Let's Play - Legend of Mana!
Inspired by Vicki's LP of Legend of Legaia, I'm going to do one for Legend of Mana. Probably nobody even reads my LJ anymore but whatever I am doing it anyway. Please participate :3
Years ago, my brother and I bought a video-game called Legend of Mana. We had mostly played stuff like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger until then, so our video-game experience was fairly limited, at least as far as RPGs went. A babysitter of ours--she was a video-game fan, and had been the one to recommend Chrono Trigger to us--had mentioned that Secret of Mana was a favorite game of hers, and when we saw Legend of Mana in stores, we thought they were connected.
This game is possibly my favorite game of all time. I like a lot of different games, but there's something so incredibly pure about this one. The fact that there's almost no linearity, that your decisions make for an almost entirely different experience each time--there's something special in that. I've played it countless times and still come back to it. If there was ever a game I wanted to share, it's this.
How much do I love it? This is the one game that I bought a new copy of when the old copy became too scratched to play. And this game isn't cheap anymore--tracking it down on Ebay cost me over fifty dollars. And I bought the equally rare strategy guide. And the soundtrack. The beautiful, beautiful soundtrack. I'll be sharing some of those songs with you.
I'll be posting this game on three different forums, as well as my personal Livejournal. This is supposedly a big "no no", but this is a game that I really want to share, and I have friends in all of the different communities, and I'll take input from every one.
Technical note--I'm using ePSXe to play the game, and I'm using Screenshot Utility to take the screenshots. If it becomes easier to do videos for certain sections of the game, I might add that in at a later date, but I'm not guaranteeing anything.
So. With the acknowledgment that this is the total starting cliche--Let's Play!
For those that don't know, the Mana franchise--known in Japan as Seiken Densetsu--is like Final Fantasy in some ways. Every game shares similar themes, monsters, some familiar NPCs, but none of the stories are directly connected. There are theories that every game is a retelling of ancient stories--real "legends" in this world--or that each story takes place in the same timeline, but over such a great span of time that they seem separate. Or maybe they're just all their own unique stories--who knows? Either way, for those that have played other games in the series, there will be familiar elements, and I'll point out some of the more notable ones.
The first job on the list--selecting our main character's gender. This will have no impact on the storyline whatsoever, and the opposite gender won't appear as a separate character or anything. The male character has a long hat and a red colorscheme, while the female character has sticks in her hair and a pink colorscheme. Take your pick.
We also have to choose what weapon we want to start with. This game has ridiculous customization, and this is just the first part. we can always switch weapons later, but whatever we pick here is how we'll begin.
Legend of Mana features a live-action battle system, but only when battles are activated. You'll approach enemies on the screen, and then the camera will center on the characters and you'll be locked into the screen while you battle. You can move up, down, left and right, using a variety of Abilities--jumping, sliding, flipping--while you use your weapons, magic, and Special Techniques. More on this later, but it's worth noting that whatever weapon we pick now will determine what our first Special Technique is.
The Knife is a close-range weapon that starts with a lower attack power and only three attacks, but gives you the fastest rate of movement. That's one thing to note--every weapon fights with their own range and pace, and determines how fast you'll be able to move. Because the knife is lightweight, several of the Special Techniques involve throwing the knives, which sometimes gives you more range than some other weapons.
Another important factor: the weapon you have equipped will determine your stat gains on each level up. The Knife emphasizes Skill (which determines how much damage you do with "Skill-based weapons, like the Knife), Spirit (your defense against status magic) and Charm (the success rate of status magic), while ignoring HP (Hit Points).
Because you hold the knives in both hands, you can't use a shield with this weapon equipped.
The ultimate Special Technique with the Knife is Aerial Reaver, which affects a small area in front of you for Extreme-level damage.
The Sword is our first medium-range weapon, with three attacks and a generally decent power. You carry it in one hand, so you can use a shield, and your rate of movement is average. Many Sword techniques involve direct strikes, either at a close-range or over a long line.
This weapon emphasizes Power (determines damage for strength-based weapons), Skill, and Defense (your defense against physical attacks). There is no stat that it is poor in. Basically, the Sword is probably the best overall weapon you can use--but to be honest, it's also fairly boring. You just hack and slash, and your Special Techniques are rarely anything special.
The ultimate Special Technique with the Sword is Terminal Velocity, which is a short-range attack that causes Extreme-level damage.
In many ways, the Axe is the same as the Sword, with many of the same basic Special Techniques (and when you learn a Special Technique with one weapon, you learn it for all applicable weapons). You carry it in one hand, so you can use a shield, and it has three attacks, but the rate of movement is a bit slower than with a Sword.
The Axe emphasizes Power, Defense and Spirit, and ignores Charm.
