Here’s a review that appeared on this site in May of 2005.
I really wanted to like Sword of Mana. Secret of Mana is one of my all time favorite Super NES games, and I figured that this game should be a worthy successor since it shares the ‘of Mana’ surname. Oh, how wrong can I be?
Sword of Mana was apparently released some years ago for the original Game Boy system as Final Fantasy Adventure. When it was remade and rereleased for the Game Boy Advance, it kept the original Sword of Mana name. Confused yet? If not, continue on.
There are actually two story lines in this game: one for each of the main characters. Which one you choose will determine what your perspective is watching the events of the story play out. Supposedly to get the whole story you need to play through the game with each of the characters. They even provide you with two save slots to do it.
The game is graphically similar to it’s (supposed) Secret of Mana cousin. Several of the creatures even look like they were lifted right out of the Super Nintendo game and plunked down into this one.
Levelling up in this game is a bit of a departure. You do not simply level up as the game progresses. When the time comes for you to gain a level, you choose what job you want to level up from the ones available to ‘customize’ your character. Interesting.
One of the things not explained very well in the manual or in the game is the passage of time. Every time you transition from screen to screen, part of a day will pass. When you enter the next outdoor area it will stop the action to tell what time/day it is. Every time.
You will do your adventuring either alone or with the other main character. If you are alone and run out of health points, it’s Game Over. I’m a big boy, I can accept that. If, however, you are grouped with the other protagonist and you run out of health, it’s Game Over regardless of how much health the other character has and whether or not you have Bring Back To Life items in your inventory. So if you take control of the ditzy computer controlled player who got stuck between two trees and the Artificial NonIntelligence runs your main character into the gaping maw of a Pain Elemental, it’s Game Over and you didn’t even get to see what happened.
So we have a mediocre game that would probably be a decent time-waster if it weren’t for that annoying ‘main character dies and it’s Game Over’ thing. Playing a ten or fifteen minute segment four or five times in a row because your partner got stuck behind a curve in the path and couldn’t heal you grossly extends this game beyond fun and into the realm of tedious.
Game Name: Sword of Mana
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Purchased from: Toys ‘R’ Us
Amount of money I wasted on it: $6.42
One word summary: Brain-Lock