SaGa Emerald Beyond was a lovely surprise announcement during September 15’s Nintendo Direct, and thanks to this week’s Tokyo Game Show we’re already getting a new trailer for the upcoming RPG from an iconic franchise. It’s not long, but it’s still exciting to see! The game brings together the core combat and free-form scenario elements that will be familiar to fans, but also accessible to newcomers. It’s expected to release digitally next year.
SaGa Emerald Beyond features six protagonists and five stories (two of the protagonists come as a pair). There’s The Kugutsu Puppetmaster, The Witch, The Neophyte Cop Duo, The Songstress Mech, and The Dismal King. They’ll travel to 17 unique worlds through the Junction, either led by destiny or a path forged of past choices. Each has their own personal reasons for their journey. One is a human trying to protect the barrier defending his city, another is a witch trying to regain her lost magic while disguised as a schoolgirl, and another is a vampire lord wanting to regain his crown and reclaim the throne as the king of his world.
Because choices matter, selecting the same protagonist for a second, third, or fourth playthrough can lead to completely new events and stories, providing a completely fresh path and new experience. The game has the greatest number of branching plots of any game in the series. The branches vary based on the your choices and actions. When you visit a world, the story will evolve and the protagonist will be able to discover new possibilities.
Here’s SaGa Emerald Beyond’s Tokyo Game Show trailer:
The highly strategic Timeline Battles the franchise is known for have been refined, but familiar elements remain. There is still the skill to acquire abilities through the Glimmer system, tactical ally placement, and United Attacks. There’s more drama than ever before, though, thanks to the ability to support party members, interrupt enemy actions, and use United Attacks by manipulating the order of ally actions.
There are some big names behind the game. The game designer/storyteller is series creator/lead developer Akitoshi Kawazu. Kawazu’s goal is to build on the mechanics of SaGa Scarlet Grace by expanding narrative and gameplay elements. The composer is Kenji Ito, known for his work on both the Mana and the SaGa series. The character designer is Satoshi Kuramochi.
Developed and published by Square Enix, SaGa Emerald Beyond will be released for iOS/Android, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch in early 2024.
