Square’s Final (Fantasy) Game
The year was 1985 and Square Co., Ltd. was beginning to develop their most ambitious video game yet. They had insider knowledge from Nintendo that they would release a new add-on for their Famicom that greatly expanded the system’s possibilities, and Square wanted to make something that could only work for this hardware. So, headed by Kazuhiko Aoki, a development team began working on what would become the most visionary JRPG ever made. This team was called the Disk Original Group, or DOG. In early 1987, Koichi Ishii joined the team as a designer. He had to redevelop the narrative and setting of the game after the original plans fell through. Ishii developed a world where a central tree that provided protection to the world was under threat by evil forces, and only a legendary sword could be used to save it. The game included Action-RPG exploration and combat, four-person parties with three members being controlled by AI, twenty recruitable characters, and one grand mission to obtain the Sword of Legend: The Excalibur. The project began advertising in Famitsu under the name Seiken Densetsu: The Emergence of Excalibur. It would've come on five separate game disks, making it the largest Famicom game ever made. It was going to be released in 1987.But, alas, the game wasn't to be. The project was too grand, and Square didn't have the resources to fully develop it. Square was bleeding money in the early 80s, and by 1987, they didn’t have the teams or the capital to make anything beyond a few titles a year. This project hurt Square a ton as they had already invested so much into the design before its cancellation. They were on the verge of bankruptcy. It also hurt because Square had to refund the hundreds of preorders for the game they had made through Famitsu, costing them even more money. Interestingly, the refund letters mentioned that fans may want to preorder the next game, Final Fantasy on the Famicom.
After that, the rest is history. Final Fantasy quickly sold over 500,000 copies in Japan, more than double what Square thought they could sell. They rebounded and avoided bankruptcy entirely. The series saved the company and remains their most profitable property to this day. But what about Seiken Densetsu? Would the DOG’s work go in vain? Well, in 1990, Square was in a far better place than it was three years ago. Koichi Ishii wanted to return to his original ideas for Seiken Densetsu. Still, the executives wouldn’t let him make a game unless it was tied back to Final Fantasy. So the first game in the Seiken Densetsu series, or Legend of the Holy Sword, was titled Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden and released in early 1991. The game was released as Final Fantasy Adventure in the United States and as Mystic Quest in Europe.
Despite being only a spinoff on the Gameboy, Final Fantasy Adventure was a success. The game sold well and helped establish Seiken Densetsu as its own series while still being a subsidiary of the Big FF.
The Day Fa’Diel Stood Still
The lad survives and meets a young girl crying over a dying man. The man is Hassim, another Gemma Knight, who tells the hero to take the girl, Fuji, to Bogard. Sumo agrees to help, and Fuji tags along. Bogard is a hermit who doesn’t want to help. He tells the pair that if they really want to save the world, only the sage Cibba in Wendel will know what to do. They make it to Wendel, but not before Fuji is kidnapped by a at Kent Manor by its mysterious host named Mr. Lee. Sumo needs a mirror to prove that the master is a vampire, so a mysterious Red Mage tags along to help find one. Getting the mirror, Sumo goes back to the manor and fights off Mr. Lee’s bat-monster form. After winning the battle and with no bite marks around her neck, Fuji goes with Sumo to Wendel where they meet Cibba. It is then revealed that Fuji is the last member of the Mana clan, a spiritual mage clan dedicated to protecting the Mana Tree. Suddenly, the Red Mage reveals himself to be Julius in disguise, only helping Sumo to get closer to Fuji. He kidnaps her so that he can use her magic to get to the tree.
He lives in a castle, is a vampire, is in a Gameboy game with Adventure in the title, and is about to die to a chain whip. Yeah, he's Dracula.
