Although not as good as Romancing Sa-Ga 2 which is considered the best, this third installment is still excellent. The series' hallmark is the diversity of characters you can control, each of whom has his/her own storyline, sub-plots, and ending to see. In this game, you have a choice of eight characters to play at the beginning of the game – not counting other characters you can recruit along the way. This means the game offers at least eight completely different experiences – something even the most replayable of PC RPGs would be hard pressed to compete with. Each main character has his/her own backstory and motives, and most of these are quite interesting.

Another hallmark of the series that sets Romancing Sa-Ga apart from others is the unique experience/skill system. In contrast to other RPGs in which you gain a number of new skills or better stats when your 'experience level' goes up, in RS3 your skills and stats go up individually as a direct result of your actions. This means that you will have to, for example, use weapons or cast spells frequently if you want advancements in those skills. This lends a nice feel of realism to the game, and makes it more sophisticated than most console RPGs. To add to the complexity, there are also three different kinds of battles: normal party-vs-monster battles (most 'micro' level), commander battles (squadron level), and war battles (strategic level). You can select formations in commander battles, and command an entire army in the war battles – similar to wargames. Your characters can also learn different 'Techs' for weapon strikes, making the range of attacks very diverse and interesting.

The game is huge, to say the least. No matter who you play, there are over fifteen characters scattered across the world for you to recruit, different side jobs to take, and different side quests to explore. Fittingly enough for its complexity, RS3 is also much more challenging than your average console RPG: gold is hard to come by, and you will have to fight literally hundreds, if not thousands, of monsters before finishing the game.

With a unique experience/skill system, a staggering variety of characters and plots, and Squaresoft's usual graphics excellence, Romancing Sa-Ga 3 is a must-play for every console RPG fan, and any PC RPG gamer who thinks all console RPGs are a cakewalk. Thanks to translation group Mana Sword, you can now play the game in English (it's not 100% complete, but it is definitely very close to that). Here is hoping that the other games in the series will soon be translated as well by dedicated fans.