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Hearing David talk about the games that made him is always a treat. Hearing the nostalgic joy is great. I was never a huge fan of the Mana series but it’s great to hear him reminisce. Thanks, David!

Two things: Your mother hit the jackpot and i also like Calvin & Hobbes! good for you Dave!

OG Secret of Mana brings back memories. The Wind Never Ceases will always be one of my favorite RPG tracks. The Trials of Mana remake was so good, wish the Secret of Mana received the same treatment.

For years now I've had a theory that the Seiken Densetsu games are actually the fairy tales that parents in the Final Fantasy multiverse would tell their children before bed, which is why Moogle is always present as a status ailment, since they're considered myths in almost every Final Fantasy game where they exist lol I know that probably isn't the case, but it's fun to think about :-)

The Mana series really has been one of my favorite series ever since The Legend of Mana for the PS1. Just like the DQ Series, It just had a charm that made the series as beautful as it is to this day. In my opinion, Dawn of Mana and Heroes of Mana are my least faves, cause of the tedious gameplay and it just didn't work for me. The Legend of Mana, Sword of Mana are a couple of my personal favorites cause I just end up crying everytime I play them. Legend of Mana especially, cause it's the second RPG game besides Alundra/FFIV that made me decide to become an RPG player. I don't think Children of Mana gets so much appreciation, cause I like that game as well(It's actually a game I play when I have nothing else to do) I even like Trials of Mana as well. Even as a 40 year old lady, these Mana games still bring me so much joy and heart that I never want to forget them for as long as I live.

You know, I never played SoE, nor have I seen much of it but seeing you show off the ring menu like that has really gotten me interested. I'd heard good things.

Secret of Mana was one of the most impactful games in my life. Sitting at a ripe 38 years old, and still play through it from time to time.

Best gaming series on KZfaq. Please keep it up. Love hearing about the connection you have to each game.

I had that same exact Secret of Mana strategy guide. I had to order it from a book store just to get it. VERY useful

I felt like such a moron not knowing these games where related, when I found out it all made so much sense, but not seeing it when I was younger made me realize the most challenging part of these games was knowing how they were connected. These were amazing games and so much fun to play, great memories from my childhood!

Hey Calvin and Hobbs was my favorite comic too! I had all their books

I had a similar story of my parents getting me a game right before a road trip. I chose Final Fantasy Adventure because I loved Final Fantasy on NES so I was pretty surprised at how different it was, but I was absolutely hooked. That led me to eventually get the Final Fantasy Legend games, and probably cemented my love for RPGs forever. I'm a huge fan of your channel.

I think the inital setting of Secret of Evermore didn't grab me like the Secret of Mana did and that may be why even to this day I don't have the nostalgic connection with it. Secret of Mana was definitely a game that helped build my appreciation for action JRPGs and was a core memory from the SNES era. Looking back on things like this is fun and I'm glad these games played a role for you.

That was a really wholesome story about your mom stopping at Toys-R-Us. Good times. Secret of Mana was the first game I ever (tried to) play. My grandpa's game and I was very young, like 5ish so I remember dying...pretty frequently...but loving it! And my cousin ended up also getting into them later and I remember him and his determination. We were close growing up. He was a bit older and "better" at it I guess, he would just cast the same spell over and over to level his magic to max it. We both played Legend of Mana later too and fought each other...I lost...haha

The only hard part of Final Fantasy Adventure was walking in a figure eight around the palm trees, mostly because the hint you were given was so nebulous. I got the game as a kid and was stuck for a couple years. I picked it up again when I was fourteen and ran around those palm trees in frustration debating whether or not to never play the game again. The cave wall exploded open and I felt silly for being stuck for so long. Two days later I beat the game and I still love every bit of it. I had managed to get to level 88 before I figured out the desert puzzle because I found a spot where you could gain levels really easily. I went through the airship dungeon in only a couple minutes, I never found it difficult. It was too small for that. I wouldn't say Secret Of Evermore was the greatest game in the world, but it had some refined ideas I liked more than Secret Of Mana. The ending was too easy and reeked of being ruined by crunch time. I'd prefer Terranigma.

Evermore had such a wonderfully strange vibe. I was absolutely captivated by its world. It felt like it was just oozing with weird history and they didn't ruin it by trying to over-explain everything.

Holly cow dave, secret of mana is what made me the person i am today as well, the second game i ever played and beat next to link to the past, Still have my copy but maybe one day il steal your guidebook :) The most memorable thing is upper land where spring is all colorful and pink lol.

I just completed Legend of Mana last night, so waking up to a video about the "Western Mana" trilogy was a happy coincidence that started my day off well. Great video, as usual! It sometimes bothers me to be reminded of how old I am, but at least I am not the only one

having lots of fond memories playing som with my best friend back in the days. i miss you tarek.. 2:36 aaargh, the frickin 8 in the desert. took me some time..

