Seiken Densetsu

Square

Square
Sunsoft (Game Boy (North America))
Square Enix (Android & iOS)

Senior Developer

Goro Ohashi

Game Boy June 28, 1991 November 1991 1993 Softbank August 16, 2006 i-mode November 6, 2006 EZweb February 5, 2007 Switch June 1, 2017 June 11, 2019

Game Boy , Softbank Mobile , i-mode , EZweb , Nintendo Switch

Subject

Game mode

information

ESRB Age Rating: E10 + (Everyone 10+)

The first publication under the name Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden ( 聖剣伝説 ~ ファイナルファンタシー外伝 ~ ) appeared in 1991 for the Game Boy . In the United States, it was named Final Fantasy Adventure and appeared a few months before the US release of Final Fantasy II . In Europe the game was called Mystic Quest . A port titled Adventures of Mana for iOS and Android has also been released since the beginning of February 2016 .

The framework plot puts the player in the role of a captured gladiator who can escape and achieve a higher purpose on his journey. The player observes the two-dimensionally presented events from a bird's eye view. Opposing monster figures are shown to the player as a sprite on the screen, battles take place in real time : opponents and game figures are in action without interruption. In subterranean vaults, the so-called dungeons , the player must solve puzzles in order to advance. As the level of the character increases, the player can choose the attributes (such as strength or endurance) to be increased; in subsequent games, this choice is made by the game. In the course of the game, the protagonist can receive new armor, helmets, shields and weapons; some weapons may give him access to new areas of the game world, for example trees can be felled with an ax or abysses can be overcome with a whip. This element was taken up again in the following Seiken Densetsu.

The game is presented in monochrome pixel graphics with four different tones. Background elements are shown with the two lighter shades, whereas sprites in the foreground are outlined in dark. The background music comes from Kenji Itō and Nobuo Uematsu and is partially reused in the successor. The game status can be saved at any time and resumed at the same point.

In a review for IGN , Dexter Sy rated the game positively with a score of 9 out of 10. One reason for negative criticism is the failure of the action-oriented event with its "[computer] role-playing roots": the navigation through the game menus , about changing the armament is lengthy and interrupts the flow of the game. The game graphics are at the forefront of the Game Boy games of their time and the music is distinctive, very atmospheric and the individual pieces successfully express different moods. In his conclusion, Sy used The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening as a comparison:

“RPG gamers may lament at the fact that it has a shallow story line, or that it isn't RPG enough… but there's little argument that Action / RPGs translate very well on handheld consoles. And in that respect, Final Fantasy Adventure sits nicely in a respectable position behind The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening as a top Action / RPG title for the Game Boy. ”

"RPG players might complain that the game has a poor storyline, or that it is not RPG enough ... but there is no doubt that action RPG plays very well on handhelds. In this regard, FFA is in a respectable second place behind TLoZ: LA as a top ARPG for the Game Boy. "

- Dexter Sy : IGN

Secret of Mana

Seiken Densetsu 2 ( 聖剣伝説 2 ) was originally supposed to be released for the Super Nintendo CD-ROM expansion PlayStation . After Nintendo abandoned those plans, the game was ported to a regular SNES title relatively quickly and released in 1993. Outside of Japan, it was marketed as the Secret of Mana . With the help of the Multitap accessory, up to three players can play at the same time. The game was re-released in 2008 for the Wii platform's Virtual Console . On February 15, 2018, a remake for the PlayStation 4 and Steam (PC) was released, which contains not only improved graphics, but also English and Japanese voice output.

The framework plot puts the player in the role of a young man (called Randi in the iOS version), who breaks the seal of the Mana sword out of curiosity and thus enables dark forces to come to earth. As a chosen swordtail he is now forced to restore the old order. In the further course he meets a young woman named Primm and Elfe Popoi (in the German language version a goblin girl), whom the mana power gives magical powers. The trio embarks on a journey to prevent the empire from reactivating the mana fortress to subjugate the mana power and thus the world.

As in the first Seiken Densetsu, the fights take place in real time; Players must wait a fixed amount of time between attacks in order to be able to carry out an effective weapon blow. The accompanying characters can also work different spells, whereby the girl has more defensive magic and the goblin mainly wields attack spells. If the companions are not controlled by two additional players, the game takes over their basic control, whereby the player can specify the level of their aggressiveness and the charge of the weapons. In addition to increasing the level of the characters, weapons and spells also increase in their effectiveness through repeated use. The window menu of the predecessor has been replaced by the so-called ring menu , in which objects or spells are displayed as a circle of symbols, which changes the selection by rotating a cursor .

Trials of Mana

Original title

聖剣伝説 3

transcription

Seiken Densetsu 3

Square

Square

SNES September 30, 1995 Switch June 1, 2017 June 11, 2019 Remake PC, PS4, Switch April 24, 2020

Super Famicom , Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 4 , PC

Action RPG , real time

Subject

Anime / Manga , Fantasy , Cartoon

Game mode

Single player, multiplayer

Japanese

Seiken Densetsu 3 ( 聖剣伝説 3 ) was released in 1995 for the Super Famicom exclusively in Japan. The translation group "G-Trans" published an unofficial translation of the game under the title "Secret of Mana 2" in the period from 2000 to 2019. On June 1, 2017, Seiken Densetsu 3 was also released for Nintendo Switch as part of the Collection of Mana in Japan. With the appearance of the Collection of Mana in America and Europe on June 11, 2019, the third part of the Mana series found its way to the West for the first time officially fully localized under the now official title Trials of Mana .