Defeated, Sumo begins a new quest to save Fuji. Teaming up with a reinspired Bogard, they infiltrate the Dark Lord’s airship to rescue the Mana girl. However, Sumo can only grab her pendant before Julius casts him off the flying ship. He wakes up in Menos, the hometown of Amanda, who stole the pendant while Sumo slept. She hoped to offer it to Davias, an evil mage who turned her brother, Lester, into a parrot. However, Davias still won’t reverse the spell on her brother, so she asks Sumo to join her in her last hope. It is said that tears from a medusa can turn back any transformation. However, no one has come back from the Medusa Lair alive. At the end of the cave, the pair fight the monster. After winning the battle but with bite marks around her neck, Amanda will soon turn into a medusa, and Sumo has to kill her to prevent this. She weeps, giving him tears. Returning to Davias, Sumo overpowers the mage but is dismayed to learn that Davias gave the pendent to the Dark Lord. It turned out that the pendant contained the magic necessary to gain access to the tree. So, Sumo returns to the Glaive Empire, rescues Fuji again, and kills the Dark Lord. However, the tale isn't over, as Julius mind controls Fuji, and she joins him at to the Mana Tree.
It is a rather somber ending for a Gameboy game. As the credits roll, Sumo travels the world, revisiting the people who helped him along the way. Eventually, the game ends with a tiny sprout of the Mana Tree.
A Human Work
The gameplay of Final Fantasy Adventure is pretty simple. Sumo uses whatever weapon he has equipped with the A button and can equip items and spells to the B button. Items can not be used in menus and must be used in the field. Sumo also uses HP and MP, just like most RPG protagonists.Spells are learned from books, which Sumo is given throughout the story or finds in dungeons. For example, Fuji gives him the Cure book before she is kidnapped by Mr. Lee.
When he levels up, Sumo can focus his stat growth into four stats: Stamina, Power, Wisdom, and Will. Stamina improves health points and defense, Power improves attack strength, Wisdom improves magic points and spell strength, and Will is a special stat.
At the bottom of the screen is the Will meter. It fills very slowly but accelerates with every point in the Will stat. When it is complete, Sumo can perform a unique deathblow for each type of weapon. However, it will return to zero if Sumo uses an ordinary attack, spell, or item. As such, it is best to wait a couple seconds if the player wants to make the best out of boss fights.
Sumo can equip three pieces of armor: a helmet, a torso piece, and a shield. The helmets and torso pieces improve the general defense, but the shield reduces damage from projectile attacks. The best shield in the game, the Aegis Shield, negates all damage. Sumo can also equip weapons throughout the quest that not only can improve his attack strength but can also change his special attack and have field uses such as the axes being used to cut down trees, or the flails can latch to connecting poles.
The items acquired throughout the story tend to be one-time-use items that can be thrown out without much disregard after their use. Expendable items can also be used to heal Sumo’s wounds, cure status ailments, break hidden doorways, and open locked doors.
At times, Sumo will be accompanied by another NPC. They aren’t very competent. If they can attack, they will usually throw knives or magic in random directions as they seemingly meander in whatever room they are in. Luckily, they can’t be injured. The menu has an option to ask for help from the NPC. Some characters, like Fuji, can heal you, but others are like Lester, who can only change the field music.
Lilliputian Additions
This game has a lot of funny details that aren’t too significant but I have to bring them up because I think they’re comical to go unmentioned.MOOGLE is a status ailment that turns Sumo into a Moogle. Sumo cannot attack or use items or spells in this state, and his defense stat drops considerably. The game includes an item called Moogle that should remove the ailment. However, since items can only be used on the field and Moogles can't use items, the cure is completely useless. I bought one anyway and kept it in my inventory for the entire game, though. Because I thought it was funny.
One spell learned by Sumo is Ice. Using it shoots out an icicle that will turn an enemy into a snowman if they are hit. Most spells have an item equivalent in case the player runs out of MP. However, Ice has two: Frost and Blizz. I have no idea why there are two of them, as they both do the exact same thing. From what I’ve read, some believe this is a cut spell remnant.
You can be killed by the explosion of the dying bosses.
So that’s fun.
Sometimes, your accompanying NPC will walk over impassable gaps, onto lava, or over rocks. None of these are supposed to be possible except for walking on lava, which should hit you with enough damage to kill a low-leveled Sumo. However, the NPCs aren’t bothered because they are too stupid to be.
