<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2002	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Square	O
(	O
rebranded	O
as	O
Square	O
Enix	O
in	O
2003	O
)	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
as	O
the	O
ninth	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
SaGa	B-Operating_System
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Battles	O
carry	O
over	O
the	O
skill-based	O
levelling	O
systems	O
and	O
nonlinear	O
structure	O
of	O
earlier	O
SaGa	B-Operating_System
titles	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
exploration	O
structure	O
similar	O
to	O
a	O
board	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kawazu	O
wanted	O
to	O
get	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
basics	O
of	O
game	O
design	O
and	O
evoke	O
the	O
style	O
of	O
the	O
earliest	O
SaGa	B-Operating_System
games	O
,	O
placing	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
battle	O
system	O
and	O
having	O
several	O
elements	O
mimic	O
tabletop	O
role-playing	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
was	O
first	O
announced	O
in	O
2002	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
supplemented	O
with	O
several	O
guidebooks	O
that	O
detailed	O
its	O
systems	O
and	O
explored	O
the	O
game	O
world	O
's	O
lore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Feedback	O
from	O
the	O
title	O
influenced	O
the	O
production	O
of	O
both	O
Romancing	B-Application
SaGa	I-Application
:	I-Application
Minstrel	I-Application
Song	I-Application
and	O
SaGa	B-Application
:	I-Application
Scarlet	I-Application
Grace	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
is	O
a	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
where	O
players	O
take	O
on	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
seven	O
different	O
protagonists	O
,	O
playing	O
through	O
the	O
narratives	O
in	O
a	O
nonlinear	O
style	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
an	O
unnamed	O
fantasy	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Square	O
,	O
which	O
handled	O
development	O
for	O
multiple	O
role-playing	O
series	O
including	O
SaGa	B-Operating_System
and	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
the	O
staff	O
were	O
veterans	O
of	O
the	O
SaGa	B-Operating_System
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Series	O
creator	O
Akitoshi	O
Kawazu	O
produced	O
and	O
directed	O
,	O
Kyouji	O
Koizumi	O
returned	O
as	O
battle	O
designer	O
from	O
the	O
Romancing	B-Application
SaGa	I-Application
games	O
,	O
and	O
recurring	O
staff	O
member	O
Jyunichi	O
Shinomiya	O
acted	O
as	O
lead	O
writer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
stated	O
,	O
"	O
As	O
far	O
as	O
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
is	O
concerned	O
,	O
we	O
said	O
let	O
's	O
tackle	O
the	O
basics	O
of	O
game	O
design	O
once	O
again	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
non-traditional	O
approach	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
built	O
on	O
their	O
previous	O
game	O
development	O
structures	O
when	O
creating	O
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
early	O
production	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
planned	O
for	O
an	O
unnamed	O
handheld	B-Application
console	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
production	O
of	O
that	O
console	O
was	O
cancelled	O
,	O
production	O
was	O
moved	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
saw	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
debut	O
on	O
that	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
art	O
director	O
was	O
Yusuke	O
Naora	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
just	O
finished	O
work	O
on	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
X	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Naora	O
accepted	O
,	O
as	O
he	O
"	O
wanted	O
to	O
try	O
new	O
things	O
"	O
within	O
the	O
SaGa	B-Operating_System
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
programs	O
such	O
as	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
and	O
After	B-Operating_System
Effects	I-Operating_System
,	O
hand-drawn	O
2D	O
designs	O
were	O
combined	O
with	O
3D	O
models	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
unique	O
hybrid	O
look	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CGI	O
opening	O
,	O
a	O
first	O
for	O
the	O
SaGa	B-Operating_System
series	O
,	O
was	O
animated	O
by	O
Square	O
's	O
dedicated	O
studio	O
Visual	O
Works	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
animation	O
lead	O
was	O
