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[Mael]

Ah....LoM, my favourite ps1 game...
Remember the time when just hearing that a new Mana was coming wasn't a reason to flee for the hills, a time when the only reason it was called xxx of Mana was because some guy at the translation team thought it was a cool name...

I still prefer SD3, simply because I prefer Kikuta's job over Shimomura (just a lil bit even though LoM is really awesome).
The game is pretty much perfect but for 2 things :
- Why the fuck is the screen locked when you enter a fight? Why can't I flee an encounter like in all the other Mana games?
- Why does the lore not match what is presented in pretty much all the other games too?

Other than that it's really one of the most awesome game you'll ever find, from its rendition of the full metal hagger to the dragon storyline.

Not overly pretentious like some others, really charming with multiple storylines and what not.

And I didn't even delve into the crafting system (meaning that nightmare and no future are pretty much hillariously difficult).
fav moment? Unlocking Death Bringer II and fighting the dude (seriously a boss named Death Bringer is really that awesome).

Funny that it was not called SD4 when for all intent and purposes it pretty much is.
I mean it follows most of what the other games did and follow the lead of the predecessor (multiple storylines) I guess the lack of map really killed that.

Yeah I really dislike the fact that the game doesn't take place in a fixed world where you could use flammie or the cannonball guy.

It's still in another galaxy than SD4 though....

 

[jtrov]

I purchased LoM this morning, and I finally got to play it for the first time. I'm a huge SoM fan, but for some reason I never got to playing any of the sequels.

Anyway, I'm absolutely loving the sound and looks of the game. I'm playing it on my PSP and the sprite work is just gorgeous, and I'm loving the character designs so far. However, I am completely lost about what I should be doing in this game, but in a positive way. It makes me feel as though I'm understanding the world and meeting the characters, to see what I can do next.

The only thing I am worried about is where I should be placing the Artifacts I am receiving. I'm worried I'm going to screw myself in some way by placing these AF's in a wrong spot, but I don't even know if such a thing can happen.

I don't want to look up a guide on the world map placement, but should I be worried at all about this? This is probably the only fundamental part of the game where I wish I knew some information.

I got work in a few, but man, I just can't wait to dive back in. Can't believe I skipped out on this game as a kid. This game is giving me some FFIX vibes with it's fantasy lore, which I'm really enjoying.

 

[Teknoman]

Yeah thats the only thing I dont like, throwing out the need for air travel. Well that and the fact they dont really explain plunge attacks or how to level up actions very well.

So far, it seems like a SaGa game spliced with a Mana game: Taking on multiple branching quests, with the main quest most likely popping up near the end.

EDIT: Nice on some older game bosses showing up.

 

[Teknoman]

Parasite Eve style is shining through. Fighting the

Spoiler

Gorgon Eye

and it sounds just like the PE boss theme.

 

[dwin45]

Can someone tell me how to save? I go to the inn in Domina or whatever and talk to the guy to save and it just says 'no memory card'.

 

[Teknoman]

Can someone tell me how to save? I go to the inn in Domina or whatever and talk to the guy to save and it just says 'no memory card'.

PS3 or PSP?

 

[ULTROS!]

Can someone tell me how to save? I go to the inn in Domina or whatever and talk to the guy to save and it just says 'no memory card'.

Did you create a new memory card? Maybe you didn't assign a slot for it yet.

 

[Ben Morales]

Sounds like you're on PS3. PSP creates the memory card for you when you start playing. Hit the Playstation button and go to assign slots.

 

[Relix]

I *may* buy this. How does it look upscaled?

 

[jtrov]

Wowwww, this game is just soo much fun, and the music, man, just soooo goooood. I finally have my first pet, but he is pretty terrible. That probably has to do with me feeding him the wrong food, though. I'm also feeding the Tree some seeds and finally receiving items in return, but I have no clue what they're used for.

Other than that I have one question about an event that I'm unsure about.

I was in the middle of Diddle's Letter, when I ran into the pub by accident.

Spoiler

Eluziel (sp?) was in there asking about where Pearl has gone, but I couldn't get anything to activate. I went back to the pub after finishing Diddle's Letter, but he was no longer in there.

Did I miss an event, or does something happen after some time passes?

