Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song - Minstrel Song has some cool things going on. The combat is very solid – I’d put it a step or two behind Scarlet Grace, right alongside the SaGa 3 remake. That is to say, I think it’s better than the substantial majority of JRPGs, but not quite up there with my absolute favorites. The sound track is excellent. I particularly enjoyed the flamenco guitar and wild vocals of Passionate Rhythm, one of the boss battle themes. Outside of the strange chibi proportions of the characters, I really like the art direction as well.
Despite the positive qualities, I initially dropped the game about ⅔ of the way in. The combination of fixed cameras, far too many enemies, mazelike dungeons that don't always have maps quickly available, battle rank increasing as you try to explore, the whole proficiency system (why can’t I just have them all equipped??? do I forget how to jump?), and the overly vague or even non-existent quest directions really took a toll on me. After a little break from the game and listening to Passionate Rhythm again, I decided to come back and finish the game out. I stopped worrying about event rank/battle rank and just used a guide to find the quests I had left. Turns out, I really only needed the guide to point me to a couple of things – I was at the point where I’d already missed the quests I was going to miss anyway.
In the end, I have fairly mixed feelings about the game. It’s definitely in the bottom half of the SaGa games for me, having all of the annoyances of the series, but not having quite enough qualities that stand out to me. I’m glad I came back to finish my playthrough, but I doubt I’ll come back to try out another route.
Despite the positive qualities, I initially dropped the game about ⅔ of the way in. The combination of fixed cameras, far too many enemies, mazelike dungeons that don't always have maps quickly available, battle rank increasing as you try to explore, the whole proficiency system (why can’t I just have them all equipped??? do I forget how to jump?), and the overly vague or even non-existent quest directions really took a toll on me. After a little break from the game and listening to Passionate Rhythm again, I decided to come back and finish the game out. I stopped worrying about event rank/battle rank and just used a guide to find the quests I had left. Turns out, I really only needed the guide to point me to a couple of things – I was at the point where I’d already missed the quests I was going to miss anyway.
In the end, I have fairly mixed feelings about the game. It’s definitely in the bottom half of the SaGa games for me, having all of the annoyances of the series, but not having quite enough qualities that stand out to me. I’m glad I came back to finish my playthrough, but I doubt I’ll come back to try out another route.