A Playthrough Ruined: Secret of Mana 2

Seiken Densetsu 3, If You Prefer

Reproductions

There's a local video game store that sells reproduction Super Nintendo cartridges. I am indeed grateful for reproduction cardtridges or CDs for any console. Well, maybe not PC because it's largely unecessary nowadays. But I am definitely glad about reproduction cardtriges and have no issues with them as long as they are of top quality. There are certain games, like Earthbound, that are obscenely expensive. Some people prefer physical games and don't want to spend over $300 on a single cartridge. The next best option is to buy a reproduction for $35. There are other games, such as Secret of Mana 2 (Seiken Densetsu 3, if you prefer), that never saw a North American release. Actually, it never had an English translation. Fans had to perform the translation for us Yankees. A reproduction with complete to-English translation of Secret of Mana 2 provides a great opportunity to own a physical copy of the game as well as playing it.Those are the two reasons why I approve of reproductions. Sure, it's not the real thing, but for many people, it's good enough.

I Had Fun

I played the first Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 2, if you prefer) when I was a young lad in college. It was through an emulator that I first played through Secret of Mana. I enjoyed it so much that I would later purchase an official cartridge for fifty bucks. It was totally worth it, and I did play through it on the cartridge a few times. I am actually surprised the price of a Secret of Mana cartridge didn't increase massively; it's still right around fifty dollars. Now, many years later, I get to play the sequal, Secret of Mana 2, on a reproduction cartridge. The sequel is about as good as the first. I view them in equal quality, but if I had to choose, I would choose the first. I just like music a little better.

Comparison

The combat in Secret of Mana 2 is definitely different than the first. There is no visual charge meter, but you do have to recharge after you attack. There's a little animation that indicates you're ready for the next attack. Maybe it's just me, but think the hit detection is a little better in the sequel. Personally, I prefer the charge meter and being able to hit enemies with a minor attack without having wait to charge. That, together with he music, is why I ultimately prefer the first Secret of Mana. Also, weapons in the first game can be used outside of combat to clear or overcome obstacles. Other than that, they're both very similar games. They both feature a party of characters set out to explore the land and awaken and retrieve Mana Stones or Seeds. They will both eventually tap in to the great Mana Tree and obtain or recharge the Mana Sword. They both have evil baddies that wish to use the power of the sword and Mana for the wicked or selfish reasons. They both use the same ring menu. Although, I must say, the sequel has an interesting bad guy triangle. It also must be noted that story will play out differently if you select your cast of main characters differently each time. There's also classes for each character that you can choose as you level up. Both of these previous items unlock greater replay value. Basically, if you enjoyed the first Secret of Mana, you will almost surely enjoy Secret of Mana 2. If you haven't played either of these games, go play them.

Disaster

I made through a good chunk of the game. I made it through the Island of Oblivion, the Sacred Mana Land, and started taking down the mana beasts. Then, my save was erased. I was so close to finishing and achieving that grand finale and my playthrough gets thrown into oblivion. Typically, these cartridges fail to save because an internal battery expired. However, this is a reproduction cartridge and it's brand spanking new. The battery must have been really crappy to last not even ten hours of gameplay. That's ten hours of running around, fighting monsters, killing beasts, leveling up, and expoloration just deleted because of a super crappy battery. There's nothing I can do about it except complain. But it is my right to be upset and complain about it!

No Regrets

I still don't regret my purchase. Even though I was massively inconvenienced, I still feel like I got my money's worth. If time is money, then I paid thirty-five dollars for near ten hours of fun. That's $3.50 for each hour that I had fun. There's people throughout the world that don't even get paid to work at that rate (which is tragic; I don't want to diminish the bad hand in life they where dealt). Of course, the option to replace the battery and start all over again is available to me. So, that rate would sink even lower if I where to make that decision. However, I'm leaning against that decision. Despite being a straightforward task, I just might just not bother with it. I might just play Trials of Mana on PC instead.

Inconveniences

Losing my save because of a poor battery that died just highlights one major invonvenience of playing on original hardware. This isn't the first save I lost. I was on Mother Brain in a Super Metroid playthrough one time before I lost it. I had a Donkey Kong Country cartridge with a dead battery when I was growing up. So I sat there and beat it in one session. There are also other not-so major inconveniences: Storing and carrying around those cartridges, the console not always reading the cardtridge, cables galore, input-lag if you're using a modern TV, damaged discs or cardtridges, maintaining any piece of ancient hardware, and any piece such hardware failing on you.

Shelf Collector

For these reasons, I am now considering playing emulators almost entirely and becoming a shelf-collector. Truthfully, it's largely unecessary to go out spend crazy amounts of money on over thirty year old hardware when you can just obtain games on the cheap via emulators or online stores. On top of that, you get modern conveniences such as upscaling, boosted framerates, use any control you prefer that can connect to your PC or emulation device. You can take screenshots or record gameplay footage. The only reason for me to continue purchasing physical games is to put it on a shelf so I can admire it. That, and some games and consoles are difficult to emulate. Those are the only two reasons for me to use original hardware now. I am a shelf-collector. "You can hate me now" - Nas.