The game includes a lot of references to Final Fantasy. Some of the bosses are the Four Fiends from the first game, Moogles, a Chocobo is used for transportation, all of the spells are white and black magic from the first game, and most of the NPCs’ sprites are from Final Fantasy III and IV. Even the game’s MacGuffin, the Excalibur, is a recurring sword in the series. In general, the game really is deserving of the subtitle Final Fantasy Gaiden as it is something that holds it back to this day. The Seiken Densetsu series couldn’t bloom into a franchise of its own until the sequel.
Introjection of a Series
The game’s goal was to make Final Fantasy Adventure into a Mana game, not a Final Fantasy game. A couple years back, several members of Square who worked on the Mana series had left Square to form their own studio, Brownie Brown Inc. As such, Square hired the studio to be the leading developer of the project, with Ishii returning as producer to preside over the development.
Splitting of the Franchises
The game removed as many elements from Final Fantasy as it could. Chocobos and moogles were gone, the spells followed the Mana standard, the character designs were redone with most having completely new designs, the map design was more like Mana, and the accompanying NPCs have the AI system shown off in Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana. All of it was redone in some capacity or another to make a wholly new game that was unlike the original. But most notably, Sumo was no longer the protagonist. Now, when starting up a game, you can select to play as either the hero or heroine, who have new names: Duke and Elena, respectively.Interestingly, leveling up does not require focusing on a stat but instead focusing on a class. There are six classes on the level-up screen, allowing the player to select either Warrior, Monk, Magician, Sage, Thief, or Random. Leveling up a class will give the character stats that are stereotypical of the job. Leveling up in multiple classes will eventually unlock combination classes like Paladin or Necromancer. This new system is similar to what appears in Trials of Mana.
Will is no longer a stat. Instead, a meter at the bottom of the screen builds with every attack. This is the Deathblow Meter, and when it is filled, the playable character holds the A button to use a deathblow, similar to Final Fantasy Adventure. This is arguably better than the first game since deathblows can now be stored and more are uniform. Your NPC can also use deathblows too, and they will make sure to use them against every small and weak enemy they see as opposed to the bosses.
There is now a day and night cycle. Each day of the week is aligned with one of the spirits. Magic from that spirit will be stronger that day. Some enemies, like the rabites, will be asleep at night while others will only appear in it. Also, sleeping at an in will not only progress to the next day but will award the BEST status condition which generally improves a character’s performance for the day.
The menus are completely redone in the ring-based style that Mana is known for.
You can collect your friends in this game. To collect one, there is an option on the title screen called ‘COMMUNICATION.’ By connecting two copies of Sword of Mana, the players will register each other as ‘amigos’ in each other’s game. Amigos allow you to access the Summon System. You are given the Amigo Whistle with your first amigo, which allows you to use summon magic with the more amigos you have, giving you more spells to use. Of course, I couldn’t use any of the summons when I played the game. Not only because I was playing an emulated copy. Pero porque no tengo amigos. Which means ‘but because I have no friends’ for all of you who flunked out of 5th grade Spanish class.
Weaving a Story 2: elena stage
Of course, all the changes weren’t just for the gameplay. The entire story was completely revamped and expanded upon, alongside adding lore to the game that aligns it with the rest of the Mana series. Naturally, the story wouldn’t work if Elena was even half of the damsel-in-distress that Fuji was. So, some rewriting was done to give her more agency in the story. For example, she isn’t kidnapped by Mr. Lee (renamed to Count Lee, which makes more sense). She simply woke up before Sumo did and began exploring the Vampiric lair on her own. Also, they had a little fun creating symmetry with scenes for Duke and Elena.A scene with two perspectives.
However, the most significant difference to the story, and the biggest upset to all lore in the Mana series, is Lord Granz. He shows up in the backstory of both protagonists. At first, he rescues Elena from the Dark Lord’s attack on the Mana Village. However, he appears several times in the story as a corporeal form to guide the heroes. He shows up at the end of the Mana Temple to give Duke the Sword of Mana, unlike Fuji’s mother in Final Fantasy Adventure.