The ultimate Special Techniques with the Axe are Boulder Dash, which is a long-range attack that causes Extreme-level damage, and Karma, which is a wide-area frontal attack that causes Extreme-damage.
The Two-Handed Sword was the first weapon that I used, and it's one of the stronger ones. You get three attacks, but the base power on this weapon is pretty high. Your rate of movement is slower than the axe, though, and you can't use a shield, so there's definitely a tradeoff. It is worth noting, though, that the Two-Handed Sword is swung in a fairly wide arc, so you'll be hitting enemies pretty easily.
With this Two-Handed Sword, you'll get a great stat gain in Power and Skill, but a poor stat gain in Spirit.
The ultimate Special Techniques with the Two-Handed Sword are Deep Swing, a direct mid-range attack for Extreme-level damage, and Raging Pain, a general mid-range attack for Extreme-level damage.
I should note--the difference between a direct attack and a general attack. Direct attacks usually only affect the enemy if they're directly in the target zone, whereas a general attack is more likely to catch the enemy if they're nearby. Usually, direct attacks are stronger, but when you get to the point of causing Extreme-level damage, you're pretty much capped out.
Just like the Axe was similar to the Sword, this Two-Handed Axe is a lot like the previous weapon. You have a pretty wide swing, the weapon is strong, some similar Special Techniques, no shield, etc. But--you do move slower. This is the second slowest weapon, actually. Three attacks.
This weapon will give you great stat gains in Power and Defense, and poor gains in HP and Charm.
There's only one Extreme-level attack with the Two-Handed Axe, but it's a good one--a long-range direct attack called Sparkling Rampage. Just like with Boulder Dash, we'd be using this one a lot.
The Hammer is the strongest weapon in the game. It's also the slowest--the character will not be moving fast in battle at all. In all honesty, though, the difference isn't that bad (usually--in some battles you need to be out of the line of fire). You can't use a shield, three attacks, etc.
Your Power will be through the roof, but your Defense, not so much.
The Hammer actually has a few decent Major-level damage attacks, but the Extreme attack--Pearly Gates--is just short range.
The Spear gives you the second-longest range in the game, and you aren't particularly fast, but do get four attacks, and the Spear is fairly strong besides.
This weapon will give you great gains in Skill, Defense and Charm, but a particularly poor gain in HP--worse than any of the low gains we've seen so far.
The Spear has a technique called Lo and Behold that is short-range but can still hit several enemies for Extreme-level damage. It also has quite a few Major techniques as well.
The Staff is one of my favorite weapons, but I have no particular idea why. It has about the same range as the Spear but isn't nearly as strong. You can't use a shield, and you move even slower than with the spear. You do get four attacks, at least.
I'm fond of using magic in games, though, so that may be why I'm attached to this one. Not that magic's anything special, but this is the only weapon where you can max out your Magic stat (which actually effects your resistance to magical spells) and your Charm. Of course, your Power and HP take a big hit.
Oh hey, this is notable--there may not be any Extreme attacks for the Staff, but you do have a very interesting Major technique called Song of the Spirits that hits every enemy. That's nice.
The Gloves have the second-fastest rate of movement in the game, and they're one of two weapons that gives you five attacks. They're not particularly strong, but that doesn't really matter when you're hitting five times in quick succession, right? No shield, though.
Your Power and HP will jump up if you use the Gloves, but not your Magic.
These weapons have a nice Extreme technique called Earthquake that harms enemies behind you. With some good positioning, it can be pretty useful.
The Flail is the second weapon to offer five attacks, and it trades off a bit of speed for a bit of power. No shield. You get great Skill and Charm and poor Defense and HP.
White Tiger is your Extreme-level technique, and it'll hit mid-range in (I believe) all directions. Not bad.
The last weapon is the only actively long-range weapon--the Bow. You can sit at the opposite side of the screen and slowly pick your enemy off. You don't have an amazing range of movement and you can't use a shield--but if you never have to get near your enemy, what does it matter? You get three attacks with this weapon. The only downside is that it can occasionally be a bit difficult to actually hit the enemy, because the arrow can easily fly past them if you aren't careful.
You can get a high Skill and Charm with this weapon, but lower Power and HP.
The Extreme technique here is, predictably, a long-range direct atack called Main Gun. I honestly can't remember if it's very fast or not.
So there you go--all of the weapons. Cast your votes! As I said before, we can change up weapons later on, so if you don't like this one we can switch easily.
Name our character. Pretty self-explanatory. You have ten characters--go nuts.
For your final piece of setup customization--choose what part of the world we'll play in. Legend of Mana lets you design your world, unlocking new pieces of land that you can position wherever you want. This will have an impact on the levels of the enemies, what items can be purchased and found, and--occasionally--the story.
