****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
(Note: this review was written by the son of the owner of this account, which was utilized primarily for the prime shipping.)The collection of Mana is (as implied by its very title) a compilation title containing the first three games in the "Mana" (or Seiken Densetsu aka Legend of the Holy Sword) series, with the third entry, Trials of Mana, being released in the West for the first time having been previously exclusive to Japan (and emulation users). The Mana series, like Final Fantasy, is generally unconnected between the entries with the only consistencies being the series themes of a Mana Sword, a Mana Tree, a Mana Goddess, and an everlasting fight against the forces who wish use the power of Mana for their own diabolical means. What makes this series unique besides its themes are its gameplay stylings which, back in the early 90's, were flag bearers in the Action-RPG genre. All actions happen in real-time, but time can be paused via the menus (which utilized a ring/clock-esque user interface) in order to assign items to use, weapons to equip, and magic to utilize.The only exception to these general rules in the first game, Final Fantasy Adventure, which was the progenitor of the gameplay loop that would be later on improved and perfected by later installments such as Secret and Trials. Adventure (first remade in the early 2000s as Sword of Mana, and later with a more 1-1 remake called Adventure of Mana for PS Vita, IOS, and Android) plays similar to Zelda, with the special system being that the longer you wait and let the bar at the bottom charge, the stronger your attacks will be. Besides this, the main character gains experience and money like a regular RPG but moves and attacks in real-time. For the time, the story is a tragic tale about a boy's struggle against an evil empire and how the people of the lands are adversely effected by the Empire's desire to control the life force of the land, the Mana itself, and the magic it fuels as well to solidify their grip on the populace. While somewhat basic today, the story beats are still impactful and can even lead to excitement for those who continue on through the series to the first remake, Sword of Mana.The second installment is arguably the most well known, lauded, and celebrated in the series: Secret of Mana. Released two years later on the Super Nintendo (and after numerous development changes and issues, having been originally envisioned as a more action-based Final Fantasy 4, before being renamed Chrono Trigger, and finally Seiken Densetsu 2/Secret of Mana. Special props go to Nasir Gebelli who ensured it was programmed properly.), Secret of Mana tells a similar tale to its predecessor, about a small group against an evil Empire, but this time players are not alone or accompanied by temporary companions, going through the adventure together with a girl and a Sprite child. The transition from the Gameboy original to the SNES provided an ample boost to the technological side of the game series, introducing the Ring/Clock-esque menu u.i. Along with a gorgeous and vibrant pallet for players to visually enjoy as they play. Besides that, weapons are individually upgraded and acquire unique side effects which make most of the weapons useful in their own way. As stated before, it does follow a similar set of story beats as the first game, but it isn't afraid to put in its own unique contributions, from the surprise at the start to even fighting a certain jolly fat man in the artic. It has something of a more casual tone, but it does have its serious story beats within it.Lastly, we come to what can be argued is the star of the collection despite how beloved Secret is: Trials of Mana. Released only in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 3 in 1995, the collection marks the first official way that Western gamers (and others of course) can play the game, though an unofficial English translation did exist in emulation circles (which was the only way people who did not understand Japanese could play it for a long time). Trials was hyped for years following Secret of Mana's release, first being hinted in Nintendo Power as "Secret of Mana 2" before simply never being mentioned again for English speaking/reading gamers. This taste of "what could've been" and what little they could gleam of its reception in Japan led to a dedicated fan base who, when SNES emulation was made easier and roms could be decompiled and looked at, immediately went to work to translate it for all to enjoy. The hype and praise for it couldn't have been more well-earned due to the quality of the game, which improved just as much on Secret as that did on Adventure. Starting off, visually you can finally see the true aesthetic that the series would take on and maintain to this day in its graphics, further refining from the more cartoony sprites of Secret to what can be called the "Mana aesthetic" which looks fantastic to this day due to how high quality the work is. Second, unlike Secret, you have six characters you can choose from, all of which have their own unique story beats and (depending if you chose someone who has similar beats such as Duran and Angela or Charlote and Kevin, or if you just chose three characters unrelated to each other then the story will focus on the main character you chose at the start) abilities. You will have a three person party like Secret, but can choose who you'd like to have by your side like Duran the Warrior, Kevin the beast man, Angela the sorcerer princess, etc. But unlike Secret and Adventure, you no longer have to wait for the bar to fill up to attack at full power, you always will attack at full power and now, the bar represents a special bar which, when filled, will let your controlled character attack with a unique attack. Besides the gameplay, the story will follow a general "stop bad guys from misusing Mana" but the foes you face and the story beats you witness will be unique depending on who you chose at the start: Duran and Angela face the Darkshine Knight and the Scarlett Wizard, Hawkeye and Reisz face Isabella, and Kevin and Charlotte face off against the Deathjester, all with their own unique bosses and end boss.Besides the games themselves, the collection adds some special features to help cover the older design aspects in these games, with quick saves and loads for player convenience, language settings, game versions to choose, and display choices as well. Alongside these welcomed features, comes one addition that will certainly delight: soundtrack listening. You don't have to beat the games nor even go into the games themselves, just select the game you want to listen to and press X to listen to the legendary OST's of the Mana series which, no matter if it was on the Gameboy or Snes, were high quality and enjoyable to listen to.I cannot state enough how fantastic these games are and, though 40 dollars may seem pricey for three older games, these games and the experiences they give are more than worth the price for admission.
