Legend of Mana

"Relax and enjoy--the world of Legend of Mana is a great place to visit."

One of the games of Square Soft's 2000 ''Summer of Adventure'', Legend of Mana is a significant departure from the usual RPG Square is famous for. Gone is a linear, centralized storyline--instead, the game plays out almost as a series of side-quests, some connected together, others standing alone. This approach has its good points and bad--it's easy to pick up Legend of Mana and play for a half hour or so, which I for one would be reluctant to do with a standard RPG, not knowing where the next save point may be. On the other hand, the independent chunks of storyline fail to resolve themselves into anything significant by the end of the game.

Gameplay: 6/10
As I've outlined, progressing in the game of Legend of Mana involves taking on various quests and completing them. Talking to certain people or simply creating some of the lands (more on this later) will begin a quest. Most of the time this will involve a trip through a standard RPG-esque monster-infested dungeon or land, but a few quests take place entirely within a city, with gathering the right information from the townspeople, or solving some sort of puzzle, the only requirement. You can even take on multiple quests at one time, thanks to a handy journal in the menu that will remind you which ones you've ''opened'' and haven't yet closed (though it doesn't give much in the way of clues if you've forgotten what the quest even entails). Complete a quest and you'll see a bit more of one of the storylines, and perhaps be rewarded with a new artifact. This mechanic can get a little frustrating when you're out of quests and artifacts and can't find any new ones, but it also does a great job at making the game feel ''alive'' and digestible in small sessions--you'll grow accustomed to adventuring with certain characters who almost always need your help, and it's possible to complete most quests in a half-hour or so, a must for those without long stretches of free time to play.

The ''Landmake'' system is one of Legend of Mana's most touted features, and it just isn't that interesting. The lands of the world of Fa'Diel were sealed away in artifacts long ago, and the game gives you the privilege of unlocking these lands by activating the artifacts on the world map. But, where you choose to place an artifact, or in what order you choose to place them, doesn't really amount to much. Sure, the lands can (very, very rarely) interact, but because you don't know anything about a land until you place it, it's not possible to plan much in advance. In the end, all the Landmake system really does is allow you to control the exploratory pace of the game--if you like to find everything there is to find in a land before moving on, you can ration them out slowly, or you can lay them as you get them if you'd like to see something new rather often (but you will be coming back to the old lands at some point).

The Landmake system isn't the only place you'll find this flaw--good intentions but ultimate irrelevance--in Legend of Mana. The first artifact you place is your own house, and very early in the game you'll acquire the ability to keep an orchard, forge and temper weapons and armor, create magical instruments, create golems to fight alongside you, and even train pet monsters--but the fact is, the game is so darned easy that none of it is necessary. Everything, all the way up to the final boss, can be defeated with just Skills and Special Techniques. So, as robust as they are (the depth of Legend of Mana's weapon forging and tempering system seems to rival Vagrant Story's, by all accounts), all the stuff you can do at your house becomes not much more than a fun distraction between forages for quests. Like the incredible number of weapons and items in Castlevania Symphony of the Night, the various things you can do with your house's workshops aren't anything to pursue except for their own sake, with is kind of a shame. The game's certainly better than if weapon forging, monster raising, and golem creation hadn't been in it at all, but it would have been masterful if it had presented some challenges--even optional--that required you to learn the systems, and use them to your advantage, to succeed.

While there are 70 quests, it's only necessary to complete about half of them to unlock the final quest and the ending, so playtime on the game could range anywhere from 18 to 35 hours, and that's not including any time spent tending to your pets or tinkering with the various item creation systems. I think that's a heck of a lot of play value, but I still see people complaining when a game doesn't take them 70 hours to finish, so... whatever. Finishing the game unlocks the ''Nightmare'' mode which powers up enemies significantly; there could perhaps be a challenge to be had here, but it's still probably not of the Vagrant Story ballbusting variety. The real charm of the game is to be had in its other aspects, so feel free to quit reading now if you're a ''gameplay is king!'' elitist and don't care what writers, artists, and musicians bring to gaming.