There's a certain land-water ratio that needs to be maintained, so you can't have the upper-left corner of the map (or the area a bit southwest of the center), but other than that you can pretty much pick any area you want. Then we'll place our house and get started!
Years ago, my brother and I bought a video-game called Legend of Mana. We had mostly played stuff like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger until then, so our video-game experience was fairly limited, at least as far as RPGs went. A babysitter of ours--she was a video-game fan, and had been the one to recommend Chrono Trigger to us--had mentioned that Secret of Mana was a favorite game of hers, and when we saw Legend of Mana in stores, we thought they were connected.
This game is possibly my favorite game of all time. I like a lot of different games, but there's something so incredibly pure about this one. The fact that there's almost no linearity, that your decisions make for an almost entirely different experience each time--there's something special in that. I've played it countless times and still come back to it. If there was ever a game I wanted to share, it's this.
How much do I love it? This is the one game that I bought a new copy of when the old copy became too scratched to play. And this game isn't cheap anymore--tracking it down on Ebay cost me over fifty dollars. And I bought the equally rare strategy guide. And the soundtrack. The beautiful, beautiful soundtrack. I'll be sharing some of those songs with you.
I'll be posting this game on three different forums, as well as my personal Livejournal. This is supposedly a big "no no", but this is a game that I really want to share, and I have friends in all of the different communities, and I'll take input from every one.
Technical note--I'm using ePSXe to play the game, and I'm using Screenshot Utility to take the screenshots. If it becomes easier to do videos for certain sections of the game, I might add that in at a later date, but I'm not guaranteeing anything.
So. With the acknowledgment that this is the total starting cliche--Let's Play!
For those that don't know, the Mana franchise--known in Japan as Seiken Densetsu--is like Final Fantasy in some ways. Every game shares similar themes, monsters, some familiar NPCs, but none of the stories are directly connected. There are theories that every game is a retelling of ancient stories--real "legends" in this world--or that each story takes place in the same timeline, but over such a great span of time that they seem separate. Or maybe they're just all their own unique stories--who knows? Either way, for those that have played other games in the series, there will be familiar elements, and I'll point out some of the more notable ones.
The first job on the list--selecting our main character's gender. This will have no impact on the storyline whatsoever, and the opposite gender won't appear as a separate character or anything. The male character has a long hat and a red colorscheme, while the female character has sticks in her hair and a pink colorscheme. Take your pick.
We also have to choose what weapon we want to start with. This game has ridiculous customization, and this is just the first part. we can always switch weapons later, but whatever we pick here is how we'll begin.
Legend of Mana features a live-action battle system, but only when battles are activated. You'll approach enemies on the screen, and then the camera will center on the characters and you'll be locked into the screen while you battle. You can move up, down, left and right, using a variety of Abilities--jumping, sliding, flipping--while you use your weapons, magic, and Special Techniques. More on this later, but it's worth noting that whatever weapon we pick now will determine what our first Special Technique is.
The Knife is a close-range weapon that starts with a lower attack power and only three attacks, but gives you the fastest rate of movement. That's one thing to note--every weapon fights with their own range and pace, and determines how fast you'll be able to move. Because the knife is lightweight, several of the Special Techniques involve throwing the knives, which sometimes gives you more range than some other weapons.
Another important factor: the weapon you have equipped will determine your stat gains on each level up. The Knife emphasizes Skill (which determines how much damage you do with "Skill-based weapons, like the Knife), Spirit (your defense against status magic) and Charm (the success rate of status magic), while ignoring HP (Hit Points).
Because you hold the knives in both hands, you can't use a shield with this weapon equipped.
The ultimate Special Technique with the Knife is Aerial Reaver, which affects a small area in front of you for Extreme-level damage.
The Sword is our first medium-range weapon, with three attacks and a generally decent power. You carry it in one hand, so you can use a shield, and your rate of movement is average. Many Sword techniques involve direct strikes, either at a close-range or over a long line.
This weapon emphasizes Power (determines damage for strength-based weapons), Skill, and Defense (your defense against physical attacks). There is no stat that it is poor in. Basically, the Sword is probably the best overall weapon you can use--but to be honest, it's also fairly boring. You just hack and slash, and your Special Techniques are rarely anything special.
The ultimate Special Technique with the Sword is Terminal Velocity, which is a short-range attack that causes Extreme-level damage.
In many ways, the Axe is the same as the Sword, with many of the same basic Special Techniques (and when you learn a Special Technique with one weapon, you learn it for all applicable weapons). You carry it in one hand, so you can use a shield, and it has three attacks, but the rate of movement is a bit slower than with a Sword.
The Axe emphasizes Power, Defense and Spirit, and ignores Charm.
The ultimate Special Techniques with the Axe are Boulder Dash, which is a long-range attack that causes Extreme-level damage, and Karma, which is a wide-area frontal attack that causes Extreme-damage.
