The History of SaGa Hub
Beginning from Inferno
December 1989
THE FINAL FANTASY LEGEND
The first RPG released for the Game Boy, following the handheld system’s launch earlier that same year. Originally released in Japan as MAKAI TOSHI SaGa, this first title included several unique game mechanics, such as doing away with the levelling system of conventional RPGs in favor of having characters grow and develop in different ways depending on their class, and defying convention by having weapons that could only be used a certain number of times. This was Square’s first title to sell over a million units and it set the blueprint for what RPGs on handheld systems should be. In 2002, a remake of THE FINAL FANTASY LEGEND was released for the WonderSwan, and it was later ported to mobile devices as well.
December 1990
FINAL FANTASY LEGEND II
A sequel to THE FINAL FANTASY LEGEND, which was released about a year later. Originally released in Japan as SaGa 2: HIHOU DENSETSU, this title further refined the distinctive game mechanics of its predecessor, offering players a number of new features to improve playability, including a greater number of save slots and a new notes feature. This game sees the protagonists tasked with collecting the 77 MAGI stones, relics of great power that are spread throughout the world. A full remake of this game was released on the Nintendo DS in 2009.
December 1991
FINAL FANTASY LEGEND III
This final entry in the FINAL FANTASY LEGEND/SaGa trilogy was also the last game that Square would release for the Game Boy. Rather than following on from the highly distinctive game mechanics adopted in the two previous titles, this game had characters level up via experience points and introduced the concepts of magic levels and MP. These features set this title apart as a somewhat unique entry in the franchise. In this game, the heroes must travel across time and space, visiting the past, the present, the future, and another dimension, to save their world from destruction. A full remake of this game was released on the Nintendo DS in 2011.
January 1992
Romancing SaGa
Originally only released in Japan, this was the first entry in the Romancing SaGa series, which brought SaGa to the Super Famicon. The game took the series in a new direction, with a fresh new game design and characters designed by Tomomi Kobayashi. This was the first title to feature a freeform scenario system that allowed players to go wherever they wanted and choose their own route through the game. Additionally, in place of a traditional levelling system, in Romancing SaGa, characters’ stats increase the more times they fight enemies, something that was rare at the time.
