I have never played The 7th Saga. In fact, until I put together GameSpite Journal 10, I constantly got the game mixed up with Drakkhen. I don’t know why. I guess because they’re both Super NES RPGs and people hate them both. After reading Tomm’s Jake’s take on the game, I feel like I’ve really missed… well, nothing whatsoever. However, I am endlessly amused by the wild cognitive dissonance created by the wild contrast between our review of the game and its effusive box copy. My gaze always just slipped past these stupid little blurbs on Super NES boxes because they were a garish eyesore; now I’m wondering if they were all this absolutely preposterous. This might be the secret greatest untapped treasure trove of fascinating game-related nonsense ever.
10 thoughts on “GSJ10: Conflicting information”
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I really can’t hate on The 7th Saga that much. I don’t find it nearly as irredeemable as this makes it seem.
However, one major point that was brought up really cuts to the heart of the matter, and that is that the leveling system is flat-out broken. Something got broken in the level curve when it was adjusted for release here, one in which your character grows at a rather low rate, while companions grow at the rate of the Japanese version. It leads to those unwinnable battles that are mentioned.
There are hacks out there (go visit http://www.romhacking.net) that fix the balance in the game, resetting the leveling curve to the original form found in Elnard. Certainly worth a shot if you want to play the game in a form that isn’t soul-crushing.
I always liked the box text on Super Castlevania IV. It had something about “Just be sure to tell your next of kin before you begin!”
Certainly highlights the wasted potential. Yet somehow I still liked the game, and play it every few years.
Though I would argue about one thing. Every character’s motivation is served by the end of the game. At least every one with something identifiable. Esuna… Seems to be questing for kicks. Kamil… I guess just wants to be a hero. Lejes wants to rule the world. Lux wants to learn about the origins of his species. Olvan wants his youth back. Valsu wants to bring peace and prosperity to the world. And Wilme? He just wanted power. As a main character, all of these characters have their wish granted before or during the ending.
I’m not sure I remember a dark world in Link’s Awakening.. did you mean The Adventure of Link? Nice article, I’m glad I didn’t spend any money on 7th Saga, but it’s a shame you guys missed out on Terranigma. It’s a little gem I reckon, and given its PAL release really should be on Virtual Console (if it’s not already). There’s also a funny little exploit that means if you have a turbo controller and a few days to leave your SNES on, you can level up to godlike in an early boss battle. Not that I’d condone such behaviour… unless those guys in Lhasa annoy you as much as they did me.
I’m pretty sure Link to the Past was what was supposed to be there.
Unless that’s the joke and I missed it.
I just have to jump in here to point out I did NOT write this article – Jake Alley did.
Yeah, could have sworn we caught that right before things went out to print too.
Anyway, there’s a world of difference between this and Drakkhen. I mean, yeah, they’re both terrible, but Drakkhen was terrible because it had really lofty ambitions and was designed by people who really just had no clue at all how to make a console game and you just get kind of a weird mess as a result. Kind of like Tale of the Sun. I can respect that. 7th Saga though was some people taking a halfway interesting idea, more or less abandoning it, and just making the most uninspired tedious hollow shell of an RPG you’ll ever see.
I feel like this article should have been written as a tragedy.
Sarge has it exactly right – 7th Saga was poorly conceived, but the reason that it is so awful is because they accidentally (or, less likely, intentionally) upped the difficulty when they translated it.
It’s worth mentioning that the hacks on romhacking.net fix the monster balancing issue, but not the character leveling issue.
Also, the article is actually incorrect in a couple of places. The only “scaling” boss battles are against other characters (only two are required), and you do not lose your companion for the final section of the game.
There ARE random events that can cause you to lose your companion when you get a rune – particularly if your character is incompatible with your companion. More likely, Jake got one of these events at a particularly bad time and mistook what happened.
What a bunch of vicious slander and l- … l- … less than kind words.
THIS IS NOT YOUR ORDINARY RPG!
Check out the ongoing let’s play to find out why, or to see a shot of more of that box copy, if nothing else.
http://www.gamespite.net/talkingtime/showthread.php?t=12551
In this let’s play, you won’t be embarrassed to use your own name; you’ll be proud.
Well, I guess I’m glad I’ve (still) never played The 7th Saga. And now I know where that “World of the Past But Not Really” length-padding bullcrap that turned me off of 4 Heroes of Light once I got the group back together originated. I love going back to places to explore on my own time, but there’s nothing fun about having to revisit the same old dungeons later in the game when the only changes are the monsters and plot coupons. Seriously. =/
Shame The 7th Saga’s whole seven characters deal doesn’t live up to its potential. As Kawazy Kawazu as they are, at least the Saga games did stuff when they offered multiple main character choices.