Support NeoGAF

[Vincent Grayson]

I liked the demo okay, but hearing that the story is really bare in the final game makes me hesitant. I always liked the odd way SaGa games stories worked, where you didn't have a full picture of stuff until you'd gone through everyone.

Given that this drops around DQH, Disgaea 5, and ToZ, I'm not sure I can justify grabbing it at launch now

 

[Umibozu]

Use the ship everyone.
I sent out the 1000 one, and when I checked on it 14hours later I got some good equipment (I didn't even run into anyone through streetpass either). Even selling the items/equipment would get me a net gain, which would help me buy the special equipment needed to beat the shadow giant/reaper. I ran into him again two more times, and I can tell you he smoked me both times.

edit: formations (so far)
attack increases attack
defend increases defence and when guarding will guard the entire party
support increases healing and speed

 

[d+pad]

Yep, the flashiest game in the series, but pulling off those 5-people combos created a wonderful spectacle . SaGa Frontier 2's special effects were more subdued in comparison.

Gah, I love SaGa Frontier and its crazy-ass battles sooooooo much XD Really wish we could've gotten more of that in The Legend of Legacy. Oh, well, I still like what I've seen of the latter so far...

 

[Vincent Grayson]

Playing this demo has also once again made me sad that SaGa Frontier isn't on PSN.

 

[Crosseyes]

I just finished everything I could do in the Demo, 100%'d both maps and I'm actually really excited. I like where its going and the bosses that were there were a fun challenge. (Dat Water Golem) Hyped for (yet another) purchase in Oct.

 

[Pangya]

For those who have access to be able to Streetpass for the ship, it definitely seems that the 300 ship is a much better investment. I sent out the ship and got 2 Streetpasses and received 2 items worth 725 and 5000 st.

I bought the shadow giant armor and it reduces damage taken by like 50-60 or so, but not being able to buy it for all 3 characters makes it still seem like an impossible fight for the demo...

 

[Dimitri LH]

Guh......I cant get the Dark zone to appear anymore! I hear its the best way to learn new attacks quick if by fighting tough monsters. And thats the only tough place I have now. :/

Gah, I love SaGa Frontier and its crazy-ass battles sooooooo much XD Really wish we could've gotten more of that in The Legend of Legacy. Oh, well, I still like what I've seen of the latter so far...

Man, I never get tired of playing Saga Frontier, maybe one day well get a remaster/HD port of it......but for now, they should just add it to PSN. Please Square?

 

[Umibozu]

Guh......I cant get the Dark zone to appear anymore! I hear its the best way to learn new attacks quick if by fighting tough monsters. And thats the only tough place I have now. :/

remember to reset the maps by resting at the inn, I've activated it 4 times, it can show up in both forest maps

 

[Thoraxes]

This will be in my 3DS all October!

Having a ton of fun with the demo.

Based Hamauzu.

 

[Skulldead]

Does the game use as BR system like nearly every Saga games ?

 

[Dimitri LH]

remember to reset the maps by resting at the inn, I've activated it 4 times, it can show up in both forest maps

I am resting at the inn, and nothing.....but I admit I haven't checked in the first map for it. First time it happened to me in the second map.

 

[atlusprime]

The demo was enjoyable.

Still no word on the changes for the western release?

Kind of strange that they are waiting till the last minute to talk about it. Maybe they are expecting some kind of backlash when they finally do?

I don't think there's going to be any backlash, since all the changes are IMO for the better. I'm trying to let some people in the press actually play the game first (review codes went out today!) so they can understand *why* the changes are important and help explain it in context better.

But I guess we're getting pretty late in the cycle to detail it - if I can't get something going w/ press by next week, I'll put something out directly.

 

[Hours Left]

This is a pretty meaty demo. 3 hours in and I haven't touched the second dungeon yet.

The lack of story is a bit disappointing, but the battle system is cool. I like that you can't just auto battle through everything and the bosses require some actual thought. The characters and world are pretty charming too. I'm enjoying it.

 

[Dimitri LH]

Finally triggered it and learned a few moves!

....but then the shadow giant AoE'd my team with Sandstorm -.-;

Edit: did it again and managed to escape with 1 new move, and for Owen too! Eloise blocked and countered the shadow Giant so many times. Arm Lock is soooo good.

 

[randomkid]

Can anyone that played the JPN version (or maybe atlusprime?) confirm that the demo doesn't compress the music like EO4's did? Is it really just exactly the same as the real game's intro?

