ROMANCING SAGA 3 THE VIDEO GAME
RELEASE INFO
STORY
CONTROLS
STAFF
ORIGINAL TRANSLITERATIONS
RS3 ON OTHER PLATFORMS
RS2 & RS3
Note: Most of the terminology is based on Mana Sword's translation of the game (patched rom).
See the Translation Notes: Original Tranliterations (1995-96), About the Remaster Edition's official translation (2019), About the Business Minigame, About Monsters and various remarks in the Techs, Magic, Items, Gameplay sections.
RELEASE INFO
Romancing Saga 3 (ロマンシング サ·ガ3)
is a Super Famicom (SFC) 1P turn-based RPG game
developed by Square (スクウェア)
and released on Nov. 11, 1995.
It was never released on SNES but fan-translations are available.
STORY
Every 300 years occurs a Death Eclipse that kills all new-born lives on the planet. 600 years ago, one boy survived, became the Devil King and opened the Abyss, releasing the Devil Lords into the world, who roamed free after the Devil King disappeared. 300 years ago, one boy survived, became the Holy King and sealed the Devil Lords and the Abyss. 15 years ago, a new Eclipse occured, but who is the surviving child, and will he be a Holy King or a Devil King?
The adventure starts by choosing your main character between eight...
Go to the Characters Page.
CONTROLS
Start - Pause
Select - Select Menu
A - Accept
B - Cancel / Refuse
X - World Map: World Overview mode / Map: Get out of a building or a town / Battle: Check party HP
Y - World Map: Move cursor faster / Map: Run / Battle Commander Mode: Give orders
L - Select Menu: Previous character / Battle: Defend
R - Select Menu: Next character / Battle: Run away
L+R+Select+Start = Reset to Title
STAFF
Credits / Staff List / スタッフ:
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キャラクターデザイン Character Design 小林智美 KOBAYASHI Tomomi メインプログラム Main Programming 穴沢友樹 ANAZAWA Tomoki 音楽 Music 作曲 Composition 伊藤賢治 ITO Kenji プログラム Programming 赤尾実 AKAO Minoru バトル Battle ゲームデザイン Game Design 小泉今日治 KOIZUMI Kyouji プログラム Programming 平石有孝 HIRAISHI Tomonori バトルエフェクト Battle Effects プログラム Programming 長谷川誠 HASEGAWA Makoto デザイン Design 高井浩 TAKAI Hiroshi モンスター Monsters 沢野誠 SAWANO Makoto マップ Map ディレクター Director 篠宮淳一 SHINOMIYA Junichi マップデザイン Map Design 蜷川裕一 NINAGAWA Yuichi 井上信行 INOUE Nobuyuki 清水康之 SHIMIZU Yasuyuki |
マップグラフィック Map Graphics スーパーバイザー Supervisor 高井浩 TAKAI Hiroshi グラフィック 池田信行 IKEDA Nobuyuki 生守一行 IKUMORI Kazuyuki 田中高春 TANAKA Takaharu 田辺幸子 TANABE Sachiko 玉井陽子 TAMAI Yoko キャラクターグラフィック Character Graphics メインキャラクター Main Characters 渋谷員子 SHIBUYA Kazuko サブキャラクター Sub Characters 田中香 TANAKA Kaori 伊藤博美 ITO Hiromi 森迫弥生 MORISAKO Yayoi コンバット＆エリアマップ Combat ＆ Area Maps コンバットデザイン Combat Design 木村祥朗 KIMURA Yoshiro プログラム Programming 外岡高明 TONOOKA Takaaki グラフィック Graphics 新井友行 ARAI Tommoyuki メニュー＆ワールドマップ Menu ＆ World Map プログラム Programming 園田剛 SONODA Tsuyoshi グラフィック Graphics 田中香 TANAKA Kaori |
トレード Trade トレードデザイン Trade Design 土橋生哉 IKUYA Dobashi プログラム Programming 小倉孝志 OGURA Takashi グラフィック Graphics 新井友行 ARAI Tomoyuki サウンドエフェクト Sound Effects ディレクター Director 中村栄治 NAKAMURA Eiji エフェクト Effects 泉浩宣 IZUMI Hironobu 三留一純 MITOME Kazumi 品質管理 Quality Control 梶谷真一郎 KAJITANI Shinichiro 増田博実 MASUDA Hiromo 藤田宣敬 FUJITA Yoshitaka 小松玲 KOMATSU Rei プロデューサー Producer 岡宮道生 OKAMIYA Michio 製作 Production 水野哲夫 MIZUNO Tetsuo 坂口博信 SAKAGUCHI Hironobu 鈴木尚 SUZUKI Hisashi 製作総指揮 シナリオ ゲームデザイン Production Commander, Original Game Design 河津秋敏 KAWAZU Akitoshi |
ORIGINAL TRANSLITERATIONS
Several of the guidebooks released at the time transliterate various names of the game from Katakana into Latin alphabet.
All these books are approved by Squaresoft.
There are a few discrepancies and a few spelling mistakes; but it is an interesting read, and the translators of the Remaster could have taken hints.