Takeshi	O
Nozue	O
,	O
who	O
would	O
later	O
work	O
on	O
several	O
notable	O
Visual	O
Works	O
projects	O
including	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VII	O
:	O
Advent	O
Children	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
designing	O
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
,	O
Kawazu	O
wanted	O
to	O
go	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
mechanical	O
roots	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
portable	O
titles	O
,	O
deciding	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
focused	O
almost	O
entirely	O
on	O
its	O
battle	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
board	O
game-like	O
gameplay	O
and	O
progression	O
was	O
intended	O
by	O
Kawazu	O
as	O
an	O
evolution	O
of	O
his	O
work	O
on	O
Wild	O
Card	O
,	O
a	O
role-playing	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
decision	O
made	O
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
stand	O
out	O
from	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
SaGa	B-Operating_System
franchise	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
traditional	O
role-playing	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kawazu	O
thought	O
up	O
Ventus	O
's	O
narrative	O
after	O
seeing	O
the	O
narrative	O
and	O
gameplay	O
concepts	O
for	O
The	B-Application
Bouncer	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
music	O
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Masashi	O
Hamauzu	O
,	O
while	O
synthesizer	O
programming	O
was	O
done	O
by	O
Ryo	B-Application
Yamazaki	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
previously	O
collaborated	O
on	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
for	O
SaGa	B-Application
Frontier	I-Application
2	I-Application
after	O
the	O
departure	O
of	O
previous	O
series	O
composer	O
Kenji	O
Ito	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
features	O
five-channel	O
surround	O
sound	O
support	O
from	O
Dolby	O
's	O
Pro	O
Logic	O
II	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
SaGa	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
by	O
Square	O
in	O
July	O
2002	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
,	O
the	O
reward	O
would	O
have	O
been	O
a	O
trip	O
to	O
Rome	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
shared	O
presence	O
of	O
ancient	O
city	O
ruins	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
SaGa	I-Application
was	O
Square	O
Enix	O
's	O
first	O
release	O
in	O
South	O
Korea	O
,	O
published	O
on	O
June	O
19	O
,	O
2003	O
,	O
by	O
the	O
local	O
branch	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
Material	O
Collection	O
:	O
Lead	O
to	O
the	O
Destiny	O
,	O
an	O
artbook	O
containing	O
illustrations	O
from	O
Kobayashi	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
12	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
:	O
The	O
First	O
Guide	O
Book	O
for	O
Beginners	O
released	O
parallel	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
covering	O
the	O
opening	O
of	O
each	O
scenario	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
:	O
Visual	O
Arts	O
Collection	O
released	O
on	O
February	O
14	O
,	O
2003	O
,	O
containing	O
reproduced	O
in-game	O
artwork	O
and	O
designs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
full	O
guidebook	O
containing	O
gameplay	O
tips	O
and	O
staff	O
interviews	O
,	O
Unlimited	O
:	O
Saga	B-Operating_System
-	O
Book	O
of	O
Disassembly	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
by	O
Studio	O
BentStuff	O
on	O
March	O
28	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
was	O
originally	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
setting	O
of	O
the	O
anime	O
series	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
:	O
Unlimited	O
,	O
but	O
these	O
plans	O
were	O
shelved	O
during	O
production	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
among	O
those	O
shown	O
by	O
Square	O
Enix	O
at	O
the	O
2003	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
,	O
alongside	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
other	O
titles	O
including	O
Final	B-Protocol
Fantasy	I-Protocol
XI	I-Protocol
,	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Chronicles	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Drakengard	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
promote	O
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
Square	O
Enix	O
held	O
the	O
"	O
Hall	O
of	O
Valor	O
"	O
contest	O
beginning	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
date	O
and	O
ending	O
on	O
July	O