Innovations

At the beginning of the game, three characters can be selected from six different ones. This represents an essential innovation compared to the previous versions. In addition, each character has its own introductory sequence and two of the characters chosen always have a common enemy. One of the two must face his home country in the course of the game, as two powers are always in conflict in Manaland. At the beginning you can choose from the following people:

Characters

Angela ( アンジェラ , Anjera )

Angela is the daughter of the Queen of the Magical Kingdom of Altena. It was her destiny to become a sorceress. Since she doesn't like magic, she played tricks on the residents of Altena instead. Since the power of mana dwindled and Altena, located in an ice desert, became colder and colder, only the use of a spell with all eight manastones can save the empire. When the queen's confidante Guren no Madōshi ( 紅蓮の魔導師 , dt. About: "Sorcerer of the scarlet lotus") suggests that Angela perform the spell and thus sacrifice her life, Angela unexpectedly conjures herself out of the castle. Now she is looking for a way to increase her magical powers.

Duran ( デュラン , Dyuran )

Duran is the best swordsman from Valsena and lives with his aunt Stella. After losing both parents as a child, he vowed to become the best swordsman. But when Guren no Madōshi from Altena attacked the castle of Valsena, Duran was powerless against him. Offended in his pride, Duran decided to leave Valsena in order to one day defeat Guren no Madōshi.

Riesz ( リース , Rīsu )

Riesz is the princess of Laurent, a kingdom in the mountains. Its fortress was always protected from storms, but Bill and Ben from the Navarre Thieves' Guild trick Riesz's younger brother Eliott and he deactivates the castle's wind barrier. The Navarre soldiers seize the castle and Bill and Ben abducted Eliott. Riesz now sets out to save her brother and recapture her home.

Hawkeye ( ホークアイ , Hōkuai )

Hawkeye is a member of the Navarre Thieves' Guild, which steals from the rich but not from the poor. The guild is run by Lord Flamekhan, whose son Eagle was Hawkeye's best friend. But when the sorceress Isabella enchants Lord Flamekhan and Eagle, the Lord and the guild found the Kingdom of Navarre. Isabella kills Eagle, making it look like Hawkeye murdered him. So he is locked in the dungeon and Isabella threatens that she will kill Eagle's sister Jessica if he tells the others the truth. But Hawkeye flees and is now looking for a way to save his girlfriend and Flamekhan.

Charlotte ( シャルロット , Sharurotto )

Charlotte grew up without parents, only with her grandfather, the priest of light, in the holy city of Wendel and at 15 is still the size of an eight-year-old. She was raised by Heath ( ヒース , Hīsu ) as her grandfather hardly had time to look after her. When Heath is sent to Jadd by Charlotte's grandfather, he decides to travel to the nearby Astoria to see if everything is going well. Charlotte sneaks out of town and travels with him. There, beastmen attack Heath and a stranger kidnaps him. So she sets out to save Heath.

Kevin ( ケヴィン , Kevin )

Kevin is the son of the King of Ferolia and the beast men who used to be persecuted and killed by humans. His people withdrew until they built their own kingdom in the moonlight forest. Kevin and the rest of his people do not know that his mother was human. When he is attacked by the baby wolf Karl and threatens to die, he turns into a beast and killed Karl against his will. Karl attacked Kevin because his father wanted to show Kevin the full power of his beastly ancestry. For this he worked with the death fool, who put all his power at his disposal. But then Kevin attacks his own father and is finally chased out of the castle. He then sets out to find a way to save Karl and defeat his father.

Game mechanics

Class system

Another innovation is the class system, which allows the player from a certain level to change the class of his characters and thus make them better for combat. He can choose between a light and a dark path of the character. This has more or less influence on what kind of spells can be learned afterwards and whether the character's values increase in the defensive or offensive. Duran can e.g. learn healing magic on his light path and wear a shield. On the dark path, however, he learns magic, which fundamentally changes the weapons of himself and his fellow soldiers. With a second class change, which can only be carried out with a certain item, the player can choose a light or dark path again. So in the end there are 2 different classes (light and dark) from which 4 more can be formed (light + light, light + dark, dark + light, dark + dark).

Day-and-night phases

The day and night system in Seiken Densetsu 3 is also new. The world changes into day and night during the course of the game, heralded by dusk and dawn. This has various effects across the Mana Empire. So other monsters appear at night. Certain people can only be found during the day, as the residents sleep at night, while special shops are only open at night. The playable character Kevin becomes a wolf at night, which strengthens his skills. In the menu, the player can also see which elemental being has his day. On the day of the fire spirit Salamando, for example, fire monsters are stronger.

