Seiken Densetsu 3
Encyclopedia
is an action role-playing game
developed and published by Square
(now Square Enix
) for Nintendo
's Super Famicom
as a part of the Mana series.
The game features three lengthy main plotlines, six different characters, each with their own storylines, and a wide range of classes
to choose from, which provides each character with an exclusive set of skills and status progression. The game also makes use of a time progression system, with transitions from day to night and weekday to weekday in game time, adding to the game's challenging gameplay.
Although the game was only published in Japan, Western players have been able to come into contact with Seiken Densetsu 3 thanks to an unofficial English fan translation
. In the West, the game is sometimes referred to unofficially as Secret of Mana 2.
Seiken Densetsu 3 plays very much like its predecessor Secret of Mana
, as it employs a real-time combat system, making use of a ring menu which provides the player with quick access to magic spells, items and character information, amongst other options. One of its main differences, though, is that the range of characters is doubled to six, with the player choosing the three members of his or her party when commencing a new game. A single variety of weapon is available for each character, and the "progression by means of use" present on the series' previous game was removed from the weapons and magic systems; now the only factor which influences a spell's damage is how high the character's "magic" attribute and how low an enemy's magical defense towards a special kind of magic is (for example: undeads are wounded heavier by light-based magic-attacks). A storage system was introduced, where excess items can be placed, replacing Secret of Mana
s "four-of-a-kind maximum rule". The player can switch items between storage and their nine-slot item ring menu, or else "top-up" items currently in it to a maximum of nine each.
A battle mode was introduced as part of the gameplay, which freezes some aspects of normal gameplay (such as item storage) to allow the player to focus on defeating monsters. Players can exit battle mode by moving off-screen or far enough away from the monsters for it to be disengaged (unlike the Legend of Mana
no-escape mode). When in battle mode, the character adds one point to his or her "power gauge" by making an attack which hits a monster (in place of Secret of Manas vulnerable charge-up). When the gauge is full enough, special moves can be unleashed - moves vary according to the character and their class. Once all enemies on-screen are defeated, the player has the chance to receive a reward item in a treasure chest. Sometimes, a "prize" wheel of traps is given when opening the chest; this can be eluded by timing the cursor to fall over an "OK" disc.
Unlike the previous game, however, instead of setting the characters' range to the enemy and their level of aggression, the player sets directives on the character's behavior during combat, such as taking an individual target or supporting another character. The player can also determine whether or not the AI characters will make use of their power gauge and what earned abilities they may use, though magic spells must be cast manually by the human player.
is coordinated by the player, as a choice is given regarding where to invest a character statistics
point at every level up. A "class" system is also present. Once a character reaches level 18, he or she is able to go to a Mana Stone and choose a class to progress to - either a class aligned to "Light" or a class aligned to "Dark" - which provides a different set of skills and different improvements to character statistics. A second class change may be performed at level 38. The second change requires the use of rare items to be performed, and once again an option between a "Light" and a "Dark" is presented; However, there is a key difference between the second class change and the first class change. Although the first class change of "Light" and/or "Dark" is in the players power of choosing, the second class change will advance the character depending on which of the two rare items for that characters class you use in the class change at the Mana Stone. Counting all possibilities there is a total of seven possible classes for every character, including the initial class.
Seiken Densetsu 3 also employs a calendar function into its gameplay. The seven-day week cycles much more quickly than an actual one — a day passes in a number of minutes — but it still affects gameplay in certain ways.
Each day of the week is represented by a different elemental spirit. On that spirit's day, magic
of that element will be slightly stronger:
A Day is also divided into day and night, represented by Will-o'-the-Wisp the light elemental (known as Wisp in the rest of the Mana series) and Shade the dark elemental, respectively. Reportedly, the use of the opposite elements according to day and time and the game's elementology are not weakened; for example, using water spells on a Salamander Day does not make them weaker than using them on a Gnome Day.
Certain events only happen during certain times of day, such as a nighttime-only black market selling particularly rare items. Enemies encountered in the field also change during certain time periods, and some may be sleeping if characters approach them at night. In addition, the character Kevin transforms into a werewolf when he fights at night, greatly increasing his attack power. Using an inn's services allows the player to "skip" the game's clock to that day's evening, or the following morning. Mana Holy Day is also notable in the game's calendar as players can use the inns' healing and time-skipping service for free, while a nominal charge is given on other days.