I had a very similar history with the Mana series. I played a ton of FFL on my Gameboy whenever we would go on roadtrips. When SOM came out, my friend and I played a ton of it and it is still one of my favorite games to this day. Then when I was in college, I found out about Seiken Densetsu 3 and that SOM was actually the sequel to FFL, and it blew my mind. I had no idea they were connected, but in retrospect it makes so much sense.

Evermore is the only game I played as a kid. I didn't get into Mana till the remake on the PS4 and still have the originals in the collection of mana set to play though. Evermore however was fantastic and honestly, I still enjoy to this day.

I loved Secret of Mana when it first came out. That soundtrack rivals Chrono Trigger in sheer scope and ambience. To this day, I get a flood of nostalgia upon hearing that opening whale song when the game boots up. Unfortunately, I personally think it hasn't held up all that well, and just can't do a full play through anymore (I used to go for 100% completion on multiple occasions). As an action RPG, it just feels so clunky and slow compared to other games in the genre. All the waiting you have to do in between attacks kinda kills the pace. Or, you can spam sprite magic and just waltz through the game, but that just feels unsatisfying for me now. That said, I still greatly appreciate the multiplayer aspects of the games that support it. I wish the remake of Trials had found a way to keep it, but there's always the newly localized version I could play... One day, perhaps. Another great series about which to reminisce; another great video!

This video literally MADE MY DAY! i just picked up the Secret of Mana remake after putting it off for years due to the fan backlash...I'm LOVING IT! The Calvin and Hobbes drop and the reference to Terranigma not coming out in the US both brought me back, wow...thank you! I can still remember going to Funcoland MULTIPLE times asking for Terranigma after loving Illusion of Gaia and seeing there was a sequel online...back when we used to rent 30 minute slots at the library to use the internet for Gamewinners and what would become GameFaqs! Also remember the day I bought Secret of Mana from Funcoland after playing and deciding between that and...Frantic Flea! On their in-house TV...Safe to say, I made the right choice that day! Love your content, thank you again. Hope your days are awesome!

Too cool! My first exposure to SOM was similar. My brother and I spent a month in India with mom, but my dad came back early for work. When we returned, my dad had SOM waiting for my brother and Chrono Trigger waiting for me. He knew nothing about video games, only that his sons liked them. And we loved both of those classics.

I did the same thing with Secret of Mana, played the heck out of it without fully knowing what I was doing. Came back when I was a little older and beat it. Great memories.

In Mexico we had Club Nintendo, an official Nintendo magazine, but it was not directly related to Nintendo of America, but Nintendo of Japan, so this magazine covered extensive information about all these games, and made clear for us readers that Secret of Evermore was not related to Secret of Mana, and that instead there was an actual sequel than wasn't localized. To be honest, this is the first time I hear the Nevermore is (not really) Mana's sequel.

Wow your mom and dad were awesome to do that! Secret games while sleeping? That's a dream come true. I never played FF legends or FF Adventures back in the day. I did play Secret of Mana and Evermore and loved them both though. Also, Calvin & Hobbes is the best.

Mana has never been my favourite Square series, but it has so much charm to it! I really should play FF Adventure (only did Sword of Mana, its remake). Absolutely great vid looking back at this weird and unique series!

This really brings back some gaming memories. Another AWESOME vid David!

“Color of the Summer Sky” from the Secret of Mana OST is my jam 😎

I'm only just now remembering that Nintendo Power article for Secret of Mana when you showed that cover. Wow...

And this is another rpg game i want to start playing

we Europeans got both, Secret of Evermore and Terranigma

but DAVID WHAT ABOUT SAGA GAMES! 😢😭. secret of evermore its so Americana...its cute...in your...i go and buy lemonade in a white picket fence perfect manicured lawn in a heteronormative neighborhood, filled terror and holding in the back of my mind the darkness of normal day suburbia complacency kinda of way. Your story telling its improving so much i enjoy hearing it it has a wholesome quality that evokes the nostalgia of 6 grade summers.

I never owned Secret of Mana as a kid. Back when I got my first SNES I got a game called Final Fantasy mystic quest and 9 y.o. me actually loved that game. Then I remember a store called Rich's which was like a local, possibly non chain, version of a target had a Nintendo Power chained to the desk like a pen at the bank but it was the issue that had the deep guide into Secret of Mana and I fell in love with the game through that before I ever played it. Eventually I rented the game a ton but never owned it since it was $70 and every time I went to buy it my mom convinced me to get 2 other games instead for the same price. Even after the PS1 came out this didn't change. SoM never went down in price and instead of getting it I got so many other games Lufia, Vandal Hearts, Suikoden, Wild Arms.... those are a few I remember. Eventually it couldn't be found anymore and I got Legend of Mana and other games in the series. Anyway it was my white whale game for decades because it never got re released. All the other SNES square games that were so expensive when I was a kid, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy III/VI... those got re released on PS1 for like half of what I remember them costing on SNES and usually they came with 2 games in one box but SoM never got that treatment. Decades later, I ended up buying a SNES classic to play SoM. Yeah it had a lot of great games on it but SoM was my holy grail, my white whale... Shortly after that it got a release on Switch. Now I have it and it's a game I will always go back to. Never had Evermore. I almost bought it once and I remember my mom actually thinking I should but I got something else instead... I don't even remember what game I chose instead. Now I guess I will hope that game comes out because it's my next piece of "unfinished business" from my childhood.