 

[itsnervedamage]

This game looks surprisingly fantastic through the PS3 on the big screen. I guess not surprising, beautiful sprite work ages well.

Now I have to decide where in my backlog queue it belongs...arg...

 

[CartridgeBlower]

So if the story is forgettable, and the combat and difficulty are ridiculously easy...is it just the graphics people respond to?

For an RPG to have a bad story and poor combat, yet still be considered good confuses me a little.

 

[BobJustBob]

So if the story is forgettable, and the combat and difficulty is ridiculously easy...is it just the graphics people respond to?

For an RPG to have a bad story and poor combat, yet still be considered good confuses me a little.

Easy combat is not poor combat. Challenge and fun are independent concepts.

 

[Utako]

Thank you for this thread. Maybe level heads will prevail and the goddamn bashing on GAF will finally end, like it eventually did for Chrono Cross.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

I uh...ehhh hmm..
The more I play this game the more intriguing it becomes.

 

[alf717]

Man I remember playing this during what Squaresoft called "The summer of adventure" (funny how that has stuck with me so long) and remember how much fun I had playing this. However I have trouble playing it for a second go. I guess this was a one time gem for me. I suppose time just does that to you.

 

[leroy hacker]

Did you get a chance to play Beyond Oasis for the Genesis? Sorta close to early Mana style imo.

Yes. In my opinion that game's mechanics are in some ways what Secret of Mana's should have been:

-Action based combat without any bugs.
-Elemental sprite based magic system that works completely in real time (unlike how the game pauses while spells are cast in Secret of Mana).

This is an Akitoshi Kawazu game right?

Nope. It's by Koichi Ishii like the other ones.

 

[ULTROS!]

I *may* buy this. How does it look upscaled?

Looks great in 720p upscaled (and the stretches are barely noticeable).

 

[kevm3]

I love what Squaresoft is doing with their PSN releases... That's one of the things they finally get. I've always wanted to own Legend of Mana, but missed it when it was out. It's nice that I'll finally have the opportunity to play. Now if only Konami would put Suikoden 2, we'll be good to go.

 

[I'm an expert]

So, I thought I'd get rid of the 12 year old bad taste in my mouth and play this game as an adult. Perhaps now I could wrap my head around the unbelievably complicated systems this game has. I went to browse some guides on the game and I came out more confused than I was when I was a kid. Land placement affects - creature difficulty, quest availability, materials availability, pet availability, frequency of certain spawns, and on top of all that is governed by an eight element value system.

The crafting system has a multitude of materials and sub-materials, elemental affinities, hidden ability slots, and requires items gotten from random events, random shops unlocked through land placement, and charming rare mobs with music for random drops. Some items for crafting are so rare that even if you follow a land placement guide perfectly, you can only get a maximum of 6 of a rare metal in one playthrough. Without the guide you'd probably bump into 0-3 of it randomly at best.

Then there's the produce growing system, the pet system, the golem creating system..

I'm seriously not trying to hate on this game. Hell, I love a good complicated min/max game. I'm a Demon's Souls fanatic. But no wonder I gave up on this game so long ago! How was I supposed to know what the hell to do in this game when I was a pre-teen?! I don't even know what the hell to do now!

I spend 5x the amount this game is worth on junk food in a day and yet I'm still afraid to pull the trigger at 6 measly dollars. It's just scary. This has to be the most hardcore game Square put out in the PSOne era..even moreso than Front Mission 3 and its internet hacking.

If anything, I remember how easy the first run through the game is before you unlocked No Future mode and that's turning me off a bit since to stand a chance in that mode I have to get familiar with all of the above.

 

[Ben Morales]

It is very daunting. I remember borrowing this game from a friend years ago and I was just confused as hell. I downloaded this a couple days ago and it's still very complicated. It's just not clicking. Looking through the FAQs, guides, message boards, etc. makes me feel like I'm studying C++ or something.

I'm gonna do what an earlier poster said and just play it like Zelda 1 and talk/explore until stuff happens. Following a guide for each quest is kinda sucking out some enjoyment for me. I really want to like it and enjoy it as much as possible because I LOVE the graphics, music, and characters! But the damn game is fighting me! ;_;

 

[16-Bit Heroics]

I absolutely loved this game when it first came out. The amazing and intricate designs of each character and world, tell a subtle story all on its own.