is the only princess of the ice-covered Magic Kingdom of Altena. Her mother, Valda, the Queen of Reason, uses her magic to keep the Altenish citadel in a perpetual spring. However, like her country, Valda is cold and unfeeling towards her daughter, who has become lonely and selfish as a result of her upbringing. The Queen's spell weakens as Mana starts to fade. So that her spell may continue and Altena does not freeze over, she, with her assistant wizard Koren, decides to invade other nations to claim their Mana Stones. Before starting the invasion, Valda and her right hand Koren want to unleash the power of their own Mana Stone of water. The only problem: the spell doing this has been cursed, causing the death of the person casting it. As Angela seems to be the only person in Altena not being able to use magic, the queen oppresses her daughter to sacrifice herself to the ancient spell which would unlock the power of Mana kept in the Stone, and so, doing a first step in opening the way to the infinite power in the Sword of Mana, saving the magical kingdom in turn. After Angela is told this, her rage causes her hidden magical powers to suddenly burst out in an uncontrollable way teleporting the girl to the outside of the citadel. With nowhere to go but also no possibility to stay, Angela leaves Altena., an orphaned mercenary
swordsman of the Grasslands Kingdom of Valsena (Forcena in the fan-translation), proudly serves his king, the wise Richard. Duran and his little sister Wendy were raised by their aunt, Stella after Duran's mother died as the result of a long term illness, and their father Loki was lost in battle with the Dragon Emperor. One night, Duran is on guard duty at the castle of Valsena when Koren attacks the castle. Duran is left for dead after confronting him, and after making his recovery, he vows to become the best swordsman in the world and to exact his revenge upon Koren, due to a combination of his own wounded pride and a desire to avenge the people Koren killed. (Hawk in the fan-translation) is a member of a guild of noble thieves based in the desert Sand Fortress of Nevarl (Navarre in the fan-translation). The guild's leader, Lord Flamekhan, suddenly and uncharacteristically declares Nevarl to be a Kingdom. Surprised by this, Hawkeye discusses the matter with his friends, Flamekhan's children, Jessica and Eagle. Hawkeye and Eagle decide to confront Flamekhan about it, only to find that he is in the middle of a meeting with his assistant, the witch Isabella, who turns out to be pulling Flamekhan's strings. Isabella (later revealed as "Bigieu") casts a spell on Eagle to make him attack Hawkeye, who injures Eagle gravely in his self-defense. However, Isabella finishes Eagle off with a spell and puts all the blame on Hawkeye. He is imprisoned and awaits his execution when Isabella informs him that she has given Jessica a cursed necklace; should Hawkeye tell anyone the truth, she will be choked by it. Luckily, he makes an escape. (Lise in the fan translation) is princess of the mountainous Wind Kingdom of Laurent (Rolante in the fan-translation), and captain of its Amazon
army. After her mother, Minerva, dies while giving birth to her younger brother, Elliott, Riesz vows to take care of him. However, two mysterious ninjas from Nevarl, Bill and Ben (which are ironically former friends of Hawkeye), discreetly trick Elliott into turning off Laurent's protective winds and kidnap him. With the winds gone, Nevarl attacks Laurent with a cloud of sleep powder and kills its king, Joster. Devastated, Riesz makes her escape. is the inarticulate
prince of Ferolia. He is the son of Gauser, king of the beastmen, and a human mother. Sick of the treatment of his people by "normal" humans, the Beast King's desired revenge is made all the more possible by the appearance of the mysterious "Man who devours death", with his dark magic at "beck and call". He shows his abilities by causing an illusion, in which Kevin's beloved wolf-pup orphan friend, Karl, rises up and attacks him while both are out in the Moonlight Forest. Kevin defends himself but seems to loose his life, when, on the verge of dying, his werewolf abilities awake; unfortunately, they come at the cost of Karl's life. After seeing that the Beast King is sending an invasion force to overthrow the humans' precious Holy City Wendel, Kevin overhears the Beast King congratulate the Deathjester on his spell. Enraged, he confronts the Beast King and is, quite literally, thrown out of the castle. He declares the Beast King not to be his father, wishes to find his mother, some way to revive Karl and swears to take revenge on the Beast King for his best friend's death. (Carlie in the fan translation), the "cute little girl who lives in Wendel", is the granddaughter of the Priest of Light. Orphaned by her parents, the cleric Leroy and the elf Shayla, she is looked after by a fellow cleric, Heath. Feeling an evil influence in nearby Jadd, the Priest of Light sends Heath to investigate; however, Charlotte overhears this conversation and makes an escape to find the Deathjester kidnap Heath. This is when she decides she must save him.
}: The main servant of the Masked Mage, and the penultimate boss Kevin and Charlotte's storylines. Heath is the son of the Masked Mage and previously a friend of Charlotte. At the start of the plot he goes out to try investigate the disturbances with mana and to try and save his father from his own darkness, but was abducted by the Deathjester and turned evil. If Charlotte or Kevin aren't the main characters, he isn't fought as a boss and instead wonders about, and sacrifices his life to cure the illness of the Priest of Light. However, in all endings, regardless of characters, he's revived by the Mana Goddess.
While Dragon Emperor and the Dark Prince are mentioned by their minions before they appear on-screen, the Masked Mage is not, and his existence is only revealed when the player meets him. If Kevin and Charlotte are not the main character, Deathjester would reveal that he is working for the Masked Mage.
All characters, on the way to Wendel, stay overnight in Astoria where they are woken by a bright light. Following it, it reveals itself to be a Faerie from the Mana Sanctuary (Mana Holyland in the fan-translation), exhausted by her journey. Out of desperation, the Faerie chooses the main character to be her host, and tells them to get to Wendel. There, while giving her or his grievances to the Priest of Light, the Faerie interrupts and explains that the Mana Tree is dying and that the Sanctuary is in danger. This is grave news for the Priest, for if the Tree dies, the Benevodons will reawaken and destroy the world.
He goes on to explain further that, because the Faerie has chosen the main character as its host, they must travel to the Sanctuary to draw the Sword of Mana from the foot of the Mana Tree to restore peace to the world, and have their wishes granted by the Mana Goddess if it can be drawn before the Tree dies. However, there is a catch: a lot of power is needed to open the gate to the Sanctuary. The Faerie does not have the strength to do it, and the ancient spell which would do so by unlocking the power in the Mana Stones also takes the caster's life. However, the Stones' guarding spirits (Secret of Mana
s Elementals) are seen to be able, once their powers are combined.
