The thing that sets you apart from other video game RUclipsrs Johnny, is your truly genuine and infectious love of games. It’s a joy to see how happy gaming makes you and has made you over the decades. Thank you for the videos, I truly enjoy them.
@J A M The idea that price is a factor in quality is stupid. If you can't afford it, don't buy it. You will be able to find this thing for $20 SOMEWHERE in the future. In reality, gamers have a childish and stupid mentality when it comes to games and how much they should cost. In the real world, you go to a place like Trader Whoever to pay high prices for exotic goods. It's no different in games. If you want cheap games, buy big, mainstream titles that make up the difference in bulk. Meanwhile, if you want niche products that are off the beaten path, EXPECT TO PAY MORE FOR THEM. You should be happy it exists at all, not whining about how it costs a few bucks too much.
@J A M Okay. You can pay whatever you like for whatever you like. That's your right. But what a game is WORTH is what people are willing to pay for it. Period. The problem with people who sit back with arms crossed and talk about what a game is "worth", as though it's objective, is that they have no access to the financial spreadsheets. They don't know what it costs to make this port. They don't know what it costs to translate Trials. They don't know what it costs to redo the art that needed to be redone. These things are not free. And that cost then needs to be factored up against the amount that such a thing will make back in revenue. Then a profit needs to be made in order for it to be worth anyone's time. so it's entirely possible that the game NEEDS to be 40 dollars in order to be financially affordable for SquareEnix to even DO it. If you don't want to pay it, that's fine. But you can't act like Square is scamming people when we have no idea what the cost breakdowns are.
@J A M I'd rather give Square Enix $40 for this great collection than a penny to Konami. At least with Square Enix your money is going towards something. Konami doesn't even make real games anymore.
I remember emailing square customer service when I was around 12 asking for Seiken Densetsu 3 to be released in the U.S. I guess they finally got around to reading my email.
Your love for gaming is so joyous, so infectious, if I'm having a bad day or just overwhelmed by the news in the world, your videos can cheer me right up. Thanks for all you do. That said, I've never played a Mana game, but now I want to!
Congrats Johnny! Great that you're still passion for gaming is still leading you on new adventures, successes and accomplishments. Yours is a truly epic and ongoing adventure! Great vid.
Seiken Densetsu 3 is fantastic. It's my personal favorite mana game. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous. The music, gameplay, and story are all top notch. Glad you got a chance to play through it.
I've tried to play it at least a dozen times over 20 years and I just can't get into it. It plays so rough compared to Secret Of Mana. I'm excited for the remake so that I can finally experience the game.
@@JazGalaxy That's a bummer that it never clicked for you, but that's how it goes sometimes. I hope the remake provides an enjoyable experience for you.
Great review Johnny! Love your passion! Watching for ten years and still love seeing you get excited and nostalgic bc it makes me excited and nostalgic!
Really dig your passion for games! I am about to replay The secret of mana for the first time in over 20 years cause of your video. Next im trying trials of Mana! Thanks dude!
Trials of Mana is my favorite game from SNES. I like it even more that a Link to the Past (and that's one of the greatest games of all time IMO). I also discovered the ROM back in the early 2000s. Since then I was always wishing for an official release on the west. When Adventures of Mana (Vita/Android) and then Secret of Mana remake (PC/PS4/Vita) came I was almost sure SD3 would come in a similar remake form. But after seeing Secret of Mana remake was not well received in general (I liked a lot tho), I thought Square would never release SD3 in the west and lost some hope. Then I saw Collection of Mana announced for the Switch in Japan. And I got hyped but SE never confirmed an official release in the west either.... So I almost lost all faith. Then earlier this year I read news that Collection of Mana was being trademarked in Europe and again got hyped... and I was almost sure that would be announced in Square Enix E3 presentation. The day of the 2019 E3 SE's presentation came and I waited and waited, and it ended... no Collection of Mana in English... only Romancing SaGa... close but not what I wanted. Then on Nintendo E3 presentation (after feeling the warmth and joy of not 1 but 4 of the Dragon Quest heroes would be in Smash... ) later in the Nintendo presentation I heard the music... I recognized it right away, it was Meridian Child from SD3..... then I saw the fairies and sword of mana... the tree of mana... I was like "OMG!!!! what's happening!! O.o!!!!! I felt these amazing goosebumps.. Trials of Mana AND Collection of Mana got announced (I never thought I would ever have a nergasm like that lol). It was one of the happiest days for me this year... then Banjo was the cherry on the top. I was smiling all day I thought I was dreaming.
Wow you really love this game. That's great! I just bought collection on switch and working through the games in order. FF Adventure is great so far I must say. Did you complete all?
I remember back then I had the Japanese Rom and I was checking Niel Corletts translation website daily for the translation for a year. One summer morning it was there, so amazing! :)
i played seiken densetsu 3 almost 20 years ago a fan translated version on emulator and it was amazing such a shame it wasnt officially released outside of japan
Nowadays they even fixed the Critical damage and Evasion bug as well as Duran's Shields. And no I'm not talking about the sin of mana mod. But a separate patch I managed to find that included only the fix. It made the game a bit harder, becaue now you miss many attacks against some bosses, although you can also get rewarded with a monstrous amount of damage on crits.
Secret of Mana was the game that got me into RPGs. I'm very happy we finally got its sequel officially localized. Now we can all play it the way it was always meant to be played. Also, I just wanna say seeing you play your Switch outdoors, you are a man who really knows how to live. :)
I'm so glad you liked the game ! I grew up in Taiwan, so most of games from Japan are released in Taiwan. My brother and I used to play this game together. When I moved to Vancouver, fans of the Mana series translate this game into Chinese and I get to replay it again few years ago. It is one of my top games along with Final Fantasy 6 & Chrono Trigger, and Romancing Saga 2 (another JRPG classic that didn't release in the west )
Fun fact about Final Fantasy Adventure; it was called Mystic Quest in Europe, the same as the unrelated SNES game in the US. So it's actually How's that for confusing.
