ReCollection #6 :: Secret of Mana

 

As I have stated numerous times again and again over the years, Secret of Mana despite its flaws will always be my Greatest of all Time; It hit me at just the most pivotal time and helped shape my gaming interests and lead to the eventual development of my very own e-novel titled 'Secret of Memoria'. A slice-of-life epic fantasy built almost entirely off of memories from my childhood, recycled and recompiled into a fantastical new world full of adventure and bright new characters.

But this isn't about the here and now, this is about the past. The events of my childhood that surround Secret of Mana. The timeframe leading up to my obtaining a copy and the summer that I spent making my way through it.

"Time flows like a river, and history repeats. . ."

It all began in the December of 1995. It was a cold and rainy day and I was itching for something new to play. I had asked "Santa" for a Sega Genesis for Christmas, but that was weeks away still. My older brother introduced me to the concept of pawning games and recommended the used media shop in the local mall (which has long since been turned into a corporate office for the company I work for). So I got together a few of my SNES games that I didn't want anymore—Top Gear 2 was one I am certain—and then on a trip into town with my parents, we stopped in at the mall and I was taken into the store just inside the entrance, past the arcade.

I remember there being wire racks running all along the walls full of NES, Genesis, and Gameboy games, as well as a bunch of VHS tapes. At the front of the store, behind the counter was a rack where they kept the newer, pricier titles. Secret of Mana was there, but it wasn't what caught my attention. Oh no, it was in fact the bright red plastic of Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage that my eyes were drawn to. You can bet that I asked for it, too. But I distinctly recall the cashier telling me that what I had to offer wasn't enough to warrant a trade considering the freshness of the game, which now looking back I am EXTREMELY grateful that it turned out that way, because I can't even begin-or even really want to!-imagine how things could have developed had they allowed for me to get Spider-Man instead. I shudder at the thought.

Then out of embarrassment(I was a very shy child), I asked about the game next to it, to which the man promptly took from the shelf and handed to me. He told me that it was like Zelda, and apparently that was all it took. Evidently, Secret of Mana was less valuable than that stinker of a Spider-Man game at the time, go figure. 

And this here is that very copy. 

I remember getting home that day and immediately firing the game up. Being spooked by the whale call, then loading one of the many saved games from the previous owner, with the first one left off in Todo Village, the snowy village populated by walrus people. I played around in it for a bit, then was made to turn it off as I had to go try one new pair of pants. Blue jeans. I hated and still hate denim to this very day and absolutely refuse to wear it. 

I started a new game file and struggled in the beginning to understand the stamina system. Wondering why my attacks would sometimes damage the monsters for a lot of damage and other times do nothing. Once I grasped that and made it to the Mantis Ant, my attempts at playing through the game came to a screeching halt shortly after that point. I didn't pay much attention to the dialogue at that age so I typically made my way through RPGs out of pure bumbling around most of the time. And while Secret of Mana was pretty linear looking at it now, it didn't feel that way back then. 

Christmas snuck up on me pretty fast and I got my Sega Genesis along with a few games, so Secret of Mana eventually just fell to the wayside for several months.

But then, the happening happened! 

It had to have been late May/Early June when I finally picked the game up in earnest. Sitting down in the big comfy rocking chair that was situated in the newly-finished den(formally the carport). The old floor set Zenith sat against the wall opposite of it, the SNES plugged in via the RF unit. I plopped the cartridge in once more, listening to the ominous whale call as the SQUARESOFT logo appeared.

Photo from Wiki

In my first completed file I named the main characters Goku(Randi), Bulma(Purim) Yamcha(Popoi). Popoi would later become Krilen in future playthroughs, then Bo around 2014.

I remember spending nights in the den all alone, everyone in the house has gone to bed and I stayed up until 2-3am in the morning just playing games, drawing, or watching TV. But most nights were spent trying to make my way through Secret of Mana as I slowly unraveled the inner workings of the game, figuring out what spells did what and how to best use them, or spam them and never allowing a boss to attack.

One night, my older brother's friend came knocking at the back door. He did that regularly, but on this night I was the only one awake and my brother hadn't come home from work yet, so with my mother's permission, I opened the door and let him wait around until my brother got home. Around that time, I was going through Gaia's Navel to fight Tropicallo.

Spikey Tiger proved to be an exceptionally difficult boss fight, which honestly tends to be the case regardless of skill level. But for someone that didn't really understand the concept and benefits of level grinding at the time, my chance at beating him ultimately wound down to luck and whether he decided to perch atop one of the two towers and spam magic.

The summer of '96 was full of great adventures and memories, but the first trip through Secret of Mana was obviously the high point for me. 

Towards the end of the summer and the playthrough, my older sister was visiting us and the family decided to take a trip out to the local community college to visit the ducks and fish pond they had there. It remember it being a hot and humid day and quite hazy, with some cloud cover. I was doing battle with the Mana Beast and had just figured out how to actually damage it without the use of attack magic or the Mana Sword, which just glitched out and caused Randi to lose his weapon. With a combination of Lunar Boost, Moon Energy, and Moon Saber plus a level 8 charged sword, I was able to deal 999 points of damage every pass the boss made while simultaneously healing any damage I was taking between hits. It made the fight drag on for quite a while, but it allowed me to finish the game in a way that wasn't intended, and at that young age, it felt like an absolute triumph.

As of the time of this writing (May 22nd, 2023) I have 100% completed both the remake and the original version of the game this year, earning all achievements in each version.

I cannot fathom what my life would be like now had I not come across this game. I'd have likely not played Secret of Evermore either, nor most of the other Mana games. Dragon Ball Village wouldn't have existed, nor would Secret of Memoria by relation. It is amazing what effect a single game can have on a person and the ripple effects it would have on ones future.