SaGa Emerald Beyond

About

"SaGa Emerald Beyond" is a single-player Fantasy Turn Based Strategy game, offering around 100 hours of playtime. It features a highly strategic command battle system and a diverse cast of races, including monsters, mechs, and vampires. Players can travel to 17 unique worlds, each with their own cultures and landscapes, creating their own unique story through choices and actions. The demo allows players to transfer save data to the full version of the game.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+12

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 209 reviews

story28 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

The combat system is highly strategic and engaging, often considered one of the best in the RPG genre.
The game features a diverse cast of protagonists, each with unique storylines and mechanics, enhancing replayability.
The music and sound design are excellent, contributing to an immersive experience.

The story is often weak and lacks depth, with many players feeling disconnected from the characters and plot.
The game suffers from a low-budget presentation, with outdated graphics and a cumbersome UI that can detract from the experience.
Exploration is limited, with many worlds feeling linear and repetitive, leading to a lack of meaningful engagement.

story
232 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
82%
6%
The story in "Saga Emerald Beyond" is characterized by its non-linear structure and the ability to choose from six protagonists, each with unique narratives that enhance replayability. However, many players find the overall storytelling weak and minimal, often feeling disjointed and lacking depth, with pacing issues and a reliance on text-based dialogue rather than cinematic cutscenes. While some appreciate the quirky and varied storylines that emerge through multiple playthroughs, others criticize the lack of backstory and engaging character development, leading to a mixed reception regarding its narrative quality.
- “I love the storytelling of this game; it is fairly unique and really easy to do multiple playthroughs and see new things.”
- “Saga Emerald Beyond offers players the choice of six protagonists, each with a unique storyline, set across multiple worlds.”
- “The plot and world change in fascinating ways, and each protagonist interacts with NG+ in their own interesting and unique ways.”
- “The story was extremely weak; there was no back story, you didn't know why you were heading out on your quest, you just do.”
- “The story is negligible, the crafting system is clunky and overly reliant on RNG to get materials for, and let's not even talk about the environment design or the art.”
- “The visuals aren't stellar, there's no real exploration, and the story is extremely non-linear.”
gameplay
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
86%
4%
The gameplay of "Saga: Emerald Beyond" is characterized by a steep learning curve, with complex mechanics that may challenge newcomers while offering depth for JRPG veterans. Players can enjoy a unique experience through multiple protagonists, each with distinct abilities and mechanics, although the convoluted systems and poor tutorialization can hinder accessibility. While the turn-based combat is praised as potentially the best in the genre, the overall presentation and exploration elements have received mixed feedback, leading to a gameplay experience that is both rewarding and frustrating.
- “This is the single best turn-based battle system ever put in an RPG, combined with a wholly new gameplay and campaign structure that expands and evolves over the course of 10+ playthroughs.”
- “Addictive gameplay, tons of choice and consequence, replayability, and maybe the best JRPG combat system ever made.”
- “As you jump through these worlds you'll experience them through the eyes of six different main characters, each with different main quests, backgrounds, and specific mechanics, making for a unique gameplay experience.”
- “The upgrade mechanics just add to the game's feeling of tedium.”
- “This is fine on paper, but the mechanics are so sloppy and so riddled with RNG that none of this works correctly.”
- “It's light on story and characterization, and the battle mechanics are overly complicated.”
graphics
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
56%
22%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the battle visuals while criticizing the overall quality of the maps and character designs as outdated or lacking polish. Many feel that the art style, which leans towards a visual novel aesthetic, may not appeal to everyone, and the game's mobile platform constraints are evident in its visual execution. Overall, while the graphics are deemed acceptable by some, they fall short of modern standards and fail to impress, leading to a sense of mediocrity in the game's visual presentation.
- “The graphics of fights were good, and the maps were poor and awkward; I think they were using 'artsy' to make up for quality, but it was fine.”
- “I don't have a problem with the overall art style and presentation of the game, though some may feel like it's too much like a visual novel or not like the art direction in the story scenes.”
- “+ Overall aesthetics, with a visual novel style of vignettes for dialogue and story progression and moving around the map to interact with encounters which could be either puzzles, dialogue choices, or combat.”
- “Inconsistent visuals: certain graphical elements appear outdated compared to modern standards.”
- “The visuals aren't stellar; there's no real exploration, and the story is extremely non-linear.”
- “The product feels like an ongoing draft, with low-quality in-game screenshot images and AI-generated front artwork.”
music
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
38%
10%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many highlighting the epic quality of the soundtrack, particularly during key moments like the final boss battle. Reviewers appreciate the blend of genres, noting that tracks range from "good" to "absolutely wonderful," and emphasize the work of composer Kenji Ito as a standout feature. While some tracks are hidden behind secret bosses, the overall musical experience is described as engaging and integral to the game's atmosphere.
- “Diva's final battle music is my highlight, blending the rapid-fire techno soul of Saga Frontier's T260G Carnage Heart track with a more traditional vocal folk song to make a fitting thematic and climactic end for her storyline.”
- “The music is amazing, Kenji Ito has done almost all the Saga game compositions and this one is equally as fantastic as all the others.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing as usual, and the battle system is, in my opinion, the best in the series; it's very addictive.”
- “As someone who's only played Romancing Saga Minstrel Song Remaster, and having only played about an hour, I'm obviously not fully qualified to speak on the qualities of this game, but man it just put me off that hard.”
