Secret of Evermore

"An epic and criminally unappreciated masterpiece better than Secret of Mana."

Despite Square`s logo, Secret of Evermore is an American title, I guess we could say this is what Secret of Mana would have looked like had it been developed in America and honestly, no matter how awful that sounds (and I know it sounds terrible), I wouldn`t hesitate to say Secret of Evermore is a better game than Secret of Mana and, as a whole, one of the greatest games I have ever played.

Story 7/10:
Although the story isn`t exactly relevant what makes it so nice is the humor, quirkiness, the epic feel it has and the fact it is completely focused on escaping from Evermore, so we know what are we doing and why right from the beginning. However, above everything, the mysterious feel the game exudes is what ultimately makes the adventure way more engrossing that it has any right to be.

Graphics 10/10:
In the same vein than Secret of Mana but way darker and more varied, and that is all, it is hard to say anything else because it has similar animations, the same Mode 7 effects, etc. Maybe it is worth pointing out that the characters, except for our cool dog, are mostly rather ugly looking, but you won`t be overwhelmed by the proliferation of characters anyway, Evermore is mostly an inhospit place.

Music 10/10:
To me this game has one of the most beautiful, emotive and overall best soundtracks ever crafted. If short (it is a Snes game we are talking about after all), every single musical piece is so damn charming, mysterious and obscenely beautiful you`ll just stand there in the middle of the battlefield only to listed to it. Just do not be disappointed by the first world (the prehistoric one), there is not a whole lot of music in that one, but once you set foot in the second one prepare to be blown away.

The soundtrack was composed by Jeremy Soule, who is rather famous nowadays. Now, what I find insulting is that when I visited his website there isn`t a single reference to this game, not even a small paragraph in a corner or anything (Total Anihilation`s incredible soundtrack isn`t mentioned either). But of course there is no need to say we can clearly see the numerous awards for the soundtrack of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets among other gems, which is beyond heresy, sacrilege and profanation. By the way, go find the soundtrack at all costs.

Gameplay 10/10:
The controls and overall gameplay is almost exactly the same from Secret of Mana, we have that useful ``ring`` to cast spells and equip stuff, our weapons are similar and have similar features, the world map is identical, etc, but there is also has a couple of great new features and innovations that make it way deeper and more interesting.

Take the magic system for example, which is simply fantastic and it is a pity Square never though about including something similar in any of their future rpgs. In order to use Alchemy (magic) we have to look for ingredients like wax, ash, wood, stones, bones and a very big etc. For example the ``acid rain`` spell requires two parts of water and one of ash, and so on. Alchemy ingredients can be found or purchased almost everywhere (our dog sniffs them out too) and the spells get stronger the more we use them, the way it should be.

We also have the task to find most of the magic spells and finding every single one is one of the greatest features in the game. Save for the spells that are necessary to continue, there are lots of them which are hidden or in possession of certain persons, so you will have to look for them.

Aside from alchemy ingredients there are hidden relics scattered around the world of Evermore. These objects (bracelets, pendants, armor, bottles with weird liquids, etc) can increase you hit or defense points, or run for a short period of time (in the same way than Secret of Mana), etc. If you play two separated games with a friend it is extremely entertaining to compete to obtain all the spells and secret items.

The world of Evermore is one hell of a varied one too, it is divided into four territories that look more like five different periods of time: Prehistoria (obviously a prehistoric land), Antiqua (an ancient Rome), Gothica (a feudal place), and Utopia (a futuristic place), each one with its own currency by the way, which is a very nice touch.

As a result:
After reading all the reviews out there for this game I still can`t quite figure what makes it the evil piece of software everyone talks about, in fact, I have yet to meet someone who doesn`t love this masterwork to death. Secret of Evermore is an outstanding, epic and massively underrated and unappreciated adventure better than the original Secret of Mana and, at least for me, easily one of the greatest audiovisual experiences ever.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/15/06