Sword of Mana GBA Review

My rating for the game: 9/10

This game is actually loosely based on the SNES game, Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3. Its a nice remake with the classic Ring Menus and the Lil' Cactus.

I have to say, though, lovely graphics. I'd say it has one of the best GBA RPG graphics. The graphics look just a little bit similar to Golden Sun though. The title art is simply fabulous! The character sprites are pretty good; the faces that display with each message are also great. I do have to admit, however, some of the bigger monsters' (such as the bosses) damageable areas look a little disconnected. Still, overall, it has really nice graphics.

The sound is also good, some of the music gets on my nerves, though... Although sometimes I don't really pay much attention to the background music. The sound effects are nice too, they don't sound too fake. But anywho, how am I supposed to know what a flail sounds like in real life?

What I like about Action RPGs are that they can really capture you. Something about getting to actually control the characters and not just telling them what to do. The characters are actually kinda fun to level up, it's not too hard or anything.

There are also many side quests, collections and fun combinations in this game. The side quests vary from "Get me x amount of something" to "Hand out x amount of leaflets". Some of them involve killing certain monsters and getting their rare loot. That gets annoying sometimes, expecially with the "Shiny Knight" quests. It's always fun to finish a collection, in this case, its popoi notes, (your notebook thingy containing hints) to Lil' Cactus diaries. (He/she writes in his/her diary thingy, which looks like a stack of leaves, after you finish a quest or complete a certain part of the game.) Completing a collection gives you a nice feeling of "Well Done!"

Popoi notes, by the way, can be gained by talking to certain people or seeing certain events. Beware though, some quests/notes are well hidden. It is recommended that you take a look at a Quest Guide or FAQ somewhere.

The plot was okay in the beginning, although it kind of reminds me of the Breath of Fire I intro. It is sometimes a bit clichÃ© though, but, then again, what RPG isn't. Oh, except Earthbound, but we're not talking about that right now. For the most part, your enemy is the Dark Lord, but I won't spoil much right now.

I've always liked the battle systems in Action RPGs. I especially like the magic system in this one. Instead of simply targeting your enemies, like in the old Secret of Mana, your attack magic (there is attack and assist for each element) will react in pretty much the same way the weapon you're wielding will. For example, the character spins around using the sickle, so the attack magic when you're wielding the sickle will follow somewhat the same course as the sickle.

There is one thing that I kind of dislike. I think the bosses seem kind of easy compared to the older Secret of Mana games. Also, I don't like the immunity system. There is too much that a monster is resistant to, I mean, having a couple monsters that take no damage from one element or little damage from one or two weapons is fine. But I just think there is too much immunity in this game.

Bonus marks:

Two Bonus Marks for Popoi's notebook, which has a map of the places you've visited, contains monster information, has notes that you can collect and your "Amigos", which is something you can only obtain by connecting with another GBA with the same game.

Two Bonus Marks for The Hot House, which holds Lil' Cactus, Trent, the tree that takes seeds from you (that monsters drop) and grow fruits or vegetables with it. Also, you can forge your weapon there, provided that you have a fruit or vegetable (fruit for the armor and vegetable for weapons I think) and a material, such as oak wood, menos bronze and the original item you want to forge. Depending on your material and fruit/veggie choice, your item's stats will increase or gain an element.

Overall:

Graphics: 9/10 Wow! Simply... wow!

Sound: 8/10 Pretty good!

Gameplay: 8.5/10 Fun! Also has a bit of replay value. Though the bosses are a bit easy...

Plot: 8/10 It's pretty good...

Battle System: 8.5/10 Like the actual battle system. Immunities are a pain, though...

+2 for Popoi and +2 for Hot House

Total: 9/10