I'm a huge Square Enix fan, I've played over the years most of the Dragon Quest games, a couple of Final Fantasy games and followed the crazy story of Kingdom Hearts till the very end, but never got to experience the Mana series. That changed when I saw your first impressions of the Trials of Mana remake for the switch, I downloaded the demo for my self and I felt like home, the music, the atmosphere, the gameplay was top tier ! Now I bought the collection of mana for the switch and I'm very impressed with all the games in it 😁
that's the beauty about the 16bit era,.. they are timeless, you can play them now just as they were for sure, the graphics and sound and gameplay are as good as anything out there
My brother and I played it recently together and loved it, it blows Secret of Mana out of the water! The PS4 remake is also incredible, I highly recommend anyone play both of them!
Hey there - I'm a new viewer (just looked at the Subscribe button, realized I haven't subscribed, and now I am!), RUclips recommendations actually worked in this case for you, lol. I like your positivity and have seen maybe 4 or 5 of your videos so far. I have to say, we have had almost the EXACT same experience with this game, down to the soundtrack as well, even owning the import CD and recently re-ripping it! The only difference is that about a year ago, last Summer I gave up on the Collection coming stateside and threw the Fan-Translated ROM on my SNES Classic, and then played the whole game on my SNES Classic, with it becoming right alongside Mario World and Chrono Trigger in my top 3 favorite SNES games. I will say the translation is much better with the Collection and it is SO NICE to FINALLY have this game actually ported in the US....AND THAT REMAKE LOOKS AMAZING! Anyways, as another gamer around the same age, and recently stumbling upon your channel, I feel like I could have recorded almost this exact same video, it really resonated with me, thanks!
I bought this collection of Saturday after a heavy night out and FF Adventure really sobered me up, once I'm done I'll play through Secret and then Trial ahead of the remake release. I was really intrigued by the E3 footage, it captured my attention and I've put off the Mana series for years. Having a fantastic time :)
Man the Collection of Mana has saved my life in lockdown. 21 hours is fast for ToM, did you do the second class change?? :P But honestly I put 95 hours into this collection and it was fucking amazing, Final Fantasy Adventure is in my top 3 Gameboy games in general and the 'endless battlefield' overworld theme in my favourite JRPG overworld music ever. Secret of Mana is a game I loved as a kid, I think the battle mechanics and weapon/magic grinding have kinda become very clunky now but the visuals and music are just beautiful and Trials of Mana (SD3) is utterly incredible, genuinely a 10/10 game. We were robbed in the West, imagine if that game released here. My controversial opinion is that I seriously cannot go back to Secret of Mana now that I've beaten Trials of Mana twice, it is that good. You truly see an evolution in the game mechanics from FFA to Trials of Mana in this collection and it's amazing to see.
Seiken Densetsu 3 is one of those games that really shaped my view of video games back in the day, especially in terms of telling a story. I didn't know English at the time but I knew this game was something special with how every character had their own unique introduction depending on who you picked as your main character (over 10 years before Dragon Age Origins!). For my first time playing I picked Kevin, the beastman, and those of you who have played the game know what happens in the intro... It was the first time I felt genuinely emotional at a video game with feelings of grief, anger and a lust for revenge. I never could finish the game back in the day so one of these days I'll pick up the collection (or the remake) and finally finish what I started all those years ago.
Great info and Review!! I never knew Secret of Mana was originally developed for the failed Sony CD add on for the SNES. Love how the collection has the music for all the games, great tunes to just have going on in the background.
I'm right there with you man. All the road blocks you ran into and not enjoying the ROM, I feel all of that. I played about 4 hours so far and it's such a better experience than on the ROM. Also the translation is better with better font. What's really cool is that the translation is actually built into this ROM so Trials of Mana can be ripped and played on real SNES hardware with a flash cart.
The thing that made The Secret Of Mana a legendary game to my brother and I was the non-linearity. It was the first game, ever, where we had to communicate with one another and say "Okay, where do we want to go?". It made the adventure feel HUGE and REAL. In reality, it's much less broad than it seemed at the time, but a little bit of freedom goes a long way.
It's awesome you not only tell about the game itself but also your personal experience with it during the past 24 years. SoM was my favourite Mana game but I must admit ToM has aged a lot better. I'm also happy to know there will be a full 3D remake but I hope SoM will someday get the same treatment instead of what we got a few years ago.
Didn't expect you to have the SuperPlay Magazine! I didn't have it back then, only discovered one issue in 2005 in Germany! Finally, after one decade I have collected all issues!
I'm still waiting on physical release myself, and I definitely hear you on the Emulator problem. For that reason I was never really able to get into the Mana series. But I've already preordered Collection of Mana and I'm even more excited after watching this. Great content as always! 👍
...I'm just so, so glad you threw that idea of 'getting out of video games' to the wind, lol. Your enthusiasm and positive / optimistic attitude toward gaming at your age is hugely inspiring to me -- I'm around 15 years younger than you and have had that thought many times myself, but I think being true to ourselves and happy with what we really love will be the best for us and all those around us who'll get to experience that positivity and color in their lives. But yes, the Mana games are incredible and SD3-- er, Trials, is probably the best of the bunch. I have way more personal nostalgia for Secret of Mana, though for me it's more elementary school era, but Trials is a phenomenal game and a step up graphically and gameplay-wise in many ways, I caved and emulated it long ago and beat it many times with many different friends on peer-to-peer ZSNES online back in the day, incredible game, lots of incredible memories. Now if only they'd ever re-release Legends or Sword of Mana.