While his presence is minimal. His impact is grand. For example, the Glaive Empire was renamed to the Granz Region, with Lord Granz being the father to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord’s actual name is Stroud, the same one as the antagonist from Dawn of Mana. Not only that, but Stroud has a brother named Davias who goes under his own pseudonym, Devius, and is the same mage who tormented Amanda. Their mother, and the former wife of Lord Granz, is Medusa. This time, the medusa isn’t just an infectious monster but an individual. She is heavily implied to be either related to or is Anise, the overarching antagonist of several other Mana games. Also, Medusa is a Malvole, a demon from the underworld of Malvolia. This makes her children Part-Malvole and reveals that Malvolia exists in Sword of Mana, and there are many Mavoles in the game. Such as Julius, who in this story is actually the son of Emperor Vandole, the antagonist of Secret of Mana, because this game is established to be the sequel to it. Now, in Sword of Mana, the emperor is using his son’s name as a disguise to manipulate Stroud.
Not only has Mr. Lee recently gotten a promotion, but he's also got no time for women.
The lore runs deep, and the connections to other games in the series are mainly hinged on Lord Granz and his terrible family. It also doesn’t help that none of this would make sense if you don’t have a lick of knowledge about the Mana series. But if you want a simplification, Lord Granz was added to the remake and is either directly or indirectly related to most of the antagonists from other games the series. Trust me, most of this was only hinted towards in the game, and delving into fan wikis was the only way I could make sense of half of this. I haven't even talked about half of the new connections this game has made. But one thing for certain is that Sword of Mana did exactly as Brownie Brown intended to do: connect the story of Final Fantasy Adventure to the rest of its brethren.
Square Enix’s Dilemma
Square Co., Ltd., by then renamed Square Enix, has always loved Mana. Sure, it’s not Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, but it is still an undeniably valuable pillar of their business. Like any important product, they want to ensure customers can buy it anytime, anywhere. When producer Masaru Oyamada realized that the silver anniversary was coming up and there was no way for fans to play the first game on any modern hardware, he decided to do something about it. Of course, they could have just released the games in an emulated collection for the 25th anniversary, but Oyamada was concerned that that wouldn’t be appropriate for the franchise’s forebearer. So what would Square Enix do? Should they just release a collection of Mana games or remake Final Fantasy Adventure for the second time? They went with both.Adventures of Mana was released in 2016 for the series’ anniversary, and Collection of Mana was released the following year. You see, the whole point of the game was to be a way to play Final Fantasy Adventure on modern consoles. What are modern consoles, according to Oyamada? Android phones, iPhones, and the PS Vita. Yeah, cell phones and a failing handheld. Of course, that’s a bit unfair to say. The Vita was far more successful in Japan than it was in the West, where it received the negative perception of a neglected Nintendo 3DS wannabe. Plus, Oyamada justified the cellphone versions with one simple fact: millions of gamers have video game consoles or computers, but billions of ordinary people have cell phones. So, if you want to ensure everyone can play the first in the series, why not release it on the same platform as Flappy Bird, Angry Birds, or any other avian-based mobile games?
Yes, the icons are big so your sausage fingers can tap them on your little cell phone. Thankfully, the gameplay takes up barely any space in the UI.
Adventures of Mana was released worldwide on February 4th, 2016.
Fourth Seiken Densetsu
This is technically the fourth version of Seiken Densetsu and the third remake. Despite having so much history behind it, this game is boring, and there isn’t much to write about it. There are three reasons for this. The first is that this article has already detailed the Mana games heavily, which leaves nothing much to say about this one. The second reason is that I had no way to play this game properly.The game is still being sold today on the digital storefronts for $14, which is 15 more dollars than I own. I also don’t have a Vita and used copies are hard to find. So, the only option I had was emulation. I have nothing that can emulate iOS or Android apps, so I could only stake my hope in the PS Vita emulator, Vita3k. Vita3k is still under active development, and for good reason, as only half of the reported titles are functional. Guess which half Adventures of Mana resides in. The game is rendering correctly and has no graphical problems. However, with every screen transition, the game flips a coin. Heads, and it acts normal. Tails, and it crashes immediately. I could only get as far as the scene at the waterfall, which is five minutes into the game. Thankfully, there is a continue option that loads an autosave, but the game is guaranteed to crash when Sumo fell down the waterfall. Besides, I saw all I needed to in that time. Which leads to the third problem with this game. It is just Final Fantasy Adventure.