After journeying across the world to get the Spirits, thwarting the invasion attempts of Navarre and Altena, discovering the powers of the Fire and Water Mana Stones released (by agents of Navarre and Altena, respectively), and learning the disappearance of the Mana Stone of Darkness along the way, the Main Character tries to open the gate to the Mana Sanctuary with the Spirits' assistance. The first attempt fails, but the second succeeds; the Faerie realizes that it was opened because someone released the power from all the Mana Stones.
The characters travel into the Sanctuary and the Main Character claims the Mana Sword; however, it is soon discovered that the Main Character's adversaries (Koren and the Darkshine Knight for Angela and Duran; Jagan and Bigieu for Riesz/Lise and Hawkeye; or the Deathjester and Heath for Kevin and Carlie/Charlotte) (the villains that aren't the main character's primary enemies are killed by whoever the main villain is) has captured the Faerie and will only release her in exchange for the Mana Sword. The unfortunate trade is made, and once the enemy receives the Sword, the Mana Stones shatter and the Benevodons are released.
The characters must then defeat the Benevodons before they can gather and destroy the world. However, after doing this they realize killing the Benevodons gives more power to their main enemy (the Dragon Emperor for Duran and Angela, the Dark Prince for Hawkeye and Riesz, or Masked Mage for Kevin and Charlotte), and the already powerful villain absorbs the power of the Sword of Mana and the Benevodons to become a god, but is halted by the Mana Goddess blocking some of his power. After defeating the villains minions the characters go and defeat their main enemy, but are unable to stop him from destroying the Mana Tree. The Faerie fuses with what's left of the Mana Tree and will become the new Mana Goddess in a thousand years, but until then mana won't exist in the world. The characters go back to their lives after this.
. The game was directed by Hiromichi Tanaka
, who previously helped design the first three Final Fantasy
titles and Secret of Mana. Manga and anime artist Nobuteru Yūki
was responsible for the illustrations of the characters designed by Ishii himself. Yūki's artwork for the game can be found in the rare Nobuteru Yuki Seiken Densetsu Illustration Book.
was released in lieu of an English language version of Seiken Densetsu 3 in 1995. Ill feelings towards the lack of an official translation probably stem from titular and mechanical similarities.
One suggested reason against Secret of Evermores favouring over Seiken Densetsu 3 is due to the establishment of a new development team at Square
's office in Redmond, Washington
, called Square Soft. According to Brian Fehdrau, the lead programmer for Secret of Evermore, the decision had absolutely no effect on any such translations and did not tie up any of the people involved in translation; the Redmond team was specifically hired to create Evermore and they would not have been assembled otherwise. This may have been accompanied by a decision not to continue translating titles, including the sequel to Secret of Mana. Citing Nintendo Power
, the probability of a North American release for Seiken Densetsu 3 was low due to "a technical nature" and that it would have been far too costly to produce at the time. This is further supported by Fehdrau, who mentions that Seiken Densetsu 3 had some bugs
, hindering its likelihood of being certified for release by Nintendo of America.
In 2000, a fan translation project led by hacker Neill Corlett was successfully completed and made available on the internet as an unofficial patch. Due to the increasing popularity of video game ROM
s and the quick progress of emulator
s at the time, the translated version of Seiken Densetsu 3 was made available to many players from around the world in 2000. At the time of its release, the translation was the most sophisticated hack of its type, with assembly hacks for script compression and variable font width, as well as overcoming technical difficulties in dumping and re-inserting the original script. Seiken Densetsu 3 was later translated into French
and German
.
, who had previously composed the music for Secret of Mana. Kikuta completed it with little assistance, having performed the sound selection, editing, effect design, and data encoding himself. The soundtrack features 60 tracks on 3 discs and was published by NTT Publishing on August 25, 1995 and was republished by Square Enix
on October 1, 2004. The main theme from Secret of Mana, "Where Angels Fear to Tread", makes a return in this installment. The track "Meridian Child" was performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
for the fifth Orchestral Game Concert in 1996
. The game also features a surround sound
mode.
Seiken Densetsu 3 Original Sound Version track listing
top 100 list from 1999 to 2001.
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
developed and published by Square
Square Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
(now Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
) for Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Super Famicom
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
as a part of the Mana series.
The game features three lengthy main plotlines, six different characters, each with their own storylines, and a wide range of classes
Character class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
to choose from, which provides each character with an exclusive set of skills and status progression. The game also makes use of a time progression system, with transitions from day to night and weekday to weekday in game time, adding to the game's challenging gameplay.
Although the game was only published in Japan, Western players have been able to come into contact with Seiken Densetsu 3 thanks to an unofficial English fan translation
Fan translation
A fan translation, in video gaming, refers to an unofficial translation of a computer game or video game.The fan translation practice grew with the rise of video game console emulation in the late 1990s. A community of people developed that were interested in replaying and modifying the games they...
. In the West, the game is sometimes referred to unofficially as Secret of Mana 2.
Gameplay
Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana is an action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed and published by Square in 1993. The game was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console in 2008, and was ported to Japanese mobile phones in 2009...
