Introducing SaGa Emerald Beyond - a brand new RPG coming 2024
Brand new entry in the SaGa franchise offers player freedom, strategic combat, singing robots and vampires! Get all the information here.A new SaGa begins! SaGa Emerald Beyond is a brand-new RPG coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC via STEAM, iOS and Android in 2024!
We’re ‘Beyond’ excited to tell you about it, so read on for everything you need to know about this new and excitingly freeform adventure!
What is SaGa Emerald Beyond?
SaGa Emerald Beyond is an all-new fully standalone RPG that brings together the very best elements of the beloved SaGa franchise. This latest entry is set across 17 unique worlds, each with their own aesthetic and culture and where you can meet a diverse cast of races including humans, mechs, and vampires.
You have a choice of five protagonists (well, technically six because one of the choices is a duo) who, guided by mysterious emerald waves, embark on their journeys over these strikingly beautiful worlds – all very different from the ones they live in.
You’ll visit the interconnected 17 worlds via the Beyond, a hub of the emerald waves, either through your own will or by chance. As for what that story you’ll experience… it’s in your hands.
With the freeform scenario system, the story branches in many different ways depending on your choices and actions. Every time you visit a world, the story will evolve, allowing protagonist and player alike to discover new possibilities.
As the story unfolds, it becomes a tale all your own, not only affecting the path you walk but also the multiple potential endings that await each protagonist.
Of course, regardless of your decisions, sooner or later you’ll have to fight. SaGa Emerald Beyond features a turn-based combat system that’s easy to understand yet offers plenty of depth. You’ll have to make smart use of your party’s weapons and skills to overcome the many monsters and bosses that stand in your way, in what may be the best battles in the SaGa franchise yet!
In short, it takes SaGa into the new generation… and is a perfect entry point for RPG fans yet to experience the franchise.
The Protagonists of SaGa Emerald Beyond
Next up, we’ll introduce the playable heroes of this world-hopping epic. Each of these characters has the rare ability to see emerald waves - beams of energy that connect each world and represent possible fates that await.
Our characters come from different worlds and have their own skills and abilities to explore. Let’s meet the cast:
Tsunanori Mido
A man who can manipulate kugutsu, protecting the barrier around his city
Tsunanori comes from the long lineage of the important Mido family of Miyako City, a world filled with traditional, old-fashioned city streets that sprawl out from the central Gokakudo Temple. He can control kugutsu, or animated puppets, which bear their own will.
The last great war destroyed the old societal and spiritual order alike in Mayako City and ever since, the city has been plagued with all kinds of supernatural phenomena. Tsunanori is selected for the Cathedral Project to investigate other worlds and restore order to the spiritual realm.
With the Kugutsu accompanying him, he sets out on a journey to other worlds to find four elemental spirits to accomplish his task.
Ameya Aisling
A witch-in-training, living in secret as a schoolgirl
Ameya visits Miyako City from the WitchdomPulchra, a world ruled by witches, as part of her witch-in-training graduation exam.
While in Miyako City, she assumes the identity of an 11-year-old schoolgirl named Yumeha Izumi and lives with LoLo, her cat familiar. But, after being attacked by an unknown man, she loses practically all of her magical power.
Will Ameya be able to get her magical powers back and pass her final exam?
Siugnas
The Dismal King, driven from his throne
Signius is an immortal vampire who rules over Yomi, a world shrouded in darkness, as the Dismal King.
Betrayed and driven from his throne, when he awakens, Siugnas finds himself in Brighthome - the gathering place of dead warriors.
Incorporated into the king’s army and sent into battle against the invading forces of disorder, Siugnas can’t help but wonder why he - an immortal being - now finds himself in the land of the dead.
And thus, the Dismal King sets out on a journey to recover his powers, accompanied by the other warriors in his squadron.
Diva No.5
A songtress mech who has lost her singing voice and her body
Diva No. 5 is a mech designed to sing and dance from the world of Avalon, where industry developed around the royal capitol.
She was the perfect entertainer, capturing the hearts of all those who saw her perform, until one day, she sang a forbidden song that she found in the Royal Museum, causing her memory and singing functionality to be sealed away. In one fell swoop, she loses her livelihood and music itself.
In her despair, Diva discards her “human” body and soon receives an invitation to join the Society for the Exploration of Other Worlds. Going with the flow, she joins the group and leaves Avalon behind.
Bonnie and Formina
Two new recruits on the police force, investigating an assassination attempt
Former marine, Bonnie, and renowned sharpshooter Formina are two police officers working together to find the truth behind the assassination attempt on the President of Capitol City, a world studded with skyscrapers.
With a key person of interest in the case claiming the president is a traitor and a mysterious triangle piece as their only clues, they set off on a journey through other worlds to uncover the hidden truth behind the incident.
What is SaGa?
We mentioned earlier that SaGa Emerald Beyond is the ideal entry point for newcomers to the franchise, but you’ve never played a SaGa game before, you may be curious about what to expect.
In short, the SaGa games are satisfyingly strategic turn-based RPGs that prioritize player freedom and narrative choice.
The original creator of the series, Akitoshi Kawazu, took a lot of inspiration from Western computer RPGs, like Ultima and Wizardry, and tabletop RPGs, like Dungeons & Dragons, and you can see that influence carry through the series’ signature ‘Freeform Scenario System’ - including in this brand-new game. Rather than being guided through a pre-set narrative, you build your own.
Where you go, what you do, who you play as and more can affect how the story plays out - two different players can have two wildly different experiences.
We recently published a guide: ‘An Introduction to SaGa’, which introduces you to the franchise, its recurring elements and some of its greatest games. If you’re interested in knowing more about the series check it out - though don’t worry, you can jump into SaGa Emerald Beyond (and any SaGa game for that matter) without any prior knowledge of the other titles:
When will SaGa Emerald Beyond release?
SaGa Emerald Beyond is in active development now for Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, PC via STEAM, iOS and Android.
The game is set to launch in 2024 and that’s all we can say for now. However, we’ll have much more to share about this beautiful and wildly imaginative RPG in the future, so be sure to follow the SaGa team on social media for news and updates: