32 years later, what remains of Secret of Mana? – News

At the dawn of role -time role play, Squaresoft released the bridle to his imagination. In addition, Of enchanted forests in floating citadels. However, Secret of Mana was a dream of cooperative adventure, a fragile masterpiece that has become cult. Meanwhile, Written by Koichi Ishii. Nevertheless, directed with a visionary hand by Hiromichi Tanaka, the project is born from an upset ambition: Secret of Mana was to be the spearhead of the Super Nintendo CD, a record reading device developed jointly with Sony, before Nintendo turns around. For example, Forced to enter a cartridge, the game is truncated and compressed to better hold on a 16 Mbits cartridge. Moreover. Nevertheless, according to Koichi Ishii, around 40% of the initial content would have been cut, including dialogues, whole areas, and even a system of choice for branch. Similarly, It is not for nothing that 32 years later, what remains certain areas still present in the final version seem strangely empty. In addition, vestiges of evaporated content. In addition, In the same way. the “Dryad” team joins the late scenario without real introduction: a testimony of more of these restrictions. Finally. Hiroki Kikuta, game composer, had to create his songs directly from the limits of the SNES sound processor, without going through the internal square tools. Result: a rich. sometimes dissonant soundtrack but of a crazy personality, in total rupture with the more “classic” orchestrations of Nobuo UEMatsu for Final Fantasy.

You will understand: Secret of Mana Innovates. The combat system in real time, although a great attempt, is far from being reproached. Between capricious hitboxes. invincible enemies in loop and slowdowns in cooperation, Secret of Mana clearly shows the technical limits of SNES. The same goes for the management of the 32 years later, what remains menu in rings, which can quickly become laborious in full combat. Despite everything, this same interface in circular menus has a crazy charm and ultimately becomes emblematic of the series. It was actually designed by Kazuko Shibuya. home artist at Square, to minimize the need to submenus and facilitate access to multiplayer: an innovation thought both for immersion and readability.

Despite its obvious faults. the charm of Secret of Mana Above all lies in the creation of this hand painted by hand, with unprecedented continuity for the time. Indeed. the game gives the impression of walking a world thought for its coherence from A to Z, which at the time is almost science fiction. Even if, narratively speaking, Secret of Mana is a strange object. The intrigue is elliptical. the characters little talkative, and some arcs seem to be abruptly interrupted (largely because 32 years later, what remains of the cut content). And yet, it works: farewell without frills, tear-free sacrifices, the last words in the wind … There is, in this economy of words, a poetics of the unsaid that still strikes today. But at the exit, Secret of Mana is a moderate success. It was not until the 2000s. the emergence of retrogaming that it was recognized at its fair value: that of a pillar of the Japanese RPG, a game whose technological and emotional ambition will have inspired Chrono Trigger, Xenogears and many others.