Secret of Mana

Get lost, Link- you don't stand a chance against Square's Secret of Mana. Why? Simply because it is five times bigger than any Zelda game, features levels for weapons, spells and characters, a large amount of weapons, a devastating, incredible world design and a number of villages and equipment that makes you kiss your back goodbye. So you go play your Ocarina inside of your Deku tree while I explore the universe on the back of a dragon. I will keep flying on the skies until a decent sequel come out- Legend of Mana just doesn't do its job.

Made by the same people who have brought us Final Fantasy games for the past 30yrs Secret Of Mana is a true masterpiece which came years before it's time.

Telling the story of a boy who by uprooting a mysterious sword brings trouble to his home village, they respond by exiling him and thus his story begins.

First of all unlike the Final Fantasy titles the combat is live action not turn based, what also sets it apart is the fact that it was multi-player.Our hero, the lady and the sprite are characters you can switch between or play with side by side with your friends.

Each character is highly cutomisable, from spells to the weapon categories everything could be tweeked.

The story? Flawless. The playability? Excellent. And the soundtrack? One of the best I've ever heard, one particular bossfight theme is one of my all time favourites.

So many great moments,so many fantastic boss battles and the 3D graphic moments were outstanding when released.

Secret Of Mana is in this persons opinion one of the greatest video games ever made.

The Good:

Fantastic soundtrack

Flawless RPG elements

Multiplayer is excellent

The Bad:

Can't think of a sausage

Things I Learnt From This Game:

Flammie should have appeared in more Square titles

Moogles get everywhere

I can't explain why I like this game so much, having owned it for over 7 years I've played through it at least that many times. No other video game before it (or after it) has compelled me to play so much. It appealed to me mostly because of it's dramatic story (which playing now, I realize has suffered from a poor translation,)and its imaginative environments. The music in the game is also top notch, some of the scores are very haunting well others...aren't. Essentialy the plot follow that of a young boy who pulls a sword from a stone and is then thrust into an adventure to save the world from ultimate destruction, their are of course plot twist (for instance the identity of his mother is quite shocking.) I don't want to say much more on the game, if you see it in a store you probably should buy it... it's really that simple!

This game was a favorite of mine when I was younger. It was hard to find, but unlike a couple of others my parents were able to find this one kind of like Xenogears, by searching everywhere for it! Others I have missed out on or have gotten later in life thanks to the internet. This one is made by the same company as Final Fantasy and they would go on to make more games using the format of game play this one does. This one, however, is the best game I have played to use this particular format. It is not even close as the story is very well done and the worlds varied enough to keep you playing. The format is a top down perspective with real time combat. I am usually more of a fan of turn based combat, but this one's real time is actually pretty good. So for all of you out there (and I know there are a lot) who do not care for random battles, you are in the clear with this one. This one has a boy going on an adventure that gets very complicated as near the end you are battling a strange cult along with two companions...a young girl and a sprite trying to save the world from disaster. The visuals are wonderful in this one for the time and like I said the story is simple to start, but then keeps getting better. Something about role playing games that feature crazy religious cults...I do not know, they always have the more interesting stories. The fighting, while better than a lot of games featuring real time and multiple characters, can get a bit repetitive at times. This is mainly when you are trying to level up your weapons. Speaking of weapons, you get a wide variety here and every character can use every weapon. You level the weapons up for each character by fighting with said weapon. The music is also good in this one too, so minus the repetitive nature of the combat this game is a very grand adventure.

Square's best game together with Final Fantasy VI and my favorite game. One of the best games ever made. I have never had so much fun; I probably finished it about 15 times. The game itself is a mixture of Zelda and Final Fantasy, an action-RPG game and best of its kind. Its magic, level-system, 3-player ability, music and atmosphere make this game something special and imho better than Zelda.