I'll admit it- Brad Shoemaker is right. Sword of Mana does have it's issues, but to merit a 7.1 for them seems harsh to me. (Those of you reading are in luck. This is the first of Ace Black's Point/Counterpoint reviews, in which I will rebut and support arguements from the original review. Let the games begin.) First, I would like to say that Mr. Shoemaker says nothing I find wrong or incorrect- I simply feel he docked the game for problems that are a little more minimal then he feels to be. First off: "Performing three-hit combos with your weapon requires strict timing that's hard to get right every single time, even after playing the game for hours. When you actually do execute a combo properly, the blows won't always strike your enemy. Casting attack magic is also difficult since the game makes you do it in real time. Since there's a lag between your button press and the actual casting, hitting a fast-moving enemy with this attack can be maddeningly frustrating." -Brad Shoemaker Mr. Shoemaker makes excellent points in this statement about some gameplay issues. He is correct. The three hit combo timing is incredibly strict. However, I disagree that casting magic is as difficult as he lets on. True, you have to do it in real time, but you are still permitted to move about while casting. Spell casting is done by simply holding the R button down for an attack spell or tapping for a support spell, allowing you to move about without too much of a problem. Missing the faster enemies is only a minor inconvinence, and a simple re-cast tends to take them down rather quickly. Also, wasting magic isn't too much of an issue because you can simply sit in a safe spot and recover MP. While Brad makes good points, I feel some are a bit harsher then need be. Second point/counterpoint: "Though you can set rudimentary parameters to govern your various teammates' behaviors, no amount of customizing will change the fact that they're just plain dumb. They get themselves killed quickly, waste magic frivolously, blindly use attacks that have no effect, and often prevent you from quickly dispatching enemies by getting in your way." - Brad Shoemaker Again, Mr. Shoemakers words are correct, but I feel to an extreme. AI is stupid, yes, but it is more so for the temporary AI then the more permanent female, making it far less a problem. More often then not, you won't really need help anyway, and wasting magic isn't too much of an issue, as mentioned above. Having the ability to link up with a friend ought to help ease your pain if any incredibly stupid AI characters come your way anyway, which is always a nice feature to any game. I have no defense for Mr. Shoemakers comment on the inability of the customizable AI features, because I 100% agree. It really does seem to have very little effect, and fails to be useful. Those are really the only two issues I felt were graded harshly. As for my one and only issues with the game: I find many of the characters not just bland, but downright silly to look at. The "Dark Lord" especially would make me want to laugh if I saw him person. It seems to me a hero out to save the world ought to look more like a hero then a silly, well-built pesant boy, especailly if his story begins with being a slave in a gladitorial arena. The girl character however, I have no issues with. All said and done, Sword of Mana is not just a good game on GBA- its a great game. The complexity of the RPG elements and the battle system make for some great gameplay elements, and the silly looking characters become easy to overlook as you get to know them. The problems with the game are minimal enough to where it becomes an excellent game, and the multiplayer value bumps it up yet another notch. Only the lack of being able to witness your class changes and the silly AI compromise this games greatness. When all is said and done, this is the action adventure game you might want to consider getting. You won't regret it.
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