Worth the wait. I remember seeing Secret of Mana in magazines. But the sequel was a tease. So many treasures finally available for current gen. Enjoy the adventure
Did you beat it? I was honestly amazed to find that I beat FFA in about 15 hours if not less, that game really does not overstay its welcome and the storyline is really amazing. The music is top-notch too!
The official script is dramatically different from the fan translation, and if you're used to that version, this will be a bit of a shock, but it's the same game, and the official script is fantastic. It keeps official franchise naming conventions, so items and places will be consistent with other games. It's different, yes, but it's still great. Highly recommended.
@@MrShadow2x Okay cool thank you very much that sounds great! I can't wait to experience the official script! That's the part I was hoping they did a good job with!
This was the game I cried for at the whole e3 show, I've loved it so much since I tried it on the translated rom some odd years ago even with the crappy emulators back in the days!
Secret of Mana has such a special place in my heart. Not only is the nostalgia strong, but it was one of the first SNES games I bought with my own money from mowing lawns. I saw an add for the game in a Nintendo Power magazine. You had to mail order it straight from Japan. I think I paid $70-80 at the time. I played that game religiously, huddled in front of an old CRT TV given to me by my Dad from a garage sale, R/F input only, deep into the hours of the night. I
Agreed, but sadly Legend of mana was a spin off it seems. And there's a bunch of biased fans who hate it without playing it properly. Which is evidently not their opinion but clear bias when the criticism that comes out from their mouth doesn't really correspond with the anything about the game.
I feel ya on the music and the context of the game. Everytime I hear a FFVI song my mind pulls out the scene or battle of the game and it makes me smile.
I still find it amazing you have kept all games, magazines ect from your childhood. I wish I did! but I'd not have the storage or the mindset to do so growing up :P
Oh oh! And i love that its the only mana game with true replayability! I played this game once or twice for each character’s story as the main story! It was so awesome and emotional!!!
Just bought the Timewalk cart off eBay based on this video. Will probably pick up the Japanese version (3) for the sake of having an actual release for collection purposes.
Johnny i know i'm late but i finally got a physical copy for this collection myself and i can't wait to play it and also you were saying "I'm losing hope for Seiken Densetsu 3 coming to the west" well i feel the exact same way for Yakuza Ishin and Yakuza Kenzan localisations but hey maybe it will happen in 24 years hahaha
O played this games late, for me, Seiken Densetsu 3 is the best. Secret of Mana is amazing and it has a better SoundCloud for me, but Seiken Densetsu 3 is so fun and beautiful. Awesome video Johnny, I love some good RPG talk. Cheers ,)
Surprised you didn't co-op the game with Kim. Either way, glad you enjoyed it. I have the translated rom from the collection that I can play on my SNES with a flash cart. Gonna enjoy seeing the difference between it and the fanslation from ages ago.
I really wish they would release the remake of Final Fantasy Adventure called Sword of Mana that was released on the Game Boy Advance as I enjoyed that immensely at the time, sadly I never finished it as I got rid of my GBA and all the games I had for it to get a DS.
Awesome review! May pick it up later down the road. Now can we get get the forgotten little brother of the Secret of Mana on the Switch, Secret of Evermore? I know that it was created in America, and don't get much attention, but it's still a fun game.
Yeah Seiken Densetsu 3 is amazing. I played the translated rom years ago but didnt get far because I wanted to beat the other games in the series first. The first 2 game I really liked but I only played them halfway through. I kept puting it off. Then they released the collection and It was finally time. I just beat FF Adventure and I'm about halfway through Secret of Mana. Enjoying every second replaying these games.
Dude!! Nice!! Congratulations ^_^ I finished this one with my friend Ronnie a bit ago with a Reproduction cart (same company yours is ^_^) Such a great game!!
Also dude I think you mixed up that mirage city with some of the end-game equipment with the oasis city in the desert with the weapon and armour sellers who only sell at different times of day :P
Played the Seiken Densetu 3 a few years ago, emulated. Loved it and seen as it's finally coming to the west as Trials of Mana, I will get it properly for my Switch. Fantastic that you can buy all three mana games together. Luv those Japanese Super Famicom boxes! Great memories :)
I freaking love you dude! You're such a cool, stand up guy. I own Secret of Mana for snes c.i.b and Secret of Evermore for snes c.i.b. Those are two of my prized most valued games. I recently just bought myself the Secret of Mana remake game for PS4. I'm extremely hype for the Collection of Mana game to release!!! Thank you so much for making this video!!! P.s. I also did the same thing (I want to say my sophmore year) of high school, but with Mother 3 on an emulator on my phone. It was still in japanese tho.
I just can't wait for the remake to come. It's so weird that we're getting a 3D remake of this game, yet it's actually happening. The battle physics have gotten an overhaul, the camera lets you see far and wide, and there's voice acting. I also hope to god that the remake will be a difficult game, not just remade and toned down immensely to let young kids beat it. Or at least have a difficulty setting.
That's a good one, and I think it has Yoko Shimomura composing (she did Kingdom Hearts and several Mario RPGs, including Street Fighter II way back)! To me, Legend of Mana is the real Seiken Densetsu 4, not that PS2 nonsense.
That is still the gold standard in translation and localization. I was only 16 or 17 back when it came out and I still remember thinking, "This is AMAZING writing..."
Once again great video! I used to read Super PLAY all the time, as it sported great unique manga artwork and paid some extra attention to anime as well, which was still very much a niche thing in 1995. This game is amazing! I played a repro cart 70 - 75% through... and then the save game battery died on me 😅 But... I already pre-ordered the physical Switch collection and will give it another shot when it comes out next month 💪🏼
When you said "it's almost like I didn't play the rom back then so I could play it now", it reminded me a lot of several games I still haven't tried despite the roms being available since ages ago. I still have on my queue stuff like Snatcher, Lords of Thunder & Policenauts. I know the first two have been announced for the pc-engine mini, but amazingly they're not translating Snatcher. I wonder if some sort of fan feedback can change that since the console is still months away from official release?
