Secret of Mana is simply one of the best RPGs on the Virtual Console, and is no doubt a must buy.
Secret of Mana differs from Square's normal turn based RPGs. This game was one of the first real-time RPGs ever made. Rather than going into a turn-based menu battle, you do all the battling on the screen. To attack with a weapon, you press the B button(using the Classic Controller). You can button mash, but I wouldn't suggest it. Every time you use a weapon, your power meter resets. If you want to attack at full power, you need a full power meter. The power meter resets fairly quickly. So basically, the game is like a harder version of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
Secret of Mana was made during a golden age when you didn't need stories or CG cutscenes to make games fun. Basically, the story is about a power called Mana that once spread the land, but then was sealed away. It was released and now you follow a boy, a girl, and a sprite to save the kingdom.
The graphics look great for a SNES game. Everything looks really good and colorful, and the enemies and characters look very detailed.
As I said before, you play as a boy, and you have a girl and a sprite traveling with you. A cool part of this game is that you can actually have two other people play with you as those characters, which is a great idea, since the AI isn't the best. They can sometimes walk into walls and get stuck, or even walk straight into enemy attacks.
The controls are simple. You press the B button to talk and swing your sword. To dash you press the A button, but you will need a full power bar to do this. You use the control stick to move, the Y button to bring up the menu ring, which lets you equip armor, use items, and check other stats. The interface is very user-friendly, and it's easy to figure out.
The music score is fantastic. There are a lot of catchy tracks that you will hum to yourself. The opening soundtrack itself is amazing as well.
The difficulty is very hard. As I said before, the game is basically a harder version of The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past. The bosses are very hard to beat. Remember, this game was made in a time when games were harder, which is not what most "gamers" are used to.
THE VERDICT!
Secret of Mana was a very enjoyable RPG for me to play. If you missed it the first time around on the SNES, and if you are burned out on Square remaking games for handhelds, you can finally get it on the Virtual Console for only 800 points. Buy it now!
Final Score:
9- Superb!