Secret of Evermore

"A great substitute for Seiken Densetsu 3"

After the American release of “Secret of Mana” in 1993, the public thirsted for a sequel to this amazing action RPG. However, “Seiken Densetsu 3” (“Secret of Mana 2”) never made it to American shores. Instead, Square America brought us one of their first new titles in the form of “Secret of Evermore”. Because this was the game that we were presented with instead of SOM 2, people became prematurely biased against it and condemned it across the board. I am here today to set the record straight on one of the greatest action RPGs ever created
for the SNES.

GRAPHICS: 10/10

I have nothing bad to say about the graphics in this game. This game can easily stand against Final Fantasy 6 or any other late Squaresoft title. Game backgrounds were all unique and objects such as rocks and trees were natural looking and rounded nicely. The sprites themselves were just as good, and attacks by either the hero or an enemy were all multi-framed enough to provide a smooth look. This combined with the few cinema-like animations made for a graphically beautiful title.

SOUND: 10/10

This was one of my favorite aspects “Secret of Evermore.” In many games, when exploring different areas there is a background music that is usually suited to the area. This music, though, is usually just music. Not so in this game. All background sounds create a very ambient feel to the location that is being explored. When early on in the game you stumble upon a swamp, and you can actually hear mosquitoes and other insects in the background. This effect allowed for a more involving experience with the game and made the background music actually worth listening to.

CONTROL: 10/10

How could Square have done this better? At no point of play does this system of control ever feel awkward. Square brought back the exact same system used in “Secret of Mana.” The menus are all done on a ring system, and pressing up or down on the control pad switches the rings. Battle is all move and slash with full range of movement available. There’s not too much that they could have screwed up here.

GAMEPLAY: 9/10

Not only was this fun, but the magic system was actually very original. “Secret of Evermore” is action RPG at its finest. As the player, you control the heroes of the story, a boy and his dog (both of which are nameless). There is no world map view until you get the plane, so random battles are completely out of the question. Four different parts make up the world of Evermore, and each has its own areas and towns (also, your dog changes shape each time you change areas). Traveling between towns in a specific area can become bothersome, but you will need the experience anyway.

Battles follow the same principle as “Secret of Mana”. You control one character and the other fights according to the setting he is put on. When you slash your weapon a meter appears in the bottom of the screen, and it isn't a good idea to slash again until this meter reaches 100%. After a weapon is leveled up some the attack button can be held down for a charged up blow which takes a little longer to wait for. This creates a need for a little bit more thought and skill from the easily bored gamer. Magic is selected in the menu and can be cast easily on any enemy on the screen. The battles themselves remain at a fairly good difficulty, and even with leveling up the game stays that way right up to the end.

The Alchemy (magic) system is one thing that really makes the game shine. Instead of having MP and using some up to cast spells you must collect items specific to each spell to cast it. These items can be bought in stores or found by your dog when out wandering. This idea is one that is not seen very much in RPGs and is something that is very creative. A very similar system is used in Final Fantasy 8, although I think it is done much better here.

Weapons come in three types, even though the only real difference between them is their charged attacks. Each weapon, ranging from sword to axe to spear, has to be leveled up to be able to use its charge attack. This is the only real problem that the game has. Weapons come at level 1 and max out at level 3. To gain weapon experience an enemy has to be killed by that weapon. This system was also used in SOM, with one difference. In “Secret of Evermore” a weapon must kill 100 enemies to level up. This makes for a very long game if you decide to level up all of your weapons. In the end, most of mine never made it past level 2.

STORY 7/10

You are a kid from Podunk, USA who loves B-rate movies and has a dog. One day after watching one of these “films” you chase after your dog into a nearby abandoned mansion. Inside you get transported to a strange world and your dog changes shape. Basically, you are trying to get back home and stop an evil plot at the same time. The fact that the boy has seen a lot of B films comes back to haunt you when he makes his endless references to them. There are a lot of jokes in the dialogue, but only 1 made me laugh. It comes off as feeling fairly original, but it never feels very involving.

When all’s said and done, this is a great title that got a bad rap for not being “Seiken Densetsu 3”. It had everything that SOM had and better graphics and sound to boot. Already I feel like playing it again, so I would definitely recommend buying it if you get the chance. DON’T OVERLOOK THIS GAME BECAUSE IT IS NOT “SEIKEN DENSETSU 3”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Recap

GRAPHICS: 10/10
SOUND: 10/10
CONTROL: 10/10
GAMEPLAY: 9/10
STORY: 7/10
TILT: 10/10

TOTAL: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/14/03, Updated 03/14/03