Topic: The Mana (Seiken Densetsu) Fan Thread

@BruceCM Thanks! Will do! I might update this thread on occasion with my progress...or if I'm confused about something. XD Hoping to start the game this evening.

@NintendoByNature Ah, so it's not the destination, that's usually the problem, but the journey on the way....Hmm. I'm thinking of starting out without a guide but keeping a link for one nearby in case I really get turned around lol.

@Tyranexx give it a shot. You might be ok 😉

Yeah, there's various places it might be a bit tricky working out where to go or how to get there, @Tyranexx .... I even had to check guides a few times but you might manage without

@Tyranexx I had never played any of these games either until I got the Collection and played this not that long ago. Maybe it was because I had heard from people how difficult it was, but I only resorted to a guide one time and that was within a dungeon because I couldn't figure out a puzzle room. If you just make sure to pay attention to what people say, you should never really get lost. And bring lots of keys into the dungeons. Like over 20 at least probably. It is possible to get trapped in a dungeon and your only recourse is to restart the whole game over. That almost happened to me but I was just able to backtrack out of the dungeon and to a town to buy more keys.

Yeah, when I played FFA a few months ago I tried not to use a guide but I ended up needing to in a few places. It wasn't to bad I just confused myself. As for the game it does have its charm and I enjoyed it. It's a nice "snack size" edition to the Mana series.

For the gameboy I thought the music was stellar as well.

I have found also which shouldn't be a surprised that FFA looks better in handheld mode. I found myself playing it mostly undocked, beings that its a Gameboy game and all.

I intend to play the game mostly undocked as I feel like handheld is the way to play. I haven't fired up the game just yet but intend to shortly.

I did look up the intro theme, and if the rest of the soundtrack is just as amazing....I'm a sucker for classic video game tunes.

@NintendoByNature, @BruceCM Haha, we'll see! I'll have a guide a couple of clicks away just in case.

@Xyphon22 I might not have too bad of a time then; I tend to talk to just about everyone in most games that I play; it's one of the reasons why standard RPGs take me a bit longer than some to complete. XD

I've made a mental note about the keys. I find it odd that they aren't discoverable in the dungeon, though I suppose not everything has to be like the Zelda series.

Cool, keep us posted, @Tyranexx ....

@Tyranexx There are a couple of enemies that will drop keys, but they are usually only found in the first couple of dungeons when you may not have amounted a lot yet. After that, you are on your own to make sure you have plenty. I guess that is something else that I used a guide for, just to find this random information like that about enemies and keys. I never had to use one to actually figure out where to go next, though.

Fun to see that others are playing FFA too! I’ve been dipping in and out of the shiny remake, Adventure of Mana, that Square did for Vita and mobile. A lick of paint (and it’s not much more than that) can’t hide the fact that this is a pretty old game, but I’ve been having a ball nonetheless. I’m amazed at how substantial it is for a Game Boy title. I have used a guide once (Jadd desert dungeon), but then kicked myself because I had been doing the right thing but in the wrong place. Now up to the Dime Tower, which feels like it’s nearing the endgame - but I’m already up to 10hrs.

Some of my household spring cleaning took longer than I intended yesterday, but I did fit in a little over an hour of FFA. I'm not very far in at all; I last saved right before starting my first dungeon (Marsh?). I generally haven't had too many problems figuring out where to go yet. I've adapted fairly well to the battle system. The story is a little barebones with some translation oddities, but it's easy enough to follow; TBH I don't mind a brief break from a deep narrative. Wasn't sure what to pick on names, so I just went with Kana for the hero (because I'm DEFINITELY not playing FE Fates right now lol) and May for the girl. May is currently missing, and I suspect it has something to do with that castle we stayed in....

Besides the retro factor the game offers, I'd say my favorite thing so far is the music. That opening theme especially....How could something like that have started out on the humble Game Boy?

@Xyphon22 I've admittedly already used a guide somewhat just for those useful info tidbits, not so much on where to go next. As this game is a pretty faithful emulation of the original, a lot of the tricks are still in too!

I'll just be referring to the two named characters in FFA as Hero and Girl at this point. I'm a bit embarrassed with the Meh names I picked. XD

Needless to say the rest of this post is full of spoilers after this point. Reader, you have been warned.

Sounds like you're enjoying that, @Tyranexx ....

@BruceCM Definitely. The story is really opening up more now, and I'm getting a good handle on the flow of the game. I'm still impressed that something like this started out on the humble Game Boy.

Yeah, it's a basic story but it's well done, @Tyranexx.... They had some great games back then

@Tyranexx I don't know if you have played Secret of Mana before, but I had never played any of the games until I got the Collection. I had heard so many good things about SoM, but I actually enjoyed this first game much more. I haven't gotten around to Trials yet (I'm playing Earthlock right now, and only like to have one RPG going at a time), but FFA is a lot of fun.

I enjoyed adventure so much more than secret too. I still cant believe how good it was for a gameboy game

@BruceCM Most definitely! Link's Awakening, Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins, the first two Pokemon generations, and the first two Wario Land entries are among some of my favorites from the Game Boy!

@Xyphon22 I have yet to play Secret of Mana (despite owning it on both the SNES Classic and CoM) but have had it talked up to me quite a bit. We'll see how much I like it, I suppose. With Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition around the corner though, it'll likely be some time before I get to it. As for Trials, I hope to play the original that's part of CoM and likely will pick up the remake sometime down the road.

I also don't typically juggle more than one JRPG at once, though I've made an exception with FFA and FE: Fates since the former's story, while decent, doesn't go too in-depth.

Definitely recommend SoM & Trials of Mana Remake, @Tyranexx .... Nearly finished my 1st playthrough of that & it's the best of the 3