The big problem with the re,skew graphics is that it lacks the texture detail that the SNES version has that makes the world feel “rustic” and provincial. The SNES version’s buildings and signs are clearly painted, but the pain has flecked away after years of weathering. It’s part of what sells the fact that this world has been lived in for ages. Even the trails in the SNES version are meant to look worn away by use.

There's an interesting gameplay discussion to be had about a change they made to bosses. In the original, most bosses had "hurt" expressions where they were invulnerable to physical attacks but could still be hit by magic, which meant people usually spammed magic since it did more damage anyway without a charge bar and you didn't have to wait for the boss to be vulnerable again. In this version, I didn't notice any boss being invulnerable after a hit, and some bosses that used to float around for a while or hide out of sight for a long time like the snakes and vampires no longer do so (or much less so). This means all 3 characters can beat the crap out of them constantly, making magic less of a "required spam" but also making bosses die much much faster. Some bosses even perpetually go into their "hurt" expressions several times in a row if you keep hitting them, such that they never attack and you don't even need to use magic at all. It's a small change in theory, but it destroyed the challenge of the game for the most part. It was disappointing watching several streamers who loved the original get nervous about facing the infamous gatekeeper that was Spiky Tiger only to kill it in <15 seconds because all 3 characters could chain their attacks now.

Your reviews are still the best.

I loved the original clay model style marketing and instruction manual art. I wonder how cool it would have been if they had done the game graphics like that. Would have given it a Dark Crystal vibe :)

0:16

Just a note about the shortcuts for magic and items. It doesn't seem to work in multiplayer. Probably, because it would be annoying if a friend forced your character to use a spell and so on.

I'm currently playing the game. It has some little things that they need to patch up but overall I'm liking it. Very good game. Loving my experience with it.

Though I disagree and loved the remake, you guys still do the best reviews in town.

I will pick this up on a sale. I really like the look of this game.

I remember having such a good time with this game over at a friends house back on the SNES. I think it was such a mindblowing experience that you could both CO-OP AND fight in real time (vs. screen breaks and turn based battles) that we were use to in Final Fantasy. It was an amazing couch game. I think it paved the way, but a remake is not going to be great since most games have built and improved on these systems since then. Thanks again for the great review :)

I'll finally get to check out this game... on the SNES Mini!

I would love to see this on the switch

going to cop this for my daughter

This review is spot on!

The new scoring system is so much better. Great review, as always.

Ah… Secret of Mana! Everytime someone mentions my beloved classical golden age JRPG, a sprite gets its wings!

When did they change to number scores?

Another great review by Brandon Jones. Honestly the rest of the allies need to step up. Brandon is single-handedly churning out review after review.

1:10

It sounded like you said “Secret of Mono” at first, which is would admittedly be a very, very different game.