, as it employs a real-time combat system, making use of a ring menu which provides the player with quick access to magic spells, items and character information, amongst other options. One of its main differences, though, is that the range of characters is doubled to six, with the player choosing the three members of his or her party when commencing a new game. A single variety of weapon is available for each character, and the "progression by means of use" present on the series' previous game was removed from the weapons and magic systems; now the only factor which influences a spell's damage is how high the character's "magic" attribute and how low an enemy's magical defense towards a special kind of magic is (for example: undeads are wounded heavier by light-based magic-attacks). A storage system was introduced, where excess items can be placed, replacing Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana is an action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed and published by Square in 1993. The game was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console in 2008, and was ported to Japanese mobile phones in 2009...
s "four-of-a-kind maximum rule". The player can switch items between storage and their nine-slot item ring menu, or else "top-up" items currently in it to a maximum of nine each.
A battle mode was introduced as part of the gameplay, which freezes some aspects of normal gameplay (such as item storage) to allow the player to focus on defeating monsters. Players can exit battle mode by moving off-screen or far enough away from the monsters for it to be disengaged (unlike the Legend of Mana
Legend of Mana
Legend of Mana, known in Japan as , is the fourth game in the Mana series. The game was released for the PlayStation in Japan on July 15, 1999 and in North America on June 7, 2000, with a delayed release in Canada...
no-escape mode). When in battle mode, the character adds one point to his or her "power gauge" by making an attack which hits a monster (in place of Secret of Manas vulnerable charge-up). When the gauge is full enough, special moves can be unleashed - moves vary according to the character and their class. Once all enemies on-screen are defeated, the player has the chance to receive a reward item in a treasure chest. Sometimes, a "prize" wheel of traps is given when opening the chest; this can be eluded by timing the cursor to fall over an "OK" disc.
Unlike the previous game, however, instead of setting the characters' range to the enemy and their level of aggression, the player sets directives on the character's behavior during combat, such as taking an individual target or supporting another character. The player can also determine whether or not the AI characters will make use of their power gauge and what earned abilities they may use, though magic spells must be cast manually by the human player.
Three-player Patch
There are conflicting reports to whether Seiken Densetsu 3 allows two or up to three players (with the use of a multi-tap). In late 2006, a three-player patch was released by the fan community to allow up to three human players to participate in the two player version of the game.Classes and Leveling
Level progressionExperience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
is coordinated by the player, as a choice is given regarding where to invest a character statistics
Statistic (role-playing games)
A statistic in role-playing games is a piece of data which represents a particular aspect of a fictional character. That piece of data is usually a integer or, in some cases, a set of dice....
point at every level up. A "class" system is also present. Once a character reaches level 18, he or she is able to go to a Mana Stone and choose a class to progress to - either a class aligned to "Light" or a class aligned to "Dark" - which provides a different set of skills and different improvements to character statistics. A second class change may be performed at level 38. The second change requires the use of rare items to be performed, and once again an option between a "Light" and a "Dark" is presented; However, there is a key difference between the second class change and the first class change. Although the first class change of "Light" and/or "Dark" is in the players power of choosing, the second class change will advance the character depending on which of the two rare items for that characters class you use in the class change at the Mana Stone. Counting all possibilities there is a total of seven possible classes for every character, including the initial class.
Passage of time
Each day of the week is represented by a different elemental spirit. On that spirit's day, magic
Magic (gaming)
Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
of that element will be slightly stronger:
- Luna Day - Moon magic is stronger;
- Salamander Day - Fire magic is stronger;
- Undine Day - Water magic is stronger;
- Dryad Day - Wood magic is stronger;
- Jinn Day - Wind magic is stronger;
- Gnome Day - Earth magic is stronger;
- Mana Holy Day - All elemental magic is balanced.
A Day is also divided into day and night, represented by Will-o'-the-Wisp the light elemental (known as Wisp in the rest of the Mana series) and Shade the dark elemental, respectively. Reportedly, the use of the opposite elements according to day and time and the game's elementology are not weakened; for example, using water spells on a Salamander Day does not make them weaker than using them on a Gnome Day.
Certain events only happen during certain times of day, such as a nighttime-only black market selling particularly rare items. Enemies encountered in the field also change during certain time periods, and some may be sleeping if characters approach them at night. In addition, the character Kevin transforms into a werewolf when he fights at night, greatly increasing his attack power. Using an inn's services allows the player to "skip" the game's clock to that day's evening, or the following morning. Mana Holy Day is also notable in the game's calendar as players can use the inns' healing and time-skipping service for free, while a nominal charge is given on other days.