I was planning to wait until the full game arrived to play but now I'm getting a little antsy.

 

[Needlecrash]

Playing this demo has also once again made me sad that SaGa Frontier isn't on PSN.

I know that I saw SaGa Frontier on PSN. But it seems that it got delisted for some reason.

 

[Meffer]

I don't know, I'm not really feeling this game sadly. I like the characters but the sparce story is really lacking for me.

 

[CrimsonFist]

I think they said something about the changes mostly affecting New Game +. Can't remember when though, might have been during the stream, so I could have misheard.

 

[Dimitri LH]

Holy crap.....I beat the Shadow Giant! Granted I was super lucky with the moves I learned in that same battle and the fight lasted for more then 15 minutes. But I beat him! No item drops suck though.....


Moves learned in said fight.

Eloise: Fist: Sonic Blow
Water: learned Hailstorm

Liber: Bow: Quickdraw
Bow: Sparrow Shot
Bow: Hamstring

Owen: Shield: Ricochet
Shield: Perseverance

So worth it!

 

[Jhoan]

Played through roughly 20-30 mins of the demo so far and I like it a lot. Playing as the frog prince Filmia because he reminds me of a lot of Frog from Chrono Trigger. Think this game is definitely going to be a sleeper hit and an underrated 3DS gem several months down the line.

I like how levels load up like a pop story book that it gives some charm. Combat reminds me a bit of Bravely Default but it has its differences with the main one being that the camera is 3D instead of 2D giving it a PS2 era JRPG look and random abilities learned on the spot which reminds me of a couple of Tales games. Definitely will get it before the end of the year during a sale since I'm enjoying it immensely. The moment I saw the trailer, it hit all the right notes for me.

 

[robotzombie]

So is there any way to know who is good at what? Especially in terms of magic?

Also, is there "being good at magic" in general? Does it relate to the Support stat, or is that entirely independent?

 

[Umibozu]

So is there any way to know who is good at what? Especially in terms of magic?

Also, is there "being good at magic" in general? Does it relate to the Support stat, or is that entirely independent?

support is magic related, it's in the encyclopedia

 

[Xelinis]

Really liking the demo so far. I picked Owen as my protagonist and got teamed with Garnet and Filmia.

Is there a compelling reason to swap in other characters? My current setup feels pretty balanced as it is.

 

[names2hard4you]

Holy shit at the music in this

 

[Dimitri LH]

Anyone manage to learn/memorize Water contract?

 

[Grim Patron]

Holy shit at the music in this

The music is sooooo good. One of the reasons I was interested in the first place. you can buy it digitally on iTunes and I think Amazon. Love the battle theme. Maybe my favourite 3DS battle theme.

 

[Piston Hyundai]

Would be a good name for a parody of RPGs.

 

[dead souls]

Would be a good name for a parody of RPGs.

The name sounds like some 600 page fantasy novel that I wouldn't read.

 

[Astarte]

So the starting character doesn't matter? I was in a bit of a bind choosing...

 

[jb1234]

I might push my way through it for Hamauzu but I'm not a SaGa fan. The demo was okay.

 

[Dimitri LH]

So the starting character doesn't matter? I was in a bit of a bind choosing...

Only thing that matters when picking is who can learn which skills faster.

According to Gamefaqs, Liber has the worst stats out of the 7, and Bianca starts with the lowest hp (40, IIRC) so she might be the hardest to start with depending on your play style.

Character story is minimal. But they still have they're charm~

 

[Dremark]

What a dumb name.

The name is stupid but the game looks awesome.

 

[Needlecrash]

So, I played it for 2 hours last night. I really enjoy the game. The world and the character models are very similar to Bravely Default's. Combat is very SaGa esque. I'm playing as Owen. I haven't learned too many new skills yet though. Still working out the formations.

 

[FreedomFighter]

Is this like the demos for Etrian Odyssey and Bravely Default where I can start from where I left off in the demo in the full game come release day?

 

[ys45]

Is this like the demos for Etrian Odyssey and Bravely Default where I can start from where I left off in the demo in the full game come release day?

Yes you can .

I tried this yesterday and I must say I really dig the art style, it's really fun .
It can be strange at first because you don't get any exp but instead unlock skills and other stuff like max hp .

Oh and the music is so good too .

 

[Niraj]

Played about an hour last night, liked what I played. Soundtrack seems really good.

 

[Rollo Lawson]

I enjoyed the demo, gameplay, but the game is a little ugly, and the story so far is kind of weak. Is the whole premise really just charting territory and hunting for treasure?