Seeing as this is where the game ends for me, I can only assume that in this version, Sumo's fall has a more realistic ending.
Ambivalence
The only significant facts about it are that the game is 3D, it features some accessibility features, and the touch screen can be used to fully control Sumo. Of course, if you don’t care about 3D remakes, this game is even worse than bad—it is boring. Even the art style is trying to look like the first game’s, but I can’t help but feel like it is missing the charm.From heart, to vibrant, to meh.
Adventures of Mana is the youngest child in the family. It is constantly being compared to its old siblings, and every comparison awkwardly shows how it is nothing new and not nearly as successful.
Ironically, the game is only further buried by the two games that came after it. Not only did Collection of Mana gain more notoriety for being the first time Seiken Densetsu 3 was released outside of Japan, but Secret of Mana also got a 3D remake for the same platforms as Adventures of Mana alongside console and PC versions. In a way, Adventures of Mana was made as a test to see if audiences would be receptive to a remake of that. While Secret of Mana was released in 2018, it was notably more lampooned than the previous remake for featuring terrible sound design, lousy voice acting, and poorly translated 2D to 3D art. This is despite the fact that Adventures of Mana and Secret of Mana are developed by the same team, MCF, and are practically the same: a direct 3D remake of the original.
The Beginning and the End, or ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’
If you have to play any Mana game after this, let it be Sword of Mana. It is the best of the three games talked about and one of the most beautiful games to have ever come out for the GBA. If you are looking for something more modern, try Visions of Mana, the latest in the series. It is a love letter to everything that came before it and is arguably the best Mana game in a decade.Talking about Visions of Mana, Masaru Oyamada also produced that game since he took up the mantle of series producer after Koichi Ishii left Square Enix. Ishii got to direct Square’s first MMORPG Final Fantasy XI before he went to join Grezzo Co., Ltd. He’s been working with them ever since and even got to act as the general manager for both of the Legend of Zelda games made by the company. Brownie Brown continued to work on RPGs, notably being the developer behind Mother 3. They have since been renamed to 1-UP Studios and still make RPGs to this day.
In 2021, Ishii was interviewed by Square Enix, and one of the questions asked was what he wanted fans to know about the Mana series. To which he replied, “The Mana series sets itself apart from other Square Enix series such as FINAL FANTASY and SaGa, in the way it continues to undertake new challenges, and present values and ways of playing that connect to future ideas. It’s an eccentric title… …I think of the Mana games as being the culmination of my desire to express my gratitude to all those who supported me - and to live up to their expectations.” If you ask me, he is right. I described Visions of Mana as a love letter and for good reason. Despite road bumps like Adventures of Mana, the series always seems happy to be alive and to make fans smile. So, play one of the games, and maybe you’ll be a fan of them, too.
Take Care of Yourself
Thank you to all the fans who worked hard to make the Wiki of Mana.I would also like to thank Nerrel, one of those "YouTuber" people. Not only did he introduce me to the franchise with his review of Collection of Mana and Secret of Mana but the thumbnail to the video was so funny to me that I ripped it off for the title of this video.
But most of all, I want to thank you. Yes, you, the one reading this. I began making this series simply because I wanted a subject to write about and somehow it has lasted more than two articles. The reason I've continued doing this is because of the support that everyone has given.
Also, since you've been such a good boy, I'll let you in on a little secret. All of the section titles are inspired by episode titles in Neon Genesis Evangelion. It started with the first one because I wanted something that referenced Final Fantasy in the title as well as Square's bankruptcy. I realized that it was similar to the titles of the Evangelion Rebuild Quadrilogy and decided to make a game out of every possible section title. Why? The same reason for the Moogle item, I love to have fun doing stupid things.
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