Setting
According to Seiken Densetsu 3s in-game lore, the Mana Goddess created the game's world by forging the powerful Sword of Mana and defeating eight benevodons (God-Beasts in the fan-translation) with it, sealing them within eight Mana Stones, before turning herself into the Mana Tree and falling asleep. The game is set at a time when Mana starts to fade and peace has ended, as some people plot to unleash the benevodons from the stones so as to gain ultimate power, politically and magically. Heroes of Mana is a direct prequel to Seiken Densetsu 3, taking place 19 years before the latter's story.Playable Characters
The characters (and their individual stories) are grouped into three main sub-plots. Duran and Angela oppose the Dragon Emperor; Hawkeye and Riesz oppose the Dark Prince; and Kevin and Charlotte oppose the Masked Mage. The main storyline is determined by the first character chosen, however there is significantly more character interaction and dialogue if these pairs of characters are selected in the same party.is the only princess of the ice-covered Magic Kingdom of Altena. Her mother, Valda, the Queen of Reason, uses her magic to keep the Altenish citadel in a perpetual spring. However, like her country, Valda is cold and unfeeling towards her daughter, who has become lonely and selfish as a result of her upbringing. The Queen's spell weakens as Mana starts to fade. So that her spell may continue and Altena does not freeze over, she, with her assistant wizard Koren, decides to invade other nations to claim their Mana Stones. Before starting the invasion, Valda and her right hand Koren want to unleash the power of their own Mana Stone of water. The only problem: the spell doing this has been cursed, causing the death of the person casting it. As Angela seems to be the only person in Altena not being able to use magic, the queen oppresses her daughter to sacrifice herself to the ancient spell which would unlock the power of Mana kept in the Stone, and so, doing a first step in opening the way to the infinite power in the Sword of Mana, saving the magical kingdom in turn. After Angela is told this, her rage causes her hidden magical powers to suddenly burst out in an uncontrollable way teleporting the girl to the outside of the citadel. With nowhere to go but also no possibility to stay, Angela leaves Altena., an orphaned mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
swordsman of the Grasslands Kingdom of Valsena (Forcena in the fan-translation), proudly serves his king, the wise Richard. Duran and his little sister Wendy were raised by their aunt, Stella after Duran's mother died as the result of a long term illness, and their father Loki was lost in battle with the Dragon Emperor. One night, Duran is on guard duty at the castle of Valsena when Koren attacks the castle. Duran is left for dead after confronting him, and after making his recovery, he vows to become the best swordsman in the world and to exact his revenge upon Koren, due to a combination of his own wounded pride and a desire to avenge the people Koren killed. (Hawk in the fan-translation) is a member of a guild of noble thieves based in the desert Sand Fortress of Nevarl (Navarre in the fan-translation). The guild's leader, Lord Flamekhan, suddenly and uncharacteristically declares Nevarl to be a Kingdom. Surprised by this, Hawkeye discusses the matter with his friends, Flamekhan's children, Jessica and Eagle. Hawkeye and Eagle decide to confront Flamekhan about it, only to find that he is in the middle of a meeting with his assistant, the witch Isabella, who turns out to be pulling Flamekhan's strings. Isabella (later revealed as "Bigieu") casts a spell on Eagle to make him attack Hawkeye, who injures Eagle gravely in his self-defense. However, Isabella finishes Eagle off with a spell and puts all the blame on Hawkeye. He is imprisoned and awaits his execution when Isabella informs him that she has given Jessica a cursed necklace; should Hawkeye tell anyone the truth, she will be choked by it. Luckily, he makes an escape. (Lise in the fan translation) is princess of the mountainous Wind Kingdom of Laurent (Rolante in the fan-translation), and captain of its Amazon
Amazons
The Amazons are a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and Classical antiquity. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatia...
army. After her mother, Minerva, dies while giving birth to her younger brother, Elliott, Riesz vows to take care of him. However, two mysterious ninjas from Nevarl, Bill and Ben (which are ironically former friends of Hawkeye), discreetly trick Elliott into turning off Laurent's protective winds and kidnap him. With the winds gone, Nevarl attacks Laurent with a cloud of sleep powder and kills its king, Joster. Devastated, Riesz makes her escape. is the inarticulate
Speech disorder
Speech disorders or speech impediments are a type of communication disorders where 'normal' speech is disrupted. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute.-Classification:...
prince of Ferolia. He is the son of Gauser, king of the beastmen, and a human mother. Sick of the treatment of his people by "normal" humans, the Beast King's desired revenge is made all the more possible by the appearance of the mysterious "Man who devours death", with his dark magic at "beck and call". He shows his abilities by causing an illusion, in which Kevin's beloved wolf-pup orphan friend, Karl, rises up and attacks him while both are out in the Moonlight Forest. Kevin defends himself but seems to loose his life, when, on the verge of dying, his werewolf abilities awake; unfortunately, they come at the cost of Karl's life. After seeing that the Beast King is sending an invasion force to overthrow the humans' precious Holy City Wendel, Kevin overhears the Beast King congratulate the Deathjester on his spell. Enraged, he confronts the Beast King and is, quite literally, thrown out of the castle. He declares the Beast King not to be his father, wishes to find his mother, some way to revive Karl and swears to take revenge on the Beast King for his best friend's death. (Carlie in the fan translation), the "cute little girl who lives in Wendel", is the granddaughter of the Priest of Light. Orphaned by her parents, the cleric Leroy and the elf Shayla, she is looked after by a fellow cleric, Heath. Feeling an evil influence in nearby Jadd, the Priest of Light sends Heath to investigate; however, Charlotte overhears this conversation and makes an escape to find the Deathjester kidnap Heath. This is when she decides she must save him.
