Unlimited Saga, the last chapter in the SaGa series of role-playing games from Square Enix, was admittedly a failure here in North America. The game tried to be too old school and used a strange series of gameplay mechanics that just didn't mesh well together. Throw in an art style that was less than cutting edge and you ended up with a mess of a role-playing game.

In the latest chapter in the series, Romancing SaGa (a remake of the 1992 SNES RPG of the same name), Square Enix has learned all the hard lessons and created a role-playing game that is alive with colorful characters, a multitude of new storylines and gameplay mechanics that are entertaining and fun. After playing around with the latest preview version of the game I have to admit that the game has pleasantly surprised me and heightened my expectations that the final product will be something that will bring old and new fans back into the SaGa family..

This time out the game world is completely 3D - not just the overland areas, but the towns, the people, everything. The presentation has been turned up 100 percent in Romancing SaGa, offering players a game world that is alive with flora and fauna, towns populated with all kinds of citizens (many of which you can interact with), shops and shopkeepers, and monsters galore. The world is huge and spans all kinds of terrain - from forest and city streets to oceans and underground mines that players can explore at their leisure.

Romancing SaGa also uses a technique called "sketch motion," which was used in Unlimited SaGa. The technique, which has been evolved since its previous use, morphs images morph into cutscenes and movies for an interesting and dramatic presentation. Finally the world is given more personality by offering a ton of spoken dialogue. While the Dialogue and the narration isn't Shakespeare by any stretch of the imagination, it fits in well with the games overall style.

This bright and colorful 3D world is given further variety by offering eight different storylines to follow via several different character types - from the Dancer and the Paladin to a cut-throat Pirate and a wily Thief. Giving player this option allows them to start out in different points around the land and different companions to fight alongside. In addition to that, players have different storylines that can change the outcome of the game, which gives the overall package a lot of replay value. These characters are - for the most part - a faithful recreation of the main characters found in the 1992 SNES game of the same name.

Gone is the archaic roulette wheel style combat that was in Unlimited SaGa. The new fighting is turn-based and allows players to use a variety of different weapons and skills to beat down monsters to their liking. Players can use simple attacks or more complex weapon and magic skills that consume battle points (luckily these points regenerate if you don't use a technique that consumes them). Players can also learn new weapon and magic skills as they fight (in the game these moments are called glimmers), by using existing skills multiple times. We haven't figured out how one makes a "glimmer" moment happen but we assume it is through repetitive use of specific skills.. The fighting system in Romancing SaGa is a lot cleaner and less complicated than Unlimited SaGa and players should appreciate its straightforward approach.

Romancing SaGa also brings a refined combination-attack bonus system borrowed from SaGa Frontier that allows your party to do more damage by focusing all your attacks on one enemy.

It should also be pointed out that some special attacks use Durability Points, a stats that decreases the usefulness of your weapon. Players can restore these values by either visiting a local blacksmith or paying for the special service at an Inn. Players can also buy weapon upgrades from the Blacksmith - but with one major caveat: increasing weapon stats in one area forces you to lose a similar amount in another area. This means that if, for example, you increase a weapon's attack power you might also decrease its magic resistance.

The only other stat worth mentioning is Life Points. It's pretty obvious that if you lose all of these in battle the game is over and you need to load up a save game or your quick save file. Life Points can be restored at an Inn or by using various items to heal yourself.

Romancing SaGa also lets players choose different classes as they adventure, giving them new skills and attacks. Players can change to other classes or hold out for the higher level classes that offer infinitely more power options. Whatever the player decides, there's plenty of choices to make your character the way you want him or her to be.