A punching, spell-casting snowman is the star of this 90s Square Enix remake so far

When the camera cut to Flurry the snowman in a preview I got to play of Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United for the first time, I couldn't help but let out a laugh which snapped the attention of those playing around me.

I laughed not in a patronizing or mocking way but because it caught me completely off guard and genuinely tickled me.

Here was this party of heroes, consisting of a number of humans and a fairy, nobly entering a dungeon to take down a dragon - along with a snowman who, it turns out, can punch and cast spells too.

It's wacky. It's wild. It's brilliant. It's Square Enix all over. And I couldn't get enough of it.

I've played a demo of Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United consisting of two different dungeons at separate stages of the game for around an hour.

Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United has a distinct art style / Square Enix

Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United is a full 3D remake of the 1995 JRPG (Japanese role-playing game) Romancing SaGa 3, which follows eight heroes who work together to stop an ancient evil threat linked to a recurring planetary eclipse.

The remake has fully updated graphics, a choice between original or newly arranged soundtracks and fully voiced cutscenes in both English and Japanese.

Random encounters are replaced with visible enemies with preemptive strikes possible, a combat timeline has been added and there are different difficulty modes. There have been quality of life streamlined improvements over the original too.

The first dungeon I played was the Palace of the Archfiend where the party has to find Gon who's gone missing, defeating enemies and taking out a boss at the end. Five party members were available here and I started on normal to get to grips with the mechanics.

Enemies now appear instead of being random encounters / Square Enix

I find some turn-based games can end up with you going through the same motions in some dungeons, mind numbingly rinsing and repeating the same commands to easily overcome enemies that are not that much of a threat.

But in Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United, I was constantly kept on my toes because of the number of different enemies I encountered, even in a single dungeon, and how to go about finding their weaknesses.

That's because you have to experiment and try out different melee and magic moves to find out what a particular enemy's weakness is. There is usually a handful of different weaknesses but it's on you to work that out and exploit it.

When you do find out those weaknesses, it's not that straightforward either as you'll more than likely also be up against different enemy types with their own sets of weaknesses which are different.

Party members specialise in different areas too, such as archers, tanks, mages etc so everyone has their own part to play, meaning you also have to think about which member is best suited to attack which enemy at what time and how much of a threat other enemies in a group pose.

Even from just this demo, I can see how Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United will keep players completely engaged throughout.

The turn-based combat in Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United is superb so far / Square Enix

The turn-based gameplay itself is pretty straightforward on the surface but there are actually a lot of layers to it - preemptive strikes can be taken on unsuspecting enemies to give you an advantage and there's now a timeline showing you whose turn is next, including when your enemies will strike.

HP is recovered at the end of each battle however BP (battle points) are not. This is a stat that combines magic and skill points and can only be replenished in certain zones, making management of this crucial the deeper you get into a dungeon or in boss battles.

There is an overdrive which acts like a limit break, allowing party members to team up for devastating attacks, and defensive stances that can be used to defend against heavy incoming attacks, which is highlighted on the timeline in boss battles which means you have to prepare accordingly.

A light bulb appears next to certain moves and this gives an opportunity for the party member to learn a new skill or spell. It's not guaranteed so there is a bit of a risk and reward factor here, especially if it's tied to an attack that the enemy against you is not weak to. There are attacks that target multiple enemies at once too.

All of this together makes for a really engaging turn-based system that keeps you on your toes and planning throughout, not just in boss battles but in regular dungeon battles too.

Flurry is the standout character / Square Enix

The second dungeon in this demo took place in Gwayne's Den where the party, now up to the full eight members, has to fight through a dungeon and take down the dragon Gwayne.

Only five characters can form the party so the composition and having the right balance of players that can execute certain commands is crucial.

Enter Flurry who, in this build, was a punching snowman with spell-casting mage abilities. Because - of course he was. It's wild, wacky and just downright brilliant and unforgettable.

I played this dungeon on hard mode which also introduces LP (life points). These are points where a character can only be revived so many times and, like BP, this stat is only replenished in certain sections as you progress. This gives a bit of a higher stake to the combat.

Through this dungeon, healing became more critical and again added another dimension as you have to make sure you're not caught in a spot where you need to heal but your healers act after the enemy has struck again, potentially taking down a number of party members.

Once more, this makes forward planning critical and mastering the selection of moves at each character's disposal key. It's so much more tactical and thought provoking than I was anticipating and I couldn't get enough of it.

Gwayne provides a great test in Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United / Square Enix

After groups of enemies kept me on my toes, Gwayne proved a great test. I only just managed to beat the dragon by the skin of my teeth at the end.

After working out his weaknesses, exploiting them and managing my party accordingly, I went into attack mode too early and was punished as I found myself in a loop of reviving characters but them then being immediately downed when Gwayne attacked next.

I had an overdrive ability available and although my aggressive tactics hadn't previously worked in the way I wanted them to, as I was stuck in a loop, I thought 'screw it' and used the overdrive. It was kill or be killed.

Thankfully, it was just enough to take down Gwayne but it was an important lesson in battle management phases and making sure my party members with the right actions could perform them at the right time so I wouldn't get wiped out.

But I loved it. It provided a real test that some turn-based games don't always give you and it really feels as though you need to be strategic too.

There are easier difficulty levels as well so you can tone down this test if it's too much but higher difficulty levels really add another element to this game I couldn't recommend more highly.

An overdrive attack just got me over the line in my final boss battle / Square Enix

Having played through this demo of Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United, I've been completely won over.

The turn-based gameplay is great and offers a genuine tactical challenge on higher difficulties, battles never drag and you have to be on your toes and thinking the whole time to overcome groups of enemies, the game looks good in motion and it sounds fantastic too.

I'll be honest, this wasn't a game that was hugely on my radar.

But having played it for an hour or so, it's completely won me over - especially with a brilliant cast of characters with Flurry the snowman standing out.

Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United releases on PS5, XBOX Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, the original Switch and PC on 16 February 2027 and is now available to pre-order.

Elsewhere from Indy100:

• Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director reveals how game's 'weird' feeling was fixed
• The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales review - another HD-2D triumph

How to join the Indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the Indy100 rankings.