The Two-Handed Sword was the first weapon that I used, and it's one of the stronger ones. You get three attacks, but the base power on this weapon is pretty high. Your rate of movement is slower than the axe, though, and you can't use a shield, so there's definitely a tradeoff. It is worth noting, though, that the Two-Handed Sword is swung in a fairly wide arc, so you'll be hitting enemies pretty easily.
With this Two-Handed Sword, you'll get a great stat gain in Power and Skill, but a poor stat gain in Spirit.
The ultimate Special Techniques with the Two-Handed Sword are Deep Swing, a direct mid-range attack for Extreme-level damage, and Raging Pain, a general mid-range attack for Extreme-level damage.
I should note--the difference between a direct attack and a general attack. Direct attacks usually only affect the enemy if they're directly in the target zone, whereas a general attack is more likely to catch the enemy if they're nearby. Usually, direct attacks are stronger, but when you get to the point of causing Extreme-level damage, you're pretty much capped out.
Just like the Axe was similar to the Sword, this Two-Handed Axe is a lot like the previous weapon. You have a pretty wide swing, the weapon is strong, some similar Special Techniques, no shield, etc. But--you do move slower. This is the second slowest weapon, actually. Three attacks.
This weapon will give you great stat gains in Power and Defense, and poor gains in HP and Charm.
There's only one Extreme-level attack with the Two-Handed Axe, but it's a good one--a long-range direct attack called Sparkling Rampage. Just like with Boulder Dash, we'd be using this one a lot.
The Hammer is the strongest weapon in the game. It's also the slowest--the character will not be moving fast in battle at all. In all honesty, though, the difference isn't that bad (usually--in some battles you need to be out of the line of fire). You can't use a shield, three attacks, etc.
Your Power will be through the roof, but your Defense, not so much.
The Hammer actually has a few decent Major-level damage attacks, but the Extreme attack--Pearly Gates--is just short range.
The Spear gives you the second-longest range in the game, and you aren't particularly fast, but do get four attacks, and the Spear is fairly strong besides.
This weapon will give you great gains in Skill, Defense and Charm, but a particularly poor gain in HP--worse than any of the low gains we've seen so far.
The Spear has a technique called Lo and Behold that is short-range but can still hit several enemies for Extreme-level damage. It also has quite a few Major techniques as well.
The Staff is one of my favorite weapons, but I have no particular idea why. It has about the same range as the Spear but isn't nearly as strong. You can't use a shield, and you move even slower than with the spear. You do get four attacks, at least.
I'm fond of using magic in games, though, so that may be why I'm attached to this one. Not that magic's anything special, but this is the only weapon where you can max out your Magic stat (which actually effects your resistance to magical spells) and your Charm. Of course, your Power and HP take a big hit.
Oh hey, this is notable--there may not be any Extreme attacks for the Staff, but you do have a very interesting Major technique called Song of the Spirits that hits every enemy. That's nice.
The Gloves have the second-fastest rate of movement in the game, and they're one of two weapons that gives you five attacks. They're not particularly strong, but that doesn't really matter when you're hitting five times in quick succession, right? No shield, though.
Your Power and HP will jump up if you use the Gloves, but not your Magic.
These weapons have a nice Extreme technique called Earthquake that harms enemies behind you. With some good positioning, it can be pretty useful.
The Flail is the second weapon to offer five attacks, and it trades off a bit of speed for a bit of power. No shield. You get great Skill and Charm and poor Defense and HP.
White Tiger is your Extreme-level technique, and it'll hit mid-range in (I believe) all directions. Not bad.
The last weapon is the only actively long-range weapon--the Bow. You can sit at the opposite side of the screen and slowly pick your enemy off. You don't have an amazing range of movement and you can't use a shield--but if you never have to get near your enemy, what does it matter? You get three attacks with this weapon. The only downside is that it can occasionally be a bit difficult to actually hit the enemy, because the arrow can easily fly past them if you aren't careful.
You can get a high Skill and Charm with this weapon, but lower Power and HP.
The Extreme technique here is, predictably, a long-range direct atack called Main Gun. I honestly can't remember if it's very fast or not.
So there you go--all of the weapons. Cast your votes! As I said before, we can change up weapons later on, so if you don't like this one we can switch easily.
Name our character. Pretty self-explanatory. You have ten characters--go nuts.
For your final piece of setup customization--choose what part of the world we'll play in. Legend of Mana lets you design your world, unlocking new pieces of land that you can position wherever you want. This will have an impact on the levels of the enemies, what items can be purchased and found, and--occasionally--the story.
There's a certain land-water ratio that needs to be maintained, so you can't have the upper-left corner of the map (or the area a bit southwest of the center), but other than that you can pretty much pick any area you want. Then we'll place our house and get started!