Secret of Mana

Lore & Background

Secret of Mana follows three heroes—a boy, a girl, and a sprite—as they attempt to prevent an empire from conquering the world with the power of an ancient flying fortress. The game is set in a high fantasy world where an ethereal energy source called mana was exploited by an ancient civilization to build the Mana Fortress. The story begins when the hero pulls a rusty sword from a stone, unleashing monsters and beginning a quest to re-energize the Mana Sword by visiting eight Mana Temples. The party is pursued by the Empire, manipulated by the sorcerer Thanatos, who seeks to possess a suitable body and seize control of the Mana Fortress.

Reader's Guide

Secret of Mana received acclaim for its brightly colored graphics, expansive plot, Ring Command menu system, and innovative real-time battle system. Critics also praised Hiroki Kikuta's soundtrack and the customizable artificial intelligence settings for computer-controlled allies. Retrospectively, it has been considered one of the greatest games of all time by critics. The game was re-released on Virtual Console for Wii in 2008 and Wii U in 2013, as an enhanced version on multiple mobile platforms between 2009 and 2019, on Switch as part of Collection of Mana in 2017 and 2019, and was remade in 3D in 2018 for PlayStation 4, Vita and Windows. The remake saw mixed reviews, with many faulting its lack of gameplay improvements and reworked graphics. Its cooperative multiplayer system, allowing up to three players via the Super Multitap accessory, was innovative for its time.

Did You Know?

• Secret of Mana was the first Seiken Densetsu title marketed as part of the Mana series rather than the Final Fantasy series.
• The game features a Ring Command menu system that pauses the action to allow decisions in battle.
• The cooperative multiplayer system allows a second or third player to drop in and out at any time.