Secret of Mana
Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Region: USA
Media: Cartridge
Controller: Gamepad
Genre: Role Playing Game
Gametype: Licensed
Release Year: 1993
Developer: Square Co., Ltd.
Publisher: Square Co., Ltd.
Players: 1 to 3 CO-OP
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POWER OF LIFE

My friends, I come to you today to tell you what you must know to fulfill your quest and save our world. I have little time. Long ago, when the ancient ones gew powerful and used the energy of Mana to threaten the gods, they were struck down in violence and terror. A great hero weiled the might Sword of Man to destroy the civilization of the ancient ones. After that, peace returned to our troubled world, and the Mana energy that gives life to us all was again in balance.

The Sword of Mana was buried in a rock and placed in a stream to guard a nearby village. There, it patiently rested until the day it was pulled free by you, young man. You are the one being who can release the Sword's power and restore the Mana to our once more endangered world. You have been born to seek out our enemies, who threaten the eight seeds of Mana. If they succeed in breaking the seals that guard those seeds, they will bend the power of Mana to evil and ravage our world. It is Mana that fills us and surrounds us, nourishing all life, balancing the good and evil forces of nature. If it should be twisted and overwhelmed by dark forces, most of our world would be annihilated. Whatever survived would be hideously warped be- yond recognition.

A vision has shown me that you are the ancient hero of our land, re- turned to us again in our great time of need. On the pages that follow, I wrote down all that I know. You must take this book with you as you travel, and refer to it when you forget what I say.

Seek out the eight palaces of our world. Long ago, one Mana Seed was set in each Palace and its power used to seal the Palace off from all danger. But now the forces of evil beseige the Palaces and are breaking down the seals to steal the Seeds. You must find the eight Seeds and seal their power so that you can use it. When you touch a Mana Seed, its Orb transfers to you, and you become stronger. Only then will you be able to wipe away the smear of evil that darkens our world. Do not despair, and never give up hope. Combine sword skill and magic arts. Return the Energy Orbs to the Tree of Mana and restore balance to our world.

You must succeed. Or we are all surely lost..

--From the SNES Secret of Mana instruction manual.

Overview:

Secret of Mana was another great title by Squaresoft. Almost every game they did was good. This game featured great looking graphics and fun music. I especially like the music when you first get back to town after finding the sword. This game was a mix between RPG and action just like Secret of Evermore. I really like that combo. Some people don't like the "boredom" of round based and this takes care of that without making it about how fast you can tap the button. Secret of Mana is a must play for anyone that likes RPG's. 

Directions:

The gods have charged you with finding the eight lost Seeds of the Mana Tree. They also want you to destroy the demons that are looking for them. 

Controls:

A Button - Dash
B Button - Talk/Select options from ring commands/Activate weapons
X Button - Bring up the ring commands of your allies
Y Button - Pause/Open your ring commands/Close your allies' rings
L Button - None
R Button - None
Start Button - Start
Select Button - Change charecters

Tips:

9th Sword Orb
Here is how to get the 'Mana Sword' permanently, and without a cheating device!

Fly to the ice country on Flammie and look for a small circular island off the immediate coast (trial and error are best here, but its NOT those little itty bitty ice chunks everywhere). You'll know its the right island if you are in a frozen grove with Neko surrounded by purple crystals (this looks like the same area you may encounter Neko on the way to the Ice Palace to fight Frost Gigas).

After that, Save the Game with Neko.  Immediately after, do a soft reset (L + R + Select + Start).  Start a New Game, and get to the Mantis Ant fighting as few (i.e. none) Rabites as possible. When you and Elliot take a dive into the pit, wait for him to say 'You've got a sword don't you, use it!' WHILE THIS TEXT IS ON THE SCREEN, perform another soft reset. BE SURE TO HOLD THOSE FOUR BUTTONS FOR 5+ SECONDS. I don't know why those 5+ seconds are required, but they are.  When you get back to the title screen, load the game you saved with Neko in the Ice Country. If you did the trick correctly, all three of your characters will be in the pit fighting the Mantis Ant! (If you did it wrong, you'll stare at a blank black screen and the game will freeze) Kill the weak boss (took me
one hit...), and collect your '1st' sword orb again.

Jema will pull you out and Timmy will call you to the elders house. Rather than risk a crash, call Flammie and high tail it to the nearest Watts location.

You now have the most broken weapon in Secret of Mana at your disposal, without needing to cast Mana Magic
ever again.

Final Note: This trick can be repeated if you wish, but do NOT forge your sword past level 9. The game will glitch and/or crash. You may get your Rusty Sword back, or you may corrupt your save file beyond repair.

Avoid magic attacks using pygmy hammer/Moogle belt
Whenever an enemy character casts an attack spell on you or an ally use the pygmy hammer / moogle belt on the character being attacked , do this twice before the spell animation ends and if done correctly the character will completely avoid taking any damage. This trick is especially useful when you are fighting the Mana beast.

Get back into Potos Village
If you want to get back inside the village you were banished from, you must have all 3 characters. Then walk up to the man blocking the entrance, and rapidly push the SELECT button while holding the UP button against the man. Eventually you would will push your way through him, and be back into Potos Village. Note that this trick might not work in escaping from Potos Village, so make sure you have the Flammie Drum before you attempt this.

Super Powers
This glitch allows your characters to permanently have super strength, speed, defense, or any other power from
the girl's magic menu.

Cast the spell of your choice on any single character, then immediately save your game after staying at the inn. When you restart your game, your character will have that power permanently. You can do this with as many power spells as you like, but some spells may interfere with others and cause previous powers to disappear.

Reviewer: Adrian
http://www.consoleclassix.com/snes/secret_of_mana.html
