Secret of Evermore

"One word: Impressive"

Secret of Evermore is a great game. Not just in gameplay, but also in graphics and storyline. I've played it through several times, and it still keeps interesting.

To start off with the graphics. The're good, even though there are less animations than there were in Secret of Mana. This ain't a really bad thing, because the graphics in SoM were a little slow. The spell effects are also better-looking, but especially more mature. Secret of Mana was a little cartoony, and Secret of Evermore threw it all away, and made space for a more mature look, which isn't bad.

The sound is also pretty good, the only problem is that the music isn't catchy. Chrono Trigger and SoM had some pretty catchy tunes. SoE has to live without it though.

Gameplay is the best feature in this game. The game is pretty challenging. The difficulty grows along with the player in the beginning, but later on, you'll have to train to get your character competitive.
There are some pretty innovative features, that are all very original. No MP anymore. Alchemy is what you use, and to cast spells, you need ingredients. In the beginning you'll be able to equip every spell available, but later on you'll have to equip your spells wisely, which adds some strategy to the game.
There are four weapon classes, swords, axes, spears and bazookas. You'll find the more powerful ones later on.
You, the player, are a young boy that watches a lot of crappy movies. One night, when you leave the cinema, your dog starts to chase a cat. You follow him, even he runs into an old villa. 30 years earlier there had been a creepy experiment. A scientist had made a fantasyworld, and he used a machine to teleport to that world. In the present (1995 in this case) you stumble upon that machine and when your dog starts to chew the wires you're being flashed to the fantasyworld, Evermore.
You start in a futuristic spacestation, where you find a bazooka. Kill the two robots, and you'll find a shuttle. The plane crashes in a jungle (You lose the bazooka here though). Later on you will have to adventure in a roman world, a gothic world (middle ages) and you'll find yourself back in the spacestation.

The story line has been told pretty much. Problem is, no side-quests. Too bad, cause once you've played, there won't be any reason to play it again.

Graphics: 8.8
Sound: 7.5
Gameplay: 8.9
Replay: 5

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/19/02, Updated 01/19/02