Post by Ascended Mermaid on Nov 13, 2012 6:44:47 GMT -5
Secret of Mana. I don't know what it is that always draws me back in. I mean, I've become so very flustered with the game, constantly slamming and bashing away at it, with its poor hit detection, reliance on magic spam (aka chain casting), and (for its time) its arguably vague nature. Granted, a part of that could be blamed on my attention span, having forgotten all about Sage Joch. Nobody said anything at any point about "Hey, Jech lied to us! We should go pummel him!", so silly forgetful old me was just left hanging. I forgot about Joch and Jech, which left me to wander the entirety of the world on my dorky purple dinosaur. Kidding, Flammie's alright with me... even if he does have that strangely Kirby-esque cuteness about him. Getting the Flammie Drum was the one point when it should've been awesome, because the world map finally opened up, and so many possibilities of places to go and things to do were all wide open. That was to be its turning point. The "HELL YES! Let's go take down the empire!!!". That... I was expecting meat, and I got a salad instead. I didn't order a salad! It lost my attention at that particular point, because the game itself just stopped caring. Its story abruptly paused for a solid 4 dungeons (or so). The story. The plot. The one thing that kept me going (aside from the soundtrack), was on hold. It became no more than a glorified dungeon crawler.
Granted, this is probably where that 40% of the game was cut. Where Square had to hack away parts of the game to fit within the limits of the cartridge. Knowing that little tidbit doesn't make the game any better, sadly -- and I know that even series veterans and the developers themselves can agree that it could've been better, it should've been better, because if not for the Super CD fiasco, it was going to be a LOT better!
A miracle happened and the plot magically came back, after beating said dungeons and getting through that unpleasantly mute section. The game finally spoke, and it made me ask questions, like --
...which was all interrupted by this:
...Which was *REALLY* insensitive. Like... wait, Randi can't have a moment? I mean, I know Popoi wanted him to get it together for the sake of the world, but did he seriously have to kick a man while he's down? I've always hated that little punk!
...which made me care less for the writing. Plus, there's also the fact that --
Anyway, I didn't come here to say that I hate the game, and I didn't write this with the intention of bashing it. Far from it, actually. I like it. It needs polish. A LOT of polish. It didn't age well, but I like it. I think Anonymous Notes (DSiWare) did some things better -- it controls better, it has better hit detection, and I think it pulls off the "strategic ARPG" style that Secret of Mana was going for a little better, but that's about it. AN is too shallow, however, to even compare to Secret of Mana. SoM pretty much tops it in every possible way. I guess I wanted SoM when I picked up AN, and I want some of the things I liked about AN from SoM. Hell, I want the things that I like about Sword of Mana from Secret of Mana. It has so much potential, and while it doesn't live up to the hype -- especially not the parts that were quite obviously rushed and cut... I guess I can forgive it for being a little sloppy, and enjoy it for what it is... even if it drives me bonkers to have to switch to and from the whip all the time.
I'm at the Mana Fortress (Thanks to a FAQ... I really hate that I had to even resort to that!), but I'm missing some orbs. I know that enemies drop orbs there, but AFAIK, they only drop one for the bow and the whip. No backtracking has helped me acquire said orbs, so I'm a little concerned that I won't have everything I'm looking for when all is said and done.
I died after killing two bosses there, losing quite a few levels and rare drops. I didn't realize until it was too late that the Mana Fortress didn't have any save points, in spite of every area prior having one.
By the way, I've heard that the iPhone version was released in the US. Now if only FFA got the same treatment...
Granted, this is probably where that 40% of the game was cut. Where Square had to hack away parts of the game to fit within the limits of the cartridge. Knowing that little tidbit doesn't make the game any better, sadly -- and I know that even series veterans and the developers themselves can agree that it could've been better, it should've been better, because if not for the Super CD fiasco, it was going to be a LOT better!
A miracle happened and the plot magically came back, after beating said dungeons and getting through that unpleasantly mute section. The game finally spoke, and it made me ask questions, like --
"Is Serin the hero from FFA/Sword of Mana? What was the name of Randi's mother, then?"
...which was all interrupted by this:
Popoi: SO WHAT if your mom was KILLED right in front of you?! Primm and I don't even have a mom! Earth to Randi -- as your freakin' withered stump told us, we have a freakin' job to do, so quit your p***ing and moaning!!!
...Which was *REALLY* insensitive. Like... wait, Randi can't have a moment? I mean, I know Popoi wanted him to get it together for the sake of the world, but did he seriously have to kick a man while he's down? I've always hated that little punk!
Randi: That's okay, I'll be dorky and happy anyway, because Popoi told me to! He's my best friend! Who cares if the Mana Fortress blasted MY MOTHER right in front of me?!
...which made me care less for the writing. Plus, there's also the fact that --
None of them questioned Randi's mom being the freakin' Mana Tree? I mean, yeah, she explained it... but nobody really questioned it?!
Primm: PFFT! *snicker snort* YER MOTHER'S GOT WOOD!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! YER MOM'S A TREE!!!
Primm: PFFT! *snicker snort* YER MOTHER'S GOT WOOD!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! YER MOM'S A TREE!!!
Anyway, I didn't come here to say that I hate the game, and I didn't write this with the intention of bashing it. Far from it, actually. I like it. It needs polish. A LOT of polish. It didn't age well, but I like it. I think Anonymous Notes (DSiWare) did some things better -- it controls better, it has better hit detection, and I think it pulls off the "strategic ARPG" style that Secret of Mana was going for a little better, but that's about it. AN is too shallow, however, to even compare to Secret of Mana. SoM pretty much tops it in every possible way. I guess I wanted SoM when I picked up AN, and I want some of the things I liked about AN from SoM. Hell, I want the things that I like about Sword of Mana from Secret of Mana. It has so much potential, and while it doesn't live up to the hype -- especially not the parts that were quite obviously rushed and cut... I guess I can forgive it for being a little sloppy, and enjoy it for what it is... even if it drives me bonkers to have to switch to and from the whip all the time.
I'm at the Mana Fortress (Thanks to a FAQ... I really hate that I had to even resort to that!), but I'm missing some orbs. I know that enemies drop orbs there, but AFAIK, they only drop one for the bow and the whip. No backtracking has helped me acquire said orbs, so I'm a little concerned that I won't have everything I'm looking for when all is said and done.
I died after killing two bosses there, losing quite a few levels and rare drops. I didn't realize until it was too late that the Mana Fortress didn't have any save points, in spite of every area prior having one.
By the way, I've heard that the iPhone version was released in the US. Now if only FFA got the same treatment...