Sword of Mana

Save the Mana Tree

Square Enix resurrects the great SNES fantasy adventures of yore with an outstanding, deeply engrossing action-RPG.

Sword of Mana is a Game Boy Advance heir to the glorious heritage of Square's SNES RPGs of the 90's. Secret of Mana, Sword of Mana's predecessor, is widely regarded as one of the finest console RPG's ever made. Although the two share little in common in terms of story, they both feature a similar art style, action-oriented gameplay and wildly-addictive gameplay. Boasting a huge game environment, a gripping storyline and a deep class upgrade system, Sword of Mana delivers epic adventure.

Features * Long, dramatic story in the tradition of Squaresoft's finest RPGs. * Complex relationships between characters. * Intricate class-development system allows you to mold the path of your hero. * Weapons and Magic Spells gain levels as you advance in your adventures. * Different enemies will appear depending on the day and hour.

In Sword of Mana, you'll choose between playing a male or female hero. Although there is just one overall storyline, the pieces of that story you experience and areas of the world you visit will be determined by the character you choose. Often, the two characters work together, but there are some areas that are exclusive to each. Players that enjoy the game will want to play through it again to explore all the terrain they missed from the other perspective.

The class system offers another layer of RPG depth to what appears on the surface to be an action adventure. As characters gain levels for slaying enemies, you'll have a chance to choose career paths for your character, like Monk and Wizard. If you continue to level up, you may get the opportunity to upgrade to an elite character class. Elite character classes gain powerful abilities that are unavailable to lesser classes.

Bottom Line

Old-school RPG fanatics have longed for a return to Secret of Mana's brilliant splendor, and with Sword of Mana, they finally can. Gamers unfamiliar with the series, along with fans of the Zelda series, will also enjoy the Sword of Mana's fast action and fathomless depth.

Source:

www.nintendo.com

The Mana Tree Needs Defenders!

The location of the Mana Tree - wellspring of all life - has long been lost to legend. Many centuries have passed, and the Granz Realm's Dark Lord is searching for the secrets of the ancient tree so that he can control the source of Mana. Now, a young hero and heroine must come together to defeat the evil that threatens both the mystical tree and the world itself.

Choose your hero! Guide a battle-hardened gladiator on his quest to avenge the deaths of his parents!

...Or guide a young girl, one of the last survivors of the Mana Clan, as she confronts the past that haunts her.

Experience the saga of these two heroes as their stories weave together and they join forces to protect the Mana Tree from the powers of darkness.

Source:

Back of Box (US)

choose your hero

Double your adventuring with Sword of Mana's intertwining tales. Playing through as either the hero or heroine gives you two unique experiences. Both hero and heroine have different strengths and vulnerabilities, different goals and different ways of reaching them. But they share a common bond: years before, both suffered grievously at the hands of Dark Lord.

The hero was condemned to a life as a gladiator, compelled to entertain the populace with feats of arms - until one day, when the rare opportunity to escape beckoned. The heroine is one of the few surviving members of the Mana Clan. For longer than she can remember, she has been hiding in the shadows, fearing Dark Lord's Heretic Hunters. But a chance encounter will change all that, and propel her into an epic journey she never dreamed possible...

Source:

sword.gameboy.com

clash swords with an empire, and defend the mana tree!

Legends tell of an ancient tree, the source of all life... the Mana Tree. Its power flows from the goddess Mana and bears her name. Long ago, in a time of darkness, a mighty warlord tapped Mana's power to dominate the world. The protect Mana from evil, a woman transformed herself into the Mana Tree and bound its power within herself.

Now, an evil empire seeks to exploit the Mana Tree, and a gladiator escaped from its slave pits must fight to end its plan for conquest. With the help of a young girl from the Mana tribe, he must find the tree of legend and protect it from the schemes of the dark lord.

• Some of the bosses are well protected against certain weapons. Use the Ring Command system to cycle through your weapons, and discover the most effective way to confront your enemy.
• With every successful swing, you will fill your power bar. Once your power bar is full, your attacks willbe more powerful, but take care not to get hit, or you'll lose the advantage!
• With cooperate play (using the Nintendo Game Boy Advance Game Link cable), you and a friend can team up and make short work of even the toughest foe.

Source:

"YOUR JOURNEY IS JUST BEGINNING..." promotional booklet

Sword of Mana, the prequel to the Mana series, tells the story of the source of all life, the power that flows from the goddess Mana and bears her name.

Long ago, in a time of darkness, a mighty empire tapped its energy to dominate the world. In an effort to stop the use of such power for evil purposes, a woman from the Mana tribe transformed herself into the Mana Tree, locking the power away from anyone who would try to abuse it. The hero, a young man of the Grantz Realm, has survived as a gladiator in the slave pits of Grants. The heroine in this story is a young woman from the Mana tribe who possesses deep ties to the goddess Mana. As the Dark Lord is persecuting the Mana tribe, the heroine embarks on a journey to protect it. When the hero and heroine meet, the wheels of fate are again set into motion.

Features include:

Choose a character and race to save the Mana Tree. The direction of the story changes and varies according to the character you choose.

Master Ring Commands from Secret of Mana by swapping out magic and weapons quickly to find the best way to fight your enemies. The Ring Command system gives you the control you need to defeat your foes.

Watch for other characters from the Mana series, including Niccolo the merchant and Li'l Cactus, whose diary entries provided Legend of Mana with both humor and warmth.

Developed by Square Enix Co., Ltd.

Source:

www.nintendo-europe.com