and I didn't need to cheat to beat it, but after 20 hours, still buffing before every attack drains your resolve quickly.
Highlights and Lowlights
Romus: Here's a scene that perfectly encapsulates the 7th Saga experience. I'm in the first dungeon, ready to lay my metal mitts on the first Rune. The fights in the abandoned castle have been arduous, yet I've gotten into a rhythm, and have leveled-up enough that I can quickly dispatch of any ambush that may come way. I'm in my element, so I figure it's about time to confront the dungeon boss and receive my prize. I approach and am confronted by a massive wailing specter pulsing with electricity. This is it, I think, and put up by dukes to defend, as always. I get blasted for half my health. I go for a punch next, and it does jack-squat. The specter rears up and breathes lighting, charring me into scrap. Impossible! Thinking there is no way I could have fumbled that badly, I look up a guide, and see that there is an alternative method to beating Romus. Apparently, he's the lost spirit of the original castle owner's dog and has been haunting its halls ever since his master's wrongful execution. If I talk to an elderly couple in the village close by and rummage in their back yard for an old dog whistle, I can use it mid-fight to appease the apparition and get the rune scot-free.But no.
FUCK THAT!
Screw Romus! No one gets the better of me like that and lives to tell the tale, even if they are a pooch! So instead I pop into the nearest general store and by up some Attack UP and Defense UP potions and run my metal ass back into the castle. Round 2: I pop the Defense potion and realize for the first time that these potions don't just boost your stats by a mere 10 or 20%, but 200%! I pop the Attack potion and smear Romus' ghostly muzzle in with my rock 'em sock 'em servos and it's over in the blink of an eye. The rune is my mine, but more that, Victory. Romus I hope you rot in heaven, you son of a bitch.
Lux Exploit: I mentioned before that I had to cheat, but really it was more of an exploit left in the game's code, and I was lucky it was even available to me. You see, before you head across a Point of No Return and enter the final area, there is a mechanic in town that will upgrade one of Lux's stats. The stat bonus is random, as well which stat is boosted, but considering that Lux get the least equipment upgrades of all the apprentices, anything is appreciated at that point. However, if you press the right buttons, enter at a certain angle, and leave quickly, you can repeated receive the stat bonus. Meaning, if you set up a save state, in theory you can bring Lux up to max stats in all categories. I didn't know this at all when I first picked Lux, so that's my lucky break. I didn't go quite as far as max, but trust me, by the end my boy was a powerhouse. By the way, in the final area you are stripped of all your runes, so justified in my book.
The Wrap Up
If you are looking for a fun, classic JRPG, then I can't recommend The 7th Saga. The game isn't fun, it's a trial. Nothing in it feels classic, but rather alien in design. It lives up to it's brutal reputation, even if it's for the wrong reasons like a wonky localization re-balance. Yet this is what makes the 7th Saga stand out the most from its peers. The re-balance doesn't feel unintentional; the whole games presentation feels it was always meant to be an insurmountable challenge. If you could breeze through this like you would the Secret of Evermore, I don't think this game would have been nearly as engaging for me. Like I said, the story is bare bones and the characterization is even worse. The world building isn't up to snuff and there is really no grand theme or moral to gathered at the end. However, it's the constant pressure, the at-times overwhelming adversity, and that genuine feeling of always being on the back foot yet finding a way to preserve that give this game its identity.
I don't regret playing the 7th Saga at all. In fact, I would love to play its apparent spiritual successor Mystic Ark next. However, that title was only released in Japan, as it's localization (project 7th Saga II) was cancelled due to poor reception of the first. A fan translation does exist, but for the time being I'm on the look out for easier stuff to play. My ass got the severe beating I asked for, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Bonus Video
Pros
- + Great Soundtrack
- + Replay value in the form of 7 protagonists
- + Unique Tone
Cons
- - Brutally Hard
- - Meager Plot
- - Tough to Navigate
6
out of 10
Overall
I wanted to say 7, but honestly the game didn't quite hit the mark. A good time if you're looking for a challenge, but it will tire you out by the end.