Wow Super Play that was a brilliant mag, a couple of years ago they made a new full-size issue of Super Play as an extra with Retro Gamer magazine here in the UK, to celebrate the release of the SNES Classic.
I love this game. I beat the fan translation twice back in the day and it became my absolute favorite Mana game. I was so happy when the Collection got announced. I’m on my second play through already. I am going to buy Trials of Mana 3D day one for sure. I’m on the fence if I’m going to get the physical copy of Collection of Mana since I already have the digital version. Also I really liked Secret of Mana PS4. I still found the graphics charming and you can switch between the soundtracks if you don’t like the new soundtrack. I loved the inn skits. Really made your party feel like they are growing as friends on their adventure.
A few unmentioned facts, in Japan Final Fantasy Adventure was called (Seiken Densetsu) Legend of the Holy Sword: Final Fantasy Gaiden. In Europe the game was simply called Mystic Quest. A Nintendo Second Party called Brownie Brown, (made of former Mana team members) re-imagined the game as Sword of Mana for the Gameboy Advance. Then a few years ago, a straight remake called Adventures of Mana came out for mobile and the PlayStation Vita.
Super Play was the best SNES magazine we had over in the UK. Great art by Will Overton. They really pushed Japanese games over here and definitely helped with getting them popular. I still have a few of my old copies somewhere in the loft.
Didnt they get sued? That's why they had stop making reproductions lol Tbf it's a little bit shady as in terms business as they didnt do the translation themselves yet they were making money off other peoples time and work as they wouldn't have a product if other people didnt translate it
Best thing about Trails of Mana is it has good amount of replay value, heck depending on who you choose as you main character you get a different final dungeon exclusive to that character and a different final boss. Duran/Angela share Finale, Charlie/Kevin same and Hawk/Riesze along with messing around with your class change with there being 8 total ending classes per character so even if you do choose the same character you'll get a different play style on a different playthrough. Anyone who likes John Wick should main Kevin, he's a werewolf and his best/only friend is a dog...bad things ensues and he goes out to resolve that issue. He gets stronger at night and transforms
Johnny, do you think all these newly released old games nowadays is going to effect the values of the older originals? Ive got all my old stuff still since i was a kid, talking quite a bit of stuff/games, consoles etc. Ive already looked at them as something id never sell but also thought of them as a nest egg for when im older and didint want to play them again,. Just starting to get a bit concerned that all this new ways of playing them, ie, xbox store, steam, playstation store, wii store, after market emulation consoles like Udroid that come with 35,000 games. What your take?
The thing that sets you apart from other video game RUclipsrs Johnny, is your truly genuine and infectious love of games. It’s a joy to see how happy gaming makes you and has made you over the decades. Thank you for the videos, I truly enjoy them.
He really is! That's why I, personally, subscribed a few months ago 😎
Totem Lord Reviews that’s why all people have subscribed idiot
I totally agree!
This is why remasters and collections are awesome.
Do you think 40 bucks is too much for 3 games like these? Seriously?
@J A M The idea that price is a factor in quality is stupid. If you can't afford it, don't buy it. You will be able to find this thing for $20 SOMEWHERE in the future.
In reality, gamers have a childish and stupid mentality when it comes to games and how much they should cost. In the real world, you go to a place like Trader Whoever to pay high prices for exotic goods. It's no different in games. If you want cheap games, buy big, mainstream titles that make up the difference in bulk. Meanwhile, if you want niche products that are off the beaten path, EXPECT TO PAY MORE FOR THEM. You should be happy it exists at all, not whining about how it costs a few bucks too much.
@J A M Okay. You can pay whatever you like for whatever you like. That's your right. But what a game is WORTH is what people are willing to pay for it. Period. The problem with people who sit back with arms crossed and talk about what a game is "worth", as though it's objective, is that they have no access to the financial spreadsheets. They don't know what it costs to make this port. They don't know what it costs to translate Trials. They don't know what it costs to redo the art that needed to be redone. These things are not free. And that cost then needs to be factored up against the amount that such a thing will make back in revenue. Then a profit needs to be made in order for it to be worth anyone's time.
so it's entirely possible that the game NEEDS to be 40 dollars in order to be financially affordable for SquareEnix to even DO it.
If you don't want to pay it, that's fine. But you can't act like Square is scamming people when we have no idea what the cost breakdowns are.
@J A M I'd rather give Square Enix $40 for this great collection than a penny to Konami. At least with Square Enix your money is going towards something. Konami doesn't even make real games anymore.
40 is a bit much, BUT at least they did put work into localization of Seiken Densetsu 3, not just put som roms into emulator.
I remember emailing square customer service when I was around 12 asking for Seiken Densetsu 3 to be released in the U.S. I guess they finally got around to reading my email.
Legend of Mana on Switch would be rad
*EDIT* Whenever I ask for something on the HCG comment thread it comes true a year later.
Well you already get trials of mana
Legend of Mana on PS4 would be better.
Vol Opt would it? Secret of Manna on PS4 didn’t fare too well.
@@lennywright5655 That's because it was a remake. I'm talking about having a port of Legend of Mana. However, I don't know if that's possible or not.
@@vol_opt It's on ps3
Waiting to play it until the physical release in August. 🤓🤓
I was waiting too
till i finally caved in early this month and bought it
i’m double dipping it looks like!
Yes me too. Can´t wait to play it then.
Me too! I can't wait!
