History VideoGame / The7thSaga

''The 7th Saga'' (known as ''Elnard'' in Japan) is an {{R|olePlayingGame}}PG for the UsefulNotes/{{SNES}}, released in 1993. It is known for one thing, and that is [[NintendoHard difficulty]].

* {{All There In The Manual}}: The descriptions of the characters' personalities, motivations, and backstories.
* {{Antidote Effect}}: Averted. Even if both party members receive purify (or equivalent spell), these spells expend the limited magic that you have. There are also items that ''prevent'' status effects from landing if they're in your inventory.
* {{Arbitrary Headcount Limit}}: Your "party" can hold a maximum of 2.

*** Other shopkeep dialogue is even more egregious. The game lets you [[AntiFrustrationFeatures buy new equipment, equip it, and sell the old piece all in one transaction]]. One version of the dialogue mistakenly implies you'll be paying MORE than the list price for doing so.
---->It's more expensive than what you have to sell. You must also give # G to make up the difference.

* {{Bounty Hunter}}: Pison.

* {{Chest Monster}}: These also qualify as ParanoiaFuel. You never know when a chest in a dungeon is going to yield a nice item, or a monster that will kill you outright in 1-3 rounds. The first one you meet '''will''' kill you unless you know exactly how to handle it (and you will need a defense-up item just to stand a chance). So will the second, and the third. Oh yes, and after you've become strong enough to handle them, the game introduces [[UndergroundMonkey red ones]], and then once you can stand up to those, blue ones. This last variety actually use boss music. Oddly enough, the blue ones still come early enough in the game that you will eventually become strong enough to eat them for breakfast, and while there's actually a stronger variety present in the game's files, it never actually appears in-game for some reason.

* CombatMedic: Valsu, with heavy emphasis on 'medic'.

* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: You are forced to kill a witch that just kidnapped kids to make them play happily together, because she lost her own child unfairly, to receive a required plot-advancing contrivance
** YouShouldntKnowThisAlready factors in. Prior to defeating her all you've been told is that she went insane after losing her own child, that she's been kidnapping children, and, in an [[AvertedTrope aversion]] of InfallibleBabble, a rumor that she [[IAmAHumanitarian eats people]].

* DiscOneFinalDungeon: The cave where you fight Gariso.

* ExperienceBooster: By going solo, you will level up twice faster, so you can just go solo until you are very high in level and then ask an apprentice that has not became an enemy of yours to join (him/her having stronger stats compared to you when you are at the same level, as the US version of the game decreases the stat gains a character YOU use obtains after a fight, while leaving the apprentice you ask help from intact)
* ExpositoryGameplayLimitation: While visiting a foreign continent eternally covered in snow, for a while a curse won't allow you to use any abilities nor spells, greatly limiting caster characters

* GameFavoredGender: the only female character, Esuna the magician elf, is the worst to add as an end-game party, as magic-attacks are extremely weak by then (subversion for buffs and debuffs, being always useful regardless the situation); in comparison, the melee fighters and only hybrid spell caster are way stronger, with the hybrid mage/fighter reaching the pick at the end of his training, obtaining utility spells unattainable by any other character

* GetOnTheBoat: If you are playing as Esuna the female sorcercer or friendly clanky cluttery robot Lux, you will sail on a boat to reach a far-end area the other side of the continent, where enemies are MUCH stronger... this two characters are clearly the "hard mode" representative to an already difficult game (US Version only, JP version is piss easy)

* {{Heroic Mime}}

* {{Incendiary Exponent}}: Wilme attacks monsters by setting his arm on fire and punching them in the face.

* LuckBasedMission: Pretty much the entire game, really. Because many enemies can one-shot you just by using the right (or wrong, depending on how you look at it) attack, there are very, very many situations where your only hope of survival depends on how generous the Random Number God is feeling.

* {{Palette Swap}}: [[MemeticMutation "I've returned from the Dark World and become Red-Pison."]]

* PointOfNoReturn: Once the past it is reached, you cannot fight easier enemies anymore
* {{Random Encounters}}: Sort of. You have a crystal ball that allows you to detect monsters. In theory, you can dodge them and avoid combat. In practice, the monsters move through walls, there are many long hallways present where you aren't dodging anything, and they're fast and numerous enough to hunt YOU down. Additionally, they move around no matter what you're doing, so if you stand still outside of a menu, they'll quickly come and say 'hi' with their fists.

