A boy and his dog stumble upon a device that sends them to another world. Can they find their way back home safely?
Upon exploration of said mansion, the two discover an old, long-untouched and rather large invention. Soon, they find themselves being sent away to a completely different land, a different world. Awakening, the boy finds that he and his dog have been carried away to a prehistoric land ridden with venomous plants, devious and rather large mosquitoes, among various other oddities. What else does this strange, new world have in store for the boy and his companion? Will they ever find their way back home?
Secret of Evermore is often times, though mistakenly, known for as the American sequel to Secret of Mana, since America never got Japan's Seiken Densetsu 3, the offical sequel to Secret of Mana. The rumor is untrue, even though the two games share several similar traits. It was built as its own from the ground-up and contains a lot more than meets the eye.
Good: Wonderful compositions * Astonishing visuals * Compelling story that draws players in for more * Unique spell system that works out well * Fun cultural references * Great variety of weapons and armor
Bad: Some undesired yet necessary grinding * Very easy to get lost in big dungeons * Save points are sometimes scarce in areas one may need
Graphics: One of the many strong-points of Secret of Evermore, practically everything is amazing to look at. Originally intended to be a 12-megabit game, developers had increased it to 24-megabit by release. The colors, backgrounds, animations and environments are breathtaking, even by today's standards. There is a lot to be seen, and all of it is something to be praised.
Sound/Music: Another peak feature of the game is the audio. A new and unique technique had been put into play; rather than having sounds and music seperate from eachother, developers had decided to blend the two together as one. It became one of the first games to include not only music, but environmental sounds blended in with the music as well. The result is one of the most amazing soundtracks on the SNES and a beautiful mixture of sound effects. The music is very well-known for being as outstanding as it is, alluring players in deeper to the game and giving the exact feelings the developers had intended players to feel.
Difficulty: Varying, Secret of Evermore can be quite the challenge and isn't exactly for beginners at the RPG genre. For example, a dungeon may have simple enemies that are easy to kill and have a pattern that can be instantly broken, but the boss fight of that dungeon can drive one to pull his or her hair right out of their head. Following the style of Final Fantasy, deaths result in the unlucky one to load where they last saved their game, and in some places, save points (mostly inns, although some random NPCs in dungeons and other areas can offer such services) are hard to come by, especially later in the game. It is best to keep a handful of healing items and make sure to upgrade on armor whenever possible.
Gameplay: For readers that have played Secret of Mana, expect a similar experience but with a darker feel to it, a more serious experience that will get to you at some point and hold you in until the very end. There are four different places in the mysterious land of Evermore that are to be explored, each one representing a different era of history: Prehistoria, Antiqua, Gothica and Omnitopia, starting from prehistoric times to a futuristic land. Each of these four places across Evermore have fallen victim to some form of trouble, and the only ones who can help restore peace to these lands are the boy and his furry friend, and may be the only answer to getting the two back home to Podunk. Secret of Evermore is an action-RPG, which play similar to The Legend of Zelda, but feature a leveling system. In 'Evermore, not only can the two characters level up, but the main character's weapons may also be leveled up, offering them the ability to charge and unleash a more powerful attack. Rather than magic, alchemy takes its place and different formulas await to be learned, all the way from healing tonics to the most destructive powers. Last, but not least, the player may switch between characters using the "select" button, and this technique will be required throughout some points in the game as teamwork plays a major role.
Controls: Again, similar to Secret of Mana. The attack button also functions as the "speak" and "action" key. An item will be found after playing for awhile and will allow the player to run. Once a weapon is at its second or third, and final, level, the attack button may be held down to charge it for a powerful strike. There are two "inventory" buttons, one for the selected character and one for the secondary character. From here, items may be equipped and used, formulas may be selected, weapon and character stats can be viewed and a variety of different options can be accessed. All in all, it's a simple control scheme to learn and feels comfortable upon learning such.
Overall: An unfortunately highly underrated game, Secret of Evermore proves its worth by its gorgeous graphics, compelling and beautiful soundtrack and effects and, most of all, its epic story full of wonder and mystery, with a little humor thrown in here and there. Fans of Secret of Mana will love this one without a doubt. Found at a fair price, the price is well worth it and shall keep you busy for a long number of hours, setting aside the few irritating hours required for grinding. This is a game I'm proud to have in my collection and it just may be one I'll come back to again.