SaGa: Emerald Beyond
Six protagonists journey through interconnected worlds via the Beyond.
SaGa: Emerald Beyond is a role-playing game from Square Enix, released in 2024 across Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows. It belongs to the SaGa series. The story involves six main characters traveling through several worlds linked by a space called the Beyond. Players explore these worlds in any order they choose, and each character’s story advances by finishing quests. Depending on the path taken, the available quests or worlds can shift in later playthroughs. Combat is turn-based and focuses on manipulating a timeline, with skills growing based on what the player does in battle.
Development planning started in 2016 after *SaGa: Scarlet Grace* was finished, and full production began in 2018. The team included series creator Akitoshi Kawazu as director and lead writer, lead artist Satoshi Kuramochi, and composer Kenji Ito. Kawazu wanted to build on *Scarlet Grace*’s mechanics, expanding both story and gameplay. The game had low sales and contributed to a drop in revenue for Square Enix. Critics mostly praised the combat and music, but opinions on the presentation and story were mixed.
**Gameplay**
Players control one of six protagonists across five campaigns set in seventeen worlds. Exploring these worlds triggers different events and affects the story’s direction. Glowing lines called Emerald Waves guide players to various quests. The world view is top-down, with events and battles shown as cutout symbols, and cutscenes use static art with dialogue. Choices made in one world with one character can change that world’s storyline when revisited in another playthrough, either with a new character or the same one. Players can leave a world without finishing its quest to move on to another. There is no currency; new equipment comes from exploration, completing quests, or trading materials. A character named Mr. S gives rewards for completing in-game challenges.
When a battle starts, the player’s party and enemies face off in a themed arena. Combat is turn-based, with each side taking one action per turn. Party formations affect abilities and tactics. Actions—standard attacks and special abilities like spells—use Battle Points (BP), shown as a line of stars. Available BP determines what actions can be taken; characters without a move skip the turn and guard.
Quick Facts
- Title
- SaGa: Emerald Beyond
- Developer
- Square Enix
- Director
- Akitoshi Kawazu
- Producer
- Masanori Ichikawa
- Programmer
- Takashi Isowaki
- Artist
- Satoshi Kuramochi / Sara Takahashi
- Composer
- Kenji Ito
- Series
- SaGa
- Released
- April 25, 2024
- Genre
- Role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player
- Platforms
- Android · iOS · Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Windows
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
SaGa: Emerald Beyond takes place across multiple worlds connected by an interdimensional space called the Beyond, through which each of the six protagonists travel on their quests guided by an energy dubbed the Emerald Waves. The six protagonists are Tsunanori Mido, a magically gifted man tasked with restoring balance between worlds; Ameya Aisling, a witch-in-training who has her magic taken away; Siugnas, a vampire king seeking to reclaim his realm; Diva No.5, a songstress robot who loses her voice and original body; and Bonnie Blair and Formina Franklyn, a pair of rookie police officers investigating an assassination attempt. Across each campaign, the protagonists encounter agents of Quisstatium, a group of identical human-like beings who seek to merge the worlds into a single unified whole by force. Each route ends with a fight against the Living Anguish, a being Quisstatium summon as part of their plan.
Reader's Guide
Planning for Emerald Beyond began in 2016 after the completion of SaGa: Scarlet Grace, with full production beginning in 2018. Series creator Akitoshi Kawazu served as director and lead writer, with lead artist Satoshi Kuramochi and composer Kenji Ito returning. Kawazu aimed to build on the mechanics of Scarlet Grace, expanding narrative and gameplay elements. The combat designer was Tomokazu Shibata, who described the combat system as completely redesigned despite carrying over its basic structure from Scarlet Grace. The team incorporated elements from earlier SaGa titles, such as combination attacks first featured in SaGa Frontier. The game debuted to low sales and contributed to Square Enix experiencing a fall in revenue. Journalists mostly praised the combat and soundtrack, but comments were mixed about the presentation and story.
Did You Know?
- The game features seventeen worlds and six protagonists split between five campaigns.
- There is no traditional experience point system; new abilities are learned in battle through a random Glimmer system.
- The combat system includes a timeline where isolated characters can perform a Showstopper chain of attacks at lower cost.
- Production was assisted by Opus Studio and Cattle Call, and slowed by parallel SaGa projects and the COVID-19 pandemic.
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