Sword of Mana

"This Game Is Lacking Mana."

Sword of Mana for the Game Boy Advance is a remade version of its Game Boy game, Final Fantasy Adventure. Sword of Mana is the prequel to the immensely popular Square-Enix game, Secret of Mana, which appeared on the SNES. Sword of Mana is a pretty solid game, but too many little problems plague an otherwise fun title.

Story

In Sword of Mana, you play as either the Hero, or the Heroine, which you can name yourself. Both have a very similar story line. The Dark Lord is rising in power and he wants to kill everyone who can understand and know the use of the powers of Mana. You basically have to stop the Dark Lord and his evil minions and make sure that the powers of Mana are safe from him, and the people that understand it are kept safe. The story is somewhat complex because of all of the back-story and interesting side stories that help float the main quest. The story that you play through is interesting, and there is rarely a dull moment, plus there is usually a good laugh to be had once in a while.

Gameplay

That being said; both characters that you can play as possess different traits that may have some bearing on the way you must play the game. The hero is a more stronger character and uses warrior skills, while the heroine is more inclined to use magic. Since this a Action RPG and not a Turn-Based one, you will do a lot of simple hack and slash your way to the boss type of work. This works well with the hero, but horrible with the heroine. Since the hero s skills are already more inclined to be warrior type, you can easily slash your way through enemies, but the heroine has more trouble, since the magic she uses can easily run out.

The element of hack and slash in this game was not thought out well. Obviously the game wanted to be an action game, but still retain its RPG elements. In this aspect, it failed pretty badly. There is little to no variety within each class type, and even though you have several class types to set your character s path on, you ll usually end up going on the path that he/she is already set on (Warrior - Hero, Magic - Heroine). But depending on what class you go for, you will get interesting advantages on the field and when you choose items. This is one incentive that may be worth choosing whatever class you want.

There are also several problems with the on-screen action. Slashing your way through enemies, while fun, can be frustrating at times since there is an odd delay between when you push a button and when it actually happens on screen. Getting crucial multi-hit combos can be fatal to you if you miss, because the enemy will take that chance to get a hit on you. And the use of magic suffers badly from the delay. I noticed this magic problem on one of the first areas of the game.

The controls are easy to pick up and actually make fighting much easier, but one problem that I noticed right away, was that in order to use an item, or switch weapons, you had to go to the Menu and select it. This not only disrupts the action in the game, but it also takes an unnecessary amount of time. It would have been nice if Square allowed you to equip certain items in a side menu that you could access with a push of a button.

Despite these problems, the game is actually fun. Hacking and slashing your way through weird enemies and evil minions is fun. Since the controls are easy to use, you can overcome some of the faults of the gameplay and enjoy the overall experience. And since leveling up is easily handled, despite class choices, you can basically control every aspect of what you want your character to be.

One truly great thing about the game though, is how you fight. Rather than giving you horribly dumb enemies and following up with a superior powerful boss, Sword of Mana basically does the opposite. Enemies aren t actually smart, but they come in groups and in small spaces, so you have to usually get your slices off quickly. The boss is usually easy, and is defeated using some strategy that can be thought of extremely quickly after experimenting with your options. These are some really great plusses in a game that is plagued with stupid little minuses.

Graphics

Graphically the game is pretty impressive. The map size is above average and has many different types of areas to explore, each with its own design. The artistry and backgrounds are also very impressive. Trees almost seem to sway in the actually non-existent wind, and the grass flutters as you walk by. Maybe this is just what it seems. The world seems alive with you in it, and in that way, Square has made a truly impressive game with nice graphics.

Of course, with any game, there are problems. The main problem with Sword of Mana seems to be with slow-down. If too much happens on screen, the game can slow down a bit and hinder your action. Perhaps it is because of the detail in the areas and other objects, but whatever causes it, it is extremely annoying when it happens.

Aside from that, character models are pretty average, and interior models are also hitting it with par. Nothing except outdoor environments are really great, but that does not make the game a bad game to look at.

Graphics

Some games on the Game Boy Advance have had amazing scores and superior sounds, but Sword of Mana is not one of those games. The audio of the game has its moments, and it has its down time, but most of the rest is just average.

Sounds don t usually seem right for the action that is occurring in the game. For instance, when you hit any enemy, the same sound occurs, whether using a bow, sword or any other item. And when that sound occurs, its one of those really annoyingly dull scratchy sounds that occur on some games. Whether this is due to the game, or due to the sound capabilities of the Game Boy Advance, I have no idea.

Musically, the game has some really great songs. Some music might even be memorable, but most of the score is repeated drivel that, like most of the rest of the sound, has that weird scratchy sound. If it is not memorable, then it is either repeated over and over, or just average.

Replay Value

Since you get no incentive for beating the game, except a nice ending, there is no reason to go back and play it again. The female character and the male character offer the same story, with slight alterations, but it is basically the same. If you really want to play as the other character for a difference in fighting, go ahead. Each quest should last you a good 25 hours, which is respectable for a GBA game. But sometimes it is nice to go back and play as the other fellah.

Sword of Mana is a good Action RPG that has some really good things going for it. A great story, fun moments, and some nice environments are all great plusses in a game that has way too many little minuses. If you are an RPG fan, this game is probably for you, despite the problems. I will also say that if you want to revisit a classic, you might do yourself good to check out this game, but the game has too many small problems for the average gamer to leave out.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/02/05