Always nice to hear your passion for the games that I grew up with, too. This reminds me of when you streamed your RPG Maker game: recognizing all the tropes and other aspects you drew from. 😎👍👍👉👉 While Chrono Trigger is the best 16-bit JRPG overall (IMO), Secret of Mana's lush colors and rich music set it above aesthetically. Plus the gameplay is just fun! I always had to borrow it from a friend as a teen. Finally about a year ago, I decided to buy a used CIB copy off Ebay. I haven't experienced such joy in so many years as when I turned the game on, and heard the 'whale song' and title theme!

I really loved secret of evermore and thought it was a sequel-ish as well for quite a while. I’ve still yet to play terranigma but have it on emulator now so will go through it at some point haha.

Great video and an interesting and informative look at your early gaming life. Love the mana series including Secret of Evermore despite it not being a mainline game.

Loved the Mana series, but looking back on it, the charge system and weird hit detection are tough to overcome today. No idea why SE left those same concepts in the remake…. That Jeremy Soule OST in Evermore is grossly underrated! So atmospheric!

Europa got both Secret of Evermore AND Terranigma/Illusion of Gaia(Time).

i love the "games that made me" series!

“Heard about my victory over Zeromus”, huh? That guy should start a self-help/Tony Robbins type gig if he was actually able to defeat the fundamental nature of hatred in the universe…

Secret of Mana * ___ * *nostalgie overload* i freakin' LOVE this game, it was the epitome of a RPG and still is a game i compare other games to Secret of Evermore was fine, too, as well as Terranigma, but SoM is one of a kind Seiken Densetsu 3 was a worthy sequel, it was fun to choose a hero and they had different fighting styles - therefore i really enjoyed Trials of Mana (Remake of Seiken Densetsu 3). A really well made remake. And I'm looking forward for Visions of Mana :D

I started Sword of Mana the remake of the first game awhile back for GBA. I really enjoyed it. I want to restart it and go through the series

I bought the switch port of the trilogy as soon as I laid eyes on it. Nevermind that I could play them with emulation. Sadly secret of Evermore as an independent game made using Secret's Engine wasn't included. I also purchased the remake of Trials of Mana(SD3), but not the SOM remake. For Trials, I only have two complaints. 1. They used a term other than "Godbeasts" for the eight elemental Bosses, like was used in the fan translation. This is minor, I don't remember what the term used was off the top of my head, but for anyone who's picking up the game for the first time they won't know or care. This is true in both the port and the remake. (I'm almost positive this is due to fear of boycotts rather than due to the term used being a better fit.) 2. They didn't take the opportunity to expand on any of the lore in say the books. The original story was squished into the ROM on the Famicom, so much so that they literally couldn't make money translating it(it also used a more expensive chipset). It would have been nice if the remake had some leeway to expand on the dialogue/add in new skits between chars, etc. That said I don't consider this a flaw in the port, so I don't know if that's hypocritical of me or not. I never owned a SNES as a kid(my dad liked computers, and my mom didn't believe in video games), but I still came in contact with SOM(and other games) at Friends houses and fell in love immediately...

Seiken Densetsu 3 is so good.

I remember going over to my cousins house back in the 90’s and he had "Secret of Mana" on the SNES. I was awed by it.(I’m 35 now for reference). It had amazing music, this interesting battle system, the world was fascinating and the AI companions was really cool at the time. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. And a lot of my same aged friends have similar memories of that game. BUT... I have mixed feelings on the Mana series today. I tried replaying it this year on the Switch...And I feel so heart broken because...I don’t like it...I think that it’s gameplay and even its world design has aged very poorly. I respect its legacy, SO MANY games like The Witcher, FF 12, FF 13, FF7R ect owe a huge debt to Secret of Mana. It’s just that I think the ideas of SoM were just too ahead of their time for the SNES technology.

Horray for Calvin and Hobbes! I admit I still need to beat Evermore.

Love the mana series

I enjoyed the Collection of Mana (as I missed the entire series, only really playing Adventures of Mana in it's "Sword of Mana" remake on the GBA!). But yeah I beat all of them once and never came back. Enjoyed OG Trials of Mana, but Remake has my love more and I just can't get into Adventures of Mana because Sword of Mana was more prefered!

Great video

The chocobo, moogles, and red wizard looking-sprite guest character does kind of make Final Fantasy Adventure seem like a FF spinoff, or at the very least borrowing recurring FF motifs. Side note: Can you please check the expiration link to your Discord in your video descriptions? Every time I've tried clicking on it, it says it is an invalid/expired invite.

I absolutely loved Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana. Even if the English voices in Trials are absolutely terrible

Your mom picked very well

Sorry David. Terranigma > Secret of Evermore Though both games are fantastic

No seiken densetsu 3?

did you ever play SD3/Trials?

First?