Secret of Mana
The most overrated SNES gameGenre: adventure - overhead
Publisher: Squaresoft
Year: 1993
System: SNES
Gameplay Score: 3
Gameplay Notes:
Toes the line between adventure and RPG. Actually, this game is firmly in the RPG genre but it looks and plays like an adventure game so I'm leaving it here to be compared with Zelda. That said, it is one of the grindiest RPG games I've ever come across. Leveling up your characters AND all 8 weapons and how ever many magics is an absolute chore. I get that it's not entirely necessary to get all weapons and magics powered up for all three characters, but it's there and the completionist in me must do it! And that makes me angry at this game. There's also the oft-maligned 20% draw distance problem. I think it's there because of the 3P multiplayer feature but still...it's unbelievably annoying. Also, the utterly incomprehensible hitboxes of enemies and random attack results are infuriating. Combat is a chore in this game. Still, movement is crazy fast so backtracking isn't as annoying as it is in most adventure titles.
Level Design Score: 4
Level Design Notes:
Simple, mostly-linear levels make it easy to find your way around, even without a map. Sign posts help you find your way around as well. Biomes are unique and memorable. The only downside is the complete lack of puzzles. The game is just a series of fetch quests and the aforementioned grinding. There's some nice variety in where you perform these activities, but it's still just a lot of the same things going on.
Theme Score: 4
Theme Notes:
Typical King Arthur mythos with a kid pulling a sword from a stone and then needing to save the world. Also, it's an RPG with only three playable characters and minimal character development. However, the presentation is top-notch.
Art Style Score: 5
Art Style Notes:
Beautiful pixel art. An overuse of bright, pastel colors.
Audio Score: 5
Audio Notes:
Some of the very best music on the SNES. There are couple of awful songs but 95% are stone cold classics that I could listen to while working. Fear Of The Heavens Phantom And A Rose - haunting Into The Thick Of It and The Color Of The Summer Sky- the most chill exploring music ever
Overall Score: 74
Review ID: 485
No comments:
Post a Comment