The Secret of Mana remake didn't impress me at first (took 4 years to pick back up and beat it), but it really shines with its mechanical improvements and restored story/lore content.

• Overall Score: 3/5 (+1 for nostalgia)

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It's close to the same game we had in 1993 with overall improvements. To name a couple smaller ones:

• Ranged weapons (including enemies') can now attack at all angles instead of just up/down/left/right (the bow, for example, is a LOT better as a result)
  
• Ranged attacks will occasionally "fix" your aim to actually hit enemies
  
• Character pathfinding is vastly improved, and in the places where it isn't, you can easily "summon" stuck party members back to you using the "ring" menu.
  
• Magic casting delay is longer for several spells (you can still stun-lock and be stun-locked, though)
  
• Auto-saving!

For this remake, some of the story was revived from the original Japanese script, though it's really just in-text; allegedly-cut areas and "real content" was not restored.

Several "party banter" scenes have been added intermittently throughout the game, adding some characterization, depth, and lore where it previously didn't exist due to the original's troubled production. Besides this, much of the dialogue and text remains the same or similar, so it's still a familiar game. Some changes that were made don't make much sense - "Time flows like a river and history repeats" was better than what they replaced it with, for example, and I was a little sad that enemies no longer "get whacked!"

The entire game - including inconsequential NPC dialogue - is voice acted, but sadly the English voice acting is mostly-bad (you can switch to Japanese anytime). After a half hour or so, you might appreciate its seemingly-intentional crumminess. There's something to appreciate, too, about several different NPC voice actors saying the same line. The Sprite and Prumm(/Purim)'s voice actors are on point, though, adding dimension to characters that were previously lacking. The main character (Randi), however, isn't great.

Visually, the game looks pretty solid when navigating around and in combat. The crappy-graphics parts really show up when there are "cutscene"-like segments during which character mouths don't move and the lack of effort put forth in texturing becomes glaringly obvious. It's pretty cool how the original SNES graphics were used to create minimaps (that you can toggle off for a more authentic experience) of the otherwise-good-looking areas.

The menu system is an odd mix of old and new, which is a confusing choice. For example, the "ring" menu system exists on the surface, but is centered on the screen rather than the character, defeating much of its purpose. Parts in which this was useful (like switching equipment) takes place on clunky full-screen menus, so the inclusion of the "ring" at all is baffling.

Some game mechanics have improved and were made quicker. After just a couple of hours, I notably enjoyed mostly-glitch-free combat (some enemies, like the Chobin Hoods, seem to fire much quicker and undermine things like "charging" your weapons) and ease of movement (running is better in this updated version).

All-in-all, a decent trip down memory lane, and an okay introduction to the game for newcomers.

• In-Game Purchases: None (there was a preorder bonus tiger/moogle costume-thing, but it's dumb)
  
• Learning Curve: Easier than the original game.
  
• Replayability: Low. Besides a small handful of missable enemy loot needed for trophies/"best equipment" near the end, there's nothing else missable or that changes with playthroughs. No New Game+.
  
• Recommended Purchase Price: ~$15

[h1]#tinygamereviews[/h1] The Secret of Mana remake didn't impress me at first (took 4 years to pick back up and beat it), but it really shines with its mechanical improvements and restored story/lore content. [list] [*][b][u]Overall Score[/u][/b]: 3/5 (+1 for nostalgia) [/list] [hr][/hr] [h1]Full Review[/h1] [table] [tr] [td]Playability[/td] [td]4/5[/td] [td]Nearly all of the original's hiccups are either gone or have been sidestepped/reduced to negligible frustrations.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Graphics[/td] [td]3/5[/td] [td]Doesn't [i]look[/i] at all like a 2018 AAA release, but it grows on you.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Sound[/td] [td]4/5[/td] [td]Some questionable choices for music updates, but you can switch back to the original soundtrack anytime.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Story[/td] [td]3/5[/td] [td]Tooooo beeee faaaaaiiir, the story was never great, but this remake fills in the holes that the American version was saddled with.[/td] [/tr] [/table] It's close to the same game we had in 1993 with overall improvements. To name a couple smaller ones: [list] [*]Ranged weapons (including enemies') can now attack at all angles instead of just up/down/left/right (the bow, for example, is a LOT better as a result) [*]Ranged attacks will occasionally "fix" your aim to actually hit enemies [*]Character pathfinding is vastly improved, and in the places where it isn't, you can easily "summon" stuck party members back to you using the "ring" menu. [*]Magic casting delay is longer for several spells (you can still stun-lock and be stun-locked, though) [*]Auto-saving! [/list] For this remake, some of the story was revived from the original Japanese script, though it's really just in-text; allegedly-cut areas and "real content" was not restored. Several "party banter" scenes have been added intermittently throughout the game, adding some characterization, depth, and lore where it previously didn't exist due to the original's troubled production. Besides this, much of the dialogue and text remains the same or similar, so it's still a familiar game. Some changes that were made don't make much sense - "Time flows like a river and history repeats" was better than what they replaced it with, for example, and I was a little sad that enemies no longer "get whacked!" The entire game - including inconsequential NPC dialogue - is voice acted, but sadly the English voice acting is mostly-bad (you can switch to Japanese anytime). After a half hour or so, you might appreciate its seemingly-intentional crumminess. There's something to appreciate, too, about several different NPC voice actors saying the same line. The Sprite and Prumm(/Purim)'s voice actors are [i]on point[/i], though, adding dimension to characters that were previously lacking. The main character (Randi), however, isn't great. Visually, the game looks pretty solid when navigating around and in combat. The crappy-graphics parts really show up when there are "cutscene"-like segments during which character mouths don't move and the lack of effort put forth in texturing becomes glaringly obvious. It's pretty cool how the original SNES graphics were used to create minimaps (that you can toggle off for a more authentic experience) of the otherwise-good-looking areas. The menu system is an odd mix of old and new, which is a confusing choice. For example, the "ring" menu system exists on the surface, but is centered on the screen rather than the character, defeating much of its purpose. Parts in which this was useful (like switching equipment) takes place on clunky full-screen menus, so the inclusion of the "ring" at all is baffling. Some game mechanics have improved and were made quicker. After just a couple of hours, I notably enjoyed mostly-glitch-free combat (some enemies, like the Chobin Hoods, seem to fire much quicker and undermine things like "charging" your weapons) and ease of movement (running is better in this updated version). All-in-all, a decent trip down memory lane, and an okay introduction to the game for newcomers. [table equalcells=1] [tr] [th]BEST[/th] [th]WORST[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]Overall improved gameplay. Party members get stuck less-easily and you don't have to backtrack for them. Hits seem to land more reliably than ever. It's pretty much the same good game it always was, just better.[/td] [td]Still lacks replay value, and the apparent effort put into this "remake" feels lacking on the whole. This may be the last we ever see effort put forth on this title, and it's bittersweet.[/td] [/tr] [/table] [list] [*][b][u]In-Game Purchases[/u][/b]: None (there was a preorder bonus tiger/moogle costume-thing, but it's dumb) [*][b][u]Learning Curve[/u][/b]: Easier than the original game. [*][b][u]Replayability[/u][/b]: Low. Besides a small handful of missable enemy loot needed for trophies/"best equipment" near the end, there's nothing else missable or that changes with playthroughs. No New Game+. [*][b][u]Recommended Purchase Price[/u][/b]: ~$15 [/list]