Seiken Densetsu
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Seiken Densetsu's logo |
Seiken Densetsu (
聖剣伝説; literally
Holy Sword Legend) is a
computer role-playing game series from
Square Enix (formerly known as
Square Co., Ltd.), created by
Koichi Ishii. The series is known for its action-based battle system, as opposed to the traditional turn-based style adopted by most console role-playing games. The series began as a handheld
gaiden ("side story") to Square's
flagship franchise,
Final Fantasy, though most
Final Fantasy-inspired elements were dropped from the series starting with the second installment.
In
Japan,
Seiken Densetsu generally generates less profit than other traditional series such as
Final Fantasy,
Dragon Quest, and
SaGa. Even so, the franchise has been reasonably successful, with
Seiken Densetsu 2 managing to sell more than 1.5 million copies in Asia alone.
For most people outside
Japan, their introduction to the series was 1993's popular
Secret of Mana which, in its native Japan, is actually the second game released in the series (
聖剣伝説2/
Seiken Densetsu 2) and the third game to hold the
Seiken Densetsu title. However, as no games bearing the Western title,
Mana, were released for another seven years - ten outside North America - the series is not widely known.
Much like the
Legend of Zelda and
Final Fantasy games, the
Seiken Densetsu series generally has no explicit order of its games apart from their release dates; various attempts to order the games otherwise are often seen as contentious by the series' fans. For example, when
聖剣伝説3/
Seiken Densetsu 3 was translated by fans in 2000, it was generally accepted canon (and still is by some) that it is a prequel to
Secret of Mana, but since 2003's
Sword of Mana's (
Shin'yaku 聖剣伝説/
Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu) suggestions to its being a sequel to
Secret of Mana,
Seiken Densetsu 3 is considered by some to be
Sword's sequel. What also makes it difficult to classify
Seiken Densetsu's games is
Square's ten-year lapse in numbering the Japanese titles.
Legend of Mana (
聖剣伝説 LEGEND OF MANA) and
Sword of Mana (a remake of the original
Seiken Densetsu/
Final Fantasy Adventure/
Mystic Quest) were released prior to the upcoming numbered
聖剣伝説4/
Seiken Densetsu 4 and feature somewhat different gameplay styles and elements from their predecessors (particularly
Legend): as a result, some players regard them as
side-quests or
gaiden to the "main series", while others do not make this differentiation. Despite the classification differences, the games share a number of common elements, not through story, but through the games' themes, battle mechanics, and common
non-player characters and monsters. Some game elements appear to have their origin in some games which lend support to particular series orderings (for example, Cannon Travel's apparent origin in
Seiken Densetsu 3 and the development of an almost world-wide network in
Secret of Mana), but no elements provide conclusive proof.
Most notably, the plotlines tend to revolve around the greedy ambitions of an often subversive
antagonist who wishes to claim the force of Mana for themselves. Mana is described somewhat differently for each game, but it is perhaps best considered to be akin to
Star Wars' Force. Unlike The Force, however, Mana finds its source at the
Mana Tree, a giant sacred tree which, from
Seiken Densetsu 3 onwards, is revealed to be the resting place of the Mana Goddess after she creates the world, named Fa'Diel in
Legend of Mana. By the antagonist's actions to claim Mana, the "balance" of it is thrown askew; as a result, the
protagonist hero (or heroes) find their daily lives also thrown askew and are launched on their quest to restore the balance, despite how catastrophic the restoration may be. Another very important element of
Seiken Densetsu is the Mana Sword which could, perhaps, be best described as a key to controlling Mana.
Another common element of the games is its top-down action-based battle system, helped in part by its distinctive hierarchical "ring menu" system. Each ring is a set of pictures with a textual infobox explanation which, upon selection, allow the player to use an item, or cast a spell, or to look up game statistics or change game settings. Navigation within a menu is achieved by rotating the ring through the cursor left or right with the left or right buttons, while changing the menu is achieved by pressing the up or down buttons.
Secret of Mana is almost entirely based upon this system, while later games have more traditional RPG menus accompanying it;
Legend of Mana only uses ring menus for encyclopædia selection and in monster breeding options. The controversial spin-off
Secret of Evermore was also built upon the ring menu system.
The games' magic system is divided into eight different elements, each embodied by a different protector
Elemental Spirit, and by meeting or coming into contact with an Elemental, the player receives the ability to cast spells for that magic element. This is often a crucial plot element, as barriers up ahead of this meeting often need to be cleared by that Elemental or with one of their spells. Post-
Legend of Mana, the Elementals role has been somewhat diminished to that of providing magical support for the protagonists.
Like
Final Fantasy's use of
Cid and
Chocobos, the
Seiken Densetsu games also share some other common in-game characters and creatures:
* Watts, the
Dwarven Blacksmith, whose roles extend from giving the protagonists gunpowder, to teaching smithing, to upgrading the party's weaponry.
* Usually, there is a
therianthropic Jūjin peddler who allows
saving in the field and sells their wares (usually at exorbitant prices): this role is played by Neko the Cat in
Secret of Mana, Nikita the Rabbit in
Children of Mana and Niccolo the Rabbit in
Sword of Mana (though Niccolo will fight alongside the main character in
Legend of Mana from time to time).
*
Flammie, the kindly white dragon, is used as the main form of transport in most of the games; however, the ability to use Flammie must be earned.
* The series also has its own set of recurring enemies and bosses (sometimes with different names), however, the
Rabite and its various incarnations are used throughout the series and is treated as the emblematic creature, much like the Chocobo.