Weapons and combat

The weapon orb system with recharge factor from Secret of Mana was not adopted. As in any RPG, the player can now buy his weapons in the shop and equip the character with them. Then the monsters appear, the characters switch to attack mode and pull out their weapons until the fight is over. Depending on the class, the player can carry out various special attacks that hit one or more monsters particularly hard.

Remake

A full 3D remake of Trials of Mana has been announced for 2020. It was released for PC, PlayStation 4 and Switch.

Seiken Densetsu: Legend of Mana

Seiken Densetsu: Legend of Mana

Original title	聖剣伝説 LEGEND OF MANA
Studio	Square No. 2 Development Division
Publisher	Square ( Japan ) Square Electronic Arts, LLC ( USA )
Erstveröffent- lichung	JapanJuly 15, 1999 June 6, 2000 North America
platform	PlayStation , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation Portable , PlayStation Vita
genre	Role play / action adventure
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer up to two players
control	Controller
medium	CD-ROM
language	Japanese or English
information	Memory Card 2 blocks Analog Controller Vibration ESRB -Age rating: T

US title: Legend of Mana

Seiken Densetsu Legend of Mana was first released on July 15, 1999 in Japan for the PlayStation . On June 7, 2000, the video game was released under the title Legend of Mana translated into English in the United States . It never appeared in Europe .

Although the game had significantly better graphics than its predecessors, it did not succeed in the eyes of many fans in outperforming Seiken Densetsu 2 and 3. Many fans criticized the limited multiplayer mode because you only had one main character and the second player could only control the various changing NPCs with fixed equipment.

The three storylines broken down into events weren't to everyone's taste either.

The clear difference to other Seiken Densetsu parts is due to the fact that Legend of Mana is just a spin-off from Seiken Densetsu. Strong differences in the combat system, graphics, etc. are therefore quite intentional.

Sword of Mana

Original title

新約聖剣伝説

transcription

Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu

Brownie Brown
Square Enix No 8 Development Division

Square Enix
Nintendo of Europe GmbH

August 29, 2003 December 1, 2003 March 18, 2004

Game Boy Advance

Role play / action adventure

Game mode

Single player

control

Game Boy Advance (D-pad + buttons)

medium

64 Mbit - plug-in module

language

Japanese,
English,
German , French

information

ESRB age rating: E.

Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu ( Shin'yaku , dt. New Testament ) is a remake of the original Seiken Densetsus from 1991 which was released for the Game Boy. In the new edition, all Final Fantasy elements have been removed from the gameplay.

At the start of sales in Japan, a special Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu GameBoy Advance SPMANA BLUE EDITION (Japanese 新約聖剣伝説ゲームボーイイドドバンス SPMANA BLUE EDITION) was sold, which is now completely out of print.

Children of Mana

Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana

Original title

聖剣伝説 DS CHILDREN of MANA

Square Enix

Square Enix
Nintendo of Europe GmbH

March 2, 2006 October 30, 2006 December 7, 2006 January 12, 2007

Nintendo DS

Dungeon Crawler, action RPG

Game mode

Single player , multiplayer
up to 4 players

control

Keys

medium

Nintendo DS cartridge

Japanese German

Children of Mana is the first offshoot of the series for the Nintendo DS .

The game was released in Japan on March 2, 2006 ^{[source is missing]} . The game was released in Europe on January 12, 2007.

action

The action of the game itself takes place about ten years after the events of Seiken Densetsu 4.

Gameplay

As in the previous game, the player can choose from several different characters (this time four). However, the player himself no longer travels directly on the footpath, but only visits various dungeons on his journey through which he has to fight his way through. These dungeons are divided into zones. After every 4 zones there is the option to save the game.

Dawn of Mana

Dawn of Mana

Original title	聖剣伝説 4
transcription	Seiken Densetsu 4
Studio	Square Enix No 8 Development Division Havok Physics, Inc. [Programming] Orbital Link, Inc. [Animation]
Publisher	Square Enix
Erstveröffent- lichung	JapanDecember 21, 2006 May 24, 2007 North America
platform	PlayStation 2
Game engine	Havok physics engine
genre	Action adventure , action role-playing game
Subject	Fantasy
Game mode	Single player
control	DualShock 2
medium	DVD-ROM
language	Japanese English

Seiken Densetsu 4 is a new game in the Seiken Densetsu series and part of the so-called “World of Mana” collection (which consists of several games based on the Seiken Densetsu series). It was developed for the Sony PlayStation 2 and is the first part of the series which uses entirely three-dimensional graphics. The first release was in Japan on December 21, 2006. In North America the game was released under the title "Dawn of Mana" on May 22, 2007.

In this game we learn the origin of the evil Manamaid Anise and that this itself has only become a willless puppet of the demon "Dark Lich", who appears in almost every game in the series and thus embodies the ultimate evil in the mana world.

Heroes of Mana

Seiken Densetsu - Heroes of Mana

Original title

聖剣伝説

Brownie Brown

Square Enix
Koch Media

March 8, 2007 August 14, 2007 September 14, 2007

Nintendo DS