REVIEW: Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend brings back a great adventure

Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend brings the first three games of the franchise together in a collection. There is practically no change compared to the original version of Game Boy, but a few things make everything better. Among them, we can slightly increase the speed with which the action happens. In addition, it is possible to choose between the English and Japanese versions of the game.

The franchise Saga has a combat and exploration system similar to final Fantasy. For this reason too, the name was borrowed so that there would be greater commercial appeal, and thus guarantee the sale of a few more cartridges. But despite being similar, there are many differences, especially between the three games that are part of the collection.

Final Fantasy Legends I — The Origin of Everything

The first game in the franchise Saga was released practically together with the Game Boy, in 1989. For this reason it is the most archaic of the three titles present. There is, in the introduction of the journey, no explanation of the reasons that we are participating in an adventure. It's only after talking to some of the characters that we can get some sort of idea. Still, nothing is too clear and confusing.

Battles take place in the classic turn-based system, but the biggest difficulty here is gaining new attributes for the heroes. There are no experience points or levels in the game. For example, to gain power or magic points, we need to hit enemies with weapons or special attacks. This can alienate or scare players who aren't used to it a little bit.

Another point of difficulty is the absurd increase in damage caused by enemies in the second part of the game. In the beginning, the opponents caused between 5 and 10 points, but this increased to more than 30 in the second half. So it was very common to die with just two or three hits. And to make it even more difficult, each of our heroes has up to three hearts. That is, they can be killed and resurrected up to 3 times. In other words, managing the number of times we are slaughtered is essential.

We can still eat some “meats” with some of the classes available in the game. They change the appearance and powers and abilities of characters. And this must also be controlled, as eventually we can become creatures that are not so strong, and this can totally jeopardize the course of the adventure.

Visually speaking, as it was released practically together with the Game Boy, the graphics are simple and even poor, but they manage to convey the necessary feeling. One of the highlights of the game is the soundtrack, which was composed by the legendary composer Nobuo uematsu, world famous for his work on Final Fantasy.

Overall, the first game is an experiment. He seeks to go against everything that final Fantasy proposed two years earlier, but at the same time without losing the same origin. If the player knows how to handle all the information well and acquire new skills and increase many attributes, it will be a true heroic journey.

Final Fantasy Legends II — The franchise takes shape

The second game in the franchise was released the year after the previous title, in 1990, and it is already possible to see a brutal improvement. The story is now clearer and with specific goals to be followed. In addition, both the soundtrack and the graphics have improved significantly.

The journey consists of a search for the main character's father with his friends. Obviously there are many other things to do and discover, but I don't want to go into details so as not to spoil anyone's experience with the game.

When comparing with the first game, the heart system has been abolished, that is, we don't lose our character after three deaths. However, the attribute system remains the same — that is, the more we hit or catch that counts when it comes to earning points. Regarding combat, there is no significant change. The player needs to monitor and control the items he has as space is limited.

Here it is still possible to change characters by eating “meat” during the journey. That is, this must also be handled by the player, since each of them has different abilities, and this can influence the continuity of the adventure.

In composing the songs, Nobuo Uematsu returned and shared the area with Kenji ito, and this was his first work with the soundtrack of games. The songs are still well done and once again amaze with their quality, mainly because it's the Game Boy. Ito later worked on a number of other games in the SaGa franchise.

final fantasy legends II is extremely superior to the first. Overall, the game is more balanced and fun. The story is engaging and traveling between worlds is a quirky touch, especially given the era in which it was created. For Japanese RPG lovers, the adventure is almost mandatory.

Final Fantasy Legends III — The ultimate in the collection

Apex. This word defines well Final Fantasy Legends III. It perfects all elements of the previous game, being the best of the three available in the collection. This was the first game in the SaGa franchise where Akitoshi Kawaza had no participation, this may be the reason for the changes seen in the game's structure. The soundtrack is now in charge of Ryūji Sasai e Chihiro Fujioka, and is also quite inspired.

The game's story plays with time travel. Without going into too much detail, our heroes have to go through different eras in order to save the world from destruction. Among the three games, he has, without doubt, the most solid journey of all.

The combat remains the same, but now to get spells it is necessary to buy them in stores. That is, we can focus skills on certain characters, according to our need. Forget that story of gaining life points by taking hits from enemies, now the classic experience point system has finally made its appearance.

This made the game more balanced and fun. In addition, it is now possible to use the aforementioned “meats” to change the attributes of the main characters, in addition to the possibility of transforming them into robots. In short, it is possible to assemble the team the way the player wants.

In general Final Fantasy Legends III It's one of the most solid games ever made in history. With a fun story and a well-crafted combat system, he alone would make the collection worthwhile. Another thing, it's really cool to see the evolution of the franchise in the three games, it's practically like seeing the passage of time.

The beginning of a SaGa

Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legends ($19,99 on the Nintendo eShop, about R$103) has a very large historical value. This is where one of Square Enix's biggest franchises was born, and several games have been released in recent years. Each of them has its own particularity and contribution to the development of Japanese RPG. The lack of a Portuguese translation may put some fans off, but with a little insistence, it is possible to enjoy it to the fullest. Each of the three games in the collection has its highs and lows. For me, the third was the one that most motivated me to play, and the first was the most dragged.

Square Enix promised that it would release its entire catalog of games for current generations of consoles, and this collection is part of that plan. If the other releases come with the same care, the company's fans can expect great things. Particularly, I'm very excited, and especially because of the release of SaGa Frontier in 2021.