Opponent Characters
- Dark Prince : Hawkeye and Riesz's main enemy and the final boss of their storylines. He was once a human, though his name as human is never stated. He was the prince of the "Kingdom of Light", but was also prophesied as being the harbinger of doom. Being mistreated and locked-up, the ruler of the underworld saw this and offered a pact to him and have him become their new leader. The prince accepted, and through an ironic twist of fate the prince fulfilled the prophecy by destroying his former kingdom. Having not enough with this, he also killed off the ruler of the underworld and took his place. He does not have a body of his own, he instead acts throughout the game by possessing the body of Reisz's younger brother Eliot (though only in Riesz and Hawkeye's plots, in the others his remains are destroyed). His aim to merge the human world with underworld so he can rule both, and even displays a desire for the demons to be worshipped in place of the Mana Goddess. His true form for the final battle is the Arch DemonDemoncall - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
, in which he is also the only final boss with two forms. The Arch Demon is generally viewed by fans to be the hardest of the three final bosses.- Bigieu : The right hand servant of the Dark Prince, and the penultimate boss of Hawk and Riesz's storylines, whom is also implied to have romantic feelings for him, especially after dying (which aren't mutual, he only sees her as an expendable pawn), though how she met him isn't stated. Bigieu's sole intent is following the will of the Dark Prince, but she notes that he "lost his soul" when he became a demon, and she hoped to bring his soul back. A notable event is that if the main characters are not Hawkeye or Riesz, after the Dark Prince is killed by the main villain, Bigieu kills Jagan off-screen and releases Elliot before killing herself, seeing no reason to live without the Dark Prince. This both strongly indicates she has romantic feelings for him, and shows that she even has some morals herself.
- Jagan (called , meaning Earl of the Evil Eye in the original): The Dark Prince's other main servant, and the 3rd to last boss of Hawk and Riesz's storylines. Jagan is a vampireVampireVampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
-like entity, though in game he isn't an undeadUndeadUndead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
enemy. His origins are not stated; he is likely a demon from the underworld. He is fought and killed by the characters if Hawkeye or Riesz are the main characters, but if not he's killed by Bigieu after the remains of the Dark Prince's body are destroyed.
- DragonDragonA dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
Emperor ( in the original, which also means Dragon Emperor): Duran and Angela's main enemy, and the final boss of their storylines. Of the three possible main villains, the Dragon Emperor's past is the least developed. His origin isn't stated, the most that seems to be known is that he is the leader of the clan of dragons. A coalition was led against him by Prince Richard and Loki (Duran's father). At the cost of Loki's life the Dragon Emperor was defeated, but he survived the battle and revived Loki as his servant the Darkshine Knight, later recruited Koren as well. The Dragon Emperor's intent is the most simplistic of the villains, he simply wishes to dominate that world to do with it as he pleases. His true form for the final is described as "Huge Dragon", and lives up to the description as he is so big he is not fully shown on-screen. He's viewed as being in between the difficulty of the other two final bosses- Koren ( meaning Crimson Wizard in the original): The Dragon Emperor's main servant, and the penultimate boss in Duran and Angela's storylines. He was once an ordinary human, but possessed no ability for magic until that Dragon Emperor offered to make him the most powerful wizard alive in exchange for a piece of his soul, though why the Dragon Emperor wanted a part of Koren's soul isn't stated. Koren accepts the offer, though after he's defeated he loses his will to live without the piece of his soul the Dragon Emperor took and kills himself.
- Darkshine Knight ( meaning Knight of Black Shine in the original): The Dragon Emperor's other servant, who is actually Duran's father Loki, though this is only revealed if Duran is in the party when he is fought (he is the 3rd to last boss of Duran and Angela's storylines). Loki was believed to have died fighting the Dragon Emperor, but the Dragon Emperor saw a use for the powerful warrior and revived him as his servant. Although the Darkshine Knight retained his memories from living as Loki, he was fanatically loyal to the Dragon Emperor. After the Darkshine Knight dies he's released from the control that the Dragon Emperor had over him, and tells the heroes that he has faith in their power to stop the Dragon Emperor. If Duran or Angela aren't the main characters, then the Darkshine Knight still reveals that Dragon Emperor revived him before dying, and that Dragon Emperor's power is what kept him alive. If Duran is in the party, he attempts to reveal to him that he's his father, but dies before he can finish speaking.
- Masked Mage ( in the original, meaning Masked Officiating Monk): Kevin and Charlotte's main enemy, and the final boss of their storylines. He was once a human named Belgar, Wendel's Oracle of Darkness. Originally a priest known for his skill in healing, he eventually found a disease that couldn't be cured with light magic and descended into dark magic to find a cure for it. Unfortunately, the victim died before a cure was found. Belgar eventually found a spell in necromancyNecromancyNecromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...
that could revive the dead, and challenged the Priest of Light but was defeated and exiled. During this time Belgar became corrupted by the dark magic and became the Masked Mage, developing a strong hatred for the living. He intended to gain the power to exact his revenge on the living. At some point he recruited the Deathjester. The Masked Mage's son Heath tried to stop him, but was corrupted and became his father's strongest servant. His true form for the final battle is the Dark LichLichIn modern fantasy fiction, a lich is a type of undead creature. Often such a creature is the result of a transformation, as a powerful magician or king striving for eternal life uses spells or rituals to bind his intellect to his animated corpse and thereby achieve a form of immortality...
. He's viewed as the easiest of the three final bosses.
}: The main servant of the Masked Mage, and the penultimate boss Kevin and Charlotte's storylines. Heath is the son of the Masked Mage and previously a friend of Charlotte. At the start of the plot he goes out to try investigate the disturbances with mana and to try and save his father from his own darkness, but was abducted by the Deathjester and turned evil. If Charlotte or Kevin aren't the main characters, he isn't fought as a boss and instead wonders about, and sacrifices his life to cure the illness of the Priest of Light. However, in all endings, regardless of characters, he's revived by the Mana Goddess.
