Secret of Mana

Fighting allowed you to level up characters, spells, and weapons. A cannon service and a Never Ending Story-esque dragon provided snazzy Mode-7 transportation. Aside form the Zelda series, there may not be a finer example of action/role-playing games out there.

Coming from the creators of the Final Fantasy series, the game takes a typically strong narrative approach which concentrates on unravelling a story rather than problem solving. You will still get lost if you don't think through all the clues you've been given, but you shouldn't expect to run round Zelda-style puzzle-room dungeons. Instead, the characters are given more space to come to life. You'd expect the graphics to be limited by the space required for encoding a game of this size, but not so. Even the repeated blocks and shapes of which the buildings and forests are composed look stunning, thanks to some clever design and attention to detail. The three main characters are cutely and comprehensively animated (including several sequences for each of the weapons they can hold), and the numerous monsters aren't without their own moves and expressions.

Secret of Mana is a bit like Zelda 3 but Secret of Mana is a little more like a RPG with HP and MP and stuff. You do not however have a "FF like" textbased fighting system, here everything is in realtime like in Zelda 3. One other difference is that Secret of Mana is more focused on magics and spells than Zelda 3. If like adventure games then get Zelda 3 but if you already own Zelda 3 then get Secret of Mana!

Let's cut to the chase: here's one of the best SNES RPGs ever. It's huge, and the graphics are lush and large. The arcade-style combat is smooth and challenging.

If you enjoyed Zelda, buy this game now. And if you're one of those unbearably lucky people who have never played either Zelda or Mana, buy them both right now. You'll pay, what, eighty quid for an experience beyond price. Enjoy!

With great action, solid RPG elements and a fantastic audio-visual package there won't be too many gamers who won't fall head over heels in love with Secret Of Mana. It never gets more complicated than pressing a few buttons at the right time, but somehow it manages to provide a deeply rewarding experience for those willing to put the time in. And when you can experience one of the SNES' golden greats for only 800 Wii Points, there's really nothing to complain about. In fact, with games like this turning up on the Wii Shop Channel, you have to wonder whether you really need to go to the shops at all...

As with other well-regarded classic games that have come to the Virtual Console, it would be easy to continue to sing Secret of Mana's praises for many more pages -- there are many more reasons it's been named to the Top 100 Games of All Time, so many times, over the years. But the important point to make is that Secret of Mana is well worth your notice, and your investment of 800 Wii Points. For just eight bucks, you can rediscover (or experience for the first time) one of Squaresoft's most loved 16-bit SNES classics. And, better still, you can play it in an improved form -- it's easier to experience the incredible multiplayer capability of this game through its VC version than it ever was on the SNES. So grab two friends, put down your cash, and enjoy. You'll love finding out just what Mana's secret really is.

Squaresoft proved yet again that they are indeed one of the best RPG makers in the world. It was just a shame that by the time the UK release came around, anyone that had been interested in it had already imported from America, thus we didn't receive the sequel, Seiken Densetsu 3 or the recent PSX game Legend of Mana. Let's just hope that the forthcoming GBA remake of Seiken Densetsu from the GameBoy manages to cross the ocean and reach our shores...

Even though the translation of Secret of Mana was rushed (Ted Woolsley had only 6 weeks to convert this game into English all by himself), the game proved to be a fine addition to the family of Square games available in North America. The story was translated very nicely, and should be easy for any American atleast 10 years old to understand. Secret of Mana is a one-of-a-kind game, the only 3-player action RPG I know of, and a worthy purchase to almost any gamer. If you don't have it, try to obtain it from Funcoland or any other used game dealer, because this game a true classic.

Secret of Mana è un'avventura intrigante e godibile, costituita da una bella trama ambientata in un mondo vasto e liberamente esplorabile. L'ottima realizzazione grafica e la colonna sonora di grande qualità completano questa bella esperienza di gioco. Raccomandato a tutti gli appassionati del genere, ma anche i neofiti o in non amanti del gioco “a turni” potrebbero trovare in questo gioco un nuovo approccio all'avventura RPG.

Secret of Mana is a unique product that needed a tad more fine tuning, but not much. This game will provide a superb return on your RPG dollar and is one of the year's best SNES bets.

Mana's a good RPG from beginning to end. Though the story was just OK, I really loved the dragon scenes, especially when the fortress is flying. The added ability to have two friends along is one the best ideas. I wish more companies would do the same. When alone, the computer allies seem a bit stupid and tend to get killed easily. Overall, one of the most impressive RPGs I've seen in quite some time.

D’un point de vue artistique, Secret Of Mana est pratiquement parfait. L’environnement visuel est tellement en adéquation avec l’environnement sonore qu’on a parfois l’impression qu’ils ne font qu’un. Pas une seule faute de goût. Dommage que quelques détails éloignent Secret Of Mana de la perfection qui lui semblait destinée. Toutefois, et surtout si vous n’en avez jamais eu l’occasion, procurez-le vous. Vous ne pourrez en aucun cas être déçu par ce magnifique voyage.

D’un point de vue artistique, Secret Of Mana est pratiquement parfait. L’environnement visuel est tellement en adéquation avec l’environnement sonore qu’on a parfois l’impression qu’ils ne font qu’un. Pas une seule faute de goût. Dommage que quelques détails éloignent Secret Of Mana de la perfection qui lui semblait destinée. Toutefois, et surtout si vous n’en avez jamais eu l’occasion, procurez-le vous. Vous ne pourrez en aucun cas être déçu par ce magnifique voyage.

If you're up for a good romp through one of the true SNES classics, definitely check out Secret of Mana. Just don't be surprised when it fails to live up to the memories you have of it from an earlier, simpler time.

Recent RPGs haven’t been as good as the older ones. Maybe I’m becoming old and senile, or maybe nostalgia clouds my judgment, but most recent RPGs just haven’t had that much of an impact on me. I find myself always going back to the classics, which include Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy III and Suikoden II. After playing through the disappointing Suikoden IV I decided to go back and give Secret of Mana a try after neglecting it for years. This Squaresoft games hails from the golden age of RPGs, but it’s not the classic some people say it is. Instead, it’s merely an enjoyable action-RPG with some amazing multiplayer.

I snagged this game for a steal at the Philly Classic 3 -- $20 it set me back, when the typical price is closer to $45, and that's if you can even find it. This game is not so easy to come across. But if you can find it, and its for around the price I paid, by all means pick it up; but I wouldn't go for the $45 unless your rich and use $20 bills to upholster antique chairs. The inexcusably stupid AI may turn off a lot of gamers, but if you can get past that, you'll find Secret of Mana to be an enjoyable experience.