Thanks for brining that up! I forgot to in the video!
already preordered
Your love for gaming is so joyous, so infectious, if I'm having a bad day or just overwhelmed by the news in the world, your videos can cheer me right up. Thanks for all you do. That said, I've never played a Mana game, but now I want to!
Calm down
One day, I'll have the same experience with the Mother trilogy.
Congrats Johnny! Great that you're still passion for gaming is still leading you on new adventures, successes and accomplishments. Yours is a truly epic and ongoing adventure! Great vid.
I really enjoy these types of videos from you Johnny, keep them coming.
Seiken Densetsu 3 is fantastic. It's my personal favorite mana game. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous. The music, gameplay, and story are all top notch. Glad you got a chance to play through it.
I've tried to play it at least a dozen times over 20 years and I just can't get into it. It plays so rough compared to Secret Of Mana. I'm excited for the remake so that I can finally experience the game.
@@JazGalaxy That's a bummer that it never clicked for you, but that's how it goes sometimes. I hope the remake provides an enjoyable experience for you.
Played SD3 on an emulator years ago but I'm still buying the physical cart to show my support!!!
Great review Johnny! Love your passion! Watching for ten years and still love seeing you get excited and nostalgic bc it makes me excited and nostalgic!
Really dig your passion for games! I am about to replay The secret of mana for the first time in over 20 years cause of your video. Next im trying trials of Mana! Thanks dude!
Trials of Mana is my favorite game from SNES. I like it even more that a Link to the Past (and that's one of the greatest games of all time IMO). I also discovered the ROM back in the early 2000s. Since then I was always wishing for an official release on the west. When Adventures of Mana (Vita/Android) and then Secret of Mana remake (PC/PS4/Vita) came I was almost sure SD3 would come in a similar remake form. But after seeing Secret of Mana remake was not well received in general (I liked a lot tho), I thought Square would never release SD3 in the west and lost some hope.
Then I saw Collection of Mana announced for the Switch in Japan. And I got hyped but SE never confirmed an official release in the west either.... So I almost lost all faith. Then earlier this year I read news that Collection of Mana was being trademarked in Europe and again got hyped... and I was almost sure that would be announced in Square Enix E3 presentation. The day of the 2019 E3 SE's presentation came and I waited and waited, and it ended... no Collection of Mana in English... only Romancing SaGa... close but not what I wanted.
Then on Nintendo E3 presentation (after feeling the warmth and joy of not 1 but 4 of the Dragon Quest heroes would be in Smash... ) later in the Nintendo presentation I heard the music... I recognized it right away, it was Meridian Child from SD3..... then I saw the fairies and sword of mana... the tree of mana... I was like "OMG!!!! what's happening!! O.o!!!!! I felt these amazing goosebumps.. Trials of Mana AND Collection of Mana got announced (I never thought I would ever have a nergasm like that lol). It was one of the happiest days for me this year... then Banjo was the cherry on the top. I was smiling all day I thought I was dreaming.
Wow you really love this game. That's great! I just bought collection on switch and working through the games in order. FF Adventure is great so far I must say. Did you complete all?
I remember back then I had the Japanese Rom and I was checking Niel Corletts translation website daily for the translation for a year. One summer morning it was there, so amazing! :)
Played Secret of Mana on the SNES classic for the first time last year. Can’t wait to check this out.
The box art of SoM is so beautiful
Man, I'm really looking forward to picking up the game now. For those who don't know, the collection is getting a physical copy!
i played seiken densetsu 3 almost 20 years ago a fan translated version on emulator
and it was amazing such a shame it wasnt officially released outside of japan
Yes, it was a shame we never got it back then, but honestly, we have it now, and that's what counts.
That’s when i first played it too
Also love that this game
Nowadays they even fixed the Critical damage and Evasion bug as well as Duran's Shields. And no I'm not talking about the sin of mana mod. But a separate patch I managed to find that included only the fix. It made the game a bit harder, becaue now you miss many attacks against some bosses, although you can also get rewarded with a monstrous amount of damage on crits.
Secret of Mana was the game that got me into RPGs. I'm very happy we finally got its sequel officially localized. Now we can all play it the way it was always meant to be played. Also, I just wanna say seeing you play your Switch outdoors, you are a man who really knows how to live. :)
It’s awesome to hear your story with the mana series Johnny! Love your energy, it’s contagious!
I'm so glad you liked the game ! I grew up in Taiwan, so most of games from Japan are released in Taiwan. My brother and I used to play this game together. When I moved to Vancouver, fans of the Mana series translate this game into Chinese and I get to replay it again few years ago. It is one of my top games along with Final Fantasy 6 & Chrono Trigger, and Romancing Saga 2 (another JRPG classic that didn't release in the west )
I remember when you considered not making videos anymore. I'm SO GLAD you keep doing!!
Fun fact about Final Fantasy Adventure; it was called Mystic Quest in Europe, the same as the unrelated SNES game in the US. So it's actually How's that for confusing.
I'm a huge Square Enix fan, I've played over the years most of the Dragon Quest games, a couple of Final Fantasy games and followed the crazy story of Kingdom Hearts till the very end, but never got to experience the Mana series. That changed when I saw your first impressions of the Trials of Mana remake for the switch, I downloaded the demo for my self and I felt like home, the music, the atmosphere, the gameplay was top tier ! Now I bought the collection of mana for the switch and I'm very impressed with all the games in it 😁
The mana series is my fav of all time. Im beyond hyped for this. I never thought we would get this.
Just got into it currently playing Final Fantasy Adventure aka Mystic Quest for Gameboy
TheWhiteFang284 pls don’t kill our vibe
@TheWhiteFang284 i have a game room. A fav is a fav. Just because it isnt yours doesnt mean i dont have my reasons.
