SaGa: Scarlet Grace is a 2016 role-playing video game developed by Square Enix and Studio Reel and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Vita. It is the tenth entry in the SaGa series. An expanded port subtitled Ambitions was released in 2018 in Japan and in 2019 worldwide for Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Windows. The story follows four characters pursuing separate missions across the splintered remains of a dissolved Empire; central to the plot is the Firebringer, a rebellious deity defeated during the Empire's height. Gameplay focuses on the protagonists exploring the nonlinear world, taking part in turn-based battles where skill growth depends on chosen actions.
The game was the series' first original console title since 2002's Unlimited Saga, with development beginning in 2013 to celebrate the series' 25th anniversary. Returning staff included series creator Akitoshi Kawazu as co-designer and scenario writer, artist Tomomi Kobayashi, and composer Kenji Ito. The team designed several aspects of the game based on player feedback from Unlimited SaGa, and incorporated features from both SaGa Frontier and the Romancing SaGa games. Ambitions began development following Scarlet Grace, with improvements based on feedback from the original. The Western version was localised by 8-4. Reception of the game was generally positive, with critics praising its gameplay and design.
Gameplay SaGa: Scarlet Grace is a role-playing video game in which players take control of four different protagonists through separate scenarios; each character can pick up a group of followers, with up to four joining them in battle. Prior to starting the game, the player is asked a series of questions; the answers allow the game to recommend which character to start with and impact their statistics. The core narrative is advanced by completing events on the game's world map; these events range from battles to story-based interactions with non-playable characters (NPCs). Due to the nonlinear gameplay of Scarlet Grace, events can be completed in any order or ignored entirely, with which events are completed impacting the narrative and later events.
The world map—divided into provinces—is represented using two-dimensional (2D) artwork, while the chosen protagonist is represented using a three-dimensional (3D) model. The types of events present are towns which house story events and vendors such as merchants and blacksmiths, transport points to different areas of the world, and battles of varying difficulty. The protagonist can also engage in "Production", a side activity where the player can initiate trade between the worlds' different regions. Taking part in Production rewards the player with materials to use in crafting. Prior to triggering a battle, the enemy's strength and loot are displayed.
Battle system
Once a battle is triggered on the world map, the player and enemy parties face each other in a themed arena. Battles use a turn-based combat system, with each side able to perform an action per turn. The player's party is arranged in different formations which impact their abilities and tactics. Their actions are dictated by Battle Points (BP), displayed as a line of stars; depending on the amount of available BP, different actions can be taken, and those characters who cannot be assigned a move skip that turn. There are eight weapon types, each with different attributes which impact both how a character fights, how they attack different enemies, and the effectiveness of attacks against enemy types.
Each character has access to battle abilities called Techniques which cost BP to execute. During battle, player and enemy actions are displayed along the bottom of the screen as a "Timeline". Some Techniques can alter the flow of the Timeline, and some attacks can knock an enemy back, pushing their action further down the Timeline. If all characters are adjacent on the Timeline following the end of a turn, a United Attack is triggered, allowing all characters to attack. A United Attack allows actions for the next turn to cost less BP, with the amount of BP reducing further if stronger characters took part and dealt higher damage.
Each party member has health points (HP) and Life Points (LP). HP can be replenished in battle using items and varieties of healing magic, but LP cannot be replenished unless a party member is not in battle. Once a character's LP is depleted, they cannot be used in battle, with LP recovering at the rate of one LP every two completed battles. LP can also be restored in towns in exchange for materials. If the party loses all HP during a battle, the game ends. The player party can also be granted "Benison", boons gifted by the world's deities that can remove status effects, heal the party, or aid them with attacks. Activating a Benison cancels all the party's moves for one turn.
As with previous SaGa titles, raising a character's statistics and acquiring new or more powerful skills is not tied to an experience point-based leveling system. After each battle, a particular statistic is raised based both on the battle's events and which weapons and abilities were used by any particular party member. Using a Technique enough upgrades it to become more powerful, while new Techniques are unlocked by using similar Techniques. Techniques have five levels, with each level yielding more powerful effects. Weapons have a similar system, where Weapon Skills—battle actions tied to weapons—can raise their rank through usage to become more effective and cost less BP to execute, or unlock new Skills. Many Skills and ranks are tied to specific weapons. After completing each battle, players are awarded with weapons, armor, accessories and materials. Weapons and armor can be strengthened using specific materials, with the rank of blacksmiths increasing the quality of the upgrade.
