Review of Secret of Mana

Oh you better believe that I'm gonna be heaping on the praise in this review, it's a frigging' stone-cold masterpiece to me! In the Secret of Mana you take control of an unnamed orphan warrior who is banished from his village after releasing the legendary Mana Sword from its resting place and unleashing chaos upon the world. It is the epic task of your team of fighter, healer, and mage to find and bring to life the scattered elemental seeds of the Mana Tree, a force that keeps the proper balance between good and evil in nature... It's a real hefty adventure and a half to play through, and for me it's a great joy and a labour of love! It features an interesting and very engaging combat system that requires the player to constantly micromanage and pause the action to make critical decisions. It can be played by three people but I always just played it solo. It plays nothing like a Final Fantasy game and is an overhead slash and hack RPG. No random battles here, all the enemies you fight are right there on screen and home in on you. They start you out small with the adorable Rabbites and Lullabuds and it only gets tougher from there! And FYI: No matter how strong you are, by the time that you reach the Pure Land be prepared to get your ass handed to you! It's so satisfying and so much fun to level up the wide variety of weapons and magic sprites for a power level of one to eight depending on your skill level for more powerful magic attacks or physical strikes! The enchanting visuals are excellently done and have an artistry to them that gives the game so much wonderful personality and infectious charm. And it pulls me in right away, with the simple yet captivating opening theme. It's in a league of its own when it comes to the music. There's always a perfectly suitable theme tied to every new environment that you visit that captures the mood, be it tragic, humorous. joyful, poignant and awe-inspiring. My favourite is the music that plays in Undine's Cave, it has given me tears. It's a real game of my childhood and holds a very dear place in my heart. Eventually in the story you get a cute dragon named Flammie to fly you all over the world at warp speed - whee!!! With a fantastic plot, colourful and memorable graphics and a phenomenal soundtrack, this is one of the SNES' very finest. An irreplaceable favourite and an all-time magical classic. Any game that lets you rescue Santa Claus is a winner in my book!