Fans knew that Square Enix’s classic role-playing game SaGa Frontier was getting a remaster, but we had no idea that it was coming so soon! Yesterday’s Nintendo Direct featured an official release date for the highly anticipated new version, which will be coming to Nintendo Switch on April 15, 2021. (Previously, it had been announced as part of the Summer 2021 slate of Switch releases, and rumors speculated that it might be delayed as late as the fall or even winter of this year.)
SaGa Frontier tells the story of eight distinct protagonists living in a science fiction inspired universe, each with their own journey to complete and story to tell. When the game first released in 1997 (1998 in the West) for the original PlayStation console, it was praised for its non-linear game play and the somewhat branching story line which could vary depending on which characters the player had in their party and who got to meet and interact with one another at what time.
In addition to updated graphics and character models and quality of life improvements, the remastered version of SaGa Frontier will also feature the addition of a new playable character. This character, a police patrolman named Fuse, is rumored to have been initially planned to feature in the original version of the game, but was dropped due to a lack of both development time and disc space. New scenarios featuring existing character Asellus will also be added, according to a statement from Square Enix.
The remastered SaGa Frontier will release for not only the Nintendo Switch, but also PlayStation 4, iOS, Android, and PC.
Which character’s journey are you most excited to complete? Have you played the original SaGa Frontier, or will this be your first experience with the classic title? Let us know!
Fuse was not merely rumored to have been intended to be playable, he was planned as confirmed by the SaGa Fronteir Kaitai Shinsho, and remnants of his quest are still on the disc.