Control: 8/10
Unlike Secret of Mana, combat in Legend of Mana is kept separate from simple exploration. Walking, running, and talking are accomplished just like any other RPG you could imagine, but once enemies are encountered, the player characters draw their weapons and combat proceeds similarly to a side-scrolling beat-em-up like Final Fight. While the four-directional combat movement of Secret of Mana is somewhat missed, a few extra control features liven things up. Street Fighter-style special moves are usable with each weapon, and it's possible to string together combos with these and the regular ''quick attack'' and ''strong attack'' buttons. Between battles, the menu allows you to bind Skills (special moves like jumping, sliding, and back-flipping) to two of the face buttons, and magic and Special Techniques (deathblow-like moves that require you to charge up a Street Fighter-like ''super meter'') to the four shoulder buttons. In addition, a second player can join in by taking control of whatever non-player character is teamed up with your main character, or even by importing their own Legend of Mana main character.

Narrative: 7/10
If you're looking for deep philosophy and extensive character development, Legend of Mana might not be the right game for you. Characters come and go as often as you start and finish the game's short quests, and your main character is mute in the style of the Chrono games, so your involvement with the story's events and characters is that of an outsider, a viewer. The game leaves it to you to fill in a lot of the blanks around the various storylines and events--what the supporting characters did before you met them, and what they plan to do after you part ways, are questions often unanswered, so going with the flow is a must to keep from being frustrated.

Fortunately, the very good translation makes this pretty easy to do. Far from Xenogears' soulless rambling, there's passion in the characters' dialogue and it's delivered in small but dense quantities. Characters' personalities come out in their voices--the stern and stoic knight Elazul delivers pithy orders to his timid protectee Pearl, and you can sense her conflicting fear and devotion, tell that she's choosing her words with care to avoid his reproach. The game succeeds well on this level--small, personal interaction between the characters. Unfortunately for the more epic-minded player, the small events and small tasks to perform don't fit into anything overall, and the story's final events practically come out of nowhere. The individual moments, not the denouement they're leading up to, are the savory parts of the narrative.

Video: 9/10
Every background is a watercolor painting, and it feels as if you're journeying through a living storybook. Subtle sunlight effects bathe the outdoor areas, giving them a presence and life that static backgrounds rarely have. Lake Kilma scintillates in the distance, behind the willow trees of its surrounding forest, and the brightly-colored gingerbread houses of the town of Domina truly seem the homes of its quirky, half-animal inhabitants. Indeed, human characters are far from the norm in Legend of Mana, and everyone from chubby rabbit-like merchant Niccolo to cat-woman warrior Daena are visualized with the same vivid color and detail as the backgrounds, especially their dialogue box portraits. If there's one shortcoming, it's the animation--characters have a wide variety of animations, but none of them are particularly smooth or impressive. In the end, soaking up the gorgeous landscapes is what it's all about, so enjoy.

Audio: 10/10
Yoko Shimomura's score shimmers. Flute melodies whistle like the breeze through Lake Kilma's trees, and marimba and slack-key guitar make you want to relax on the sun-kissed beaches of Polpota Harbor with a local mermaid. It's all streamed directly off the CD for perfect clarity and the nuances of ''real'' musical instruments--no PCM slosh here. Only during boss battles does the intensity ramp up, distorted guitar riffs blasting into the fray along with the half-screen-sized ape or crystalline insect. Music can make or break a game's presentation when it's going for a feel as unique as Legend of Mana's ''storybook'' atmosphere, this case, it makes it. Shimomura's memorable melodies and remarkable, airy arrangements can wash over you, calm your nerves, and coax you into getting lost in any of the many lands of Fa'Diel, if you'll let them.

Overall: 8/10
The idiosyncrasies of the story setup and the ultimately shallow gameplay require a certain carefree attitude on the player's part to get enjoyment out of Legend of Mana. Demand wicked-intense, highly optimized gameplay and a philosophizing story and you'll be frustrated. On the other hand, curl up with Legend of Mana's quests like a book of short stories, bathing in the beautiful visuals and soundtrack, and its endearing characters and do-it-yourself pacing will bring you some relaxation and fond memories.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/18/01, Updated 07/18/01