I love all 3 games, they’re precious gems of my youth
that's the beauty about the 16bit era,.. they are timeless, you can play them now just as they were for sure, the graphics and sound and gameplay are as good as anything out there
My brother and I played it recently together and loved it, it blows Secret of Mana out of the water! The PS4 remake is also incredible, I highly recommend anyone play both of them!
Hey there - I'm a new viewer (just looked at the Subscribe button, realized I haven't subscribed, and now I am!), RUclips recommendations actually worked in this case for you, lol. I like your positivity and have seen maybe 4 or 5 of your videos so far. I have to say, we have had almost the EXACT same experience with this game, down to the soundtrack as well, even owning the import CD and recently re-ripping it! The only difference is that about a year ago, last Summer I gave up on the Collection coming stateside and threw the Fan-Translated ROM on my SNES Classic, and then played the whole game on my SNES Classic, with it becoming right alongside Mario World and Chrono Trigger in my top 3 favorite SNES games.
I will say the translation is much better with the Collection and it is SO NICE to FINALLY have this game actually ported in the US....AND THAT REMAKE LOOKS AMAZING!
Anyways, as another gamer around the same age, and recently stumbling upon your channel, I feel like I could have recorded almost this exact same video, it really resonated with me, thanks!
A lot of love for this game- holding off for trials of mana remake to play for first time..
I bought this collection of Saturday after a heavy night out and FF Adventure really sobered me up, once I'm done I'll play through Secret and then Trial ahead of the remake release. I was really intrigued by the E3 footage, it captured my attention and I've put off the Mana series for years. Having a fantastic time :)
Final Fantasy Adventure has the greatest overworld theme in any RPG, made me very emotional when I first heard it.
There are so many games where I heard the soundtracks before playing them and context really can change everything.
Man the Collection of Mana has saved my life in lockdown. 21 hours is fast for ToM, did you do the second class change?? :P
But honestly I put 95 hours into this collection and it was fucking amazing, Final Fantasy Adventure is in my top 3 Gameboy games in general and the 'endless battlefield' overworld theme in my favourite JRPG overworld music ever. Secret of Mana is a game I loved as a kid, I think the battle mechanics and weapon/magic grinding have kinda become very clunky now but the visuals and music are just beautiful and Trials of Mana (SD3) is utterly incredible, genuinely a 10/10 game. We were robbed in the West, imagine if that game released here. My controversial opinion is that I seriously cannot go back to Secret of Mana now that I've beaten Trials of Mana twice, it is that good. You truly see an evolution in the game mechanics from FFA to Trials of Mana in this collection and it's amazing to see.
Seiken Densetsu 3 is one of those games that really shaped my view of video games back in the day, especially in terms of telling a story. I didn't know English at the time but I knew this game was something special with how every character had their own unique introduction depending on who you picked as your main character (over 10 years before Dragon Age Origins!).
For my first time playing I picked Kevin, the beastman, and those of you who have played the game know what happens in the intro... It was the first time I felt genuinely emotional at a video game with feelings of grief, anger and a lust for revenge. I never could finish the game back in the day so one of these days I'll pick up the collection (or the remake) and finally finish what I started all those years ago.
A 21hr endurance session, impressive.
Your passion for games is unwavering.
Great info and Review!! I never knew Secret of Mana was originally developed for the failed Sony CD add on for the SNES. Love how the collection has the music for all the games, great tunes to just have going on in the background.
Johhny out of interest will you be reviwing *Ni No Kuni Wrath Of The White Witch* remaster?
ruclips.net/video/vq9L7j5SVmY/видео.html&ab_channel=HappyConsoleGamer
I'm right there with you man. All the road blocks you ran into and not enjoying the ROM, I feel all of that. I played about 4 hours so far and it's such a better experience than on the ROM. Also the translation is better with better font. What's really cool is that the translation is actually built into this ROM so Trials of Mana can be ripped and played on real SNES hardware with a flash cart.
The thing that made The Secret Of Mana a legendary game to my brother and I was the non-linearity. It was the first game, ever, where we had to communicate with one another and say "Okay, where do we want to go?". It made the adventure feel HUGE and REAL. In reality, it's much less broad than it seemed at the time, but a little bit of freedom goes a long way.
I haven't played secret of mana in over 20 years. It was one of my all time favourites as a kid :) was so happy to see this vid
It's awesome you not only tell about the game itself but also your personal experience with it during the past 24 years. SoM was my favourite Mana game but I must admit ToM has aged a lot better. I'm also happy to know there will be a full 3D remake but I hope SoM will someday get the same treatment instead of what we got a few years ago.
Didn't expect you to have the SuperPlay Magazine!
I didn't have it back then, only discovered one issue in 2005 in Germany! Finally, after one decade I have collected all issues!
I'm still waiting on physical release myself, and I definitely hear you on the Emulator problem. For that reason I was never really able to get into the Mana series. But I've already preordered Collection of Mana and I'm even more excited after watching this. Great content as always! 👍
...I'm just so, so glad you threw that idea of 'getting out of video games' to the wind, lol. Your enthusiasm and positive / optimistic attitude toward gaming at your age is hugely inspiring to me -- I'm around 15 years younger than you and have had that thought many times myself, but I think being true to ourselves and happy with what we really love will be the best for us and all those around us who'll get to experience that positivity and color in their lives.
But yes, the Mana games are incredible and SD3-- er, Trials, is probably the best of the bunch. I have way more personal nostalgia for Secret of Mana, though for me it's more elementary school era, but Trials is a phenomenal game and a step up graphically and gameplay-wise in many ways, I caved and emulated it long ago and beat it many times with many different friends on peer-to-peer ZSNES online back in the day, incredible game, lots of incredible memories. Now if only they'd ever re-release Legends or Sword of Mana.
Worth the wait. I remember seeing Secret of Mana in magazines. But the sequel was a tease. So many treasures finally available for current gen. Enjoy the adventure
Just bought this on switch, not played yet because got hooked on FF Adventure. Lovely RPG, 4 hours in...