-
- Deathjester (called , meaning the Death-Eating Man in the original): The other servant of the Masked Mage, and a clown like being as his name would imply. He is the 3rd to last boss of Kevin and Charlotte's storylines. His origins, and motivation for serving the Masked Mage are unknown. He displays the ability to eat souls, hence his Japanese name. Early on he abducts Heath, resulting in his serving the Masked Mage. Unlike the other villains, he seems to survive when the Masked Mage isn't the villain. What happens to the Deathjester after that is unknown.
While Dragon Emperor and the Dark Prince are mentioned by their minions before they appear on-screen, the Masked Mage is not, and his existence is only revealed when the player meets him. If Kevin and Charlotte are not the main character, Deathjester would reveal that he is working for the Masked Mage.
- Benevodons, ( in the original, God-Beasts in the fan-translation) eight elementalElementalAn elemental is a mythological being first appearing in the alchemical works of Paracelsus in the 16th century. Traditionally, there are four types:*gnomes, earth elementals*undines , water elementals*sylphs, air elementals...
monsters that are described as "incarnations of disaster that once threatened the world", but were defeated by the Goddess of Mana using the Sword of Mana. One Benevodon existed for each element in the game: fire, water, earth, wind, wood, light, moon, and darkness. When the villains acquire the Sword of Mana, the Benevodons are released into the world. The player can fight the first seven in whatever order they wish. After defeating the first seven, the Benovodon of Darkness can be fought. However, killing the God-Beasts plays right into the hands of the villain as killing them sends their power to the Sword of Mana. The Benevodons are:- Land Umber: The Benevodon of earth. He looks like a giant rock monster that has its fists floating besides him.
- Dangaard: The Benevodon of wind. Dangaard looks like a 2-headed griffin.
- Xan Bie: The Benevodon of Fire. Xan Bie is a floating dragonhead that has many fireballs spinning around itself. It can use these fireballs to change shape.
- Fiegmund: The Benevodon of Water/ice. A giant blue lizard with fins on its back.
- Mispolm: The Benevodon of wood. He is a giant jack-o'-lantern that attacks with two vines.
- Dolan: Benevodon of the Moon. He is a bipedal giant goatlike creature with large claws.
- Lightgazer: Benevodon of light. Lightgazer is a giant floating rock with an eye in the middle.
- Zable Fahr: Benevodon of Darkness. According to Shade, the mana-spirit of darkness, Zable Fahr escaped his imprisonment from the manastone many years before the start of the game. He was known as the embodiment of chaos and destruction. He first appears as 2 floating beastial heads in a dark empty void, but when the 2 heads are killed, he returns with 1 humanoid head and resurrects the 2 beastial heads.
Story
With the exception of Charlotte, the characters are told (or otherwise decide) to seek the advice of the Priest of Light in the Holy City Wendel. They arrive at the city of Jadd soon after the Beastmen have invaded. Due to the Beastmen's werewolf powers, they are able to make an escape by night.All characters, on the way to Wendel, stay overnight in Astoria where they are woken by a bright light. Following it, it reveals itself to be a Faerie from the Mana Sanctuary (Mana Holyland in the fan-translation), exhausted by her journey. Out of desperation, the Faerie chooses the main character to be her host, and tells them to get to Wendel. There, while giving her or his grievances to the Priest of Light, the Faerie interrupts and explains that the Mana Tree is dying and that the Sanctuary is in danger. This is grave news for the Priest, for if the Tree dies, the Benevodons will reawaken and destroy the world.
He goes on to explain further that, because the Faerie has chosen the main character as its host, they must travel to the Sanctuary to draw the Sword of Mana from the foot of the Mana Tree to restore peace to the world, and have their wishes granted by the Mana Goddess if it can be drawn before the Tree dies. However, there is a catch: a lot of power is needed to open the gate to the Sanctuary. The Faerie does not have the strength to do it, and the ancient spell which would do so by unlocking the power in the Mana Stones also takes the caster's life. However, the Stones' guarding spirits (Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana is an action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed and published by Square in 1993. The game was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console in 2008, and was ported to Japanese mobile phones in 2009...
s Elementals) are seen to be able, once their powers are combined.
After journeying across the world to get the Spirits, thwarting the invasion attempts of Navarre and Altena, discovering the powers of the Fire and Water Mana Stones released (by agents of Navarre and Altena, respectively), and learning the disappearance of the Mana Stone of Darkness along the way, the Main Character tries to open the gate to the Mana Sanctuary with the Spirits' assistance. The first attempt fails, but the second succeeds; the Faerie realizes that it was opened because someone released the power from all the Mana Stones.
The characters travel into the Sanctuary and the Main Character claims the Mana Sword; however, it is soon discovered that the Main Character's adversaries (Koren and the Darkshine Knight for Angela and Duran; Jagan and Bigieu for Riesz/Lise and Hawkeye; or the Deathjester and Heath for Kevin and Carlie/Charlotte) (the villains that aren't the main character's primary enemies are killed by whoever the main villain is) has captured the Faerie and will only release her in exchange for the Mana Sword. The unfortunate trade is made, and once the enemy receives the Sword, the Mana Stones shatter and the Benevodons are released.
