Rating of
2.5/5
Finally, a Cure for Insomnia
Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/03/18
It's easy to look to the past through rose-colored glasses. Waxing nostalgic seems to be one of humanity's greatest pastimes after all. Gaming is no exception. I liked the Secret of Mana - as I remember it. But then, I liked a lot of games but something makes me wonder if I had the time and motivation to go back an play all those NES, SNES and Playstation games over again, the ones I remember loving so much, if they would stand the test of time or if I would be scratching my head over whatever I found so compelling about them. If Seiken Densetsu 3 aka Secret of Mana 3 is any indication, I have a feeling many ratings would change.
Presentation: Looking at this as an SNES title, the graphics are pretty amazing for this generation. Everything from the characters to monsters to backgrounds are very well done. Attack animation is nice as are the various effects of magic and special attacks that go along with them. It is annoying that every major spell and attack pauses the game - meaning you can't cast two spells at the same time and timing can get quite particular.
Besides the nice graphics, the music is pleasant enough. The fanslation is quite competent and the somewhat hacked three-player support works (for the most part) unless you die, then things can get crazy. So, it's not perfect but the game at least looks like a winner.
Story: Because there are multiple characters, the game has multiple stories. Whatever main characters you choose gets the fleshed-out version of their story told, while the two supporting characters get partial credit and the other three are just tossed aside with barely a mention. I was the Amazon Lise, a spear-wielding badass, but really, other than the introduction, we don't get too much of her story but, rather, we got to experience the main story of Angela, a magician with no magic ability who was nearly sacrificed by her own mother to protect her kingdom of ice from the weakening state of magic. Our third character was the young cleric, Carlie, also given some story but not the main one. All roads lead to the Holy City of Wendel where the group finds a fairy, becomes entangled in a quest to awaken the Mana Tree (and obtain the Sword of Mana) before the eight Mana Stones can be broken by the villains for nefarious purposes. In order to do so, the player will have to travel the world to gain the strength of the Mana Stones guardian spirits. This is only the first part, as the second part of the story involves releasing the power of the Mana Stones, which unleashes the monsters trapped within, which the player once again has to travel the world to destroy but, oh wait, doing so actually continues to strengthen the main villain leading to one final, epic battle.
I know that sounds like a lot - but, really, the story is full of tropes and banal tripe that is pretty much every fantasy setting rolled into one big heap. Maybe back in the day it was daring and exciting, but now it just feels lazy and somewhat boring.
Gameplay: The action-RPG hybrid lives up to its premise. You attack in real time, each attack either landing (or missing, depending on the game's calculations). Each character has stats - Strength, Agility, Luck, Constitution, Spirit and Intelligence - but some prove far more useful than others. As a melee character, I chose Strength and Constitution above others, to give me attack power and more HP. However, the game will eventually force you to choose other stats over time, so you can't become too powerful in one stat. Intelligence is required to learn higher-level spells while Agility seems somewhat busted in that it doesn't seem to give you much better evasion.
Attack and magic can be both single and multi-targeting. Higher level special attacks and spells seem to give you the ability to target more allies or enemies. The game also features two tiers of class changes (at level 18 and 38 respectively). These changes can vastly change how you play the game. Angela, for example, can become a Sorceress or Delvar on the first class change - with the Sorceress being able to learn multiple elemental spells and the Devlar only one (but powerful) Dark Spell. The second class change let you choose from four different classes, again that gives you access to more spells or abilities. I will admit, it's quite deep for a game at this time but also a bit confusing - better consult a FAQ before diving in if you are thinking about playing. Also, it's annoying that the most powerful weapons and armor in the game cannot be bought, but have to rely on good 'ole RNG to get a a seed to grow - and then, you still need to grow the right equipment for your chosen character. I think we were relatively lucky in our endeavor (even if we spent two entire sessions grinding for XP) but it's still a lousy way to gear up.
Despite the relative simplicity of the game - attacks build up a gauge, leading to s special attack while clerics heal and mages cast magic - is still manages to be frustrating at times. Certain enemies (both common and boss enemies) have the annoying ability to counter both special attacks and magic with their own special attacks or magic - often overpowered to extreme levels that nearly wipes you out. This means humanoid enemies (which seem to be the main cause of this annoyance) often have to be pummeled using your basic attacks - leading to long, drawn-out battles. I'm not sure why they went with this tactic, but it is one of the main headaches of the game and made certain battle ridiculous. The game has no hidden treasure to speak of, but does give you treasure chests after battles, of which several make you spin a wheel - and if you land on something terrible you can get a good chunk of health taken away or be forced to fight an over-powered mimic. Just what the game needed on top of everything else.
Replayability: I mean the game does have different ending for different characters - kind of a novel idea at the time, but it still means you have to play through this slog multiple times.
Overall: For a game supposedly touted as the best RPG of the era, I just wonder if I've moved on, am missing something or simply just don't get it, but I was not impressed.
Presentation: 4/5
Story: 2/5
Gameplay: 2/5
Replayability: 3/5
Overall (not an average): 2.5/5
