January 2017 Community Playthrough - Secret of Mana

[shaggy]

I played and beat this game when it first came out.  I really wish I could have joined you guys in this one as this is a fantastic game but you know the drill.  The game is at my parents.  I remember this game fondly.  I was always in awe with the Mode 7 when your flying on the dragon.  I always thought that part was great.  Another bonus for this game is it is 3 player!!!  I had the multi-tap from Bomberman and would play this with my brother and my mom 3 player.  An awesome game for sure.

[Fleach]

Funny you should mention Illusion of Gaia, Shawn. I was thinking these games are kind of similar, although Secret of Evermore would be a closer comparison (just wish that game had a traditional magic system ). Maybe this game will make me want to come back to Secret of Evermore.

I beat Spiky Tiger after some level grinding on my second try. I just ice magic and will go for the Underground Palace.

One weird thing I noticed about this game is how your character goes up and down stairs. He seems to quickly switch between his idle pose and running animation. This just looks and feels so clunky.

[singlebanana]

How's everyone doing here? Sorry for my lack of checkpoints so far, but I'm still lagging behind where I want to be.

For sure I think everyone should be past Raidou's suggested checkpoint of the Panora Ruins by now.

I got some good advice from Singlebanana who helped me make my party more aggressive, so we've gone from brain dead suicidal mannequins to a max aggression street gang automatically f*cking up anything in sight. It has totally changed the game for me to say the least.

I wasn't loving the game at first but as I am almost to the halfway point I am really finding a groove. Definitely falls somewhere higher than a Zelda game for me, though not as good as Chrono Trigger, and at this point probably edging out Illusion of Gaia. Definitely makes me want to play more SNES!

I had a great experience with SoE in November of 2015, so I had high hopes for SoM. Honestly, my first impressions were not that great. Being fiendishly attacked with magic with no recourse during the first few boss battles was quite annoying and I have to admit, I'm not a fan of being knocked unconscious for so long. However, as I settled into the game, I really started to enjoy myself. Switching characters in battle adds an additional concept to the game and menu pausing is good for strategizing and taking a moment to determine what is going on in a battle.  I think that maybe I had a greater tolerance for the game than Shawn did, since I played SoE just over a year ago and was very familiar with the menu system and mechanics.  If you recall, that was the last year that we did a retro and modern playthrough and Shawn was on the modern side, so he didn't play SoE.  I can understand how not knowing that you can play with the Action settings could be frustrating as I think the AI is set more toward Guard.

Though I'm not as impressed with the boss' looks in SoM as much as I was in SoE, I am really enjoying the different strategies that you have to use to beat them.  Also, it's cool that some of them are push overs, while others take a lot more strategy to defeat.  This variety adds a great deal of fun to the game. I haven't had too many issues with bosses and most have been one shots, other than a few, namely the Spikey Tiger (which I think was my toughest fight so far), the Wall Face, and Axe Beak (because I didn't realize I was out of mana). Defeated Axe Beak and made it to the Wind Palace last night. Eager to continue on!

In terms of the story, the overall narrative is good. However, the acquire seed, oh no seed is stolen we must get it back, over and over storyline is getting a bit old.  I'm hoping that as more develops about the Empire, the entire narrative will be more engaging and I can already see that plot developing more in bits.  Should be a fun ride to the end.

[singlebanana]

Yeah Floyd, that stair walking animation is awful!  Minor gripe though. Ha ha!

[Fleach]

Yeah Floyd, that stair walking animation is awful!  Minor gripe though. Ha ha!

OK, I thought my cart was glitching or something. Yeah, it's a minor gripe.

[noiseredux]

alright I really need to start this up. Maybe tonight if I get a chance. :/

[douglie007]

I have been playing some, not as much as I would like but I just beat the witches tiger.

[Fleach]

What level was everyone when they beat Spiky? I was at 12 and just barely made it out alive. A lot of the guides and forums for SoM suggest level 16.

[GrayGhost81]

What level was everyone when they beat Spiky? I was at 12 and just barely made it out alive. A lot of the guides and forums for SoM suggest level 16.

I think that's how high I grinded before I gave up. What a waste of time.

[singlebanana]

I'm pretty sure I was lvl 11 or 12 when I took on the tiger. I'm not much higher than that now and I'm a good ways past it.  I've only grinded in this game a bit and it was to level up my magic once I got it.  It didn't take long. However, I'm the type of player who doesn't skip enemies even outside of dungeons. If it's in front of me, it's gonna die. Ha!

[noiseredux]

alright I did attempt to play the other night (been sick on the couch w/ a bad cold), but the touch controls are awful and I was too lazy to go dig out a controller. :\

[singlebanana]

Very close to the end of the game now and have some interesting thoughts on the game, which I will primarily save for the Playcast recording.  I think what's interesting is that I (and I think at least one of my co-hosts) am playing this game for the first time and after playing Secret of Evermore just over a year ago. So not only am I playing it many years from it's release, but also out of chronology in terms of it's relation to SoE.  I know that these two games are not related story-wise and basically only share a developer, menu system, and of course a similar name, but I can't help but notice that everyone wants to compare the two as if SoE were a sequel.  I definitely want to tackle this concept, and feel that I'll maybe have a different and maybe "fresher" perspective on these games due to how I've come across them.

Other thoughts....

- I know some may hate it, but I really dig the menu system in this game. I think that once you become accustomed to it, it's like second nature. Switching characters on the fly with the simple press of a button is brilliant and allows you to heal or continue to attack when stunned or engulfed.  

- The items in this game are simple and perfectly abundant. I never felt as though my inventory was confusing and though there are not many items in the game, I felt that there are basically just the right amount.  Armor, weapons, and magic are easily upgraded and the game is so linear that there is no confusion about which armor is better in most cases. Spell casting is also simple.

- Leveling your weapons is a little annoying, and the hit box is either a bit off, or evasion is extremely high in this game.

- This game has more reskins than a stuffed potato buffet... While reskinning common enemies isn't annoying to me, SoM definitely overuses this technique when it comes to bosses. Different color, different name, more HP, and if you're lucky, maybe a different strategy.

- The save states in this game are great. They are a bit more forgiving in the beginning, where you get to save before a boss fight, and less available as you advance in the game. However, there are times when you can open other outlets to a dungeon, leave to save, and start back where you left off. A great game design.

[noiseredux]

alright well, I have confirmed that the game does indeed work with bluetooth controllers. So... I need to catch up w/ you guys!

[Raidou]

Currently about 25% through my second playthrough.  I've played this game a few times before, and seeing as I had a PAL and a Japanese copy lying around, I wanted to compare them. 

[douglie007]

I just got to the Sprites village... not sure where to go from here.. so I am leveling my magic up in the room with grandpa !