- “The music.”
- “Saga games have always been a niche and I hope this isn't our last main Saga series entry, but if this is the swan song for the series, then Kawazu made sure it went out with a bang.”
replayability
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
59%
10%
The game boasts exceptional replayability, featuring six distinct narratives and a pseudo-roguelike approach that ensures varied experiences across multiple playthroughs. Players can expect significant changes in events and world dynamics, even with the same character, making each run feel fresh and engaging. With a focus on addictive gameplay, diverse protagonists, and a robust combat system, the game is designed for players to explore its depth repeatedly, often discovering new elements even after extensive playtime.
- “This game has great combat and an insane level of replayability with events changing every new game+.”
- “Short version is that this game is an RPG with what might be described as a pseudo-roguelike approach, progression varies wildly through different runs due to a certain set of hidden parameters that shuffle things around. It's a game heavily focused on replay value and it's been made with short runs in mind so you can finish a run in 4 to 10 hours, play it over and over again and still find new stuff; I know I'm still doing that after 100 hours.”
- “Short version is that this game is an RPG with what might be described as a pseudo-roguelike approach. Progression varies wildly through different runs due to a certain set of hidden parameters that shuffle things around. As per the series' tradition, it's a game heavily focused on replay value and it's been made with short runs in mind, so you can finish a run in 4 to 10 hours, play it over and over again, and still find new stuff. I know I'm still doing that after 100 hours.”
- “The amount of replayability is very high, and the fact that the community still has not figured out many details about the game is a testament to that.”
- “It looks like the devs really focused on replay value and a more 'roguelite' style of saga game, where you are meant to pick a scenario main character and run through a handful of worlds, and then import your save to play again with that same main character or pick another one.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is a significant focus, with players noting that it can be both time-consuming and tedious, particularly when gathering resources for upgrades and navigating the trading system. While some enjoy the challenge and depth it adds to the combat, many find the repetitive nature of grinding detracts from the overall experience, leading to a dull and unbalanced gameplay loop. Ultimately, the game may appeal to those who appreciate grinding in a combat-heavy RPG, but it risks alienating players seeking a more streamlined experience.
- “Pared down to its core, Emerald Beyond is a bunch of wildly unbalanced and swingy combat encounters strung together in a dull, repetitive, and grindy loop.”
- “Getting the ingredients for the later upgrades is really annoying too; it requires lots of trading and lots of grinding.”
- “I spent a total of 20 hours in the game, including more than a couple of hours of grinding.”
character development
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
37%
13%
Reviews highlight a strong desire for dynamic character development that goes beyond mere visual design, emphasizing the need for engaging narratives and immersive worlds. Players express frustration with static characters and fixed attributes, advocating for a system where characters evolve meaningfully, akin to titles like "Minstrel Song" and "Saga Frontier." Overall, while some appreciate solid character designs, there is a clear call for deeper storytelling and character growth to enhance the gaming experience.
- “- Solid character designs, decently modeled.”
- “Don't give me static, cardboard characters with text; show me some scenery. You need to make me interested in your worlds, and lately, you guys have been half-assing it.”
- “Character development is more like Minstrel Song and Saga Frontier in that a character's main attributes increase as they develop, unlike Scarlet Grace and Romancing 2 and 3 where they are fixed.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its hilarious characters and clever use of real-life medical jargon, which adds a comedic twist to the storytelling. Players find themselves laughing at absurd situations while also feeling compelled to explore the narrative further, often reflecting on their choices. Overall, the blend of humor and engaging stories creates a memorable experience.
- “Some characters are hilarious, and some worlds take on real-life medical jargon and make it funny, while some stories are engaging.”
- “I couldn't believe it when playing the demo, but somehow they managed to pull it off and made me laugh at the ridiculous situations. It was compelling and made me want to explore more or regret options that I didn't take.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Overall, the game runs smoothly on PC with no reported crashes, indicating good optimization. However, some players noted that the visual novel presentation may impact the storytelling experience, and the game's difficulty can be brutally challenging at times, which could affect player engagement.
- “On PC, the game seems to run smoothly overall and I haven't had any crashes thus far.”
- “The visual novel presentation impacts the story significantly, and the limited amount of voiced performance makes it feel less engaging.”
- “The game can be brutally difficult at times, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “There's a noticeable lack of level progression, making it hard to feel a sense of growth or achievement.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report significant stability issues, with many expressing frustration after attempting various troubleshooting steps without success.
- “Yes, I have tried literally every troubleshooting step out there.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express that the emotional engagement of the game hinges on their investment in team dynamics and strategic possibilities. If the game fails to evoke curiosity and excitement about potential outcomes, it may lead to disappointment and emotional detachment, suggesting that a lack of emotional connection could justify not pursuing the game further.
- “If by the end or during the demo, you aren't entertaining the possibilities of your team, formation, gear, roles, and what to learn next and how the outcome of a given world could have been, you'll have saved yourself the purchase, the additional time, and the emotional damage.”

65%Critics’ scoreBased on 15 critic reviews

Buy SaGa Emerald Beyond

100h Median play time

100h Average play time

100-100h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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