Romancing SaGa 3

Romancing SaGa 3 is a role-playing video game in which the player takes control of one of eight playable characters with dedicated opening campaigns. Additional characters, including the other potential protagonists, can be found and recruited to the party throughout the game. After the initial storyline, the game follows a version of the recurring "Free Scenario System", giving the player complete freedom to complete both main objectives and side quests in any order. How the player chooses to complete a quest influences the character's "Karma", which can open or lock potential quests.

The player unlocks new locations by talking to non-playable characters, or travelling there either with vehicles or by opening a quest. While in towns, the player can rest at inns and shop using the in-game currency for weapons and equipment. Party members can be recruited across the game, while some will force their way into the party.

In the game's backstory, an event called the Rise of Morastrum occurs once every three centuries; a solar eclipse occurs, with every newborn of that year except one destined to die; this survivor is called the Child of Destiny and receives great power. 600 years prior, the Child of Destiny became an evil ruler called the Archfiend, while 300 years prior the Child of Destiny was a hero called the Matriarch who toppled the Archfiend. Prior to the game's opening, the Rise of Morastrum occurs again, and people begin seeking the Child of Destiny to discover their eventual fate. The eight main characters, all known or acquainted with each other, set out on their own quests and end up involved in the hunt for the Child of Destiny. The eight are Julian Nord, a reckless and just swordsman; the tomboyish Ellen Carson; Sarah Carson, Ellen's shy younger sister; Thomas Bent, a fledgling businessman; Mikhail Ausbach von Loanne, the current Marquis of Loanne; Monika Ausbach, Mikhail's sister; Katarina Lauran, Monika's attendant and guardian of a relic of the Matriarch; and Khalid, a wandering mercenary exiled from his homeland.

During their journey, the chosen protagonist learns that the Rise of Morastrum is tied to a realm called the Abyss and its ruling Four Sinistrals, which creates the heralding eclipse to manifest their power through the Child of Destiny. The Matriarch's birth and rise to heroism prompted the Sinistrals' fall, but with the latest Rise of Morastrum the Abyss Gates linking their realm to the world open again. It is also revealed that this time, two Children of Destiny have been born; Sarah and a man referred to as the "Young Boy". The chosen protagonist and their party close the Abyss Gates and defeat the Sinistral clones sent through to wreak havoc in the world.

Early work on Romancing SaGa 3 began at series developer and publisher Square in December 1993 shortly after the release of Romancing SaGa 2, with full production beginning in the summer of 1994. Series creator Akitoshi Kawazu returned as director, designer and writer. Other returning staff included Kyoji Koizumi as battle designer, and sound designer Minoru Akao. The game was produced by Michio Okamiya, who was chosen by Kawazu after previously working in the company's advertising division. Kawazu described production as "troublesome".

While Kawazu wanted to return to the narrative and gameplay style of the original Romancing SaGa, he was unsure how to do it while innovating on the design. An early suggestion was to make the game a direct sequel to Romancing SaGa, but Kawazu wanted it to be an entirely original work. With this game, Kawazu became "more proactive" in designing side quests that players could enjoy and get lost in. Kawazu gathered ideas from the development team, which led to the character-specific mechanics such as Mikhail's war campaign and Thomas's trading mini-games.

The Super Famicom original sold 1.3 million units in Japan by 2002, making it the second best-selling Romancing Saga title and at that time third best-selling entry in the SaGa franchise. The remaster's Windows version was among the best-selling new releases of its release month on Steam. According to review aggregate website Metacritic, the game saw generally positive reviews, with the PS4 version scoring 74 points out of 100 and the Switch version scoring 73.

Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu praised the gameplay variety through the different characters and customization options, while Jordan Rudek enjoyed both the core combat system and finding the hidden mechanics despite a need to grind and some lack of explanation relating to side quest triggers. Shaun Musgrave of Touch Arcade similarly enjoyed the opaque game design, calling its gameplay the main appeal. RPG Site's Chao Min Wu described the combat as the game's "most interesting [and] unique" feature, citing the need for in-depth knowledge to survive more difficult encounters. RPGFan's Jonathan Logan positively noted the amount of replay value due to the number of characters and New Game Plus feature, but found the combat system and exploration frustrating due to the limitations and randomness of its move and stat mechanics.

A fourth Romancing SaGa title began development for the Super Famicom in 1995 after Romancing SaGa 3 released. During this period, Square broke from Nintendo hardware to develop for Sony Computer Entertainment's new and more powerful PlayStation console. The game switched to the PlayStation, and consequently Kawazu renamed the project SaGa Frontier. Releasing in 1997 in Japan and 1998 in North America, SaGa Frontier carried over multiple staff from Romancing SaGa 3 including Kawazu, Kobayashi, Koizumi, Shibuya, and Ito.

In 2016, Square Enix approached mobile game developer Atatsuki Games to develop a new Romancing SaGa mobile title, which would use the world of Romancing SaGa 3 for its initial setting and carry over several combat mechanics. The game, Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe, was released in Japan in 2019; Ichikawa described it as "both a sequel and a spin-off" to the Romancing SaGa games. A global version of Re;univerSe was available from 2020 to 2024.