I still remember how shocked I was when I realized I could re-name items. At which point I re-named every sword I would wield Excalibur! Or some other equally campy name.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Beat the game.
Gonna think on it for awhile, then write a review.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Holy crap
Sorry about the land of the lost bump.
My review has been posted: http://tinyurl.com/4do4nyn

 

[I'm an expert]

Nice review. I'm glad someone spelled it out so blatantly how masochistic this game can be. It looks fluffy on the outside, but deep down it's ferocious. Unfortunately for me, I'm at a point in my gaming career where I love trophy/achievement lists. I enjoy knowing I 100% saw everything the game had to offer. Now, I always had this mentality even as a child gamer, but back then there were no lists or anything to know your progress. There was only one way - the 100% run. I did these for basically every Square game except this one. So while I get what you're saying about just enjoying the game, when the game tries SO hard to hide SO much of the content from you, I can't help but say no way I won't let that happen to me, and so I break out the guides and start studying harder than I did in school. The problem is this game isn't that good to begin with so I lose interest haha.

 

[Zeliard]

I recently downloaded Legend of Mana off the PSN Store, since I had missed it in the series. What an absolute joy it is. And I can't get over how gorgeous it looks on a 50" plasma. Beautiful colors, almost like a watercolor painting, and a great amount of detailed sprite work in every screen. Keep it in 4:3 and smoothing off; anything else is criminal.

Also recently picked up Vagrant Story, one of my favorite RPGs ever. Further reminded that, with a few exceptions, they just don't make 'em like they used to. Square especially.

Edit: Parasite Eve as well, another game I was very fond of.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

I recently downloaded Legend of Mana off the PSN Store, since I had missed it in the series. What an absolute joy it is. And I can't get over how gorgeous it looks on a 50" plasma. Beautiful colors, almost like a watercolor painting, and a great amount of detailed sprite work in every screen. Keep it in 4:3 and smoothing off; anything else is criminal.

Also recently picked up Vagrant Story, one of my favorite RPGs ever. Further reminded that, with a few exceptions, they just don't make 'em like they used to. Square especially.

Edit: Parasite Eve as well, another game I was very fond of.

I agree completely.

Being an avid Square supporter since the early 90's, I remember being really disappointed in myself for missing that whole 'Summer of Square' thing in 2000. Just too many releases and I was a broke college kid. Games like Chrono Cross and Parasite Eve 2 I would play shortly after release, but I missed out on Legend of Mana, Vagrant Story, & Threads of Fate completely.

It's been very bitter sweet playing Legend of Mana for the first time. I love it. I regret not experiencing it almost 11 years (yikes) ago.

2000 was phenomenal for that company. It was really Squaresoft's last stand before being gutted by The Spirits Within, IMO.

 

[malingenie]

I am loving this game, it is so beautiful and whimsical! I was at first worried about where to place things, making sure events where unfolding properly, etc. But then I decided to not give a crap and just experience it and it has been amazing. It feels like a collection of fairy tales ready to be discovered.

And:

Easy combat is not poor combat. Challenge and fun are independent concepts.

Bob, love your post Agree wholeheartedly, some people do equate the both though.

 

[Neki]

Can someone tell me how to multi-player in this game? I go to the inn keeper and set it to control mode but it doesn't work on the 2nd controller.

 

[Trojita]

This is one of super confusing non-linear games that always had me piqued in interest and confused. I'd add this along with Saga Frontier 1 & 2 and Omikron.

 

[Nugg]

I don't use PSN much, is there an easy trick to get this from the US store with a European PS3?

 

[Dreamer RD]

Epic game. Cant remember the story but gameplay, graphics and music were awesome. Niccolo is hilarious character. Why he is named Nikita in the artbook?

"Smile! Let the world know you're happy!"

I don't use PSN much, is there an easy trick to get this from the US store with a European PS3?

Create US account then just buy it

 

[Terra]

Great that this game has an OT!

Just rediscovering this gem on my PS1 and it is an amazing experience. The crafting/pet/golem systems make for hours and hours of gameplay. And the music is state of the art.

You can hear that it inspired the music for Xenoblade and it has the same composer.

Does anyone know what the "best" pet is? Must be some of the dragons, right?