Did you beat it? I was honestly amazed to find that I beat FFA in about 15 hours if not less, that game really does not overstay its welcome and the storyline is really amazing. The music is top-notch too!
@@Suedeash i beat it
Was great
That’s how I feel about king of fighters all star I’ve been 3years for the global release
I'm waiting for the physical copy to come out! Can't wait to play! I'm curious how does the switch version compare to the translated rom?
The official script is dramatically different from the fan translation, and if you're used to that version, this will be a bit of a shock, but it's the same game, and the official script is fantastic. It keeps official franchise naming conventions, so items and places will be consistent with other games. It's different, yes, but it's still great. Highly recommended.
@@MrShadow2x Okay cool thank you very much that sounds great! I can't wait to experience the official script! That's the part I was hoping they did a good job with!
Yeah, there are a few videos on RUclips showing the intro story sequence comparison. That would give you a good idea of what to expect.
This was the game I cried for at the whole e3 show, I've loved it so much since I tried it on the translated rom some odd years ago even with the crappy emulators back in the days!
Secret of Mana has such a special place in my heart. Not only is the nostalgia strong, but it was one of the first SNES games I bought with my own money from mowing lawns. I saw an add for the game in a Nintendo Power magazine. You had to mail order it straight from Japan. I think I paid $70-80 at the time. I played that game religiously, huddled in front of an old CRT TV given to me by my Dad from a garage sale, R/F input only, deep into the hours of the night. I
Wish this also had legend of mana
Agreed, but sadly Legend of mana was a spin off it seems. And there's a bunch of biased fans who hate it without playing it properly. Which is evidently not their opinion but clear bias when the criticism that comes out from their mouth doesn't really correspond with the anything about the game.
Sword of Mana was great on the GBA, which was a re make of the original GB game
@Meljov It was made by Brownie Brown who were made up of ex Square employees who had worked on the Mana games previously
crappy remake, this game is literally broken
More of a reimagining to be honest.
I prefer the original, but Sword is decent too. A bit too different to be called a "remake" though imo.
Was different but yeah fun, still like the original.
Thank you for this episode, it was very cool.
I feel ya on the music and the context of the game. Everytime I hear a FFVI song my mind pulls out the scene or battle of the game and it makes me smile.
couldn't agree more. this game was worth the wait. johnny, we finally got it!! it was incredible!!!!
I still find it amazing you have kept all games, magazines ect from your childhood. I wish I did! but I'd not have the storage or the mindset to do so growing up :P
I played the rom a long time ago and never finished it. I’m gonna have to pick this collection up to finish.
I wonder why they didn’t include Sword of Mana from the GBA in the collection?
Oh oh! And i love that its the only mana game with true replayability! I played this game once or twice for each character’s story as the main story! It was so awesome and emotional!!!
Just bought the Timewalk cart off eBay based on this video. Will probably pick up the Japanese version (3) for the sake of having an actual release for collection purposes.
Played SD3 translated ROM back in college around 2003/04. Game is fucking incredible and I can't wait to experience it again on the Switch.
Johnny i know i'm late but i finally got a physical copy for this collection myself and i can't wait to play it and also you were saying "I'm losing hope for Seiken Densetsu 3 coming to the west" well i feel the exact same way for Yakuza Ishin and Yakuza Kenzan localisations but hey maybe it will happen in 24 years hahaha
O played this games late, for me, Seiken Densetsu 3 is the best. Secret of Mana is amazing and it has a better SoundCloud for me, but Seiken Densetsu 3 is so fun and beautiful.
Awesome video Johnny, I love some good RPG talk.
Cheers ,)
do the chests in trials not do the lottery wheel thing?
Awesome video! I have the physical copy of the collection preordered.
Surprised you didn't co-op the game with Kim. Either way, glad you enjoyed it. I have the translated rom from the collection that I can play on my SNES with a flash cart. Gonna enjoy seeing the difference between it and the fanslation from ages ago.
Wow never heard of the game you mention in the beginining..lol how cute .
I really wish they would release the remake of Final Fantasy Adventure called Sword of Mana that was released on the Game Boy Advance as I enjoyed that immensely at the time, sadly I never finished it as I got rid of my GBA and all the games I had for it to get a DS.
Awesome review! May pick it up later down the road. Now can we get get the forgotten little brother of the Secret of Mana on the Switch, Secret of Evermore? I know that it was created in America, and don't get much attention, but it's still a fun game.
Yeah Seiken Densetsu 3 is amazing. I played the translated rom years ago but didnt get far because I wanted to beat the other games in the series first. The first 2 game I really liked but I only played them halfway through. I kept puting it off. Then they released the collection and It was finally time. I just beat FF Adventure and I'm about halfway through Secret of Mana. Enjoying every second replaying these games.
Dude!! Nice!! Congratulations ^_^
I finished this one with my friend Ronnie a bit ago with a Reproduction cart (same company yours is ^_^) Such a great game!!
Yeah, superplay. It was so good. I kept staring at the SoM2 pics, now 24 years later, I finally played it. So, so good!
Also dude I think you mixed up that mirage city with some of the end-game equipment with the oasis city in the desert with the weapon and armour sellers who only sell at different times of day :P
I love seiken densetu 3! I was annoyed when i found out the def stats were bugged. Love this!!!!!!
Played the Seiken Densetu 3 a few years ago, emulated. Loved it and seen as it's finally coming to the west as Trials of Mana, I will get it properly
for my Switch. Fantastic that you can buy all three mana games together. Luv those Japanese Super Famicom boxes! Great memories :)
Trials of mana is the best in the series, so deep. Everything, from the selection of characters to the evolution of classes and history. Perfect.