* RecurringBoss: Pison again.

* SelfImposedChallenge: Beating the game with very bad pairings (Wilme + Lux for example) is a well known challenge.
** A Solo Run, where you don't use an Apprentice for most of the game (get the one you want, get them killed and let them dead until/unless you must recruit one to get the Rune from Luze and let them get killed afterward) makes for an excellent challenge.
*** Ironically, because your character gets double Exp in solo runs they are often considered easier than playing through with a partner.

* StoneWall: Lux

* {{Unusually Uninteresting Sight}}: Nearly all [=NPCs=] will act exactly the same regardless of which character you play as, even if you happen to choose Lejes the demon, Lux the Tetujin, or Wilme the alien.

* {{Useless Useful Spell}}: Averted. Petrify, [=Defense2=], [=Vacuum1=], and [=Vacuum2=] are all very useful, due to how hard normal enemies are.

* WeCanRuleTogether: The apprentice who takes the Star Rune will make you this offer, and you can even take him up on it - strangely, [[ViolationofCommonSense you really want to do so.]] If you refuse, you fight immediately. If you agree, the front door of the castle will be unlocked so you can go heal up, save, and [[DungeonBypass skip the trek through the dungeon]] before the battle.

* FakeBalance: Enemies have skills you cannot use; enemies have chances to resist/dodge status effects you can acquire only via very obscure to be found equipment garments; enemies will one-shot you often if unprepared/not defending.

* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler:The ending has player character die ''twice!'' Not only does Gorsia [[TakingYouWithMe kill the player as he dies]], you then reincarnate into King Lemele, who Gorsia also kills.]]

%%* {{And Man Grew Proud}}: Melenam.

** UpToEleven if you try a Solo run. The run between Dowaine and Belaine is especially difficult, particularly the Sage + 2 Coccoons or 2 Sages + Red Demon fights will have you silently mumbling prayers the whole time.

* {{And Man Grew Proud}}: Melenam.

* CruelTwistEnding: [[spoiler:After tricked by Gorsia-disguised-as-Lemele and zapped into the 5,000 years in the past, you successfully tracks down and finally defeats Gorsia for good, but he also kills you as final act of revenge. On behalf of Saro's gratitude, your soul is reincarnated 4,900 years later...as a baby Lemele. Who, as revealed in the mid-game plot twist, will be assasinated by Gorsia just before the game's prologue, locking the player character in StableTimeLoop. Ouch.]]

* UnfortunateNames: Dr. '''Fail'''.

* {{Chest Monster}}: These also qualify as ParanoiaFuel. You never know when a chest in a dungeon is going to yield a nice item, or a monster that will kill you outright in 1-3 rounds. The first one you meet '''will''' kill you unless you know exactly how to handle it (and you will need a defense-up item just to stand a chance). So will the second, and the third. Oh yes, and after you've become strong enough to handle them, the game introduces [[UndergroundMonkey red ones]], and then once you can stand up to those, blue ones. This last variety actually use boss music. Oddly enough, the blue ones still come early enough in the game that you will eventually become strong enough to eat them for breakfast, and there are no stronger varieties.

* EarlyGameHell: Under-equipped and poor against lethal crows.
* EnemyDetectingRadar: The first RPG to have one, making random encounters only semi-random, has one, if flaired enough, can skip them by zig-zagging through them

* HardLevelsEasyBosses: You're far more likely to die to a random encounter than to most bosses. Two reasons:

** You run into a hell of a lot of random encounters, some of which are potentially fatal even to a high-level team.
** Then again, the bosses aren't easy by any means. If you don't get defense buffs on right away, or fail to put power buffs on your physical attackers, you're dead.
* HellIsThatNoise: Whenever [=Vacuum2=] is used, a high pitched screech is played.

* LevelGrinding: Required to just beat the second weakest enemy in the game.
* LevelScaling: There are points where you fight other playable characters as bosses, and they are matched exactly to your level. Also, if you lose to them, they'll take your runes, making the inevitable rematch that much harder.

* {{Random Encounters}}: Sort of. You have a crystal ball that allows you to detect monsters. In theory, you can dodge them and avoid combat. In practice, the monsters move through walls, and are fast and numerous enough to hunt YOU down.

