Glen Atwell
Shaun InguanzoSeiken Densetsu 3/Secret of Mana 2 (Review)
November 28th 2006 00:11
Players: 1
Genre: RPG
Developer: Squaresoft
Platform: SNES
Year: No English Release, ROM-only
With the popularity of the previous Seiken Densetsu/[Something] of Mana games, it was a surprise that the third instalment in the series wasn't released in English. Because of this the only way for non-Japanese literate gamers to play it is to download a fan-translated ROM on the internet.
Story: There are 6 playable characters in SD3, amounting to 3 distinct storylines (2 characters will share a similar storyline). When beginning the game you choose one character as your main, and you will meet your 'partnered' character from the original character selection menu as a team member, as well as one other. The remaining three characters will be NPCs you'll encounter during the course of the game, but you'll know little of their motives.
Battle System: If you've played Secret of Mana, the battle system will be familiar to you. It's an action-based RPG, where there are no pauses in battles apart from menu accessing. Each character has a different skill set, causing battles to be quite different depending on your choice.
Innovation: Apart from the standard form of levelling up to obtain more skills, once your character reaches certain levels they can choose to be a Light or Dark class and obtain stronger skills relevant to that class. For example, Angelo begins the game as a Magician. Upon reaching a certain level, she has the option of choosing to become a Sorceress (Light) or Delvar (Dark). A further class change is also possible...
Graphics: It meets the high standards of the late SNES era games.
Sound: An overall decent soundtrack, but nothing special. As for sound effects, there wasn't anything particularly obtrusive so I feel they were well done.
Replayability: Rather high for an RPG. The gameplay is enjoyable enough that replaying the game isn't a chore. At the same time, you normally feel that replaying the same (long) RPG is quite boring, but Seiken Densetsu 3 defies that. The stories vary enough to be new, while also intertwining with the ones you've played in a meaningful way. As mentioned earlier, the characters play differently enough that you won't feel like you're playing the exact same game all over again with a new character to look at.
Overall, I found Seiken Densetsu 3 was the Mana fix I needed after replaying Secret of Mana multiple times on my SNES. It was fun, albeit not as interesting nor as innovative as its predecessor. I did appreciate the opportunity to explore all the character's plots though.
Score: 8/10
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Comment by Cibbuano
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Comment by Justin
The innovation and character selection elements of this rpg are standouts for their time. I feeling like playing a classic console rpg right now.
Ever play the Shining Force series on the Megadrive/Genesis? Not as progressive as some of the SNES titles, but still effortlessly engaging due to the uniqueness of the characters.
Aah, nostalgia.
As Cibby said, great blog, love the review.
Comment by Sword Serenity
A Female Gamer
I'll note it as one to go back for though, if I can find a way to play it. Recently I've started with games I've been meaning to play on the Playstation - mostly those that never got a PAL release, but at the moment I'm playing through the first Alundra.