Secret of Mana, known in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 2 (聖剣伝説2 Seiken Densetsu Tsū?, lit. "Legend of the Holy Sword 2"), is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the second installment in the Mana video game series (the first, Final Fantasy Adventure/Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden was for the Game Boy). This is the only Mana game released on the Super Nintendo outside Japan. Most players outside Japan were introduced to the series through this particular game.
Rather than use the traditional turn-based battle system of games like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, Secret of Mana uses real-time battles akin to the Legend of Zelda series' games, but with the statistical-based elements of the RPG genre and a unique "ring menu" system. In addition, with its brightly colored graphics, expansive plot, and soundtrack by Hiroki Kikuta, Secret Of Mana has been called one of the greatest video games ever made.[1]
Gameplay
Generally, Secret of Mana uses a top-down view common with role-playing games of the 16-bit era, with movement governed by the directional pad and the game's other functions by the other buttons (however, the game allows an unusual, if somewhat impractical, upside-down controller configuration). However, unlike its companion turn-based RPGs, Secret of Mana uses a pictorial ring menu system. It is from here that the player can change what weapons the main characters use, cast spells, use items, equip armor, change game settings and control the behavior of the computer-controlled main characters while the action is paused. The ring menu is used again in later Mana games and the spin-off Secret of Evermore.
English localization
The English translation for Secret of Mana was completed in only 30 days, mere weeks after the Japanese release.[4] This was presumably so that the game could be released in North America for the 1993 holiday season.[3] According to translator Ted Woolsey, a large portion of the game's script was cut out in the English localization due to space limitations and a lack of sequential text.[5] The English translation of Secret of Mana uses a fixed-width font to display text on the main gameplay screen. However, the choice of this font limits the amount of space available to display text, and as a result conversations are trimmed to their bare essentials, leaving a good portion of the game lost in translation.
Reception and sequels
| [hide] Reviews | |
|---|---|
| Publication | Score |
| Edge | 9 of 10[9] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | A[10] |
| Game Informer | 9.5 of 10[11] |
| Nintendo Power | 3.65 of 5[12] |
| Mean Machines | 93%[13] |
| Compilations of multiple reviews | |
| Compiler | Score |
| Game Rankings | 86%[12] |
| MobyRank | 90 of 100[11] |
| Awards | |
| GameSpy: Hall of Fame[14] | |
As of February 2004, Secret of Mana shipped 1.83 million copies wordwide, with 1.5 million of those copies being shipped in Japan and 330,000 abroad.[15]
Secret of Mana was listed at number 42 on Nintendo Power magazine's Top 200 Nintendo Games Of All Time.[16] It was also rated number 48 on the "IGN's Top 100 Games" in 2005[1] and number 49 in 2006.[17] Also in 2006, Secret of Mana was voted the 97th best game of all time by the readers of the well-known Japanese magazine Famitsu.[18] It was also ranked the 86th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list.[19]
Secret of Mana developed a large fanbase, so much so that since its release, Square Enix has decided to launch several new games in the series on multiple platforms, along with the possibility of novelizations, films, and manga products being created.
Screenshot: Fighting some nasty things among the bushes
Screenshot: In a house
Screenshot: The Water Palace
Screenshot: Boss battle
Screenshot: Strange place and strange people
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