Makai Toushi SaGa

Segmented mini-scenarios had existed prior in role-playing games, such as a series of individual town narratives in Dragon Quest or a variety of non-linear objectives in Ultima, but SaGa presents sketches of four separate quests entirely, bound together by an anonymous central tower. A mundane start in a sword-and-sorcery setting gives way to a steamy island-hopping locale, each with a laconic cast of characters that mostly stay out of the protagonist’s way. This changes towards something more plot-driven in the grand rebellion narrative hinted at in the third area’s brief dialogue snippets, which would signal a downturn for a game without the scope to answer such ambitions if it weren’t for the fourth area. Here, the game finally characterizes the setting itself — a barren post-apocalypse, constantly under siege by the god-like bird Su-Zaku — in ways the limitless exploration of the previous areas couldn’t muster. When the protagonists enter the world, they’re repeatedly assaulted by…