Synopsis Scarlet Grace is set in an unnamed land. The world worships the Celestials, a pantheon represented by the stars who gave wisdom and culture to humanity; each Celestial governs a different aspect of human life, receiving the worship of particular groups such as farmers or magicians. In ancient times, one Celestial later dubbed the Firebringer betrayed his brethren and was banished from their realm; in addition to granting humanity the gift of fire, he waged war on the other Celestials. Every 150 years, the Firebringer would appear and cause monsters to spawn across the world. Humanity united under the Empire to defend against the Firebringer. After seven battles over a thousand years of fighting, the Firebringer was destroyed. Celebrations gave way to fragmentation as the Empire turned on itself; the last Emperor was assassinated, the Empire divided by his warring sons, and seventy years prior to the game's opening it completely collapsed.
In the world following the Empire's collapse, the remaining forces have created new nations out of the Empire's provinces. They have settled into an uneasy coexistence, although attacks from magical monsters persist. The main narrative is divided between four protagonists; Urpina, Leonard, Taria and Balmaint. Urpina is a princess whose peaceful existence is torn apart when her family home comes under attack, forcing her to take up arms to rescue her brother. Leonard is a farmer seeking the legendary city of Ei-Hanum. Taria senses dangerous disturbances through her pottery and goes in pursuit of phoenixes appearing in the world. The state executioner Balmaint travels to behead his former master Sigfrei after he vows to be reborn seven times following his first execution. Each protagonist is accompanied by a variety of companions recruited along their journey.
The plot of Scarlet Grace is non-linear, with most events being missable by the player or changing depending on previously-activated events. In routes involving Sigfrei, he is revealed to be the human incarnation of the Firebringer, determined to create an age controlled by humanity. Key items across the game are the Scarlet Shards, fragments of the Firebringer's power which grant his titular "Scarlet Grace". Two significant characters are the Celestials Marigan and Macha; the respective patrons of warriors and mages, they are veterans of the battle against the Firebringer and once shared a close sibling bond. Each has some involvement with a protagonist's story, with Marigan in particular wanting to steal the Firebringer's power and set himself up as the supreme ruler of all. Each route eventually ends in a battle with the Firebringer in Ei-Hanum. In the wake of his defeat, the protagonists return to their former lives and their companions go on to different fates in a war that engulfs the land.
Development
The SaGa series had been dormant since the releases of 2002's Unlimited Saga and the remake of Romancing SaGa in 2005, both for the PlayStation 2 (PS2). Series creator and executive producer Akitoshi Kawazu's commitment to other projects within Square Enix, including the Crystal Chronicles series, prevented him from pursuing further SaGa projects. Kawazu had created a concept for Scarlet Grace some time before, but no-one in the company was willing to develop the game with him. At the same time, Square Enix staff member Yoshimitsu Inagaki noted the surge of casual mobile titles and felt challenged about what kind of game he should make next. With this in mind and following the completion of another project, Inagaki decided to revive the SaGa series, which he had worked on during production of the PS2 games. Inagaki approached Kawazu, and the two agreed to create a new SaGa game. The game was co-developed by Square Enix Business Division 3—the division then in charge of the SaGa series—and Studio Reel. Further development assistance was offered by Opus.
The game's director was Studio Reel's Masahiro Kataoka, a former Square Enix employee who worked on the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series. The producer was Square Enix's Masanori Ichikawa, a self-professed fan of the SaGa series. Production began mid-2013, with Kawazu describing development as "turbulent". It was built using the Unity engine. Scarlet Grace was first announced in December 2014 under the title "SaGa 2015" as part of the series' 25th anniversary celebrations. Its official title was revealed at the Sony press conference at the 2015 Tokyo Game Show. Instead of releasing a game demo, Square Enix restricted the game's public pre-release appearances to trade shows. The game was released in Japan on December 15, 2016, as both a standard edition and as a limited edition, which included a soundtrack album and artbook. Unlike many PlayStation Vita titles, Scarlet Grace did not support PlayStation TV as Kawazu decided to focus on optimizing performance for Vita alone. Sony and Square Enix collaborated on special edition Vita consoles themed after Scarlet Grace.
Design