27	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
Collector	O
's	O
Edition	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Europe	O
and	O
included	O
a	O
bonus	O
DVD	O
titled	O
Eternal	B-Application
Calm	I-Application
Final	I-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
X-2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Prologue	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
entered	O
the	O
Japanese	O
sales	O
charts	O
at	O
number	O
3	O
behind	O
Pokémon	B-Application
Ruby	I-Application
and	I-Application
Sapphire	I-Application
,	O
selling	O
196,471	O
copies	O
,	O
and	O
ended	O
the	O
year	O
with	O
over	O
270,000	O
copies	O
sold	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
made	O
it	O
the	O
second	O
best-selling	O
title	O
from	O
their	O
2002	O
library	O
behind	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
X-2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
selling	O
over	O
half	O
a	O
million	O
copies	O
,	O
Sony	O
Computer	O
Entertainment	O
awarded	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
Gold	O
Award	O
during	O
the	O
9th	O
Annual	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Awards	O
on	O
June	O
29	O
,	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
has	O
seen	O
a	O
polarised	O
response	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
the	O
West	O
;	O
while	O
Japanese	O
press	O
gave	O
it	O
high	O
scores	O
and	O
praise	O
,	O
many	O
Western	O
critics	O
gave	O
it	O
middling	O
to	O
low	O
scores	O
compared	O
to	O
earlier	O
SaGa	B-Operating_System
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Martin	O
Kitts	O
of	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Official	O
Magazine	O
–	O
UK	O
was	O
more	O
forgiving	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
he	O
felt	O
it	O
was	O
aimed	O
at	O
an	O
audience	O
who	O
enjoyed	O
a	O
challenging	O
experience	O
,	O
but	O
still	O
felt	O
it	O
was	O
too	O
abstruse	O
and	O
difficult	O
for	O
casual	O
gamers	O
,	O
saying	O
it	O
would	O
have	O
worked	O
better	O
on	O
the	O
original	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
was	O
recognized	O
by	O
the	O
Computer	O
Entertainment	O
Supplier	O
's	O
Association	O
in	O
its	O
Game	O
Awards	O
Future	O
category	O
at	O
the	O
organization	O
's	O
annual	O
event	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RPGamer	O
called	O
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
the	O
"	O
biggest	O
letdown	O
"	O
of	O
2003	O
in	O
their	O
annual	O
RPGamer	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
1Up.com	O
would	O
include	O
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
on	O
its	O
list	O
of	O
"	O
Underwhelming	O
RPGs	O
with	O
Overwhelming	O
Soundtracks	O
"	O
,	O
with	O
writer	O
Bob	O
Mackey	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
a	O
shame	O
"	O
that	O
the	O
music	O
was	O
likely	O
neglected	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
divisive	O
mechanics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
2015	O
article	O
on	O
the	O
SaGa	B-Operating_System
series	O
for	O
USGamer	O
,	O
Jeremy	O
Parish	O
cited	O
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
as	O
the	O
game	O
where	O
Kawazu	O
took	O
his	O
board	O
game	O
influences	O
and	O
unconventional	O
style	O
to	O
an	O
extreme	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
mixed	O
reactions	O
and	O
internal	O
wishes	O
from	O
staff	O
would	O
also	O
lead	O
to	O
Kawazu	O
developing	O
Romancing	B-Application
SaGa	I-Application
:	I-Application
Minstrel	I-Application
Song	I-Application
,	O
a	O
remake	O
of	O
Romancing	B-Application
SaGa	I-Application
for	O
the	O
PS2	B-Device
,	O
with	O
Naora	O
returning	O
to	O
redesign	O
the	O
cast	O
for	O
the	O
remake	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
Kawazu	O
's	O
commitments	O
to	O
other	O
projects	O
within	O
the	O
company	O
including	O
the	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Chronicles	I-Application
subseries	O
,	O
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
was	O
the	O
last	O
original	O
SaGa	B-Operating_System
title	O
for	O
twelve	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
next	O
title	O
,	O
SaGa	B-Application
:	I-Application
Scarlet	I-Application
Grace	I-Application
,	O
was	O
partially	O
built	O
by	O
Kawazu	O
using	O
feedback	O
from	O
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
remastered	O
release	O
of	O
SaGa	B-Application
Frontier	I-Application
,	O
Kawazu	O
stated	O
that	O
a	O
remaster	O
of	O
Unlimited	B-Application
Saga	I-Application
was	O
being	O
considered	O
.	O
</s>
