Sword of Mana

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Sword of Mana
Sword of Mana Front cover
Developer(s) Brownie Brown
Publisher(s) Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Nintendo of America (North America)
Release date(s) JPN August 29, 2003
NA December 1, 2003
EUR March 19, 2004
Genre(s) Role-playing game
Mode(s) Single player
Rating(s) ESRB: Everyone
PEGI: 7+
OFLC: G8+
Platform(s) Game Boy Advance
Media 64 megabit cartridge

Sword of Mana (新約 聖剣伝説 Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu?, New Testament Holy Sword Legend) is an enhanced remake of the original Game Boy Seiken Densetsu (Final Fantasy Adventure) released on the Game Boy Advance in 2003.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

At the beginning of the game, the player is able to choose to play as the male lead or as the female lead, both of whom are named by the player. They each have a different quest, however the plot remains similar. Notably, the remake adapted many elements from the original game, which had their origin in Final Fantasy, and favored elements traditional to Seiken Densetsu games (for example, the chocobo was replaced by Cannon Travel). One notable exception to this are moogles, which do appear in the game. Shinyaku Seiken Densetsu was made to resemble the graphical style of Seiken Densetsu 3, but the artwork rather resembles that of Legend of Mana.

There are nine weapons, each with one of three attack traits, and its own unique look. The girl character starts out with a staff, and the boy starts out with a sword. The player quickly accumulates more weapons. There are also eight spirits to use. Each has an attack based on its element, and a support spell as well.

[edit] Combat

Sword of Mana uses a real-time combat system similar to that of The Legend of Zelda. Several weapons, such as swords, axes, spears, etc. are acquired throughout the game. Each weapon has an attack trait of either jabbing, bashing, or cutting. These attack traits help to determine damage done to enemies throughout the game. In addition to this, a deathblow gauge is included which, when full, allows a more powerful strike than normal attacks. A magical attack system is included as well, with elements such as light, fire, ground, etc., each affecting enemies in different ways.

[edit] Development

While originally it was thought that it would feature multiplayer options, the only connectivity feature implemented was the ability to trade information in order to enhance the power of characters. As the game's box information does not reflect this, a number of potential buyers were left confused.

[edit] Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The stories of both the male and female lead characters are extremely similar. In the universal plot, the main character work to prevent Dark Lord, and later Lucius, from gaining Mana Power, the lifeblood of the world. Despite the plot's significance to the story, the primary themes of the story are those of different perspectives and personal growth as an individual.

[edit] Sidekicks

Both characters get a variety of sidekicks who accompany them throughout the game. These characters may be used by the player in battle or allowed to run through programmable AI. These sidekicks are key characters of the story and often contribute significantly to character development.

[edit] References

[edit] External links


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