 

[jaundicejuice]

I actually looked for and downloaded the demo off of the eShop because of this thread and, to my surprise, I'm rather enjoying it so far. I don't really have much experience with the SaGa series so the combat system, specifically how characters learn new abilities, is kind of refreshing. I don't mind a minimal plot, in fact this kind of reminds me of Etrian Odyssey, just mashed up with a more traditional jrpg.

 

[SpaceBridge]

Thought the visuals and art style were charming, and an outstanding soundtrack so far, but I can't figure out how the gameplay works. I mean, characters don't appear to get stronger or level up, I try to buy new equipment at the shop in town but I can't see how the effect the character stats. Exploring was fun at first, but I noticed that the areas started to look the same.

What am I missing?

 

[poncle]

So there are no races in this game? Does the frog guy plays the same as every other character?
Races in SaGa are great, finished T260G's story in SaGa Frontier today, and rediscovered one of the most unexpected and unique final boss themes ever.

NO FUTURE

 

[GeekyDad]

Couldn't get far into the demo. It's kinda pretty, though the fields are less impressive than I thought they would be. Mainly, the battle system seems meh, exploration seems meh, and where the heck is the menu system? Bland character design, and oh, a chick with amnesia. Might buy it when it's really, really cheap and I'm perhaps in a better mood to play something like this. But really, it couldn't even hold my interest long enough for a short demo.

 

[Dimitri LH]

So there are no races in this game? Does the frog guy plays the same as every other character?
Races in SaGa are great, finished T260G's story in SaGa Frontier today, and rediscovered one of the most unexpected and unique final boss themes ever.

NO FUTURE

I was also sad that this lacked Racial difference for abilities.....it would of probably mattered if there were more recruitable characters.

Mystics were the best in SaGa Frontier man......

 

[Insaniac]

so is this chibi style a "thing" now? Final fantasy, Bravely Default, Fire Emblem (to an extent) and this?

 

[Dimitri LH]

so is this chibi style a "thing" now? Final fantasy, Bravely Default, Fire Emblem (to an extent) and this?

for handheld RPG's its been a thing for a long while.

 

[jaundicejuice]

Went to a brick n' mortar and pre-ordered a game for the first time in forever.

 

[EVA UNIT 01]

Day 1 for me.
I find it charming and the ost is godly.
My only issue is i wish skill learning was better explained besides "USE IT ALOT!".
But im sure the internet will figure it all out and post it all for us anyway

As another poster said it gives me dungeon exploring etrian odyssey vibes and im down with that.

 

[Jhoan]

Definitely agree that the use one skill constantly mechanic is obtuse and requires lots of grinding. Thankfully the fast forward feature to make battles go by faster was a brilliant idea as the devs took notes from Bravely Default.

Still nowhere near finished with the demo and I recruited Garnet from the bar. I poured about 27 hours into the Bravely Default demo; this demo is gonna be in the double digits as well by the time I get through it.

I have Liber and Bianca in my party so I might replace Liber temporarily. The GAF member who mentioned paying 1000sf for the boat above was right since it's gotten me some damn good gear that should hopefully let me defeat the second boss by one of the stones in one of the forests.

I'm still confused as to how Whispering Stones work if you're not near a monument that you activate. It said something about a contract that it fails when I tried to activate it. Mechanics could have been explained a bit better.

 

[Sumio Mondo]

I liked the demo okay, but hearing that the story is really bare in the final game makes me hesitant. I always liked the odd way SaGa games stories worked, where you didn't have a full picture of stuff until you'd gone through everyone.

Lack of Akitoshi Kawazu is being felt here, it seems. Would have thought the former members of SaGa team would at least try.

 

[Umibozu]

I'm still confused as to how Whispering Stones work if you're not near a monument that you activate. It said something about a contract that it fails when I tried to activate it. Mechanics could have been explained a bit better.

You need to equip the singing shard and use the water contract to get the water element on your side of the field.
Your party can only use water magic so long as you have water element on your side of the field.
Whispering stones will yeild one whispering shard which your party has to equip to use the magic, they also have a chance to memorise the magic when using it.

 

[Dimitri LH]

Each element also seem to have passive effects, the side with water element gets HP regen, Wind gives SP regen I believe. The passive effect and magic skills ( I think) are also stronger depending how much of that element is on the scale. If you plan to take on the shadow giants, water contract and water shield are your best friends.

Eloise memorized all the charms and Liber got water shield.