*
Moogles were used in
Secret of Mana and have a passing reference in
Sword of Mana, but were phased out for
Seiken Densetsu 3 to be replaced by the
Corobokkles, a group of shy
gnome-like creatures led by the wise Don Perignon. Since
Legend of Mana, this role has been filled by the
Dudbears, somewhat slow-witted creatures that look like a cross between a
plush dog and a
teddy bear and speak in a language mainly comprised of the letters A, B, D and U.
Seiken Densetsu: The Emergence of Excalibur
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Seiken Densetsu: The Emergence of Excalibur logo |
Square trademarked the title "Seiken Densetsu" as early as
1987, originally intending to use the name for a massive project under the leadership of Kazuhiko Aoki and intended for the
Famicom Disk System. Early advertisements for
Seiken Densetsu: The Emergence of Excalibur stated that the game, a traditional turn-based role-playing game, would consist of an unprecedented five
floppy disks, making it the largest title developed for the Famicom up until that point. Although Square solicited
preorders for the game, Kaoru Moriyama, a former Square employee, denies that the game ever progressed beyond early planning stages before management cancelled the project. In November 1987, people who had placed orders for the game were sent a letter informing them of the cancellation, urging them to consider placing an order of an upcoming Square role playing game in a similar vein:
Final Fantasy.
[Chris Collette. "Elusions: Final Fantasy IV / Seiken Densetsu." LostLevels.org. November 2003. Last accessed on 14 October 2005.]Final Fantasy Adventure
In
1991, four years after the cancellation of
The Emergence of Excalibur, Square resurrected the trademarked title for an unrelated game. Originally developed under the title
Gemma Knights,
Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden (聖剣伝説 ～ファイナルファンタジー外伝～, known in
North America as
Final Fantasy Adventure, and as
Mystic Quest in
Europe), was released for the original
Game Boy. Drawing many stylistic influences from the
Final Fantasy series (and particularly from
Final Fantasy III, the most recent game in the series at the time), it differed from that series in that it presented real-time, action-oriented battles, rather than the traditional turn-based battles of the
Final Fantasy series. The game was announced to have an updated
mobile phone port for
2006. [
1]
Secret of Mana
Seiken Densetsu 2 (
聖剣伝説2, known outside Japan as
Secret of Mana) was released for the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System in
1993. It introduced the
ring menu, which enabled prompt access to some features – most notably
magic spells – which helped enhance the game's "real time" sensation. It is the best known game in the series, owing in part to its
multiplayer features.
Seiken Densetsu 3
Seiken Densetsu 3 (
聖剣伝説3) was released for the
Super Famicom (the Japanese version of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System) on
September 30,
1995. It was never officially released outside of Japan, although an
English language fan translation was released by
Neill Corlett in
2000.
Seiken Densetsu 3 introduced a degree of nonlinearity to the series, allowing players to choose a party of three members, from a total of six characters. A total of three distinct storylines are available.
Legend of Mana
Seiken Densetsu: Legend of Mana (
聖剣伝説 LEGEND OF MANA, released internationally as
Legend of Mana) was released in
2000 for the
Sony PlayStation. While featuring much of the same gameplay as its predecessors, it created a more expansive world with which the player could interact. Different areas of the game are represented using artifacts and placed by the player onto a world map (a small portion of the total map on which the player chooses to place his or her artifacts); different artifact placement allows the player to obtain different items, an idea later used in such games as
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. The player is also able to acquire temporary sidekicks (be they non-player characters, other players, or pets/golems) that can be bred, built, or sold; to create and temper weapons (both magical – depicted as musical instruments – and physical) and armor; and grow crops which can be sold or fed to pets. Contrary to popular belief,
Legend of Mana is not
Seiken Densetsu 4, which is an upcoming
PlayStation 2 game; as a result, it could be considered a
gaiden to the numbered games in the series.
Sword of Mana
Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu (
新約 聖剣伝説, released internationally as
Sword of Mana) is a heavily modified
enhanced remake of the original Game Boy
Seiken Densetsu, released for the Game Boy Advance in
2003. This was done in order to release the original Seiken Densetsu from its Final Fantasy roots and bring it more in line with the direction the Seiken Densetsu franchise had taken with
Seiken Densetsu 2. Hence,
Sword of Mana is considered canon in the timeline of Seiken Densetsu, whereas
Final Fantasy Adventure is no longer considered canon.
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World of Mana series logo |
World of Mana
In 2005, Square Enix announced plans for a series of new games in the
Seiken Densetsu series, to be released under the collective title of
The World of Mana. So far, four titles have been announced.
[Hirohiko Niizumi. "World of Mana spanning multiple platforms." GameSpot. 31 July 2005. Last accessed on 14 October 2005.]Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana
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Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana logo |
Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana is a new game in the
The World of Mana Compilation, made for the
Nintendo DS. It was released on
March 2 2006 in
Japan.
Dawn of Mana
Seiken Densetsu 4 (
聖剣伝説4) is a new game in the series, part of the
The World of Mana Compilation. It is in development for the
PlayStation 2 and is the first fully 3D game in the series. It is set for a
2006 release date in
Japan. Square Enix recently registered the title
Dawn of Mana for the US version. [
2]
Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Adventure
Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Adventure is an updated port of the original game for mobile phones. The limited enhancements and changes make it resemble Final Fantasy Adventure moreso than Sword of Mana. It is planned for a
2006 release.[
3]
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The 1st volume of Legend of Mana manga by Shiro Amano |
In 2000
Shiro Amano created a 5 volume manga based on Legend of Mana. It features a comedic story about the male main character named Toto.
*
Elemental spirits*
Rabite*
Secret of Mana Theater
