Hello everyone. This is my first review on the Escapist. I read as many of the rules and advice from the sticky's in this forum so hopefully you can see some effort and improvement as time passes. I have always wanted to review games whether old or new and just needed an avenue to do so. I hope I do not rehash someone else's much better (or much poorer) review. What I wish to do with my reviews is to show my experience with the game and provide a discussion to all the great or horrible things a game has to offer.
Those YouTube channels are not my own. They are merely samples which I chose to show the game play or music.
Those YouTube channels are not my own. They are merely samples which I chose to show the game play or music.
Secret of Mana Review
By: Squaresoft
Released: 1993
Platform: Super Nintendo, Wii Virtual Console, iPhone
What makes Secret of Mana such a wonderful game? The reasons for this are too many to describe. From its awe-inspiring music to fantastic visuals. Secret of Mana is nothing less than a masterpiece that can stand the test of time even with today?s technologically superior hardware. However, this review won't concentrate on every single aspect of the game. Instead, it will focus on key aspects that made it so enjoyable for me. Some of the points in this game may not even register for other players, but, no matter how minute the detail it gave the game a unique flavour that made it shine above so many others.
Music
This is something that you cannot describe in words, just listen...
Title: A Wish
Composer: Hiroki Kikuta
If that does not suit your palate listen to this...Composer: Hiroki Kikuta
Title: Star of Darkness (aka The Dark Star)
Composer: Hiroki Kikuta
That sense of foreboding or melancholy from the previous tunes may prove too much on anyone?s emotional state. Maybe something more upbeat is what you need...Composer: Hiroki Kikuta
Title: What the Forest Taught Me
Composer: Hiroki Kikuta
Composer: Hiroki Kikuta
Composer Hiroki Kikuta is a master of his art and should be considered for an award (if he has not been given one already for this game). When I was younger, I would play for hours on certain stages such as the final Mana Temple or the Crystal Forest just to listen to the music. Bravo, Hiroki. Bravo!
Multiplayer
My brother and I loved this aspect of the game. Secret of Mana provided hours of enjoyment because we were able to play cooperatively to save the world. Competition ran in our blood, but on many occasions we preferred to be on the same team as opposed to competing against one another. Both of us had finished the game together on many occasions, coming back to the game to start a new file with the same character and weapon setup. I always picked the Boy and equipped him with the Mana Sword, axe, and javelin for distance. My brother chose, the Girl and armed her with the spear, knuckles and whip for distance and ledge jumping. The Sprite was controlled by the computer, who utilized the bow and boomerang for safety. My brother would provide healing, I would provide the attack magic. Without fail we would always run this setup never once deviating from the pattern. Call us creatures of habit.
This is how my brother and I would bond on many occasions and proved to be an enjoyable experience. Something about adventuring on the same team proved to be such a relief from the constant competition that existed on many games. I would highly recommend you getting someone to join you on this quest. Team killing does not exist and there is no mic spamming from other players to ruin the experience. Just you and up to two other players to save the world.
Gameplay, THWACK, and Magic
SoM's gameplay can be described in one word: FUN! It was not your normal RPG from the same era with random battles and turn-based combat. It was a hack and slash adventure where you can see your enemies and give them a good shellacking. There is nothing like charging your weapon to its highest levels and destroying or severely damaging an enemy with your weapon. Do not believe me? Just watch a small sample of this clip
The sound a weapon makes when hitting an enemy is such a treat to hear.
Admittedly the magic system was broken in the game due to magic spamming. You can kill a boss without one single point of life taken away and this decreased the difficulty of the game significantly. Weapon spamming also works as enemies can be constantly hit for damage while they are in a downed or stunned state. This did not detract the game in any way for me. Instead this broken system provided my brother and I with much more fun. No need to have to start over from the last save point or getting killed with that "cheap" shot. Easy doesn't mean that it's less enjoyable.
I cannot speak about magic unless you see the final animation of each magic attack which provides extra damage and stops all movement onscreen. Watch the clip below for a sample of the power.
Criticisms
SoM was not without its faults. I have seen a brick smarter than the AI in this game and even with the grid system the computer gets stuck, it waits to charge to the 8th level of a weapon while walking and loses the charge the minute they are hit for damage, which is why my brother and I let the Pixie use the distance weapons with no charge set.
You get the occasional glitches with some enemies turning into some weird mush when being damaged. Hit detection can be incredibly spotty with inconsistencies as to when enemies can get hit while stunned or the character missing while right beside an enemy. No blocking animation or dodge from the enemy, the character just swipes at their nemesis with no damage. Plot? Well, it is an RPG made from Japan. You can expect humble beginnings to gaining godlike powers and saving the world in the end. Run of the mill and nothing spectacular.
These points are nothing more than minor complaints on an otherwise excellent game. So get your SNES running, download from the Wii or run it on your iPhone. You won't regret it.
Final Point: Highly recommended especially for the multiplayer aspect.