* ShapedLikeItself: An enemy called the sword has a chance of dropping a weapon called Sword (famous for being Wilme's only equipable weapon) when it's defeated. Except 7th Saga equipment is automatically suffixed with the type of item, so the item's full name is "Sword Sword".

* SuicidalOverconfidence: Averted, annoyingly so. Many enemies love running away, especially while you do your ForcedLevelGrinding. This is especially annoying when you're trying to kill the silver brains, and you have one almost dead and it runs away.
* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler:The final boss fight.]]

** Also verted with a boss later in the game who has stupidly high physical defence. You ''can'' beat him, but you only deal one point of damage per physical attack. It's entirely possible, but long and stupid, to win without magic.

* WeCanRuleTogether: The apprentice who takes the Star Rune will make you this offer, and you can even take him up on it. If you refuse, you fight immediately. If you agree, the front door of the castle will be unlocked so you can go heal up and [[DungeonBypass skip the trek through the dungeon]] before the battle.

* GuideDangIt: The apprentice you fight for the Star Rune is pre-determined as soon as you show the Wind Rune to the sage at Eygus. Whoever you fight for the Star Rune is [[PermanentlyMissableContent lost]]. If you want that person to be your ally in the rest of the game, they '''must''' be in your group ''before'' you exit the Melenam Ruins. The game makes absolutely no hint of this whatsoever.

You choose your main character from one of seven apprentices: a [[JackOfAllStats fighter]], a [[AllDwarvesAreTheSame dwarf]], an [[BlackMagicianGirl elf]], an [[HumanoidAliens alien]], a [[strike: robot]] [[CyberCyclops Tetujin]], a [[TheMedic priest]], and a [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon]]. Trained by the wise King Lemele, you must venture out into the oddly desolate world in search of seven Runes. Unfortunately, much of the story's flavor is lost in the English version no thanks to poor localization, translating its ambitious premise into dry ExcusePlot.

You choose your main character from one of seven apprentices: a [[JackOfAllStats fighter]], a [[BadassGrandpa dwarf]], an [[BlackMagicianGirl elf]], an [[HumanoidAliens alien]], a [[strike: robot]] [[CyberCyclops Tetujin]], a [[TheMedic priest]], and a [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon]]. Trained by the wise King Lemele, you must venture out into the oddly desolate world in search of seven Runes. Unfortunately, much of the story's flavor is lost in the English version no thanks to poor localization, translating its ambitious premise into dry ExcusePlot.

You choose your main character from one of seven apprentices: a [[JackOfAllStats fighter]], a [[BadassGrandpa dwarf]], an [[BlackMagicianGirl elf]], an [[HumanoidAliens alien]], a [[strike: robot]] [[CyberCyclops Tetujin]], a [[TheMedic priest]], and a [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon]]. Trained by the wise King Lemele, you must venture out into the oddly desolate world in search of seven Runes. To be honest, though, [[ExcusePlot nobody's ever played it for its story]].

This game is notorious for the nasty tricks it pulls on the player, most of which were exacerbated by {{Creator/Enix}}'s bean-counting localization team. In an effort to pad out the length, they had a habit of jacking up the damage output and random encounters in their games, rendering some of them unplayable. The English version of ''7th Saga'' is one of the biggest casualties of this approach. Blessedly, it was also one of the last.

* CanonName: Each apprentice has one, just don't input any name when selecting a character at the start of the game

* CruelTwistEnding: [[spoiler:After tricked by Gorsia-disguised-as-Lemele and zapped into the 5,000 years in the past, you successfully tracks down and finally defeats Gorsia for good, but he also kills you as final act of revenge. On behalf of Saro's gratitude, your soul is reincarnated 4,900 years later...as a baby Lemele. Who, as revealed in the mid-game plot twist, will be assasinated by Gorsia before the game begins to steal his identity, locking the player character in StableTimeLoop. Ouch.]]

* '''''ForcedLevelGrinding''''': You're going to need it to get the gear and stats just to survive.

* [[spoiler: {{Treacherous Advisor}}]]

* [[spoiler: UnwittingPawn]]

A [[SpiritualSuccessor somewhat-sequel]], ''VideoGame/MysticArk'', was released in Japan. Through the magic of console emulation it has recently been made available to Western audiences via a fan-made English translation patch.

* StoryBreadcrumbs: The backstory of the game is quite vast but most of it can only be discerned by talking to random NPC more times
* [[spoiler: StableTimeLoop]]