The characters must then defeat the Benevodons before they can gather and destroy the world. However, after doing this they realize killing the Benevodons gives more power to their main enemy (the Dragon Emperor for Duran and Angela, the Dark Prince for Hawkeye and Riesz, or Masked Mage for Kevin and Charlotte), and the already powerful villain absorbs the power of the Sword of Mana and the Benevodons to become a god, but is halted by the Mana Goddess blocking some of his power. After defeating the villains minions the characters go and defeat their main enemy, but are unable to stop him from destroying the Mana Tree. The Faerie fuses with what's left of the Mana Tree and will become the new Mana Goddess in a thousand years, but until then mana won't exist in the world. The characters go back to their lives after this.
Development
Seiken Densetsu 3 was designed by series creator Koichi IshiiKoichi Ishii
, sometimes credited as Kouichi Ishii, is a video game designer perhaps best known for creating the Mana series . He joined Square in 1987, where he has directed or produced every game released in the Mana series...
. The game was directed by Hiromichi Tanaka
Hiromichi Tanaka
is a Japanese video game developer, game producer, game director and game designer. He is currently Senior Vice President of Software Development at Square Enix and the head of Square Enix's Product Development Division-3. He is best known as the former lead developer of Final Fantasy XI, Square's...
, who previously helped design the first three Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
titles and Secret of Mana. Manga and anime artist Nobuteru Yūki
Nobuteru Yuki
is a Japanese manga artist, illustrator, and animator. He began as a doujinshi artist under the nom de plume The Man in the High Castle and Yubic , both references to the works of American science fiction author Philip K. Dick...
was responsible for the illustrations of the characters designed by Ishii himself. Yūki's artwork for the game can be found in the rare Nobuteru Yuki Seiken Densetsu Illustration Book.
Localization
During the game's development and release, Seiken Densetsu 3 became known abroad as Secret of Mana 2. Square stated in a 1995 issue of its North American newsletter that they planned to release the game during the second half of the year. However, Seiken Densetsu 3 was never localized outside of Japan. There is an apparent misconception among video game fans that the SNES title Secret of EvermoreSecret of Evermore
Secret of Evermore is a role-playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released by Square Soft in North America on October 1, 1995. In February 1996, it saw release in the PAL territories of Europe and Australia...
was released in lieu of an English language version of Seiken Densetsu 3 in 1995. Ill feelings towards the lack of an official translation probably stem from titular and mechanical similarities.
One suggested reason against Secret of Evermores favouring over Seiken Densetsu 3 is due to the establishment of a new development team at Square
Square Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
's office in Redmond, Washington
Redmond, Washington
Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
, called Square Soft. According to Brian Fehdrau, the lead programmer for Secret of Evermore, the decision had absolutely no effect on any such translations and did not tie up any of the people involved in translation; the Redmond team was specifically hired to create Evermore and they would not have been assembled otherwise. This may have been accompanied by a decision not to continue translating titles, including the sequel to Secret of Mana. Citing Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
, the probability of a North American release for Seiken Densetsu 3 was low due to "a technical nature" and that it would have been far too costly to produce at the time. This is further supported by Fehdrau, who mentions that Seiken Densetsu 3 had some bugs
Software bug
A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...
, hindering its likelihood of being certified for release by Nintendo of America.
In 2000, a fan translation project led by hacker Neill Corlett was successfully completed and made available on the internet as an unofficial patch. Due to the increasing popularity of video game ROM
ROM image
A ROM image, or ROM file, is a computer file which contains a copy of the data from a read-only memory chip, often from a video game cartridge, a computer's firmware, or from an arcade game's main board...
s and the quick progress of emulator
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
s at the time, the translated version of Seiken Densetsu 3 was made available to many players from around the world in 2000. At the time of its release, the translation was the most sophisticated hack of its type, with assembly hacks for script compression and variable font width, as well as overcoming technical difficulties in dumping and re-inserting the original script. Seiken Densetsu 3 was later translated into French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
Audio
The score for Seiken Densetsu 3 was composed by Hiroki KikutaHiroki Kikuta
is a Japanese video game composer and game designer. His major works are Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3, Soukaigi, and Koudelka, for which he also acted as producer and concept designer. He has composed music for seven other games, and worked as a concept designer in addition to composer for the...
, who had previously composed the music for Secret of Mana. Kikuta completed it with little assistance, having performed the sound selection, editing, effect design, and data encoding himself. The soundtrack features 60 tracks on 3 discs and was published by NTT Publishing on August 25, 1995 and was republished by Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
on October 1, 2004. The main theme from Secret of Mana, "Where Angels Fear to Tread", makes a return in this installment. The track "Meridian Child" was performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
The , or TSO, was established in 1946 as the Toho Symphony Orchestra . It assumed its present name in 1951.Based in Kawasaki, the TSO performs in numerous concert halls and serves as the pit ensemble for some productions at New National Theatre, Tokyo, the city's leading opera house...
for the fifth Orchestral Game Concert in 1996
1996 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
. The game also features a surround sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
mode.
Seiken Densetsu 3 Original Sound Version track listing
Reception
Despite its Japanese exclusivity, Seiken Densetsu 3 has received highly positive review scores among importers and many consider it a SNES classic. The game ranked on GameFAQsGameFAQs
GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...
top 100 list from 1999 to 2001.
External links
- Official site (via Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
)