Ill be blunt and say it outright: the AI routines for the computer controlled player are the absolute pits.

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Search Sword of Mana Sword of Mana Squares second GBA game isnt really all that stunning or epic.

By Craig Harris Updated: 24 Nov 2018 6:13 pm Posted: 3 Dec 2003 1:06 am A lot of people have the image that Square can do no wrong.

True, when it comes to RPGs Square has one of the most highly regarded track records out there.

But the company far from infallible, and Sword of Mana is a good indication that even a company like Square can create a not-so-stunning production.

Sword of Mana is definitely not a bad RPG; its an extensive, solid adventure on the Game Boy Advance.

But it definitely just barely squeaks in there a little higher than the above average moniker, with a lot of little things that drag the experience.

Brownie Brown, Nintendos second party development team, went back to the original Seiken Densetsu Game Boy design (the precursor to Secret of Mana released in the US as Final Fantasy Adventure ) and reworked the story, levels, and gameplay to create a more contemporary game.

It definitely shares similarities with Secret of Mana and Legend of Mana, and in fact the team added in a few familiar elements for this GBA remake.

The storyline is a little on the basic side, and has so many quirks to its plot that its almost borderline silly, what with the lead characters attempting to overthrow and seek revenge on a dark lord named, get this, Dark Lord by acquiring the Sword of Mana.

Youd think that his followers would know whats up with a name like Dark Lord, but no.

The story itself follows the same situations, quests and subquests, but the focus in cutscenes is placed on whoever the player chose for his or her on-screen personal.

The game style, though, alters slightly depending on the players choice for the lead, since the male lead is more of a warrior type, and the female wielding more of the magic stuffs.

But with its RPG elements, players can level-up their character to utilize more The gameplay is focused more on Zelda-style action than the traditional Japanese RPG random battle design, with players hacking and slashing endless enemies with their own set of weaponry.

Strategies change since some enemies are weaker against specific attacks, so players must continuously change up their weapons to take them out.

Players can also collect and call upon elemental wisp creatures that will enhance their attacks with magical effects.many locations are locked by icons that can only be broken with the power of a specific elemental.

At the very least the game features a good amount of strategy throughout its 20 hour quest.

But just because its from Square doesnt instantly make it a great game, and Sword of Mana has a lot of little elements that add up to a somewhat quirky gaming experience.

Each change in scene causes a slight three second pause simply to display the area theyre in.which wouldnt be so bad if the areas werent slightly larger than the screen itself.

And boss battles are an absolute joke, lacking any real creativity in design or skill to defeat.definitely not of Square caliber here.

And though the game features a day-to-night cycle to change up the enemies that show up, its sloppily thrown together and creates an awkward situation where the time of day simply changes when moving from one part of an area to another.whenever theres a scene change, its a different time of day.

Uh, yeah. Definitely the weakest aspect of Sword of Mana is its cooperative play with a computer-controlled character.

In about 80 percent of the quest players work with the games second character in the questing and battle.

Sword Of Mana Multiplayer