| Unlimited Saga | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Square |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Director(s) | Akitoshi Kawazu |
| Producer(s) | Akitoshi Kawazu |
| Designer(s) | Kyouji Koizumi |
| Programmer(s) | Takaaki Tonooka |
| Artist(s) | Yusuke Naora Tomomi Kobayashi |
| Writer(s) | Jyunichi Shinomiya |
| Composer(s) | Masashi Hamauzu |
| Series | SaGa |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Unlimited Saga[a] is a 2002 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (rebranded as Square Enix in 2003) for the PlayStation 2 as the ninth game in the SaGa series. It was released in 2002 in Japan and 2003 in North America and Europe; its European version was published by Atari Europe. The story follows seven characters as they explore mysteries connected to the Seven Wonders, artifacts left by an ancient civilization said to be capable of triggering a golden age. Battles carry over the skill-based levelling systems and nonlinear structure of earlier SaGa titles, with an exploration structure similar to a board game.
Production at Square's Product Development Division 2 lasted two years, involving a staff of fifty people. Several staff members returned from earlier entries including series creator Akitoshi Kawazu as producer and director, designer Kyouji Koizumi, and composer Masashi Hamauzu. The characters were designed by newcomer Yusuke Naora, with veteran artist Tomomi Kobayashi contributing promotional art. Kawazu wanted to get back to the basics of game design and evoke the style of the earliest SaGa games, placing focus on the battle system and having several elements mimic tabletop role-playing games. The graphics were designed in partnership with Adobe Systems to create a combination of 3D models and 2D artwork.
Unlimited Saga was first announced in 2002, and was supplemented with several guidebooks that detailed its systems and explored the game world's lore. It was a commercial success in Japan, selling over half a million units in that region; it sold a further 130,000 in the West. It saw a polarized response between Japan, where it was met with praise, and the West. In English reviews, the music was met with general praise, while its graphics and unorthodox gameplay saw mixed to negative reactions. Feedback from the title influenced the production of both Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song and SaGa: Scarlet Grace.
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