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City Connection Launches Farland Saga 1 & 2 Saturn TributeTwo more Saturn games are available on modern platforms after City Connection released Farland Saga 1 and 2 yesterday. Unfortunately, the publisher made no effort to localize either game, which both are entirely in Japanese — only the emulator overlay with various options is in English. The strategy game followups to the long-running Farland Story series of RPGs are part of the City Connection’s Saturn Tribute line of emulated Saturn games sold on present-day platforms with varying degrees of modern accoutrements. The original games exclusively released in Japan in January and December 1998. They follow two more Saturn Tribute releases last month, Advanced V.G. and Steam Heart’s . All four games originally were published on the Saturn by TGL, which still exists today under the name Entergram. Farland Saga 1 and 2 are on the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store and Xbox Store in Japan for just under 3,000 yen, but they’re not on any Western countries’ storefronts. They’re also on Steam, though, which is a worldwide store — anyone willing to brave the games’ extensive Japanese can buy them there for US$19.99, although they have a 10% launch discount for the first week. Farland Saga 1 is here while Farland Saga 2 is here . City Connection uploaded launch trailers for both games on YouTube: City Connection announced in January its intention to release Farland Saga 1 and 2 as part of its Saturn Tribute line on Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via Steam. Saturn Tribute games are the Saturn originals running on what City Connection calls the Zebra Engine, which dataminers have found appears to be a modified version of the SSF emulator. City Connection uses the “S-Tribute” label for the Saturn games that are only released digitally, while games like Cotton 2 and Suchie-Pie have gotten physical printings — at least in Japan — so they sport the “Saturn Tribute” label. The publisher uses a “Saturn Tribute Boosted” label to denote extra features that aren’t in their other Saturn efforts. That emulator gives players features like rewind, quick save and quick load. There are additional game-specific features, too: The Steam pages for both Farland Saga games list these Saturn Tribute-exclusive features:
The Steam pages say that “Farland Saga and its sequel, Farland Saga: Toki no Michishirube, take place eight years apart, each depicting adventures of their respective eras. This two-part simulation RPG series became widely beloved for its adorable character illustrations, comical animations, and captivating dialogue.” On Steam, Farland Saga 1’s story is described thusly: On the remote island of Entrich, far from the mainland, three nations have maintained a fragile balance: the military superpower Yohk, the agricultural kingdom Barth, and Thulk, an independent state led by demons. Leon and Ralph, who lost their parents in a great war, were raised by the knight Brian and have since grown into skilled warriors. One day, they attend a trilateral peace ceremony in Barth, only to find themselves caught up in a catastrophic incident that shatters the fragile relations between the three nations. Branded as traitors, they flee alongside an innocent princess accused of a crime she did not commit. Thus begins an escape that will ultimately decide the fate of the world.     And Farland Saga 2’s story is described like this on Steam: Entrich. The wounds of the great conflict that shook this island eight years ago have finally healed, and travel between the island and the mainland is flourishing once more. A lone girl boards a ship bound for the mainland. Her name is Karin. Having recently lost her grandfather, she now stands alone in the world. Before his grave, she makes a bold vow: “I’m going to make a name for myself on the mainland!” Her destination is Attracta, one of the mainland’s most prosperous trading cities. What fate awaits her as she embarks on her journey as an adventurer?     So far, 21 games have been released under the three labels: Cotton 2, Cotton Boomerang and Guardian Force, which came out in 2021; Layer Section & Galactic Attack , Cleopatra Fortune , Elevator Action Returns and the four games in the Suchie-Pai collection, which came out 2022; Metal Black, Bust-a-Move 2: Arcade Edition & Bust-a-Move 3 and Batsugun , which came out in 2023; Assault Suit Leynos 2 , Wolf Fang and Skull Fang last year; Advanced V.G. and Steam-Heart’s last month; and now, Farland Saga 1 and 2.
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