Well, let's see here... What's this game I see? Zelda? No.. Final Fantasy? No... Well, if it's not those, what could it be? It's Secret of Mana! What is this you ask? What is Secret of Mana? Well, it's a hybrid of an action RPG, and a standard RPG. In this game, you don’t only use one controller, you use two! In this game not only one character can be directly controlled, two can! Squaresoft hit the jackpot with this innovative game. Some of you out there may not agree with me, what I say to you is that it is the different ideas and concepts are what makes Secret of Mana as good as it is! if this had just been another Zelda-style action RPG, nobody would buy it, they would naturally want the real Zelda. If this had been just another Final Fantasy clone, nobody would want it, they would want the real FF. You see what I'm getting at? Innovative games are what start new trends and become just as successful as your Zelda games, or your Final Fantasy games. Let's get a little more in-depth, shall we?
Let me discuss the gameplay first, as it is one of the best areas. As I said, this is not a 'normal' RPG. Instead of having a fighting party and maneuvering them with the one primary character, you control the entire party as individual fighters. In many games, the full party just disappears while you navigate different areas, but here all three of your characters travel together, single file. Elaborating on this idea, the game allows you to toggle through the 3 characters and use whichever one you want as the primary character, or leader, of the group. Of course, if all of your characters are active, you can use more than one at a time, right? But of course! Call a friend, grab controller two, and have him take over another character. You can now both run around the world map and/or dungeons with your own individual path (of course never getting too far away).
You may now be asking yourself why you would want to have two characters being controlled if as soon as you get into a battle screen, they become a single party again. Well, this game is what they call an 'action RPG.' Basically what that means is that there is no battle screen. As you navigate the game with your party, there are monsters and creatures navigating it as well. In order to attack them you simply run up to them and kick their asses. No battle screen, no active time battle system, just raw gladiatorism (as I like to say). As you kill the enemies, they may leave behind an item when they die, or just disappear. In order to gain experience and level up you just kill these enemies and get it as you would any other RPG. In the area of strengthening your weapons, there is another very innovative system. This is the weapon level system. There are eight different weapons you can choose from, each having different traits and strengths. As you attack with these weapons they also level up to as high as level eight. Each different level brings a new level of strength and a new attack. The action-filled battles make the game much more enjoyable as you can avoid or attack enemies as you wish, and battling becomes much more involving for the player.
Aside from playing well the game also looks good. For the Super Nintendo everything was executed magically. The game has a bright feel to it. It isn't one of those dark games that you play and you have to dim your lights just to see everything. The graphics helped to convey a happy, joyful world that is very unfortunately being ravaged. When a game's graphics convey an atmosphere as well as they did here, you absolutely must shower it with accolades.
The characters are designed in sprite form. This meaning that they aren't full sized, and equipped with lifelike features, rather they are sort on shrunken and cartoonish. Some people go for this anime-style of drawing, some people don't. I personally think if pulled off properly it is an asset, as it was here. But, along with being sprites, they also have many precise details. The eyes, the face, and the clothes are perhaps the most noteworthy, with many different designs worthy of the game. The enemy designs are much the same. Because of the fact that in this game the enemies are wildlife gone bad they also have that same joyful look to them. As we all know, the enemies that look like allies are all the more fun to slice up with your sword, right?
The background designs, again, have much the same atmosphere. The game is set in a world of peace with some new grave troubles, so naturally everything looks fine. The backgrounds are quite immersive. The different world you go into have layered backdrops that give a much welcomed three dimensional effect. As well, the world don’t just stand still and let you run around,, because this is an action RPG, your characters move in all directions, the mode 7 capabilities of the SNES are utilized often to make the game look like it's on a Next-Gen. system when it is not. Overall a great job on the graphics, conveying an atmosphere that corresponds perfectly with the plot of the game.
Speaking of the plot, let us discuss it. Basically, we are again set in the world of Gaia (of course totally different). Your main character lives in a small village. One day he decides to go off and explore in an area he isn't supposed to be in. Naturally, mischief brings tragedy. While crossing a waterfall on a large log, he slips and falls into a new area. Here he finds a sword stuck in a stone. Being a young boy, he does what any young boy would do, he pulls it out. There is a strange reaction from the sword and the world around him and he almost passes out. He then proceeds to try and find his way home. Along the way he encounters the normal wildlife, such as Rabites, but strangely, they want to attack him! Eventually he finds his way home and is scolded for releasing the power of the Mana Sword and is condemned. What power has he released upon the world? Play on to discover it.
The music in this game is truly inspired. Each area has it's own song that matches with it so well. Along with the graphics the music creates a very strong atmosphere. But, in order to create the atmosphere the music didn't need to be overly complex or drawn out. It's simple and it's to the point, and that's what makes it so great. With the way this game is if the music was very complex then it wouldn't match as well with the game. You see the game itself has a very simple, happy mood to it. Perhaps created by the music itself, one can't tell.
Secret of Mana is the kind of game you would want to play over and over again. There are various reasons for this. The first and perhaps biggest reason is that it's damn fun to play! The action RPG style that includes all characters makes the battles lots of fun. In an RPG fun battles are what you need. If you need to level up and you see it as a chore (which I sometimes do in games) then the developer has failed. This is one of the few games I can label as a success. The other main reason the game is so great is the perfect level of challenge. Some RPGs are too complex and are very daunting to play, and some RPGs are too simple with every dungeon finishable in minutes. The battle system and design of this game give it the perfect challenge factor. You go out onto the world map and navigate your way through it freely. You aren't obligated to fight anything and you aren't really obligated to do anything. Avoid all enemies and areas, explore and fight everything, it's all your choice. I loved that.
