SaGa Frontier

SaGa Frontier is a JRPG released by Square in 1997 for the PlayStation. It is the 7th entry into the SaGa series and the 4th to release outside of Japan, the previous three to do so being the Final Fantasy Legend series on the Game Boy. You have the option to play as one of seven unique protagonists with their own storyline in the universe of SaGa Frontier. Combat is turn-based with the ability to create combination attacks during battle. Each race in the game has their own unique mechanics that have their own benefits in battle. The game was later remastered with the addition of cut content in 2021, including a new protagonist, Fuse.

Speedrunning SaGa Frontier

Movement is the primary appeal to the speedrun; there are no random encounters, meaning dodging enemies is vital to speedrunning the game on the PlayStation. In the remaster, you can simply Flee from most encounters if you're playing with additional content enabled. Dodges can range from "go around the enemy" to "navigate through a gap barely wider than your character between staggered enemies on stairs while they try to reach out to you."

Using the game's mechanics is also a key point to the speedrun. Combo attacks are the primary thing used in battle as they deal massive damage. Keeping your party members alive, transforming your monsters into good forms quickly, creating mecs that can take down Battle Rank 9 enemies; all things that are also used in runs. Some scenarios take advantage of the Junk Shop glitch to get lots of good equipment quickly. RNG manipulation can be used to make the Junk Shop glitch consistent (as well as some other things; see sub-30 Emelia's Story runs).