・Prologue (NTT, 10/1995, book, jacket illustrations & mini-CD with the main characters' town songs)
Characters:
The Pioneers Julian Nohl, Elen & Sarah Carson and Thomas Bent, the Wandering Royalty Harid (linked to the Princess of Gessir), Michael Ausbach Von Loanne, Monica Ausbach (Princess), Katharina Lauran (Noblewoman). Wandering Girl (Runaway), Muse Claudia Claudius (Lady), Robin (Mystic Thief), Nora (Blacksmith), Paul & Nina (Bad Boy & Girl), Wod (Warrior), Sharr (Soldier), Byrd of 'Historia Regi Sancti' (Minstrel), Undine (Water-Master), Herman (Former Pirate), Tiberius (Dean), Fulbrite XXIII (Rich Merchant), Elephant (Foreigner), Fairy (Sprite).
Places:
Kingdom of Messana, Marquisate of Loanne, Church of Divine-King, Warm Sea Coast, Calm Sea Coast, Northern Area, Abandoned Land.
Spells:
Sunshine, Star Fixer, Day Break, Shadow Bolt, Moon Shine, Soul Freeze, Water of Life, Sparkling Mist, Thunder Clap, Quick Time, Berserk, Crack, Earth Heal, Super Gravity, Wind Dart, Nap, Suction, Tornado, Air Slash, Hard Fire, Self Burning, Fire Wall.
Attacks:
Slash, Thrust, Smash, Shoot, Special.
Destining Planets.
Minigames: Administration, Trade, Mass Combat.
・Bouken Gaidobukku (Guide Books of the Adventure, NTT, 12/1995)
Places:
Podolui, Sinon, Lube Mountains, Yamas, Gwain's Lair, Garter Peninsula, Wilmington, Vangard, Island of the Farthest, Moses, Undine / Volcano's House, Well of the Dead, Great Arch, Lance, Tomb of the Divine King, Justerm, False, Ice Lake, Snow Town, Ice Galaxy, Messana, Den of the Highwaymen, Ruins of Cave Temple, New & Old Pidona, Devil King's Castle, Haunt of Maximus, Pidona Palace, Librof, Ake, Fairies' Village, Leonid's Castle, Zweig, West Forest, Professor's House, Kidland, Cave of Sacrifice, Loanne, Murce, Mt. Taftan, Herbourg Mountains, Naj Desert, Tower of Divine King, Capital of Kings, Forsaken Land, Great Drought River, The Steppes, Crystal Ruins, Village of Mungs, Cave of Nefuts, Nest of Xelnums, Xuan Castle, Rashkuta, Rotten Sea, Huan-jing Castle.
・Kiso Chishiki (General Knowledge, NTT, 1/1996)
Characters:
Tatiana Razajev, Boy, Robin (Lime & Trucks), Zhi Ling, Yang Fan, Bai Mei Nyang, Fairy, Snow-man, Leonid.
Enemies:
Skeleton, Devil, Beast, Fish, Demi-human, Plant, Aquatic Creature, Elemental Spirit, Zombie, Snake, Amphibian, Insect, Inorganic Creature, Bird, Ghost, Fairy.
Weapons:
Sword, Greatsword, Axe, Club, Rapier, Spear, Bow.
・Kanzen Kouryaku (Complete Guide, NTT, 3/1996)
Demanda Mountains (Garter Peninsula).
ROMANCING SAGA 3 ON OTHER PLATFORMS
RS3 was released on Virtual Console for Wii on Sept. 21, 2010 and Wii U on Feb. 26, 2014 in Japan.
Square Enix RS3 Purchase Page.
RS3 Remaster for PS4/Switch/Windows10/XBOX1/Steam/PSVita/Android/iOS was released in Japan on Nov. 11, 2019.
Square Enix Trailer Video (2019/8/29).
Square Enix Romancing SaGa 3 Official Page
A physical edition for Nintendo Switch was released on Jan. 24, 2020.
https://nintendoeverything.com/romancing-saga-3-physical-version-launches-january-24/
See the dedicated RS3 Remaster Section!
ROMANCING SAGA 2 AND ROMANCING SAGA 3
RS2 (1993) and RS3 (1995) are quite similar in various ways (graphics, music, gameplay, battle / sparking mechanics...) with RS3 being gentler to the player (tech sparking and battle count, especially).
Both games are non-linear, RS3 being slightly more 'open-world' than RS2, and RS3 goes further with the non-traditional mechanics (HP/Skill level-up..).
RS2 has a very original concept (reincarnation and time jumps: your run will span over hundreds or thousands of years with different MCs, party wipe and simili-perma-death being features) while RS3 is more « traditional » (one MC, modulable party).
Neither is story-driven: do not expect to play a graphic novel with lengthy dialogues with crises and drama; but world-building in both is top-notched and lore is deep if you care looking for the pieces. They really are what you make of them.
Both are easy-ish games within the SaGa franchise and can, ceteris paribus, be played like traditional (FF-like) JRPGs (i.e. grinding is possible and possibly beneficial), especially in the even easier Remaster editions (2016, 2019: NG+, new very helpful dungeons for farming), although IMHO it would be a shame to take advantage of that, given how radically avant-garde they are, mechanics/gameplay-wise, and designed to be played and beaten with what you have, which is different with every run, allowing a great replay value.
