Sword of Mana
Enhanced remake of the first Mana series game.
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Sword of Mana is a 2003 action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and Brownie Brown and published by Square Enix and Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It is an enhanced remake of the first game in the Mana series, originally released as Final Fantasy Adventure in North America and Mystic Quest in Europe. The game was the fifth release in the Mana series and received weakly positive reviews from critics.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Square Enix / Brownie Brown
- Publisher
- JP · Square EnixNA / PAL · Nintendo
- Director
- Takeo Oin
- Producer
- Koichi Ishii
- Designer
- Koichi Ishii / Takeo Oin
- Artist
- Shinichi Kameoka / Kouji Tsuda
- Writer
- Yoshinori Kitase (original storyline) / Miwa Shoda (adaptation)
- Composer
- Kenji Ito
- Series
- Mana
- Platforms
- Game Boy Advance
- Released
- JP · August 29, 2003 · NA · December 1, 2003 · EU · March 18, 2004
- Genre
- Action role-playing
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Sword of Mana was produced by series creator Koichi Ishii and directed by Takeo Oin. The development team largely consisted of employees of Brownie Brown who had previously worked on the Mana series for Square. The game is set in a high fantasy universe and follows an unnamed hero and heroine as they seek to defeat the Dark Lord and defend the Mana Tree from enemies who wish to misuse its power. The plot was modified to allow the player to follow the parallel stories of either the hero or the heroine, with expanded backstory and dialogue from the original game.
Reader's Guide
Sword of Mana is significant as an enhanced remake that removed elements of the Final Fantasy series present in the original game while adding gameplay mechanics and artistic styles from later Mana series titles. It introduced a Ring Command menu system from Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana, a day-and-night system from Trials of Mana, and a weapon forging and orchard planting feature from Legend of Mana. The game received weakly positive reviews, with critics praising its graphics and enhancements but dismissing the plot and disliking elements such as the computer-controlled ally. It was recommended mainly to fans of the genre or the series. The original game, Final Fantasy Adventure, received a second remake in 2016 titled Adventures of Mana.
Did You Know?
- Sword of Mana was originally released in Japan as Shin'yaku: Seiken Densetsu, which translates to 'A New Testament: The Legend of the Sacred Sword'.
- The game was developed by Brownie Brown, a studio formed by former Square employees who worked on Legend of Mana.
- Sword of Mana does not have a direct multiplayer component, but features an 'Amigo' system allowing players to connect Game Boy Advances via Link Cable for powerful attacks.
- The heroine's pendant is revealed to be the key to the Mana Tree, which is later revealed to be her mother.
More in Heroes & Allies
Elsewhere in Secret of Mana
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