This is why we play. For these kinda special moments.
I freaking love you dude! You're such a cool, stand up guy. I own Secret of Mana for snes c.i.b and Secret of Evermore for snes c.i.b. Those are two of my prized most valued games. I recently just bought myself the Secret of Mana remake game for PS4. I'm extremely hype for the Collection of Mana game to release!!! Thank you so much for making this video!!! P.s. I also did the same thing (I want to say my sophmore year) of high school, but with Mother 3 on an emulator on my phone. It was still in japanese tho.
Waiting my physical copy to come in at Ebgames ! Had a great time with Seiken Densetsu 3 with a friend years ago so it's a no brainer :)
Looking forward to the inevitable future review of the remake
I just can't wait for the remake to come. It's so weird that we're getting a 3D remake of this game, yet it's actually happening. The battle physics have gotten an overhaul, the camera lets you see far and wide, and there's voice acting. I also hope to god that the remake will be a difficult game, not just remade and toned down immensely to let young kids beat it. Or at least have a difficulty setting.
Have you played the Adventures of Mana Remake? It's on Vita and Smartphones
Dude! What about Legend of Mana on playstation 1? The game was fantastic back then.
That's a good one, and I think it has Yoko Shimomura composing (she did Kingdom Hearts and several Mario RPGs, including Street Fighter II way back)! To me, Legend of Mana is the real Seiken Densetsu 4, not that PS2 nonsense.
That is still the gold standard in translation and localization. I was only 16 or 17 back when it came out and I still remember thinking, "This is AMAZING writing..."
Aside from the music, I remember it being quite lame. It just didn't live up to SD3 by any metric. I guess I'll have to revisit that one.
What's the name of that reproduction company that did Secret of Mana 2? I didn't quite catch that I'm afraid.
Once again great video! I used to read Super PLAY all the time, as it sported great unique manga artwork and paid some extra attention to anime as well, which was still very much a niche thing in 1995.
This game is amazing! I played a repro cart 70 - 75% through... and then the save game battery died on me 😅
But... I already pre-ordered the physical Switch collection and will give it another shot when it comes out next month 💪🏼
When you said "it's almost like I didn't play the rom back then so I could play it now", it reminded me a lot of several games I still haven't tried despite the roms being available since ages ago. I still have on my queue stuff like Snatcher, Lords of Thunder & Policenauts. I know the first two have been announced for the pc-engine mini, but amazingly they're not translating Snatcher. I wonder if some sort of fan feedback can change that since the console is still months away from official release?
God John, I thought you were about to say that you were having a kid.
Wow Super Play that was a brilliant mag, a couple of years ago they made a new full-size issue of Super Play as an extra with Retro Gamer magazine here in the UK, to celebrate the release of the SNES Classic.
I love this game. I beat the fan translation twice back in the day and it became my absolute favorite Mana game. I was so happy when the Collection got announced. I’m on my second play through already. I am going to buy Trials of Mana 3D day one for sure. I’m on the fence if I’m going to get the physical copy of Collection of Mana since I already have the digital version.
Also I really liked Secret of Mana PS4. I still found the graphics charming and you can switch between the soundtracks if you don’t like the new soundtrack. I loved the inn skits. Really made your party feel like they are growing as friends on their adventure.
Was wondering if you have played Adventures of Mana (part 1) the remake they did. Get the one on the Nvidia Shield system. Plays awesome on there.
It's also on the Vita.
A few unmentioned facts, in Japan Final Fantasy Adventure was called (Seiken Densetsu) Legend of the Holy Sword: Final Fantasy Gaiden. In Europe the game was simply called Mystic Quest. A Nintendo Second Party called Brownie Brown, (made of former Mana team members) re-imagined the game as Sword of Mana for the Gameboy Advance. Then a few years ago, a straight remake called Adventures of Mana came out for mobile and the PlayStation Vita.
Great Ep. Johnny! Been trying to get a complete set of SuperPlay mags for the last 2 years. It's been a fairly pricey quest, but SO worth it! ; )
Super Play was the best SNES magazine we had over in the UK. Great art by Will Overton. They really pushed Japanese games over here and definitely helped with getting them popular. I still have a few of my old copies somewhere in the loft.
Remember TimeWalk for sure, still have all their SNES Dragon Quest releases, I cherish those in my collection a ton
Didnt they get sued? That's why they had stop making reproductions lol Tbf it's a little bit shady as in terms business as they didnt do the translation themselves yet they were making money off other peoples time and work as they wouldn't have a product if other people didnt translate it
I want that main character from trials of mana in smash. He looks bad ass
Love your work! Greetings from Poland :)
As a fellow collector, I am drooling over that SD3 soundtrack 😎
Love your stories!
Best thing about Trails of Mana is it has good amount of replay value, heck depending on who you choose as you main character you get a different final dungeon exclusive to that character and a different final boss. Duran/Angela share Finale, Charlie/Kevin same and Hawk/Riesze along with messing around with your class change with there being 8 total ending classes per character so even if you do choose the same character you'll get a different play style on a different playthrough.
Anyone who likes John Wick should main Kevin, he's a werewolf and his best/only friend is a dog...bad things ensues and he goes out to resolve that issue. He gets stronger at night and transforms
Johnny, do you think all these newly released old games nowadays is going to effect the values of the older originals? Ive got all my old stuff still since i was a kid, talking quite a bit of stuff/games, consoles etc. Ive already looked at them as something id never sell but also thought of them as a nest egg for when im older and didint want to play them again,. Just starting to get a bit concerned that all this new ways of playing them, ie, xbox store, steam, playstation store, wii store, after market emulation consoles like Udroid that come with 35,000 games. What your take?
I'm buying it, thanks Johnny always love your videos.
I feel the same way about a truly uncut snatcher and policenaughts.