RPG Progress Report

[MrPopo]

The "hit to gain XP" system reminds of strategy RPGs like Shining Force. But it's way worse in Drakkhen.

Drakkhen is a really clunky old game, but the atmospheric elements and overall weirdness make it worth playing.

And how can you not like these visuals?

Hah, I recognize that monster from when the CRPG Addict covered the game. Such a bizarre enemy.

[Kkasino]

I am about 5 hours into Secret of Mana and i really dont like it.

AI is terrible. They frequently die/stuck etc.

Bosses aren't fun, i just defeated Spiky and i couldn't avoid his fire attack.
I was just standing there getting destroyed by his attacks, eating candy and occasionally attacking. And o course every AI character died few times just because they are stupid .

I am basically playing it just for superb music and very nice graphics.

PS : And why the heck can't i pile up more than 5 items.

[Exhuminator]

I am basically playing it just for superb music and very nice graphics.

Those are the only parts of the game that have aged well, so I don't blame you.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Hah, I recognize that monster from when the CRPG Addict covered the game. Such a bizarre enemy.

It's really the defining image of the game. I struggle to find an article about Drakkhen that doesn't include that pic.

[Kkasino]

I am basically playing it just for superb music and very nice graphics.

Those are the only parts of the game that have aged well, so I don't blame you.

Yeah. I was watching SNESdrunk videos and i was probably expecting too much

[BoneSnapDeez]

Secret of Mana is the perfect example of a "flawed masterpiece." I never found the mechanics to be that bad though I imagine they'd be jarring for some. It's worth pushing on through; it's a brilliant game that gets better as it progresses. That tiger boss is a notorious pain in the ass and one of the hardest battles in the game, for the record. Things will really pick up once you develop magical prowess.

Insanely good music and visuals. No debate there.

[Xeogred]

The difficulty is a bit weird, Spikey is one of the hardest bosses in the game. Item limits aren't a huge deal when you start learning healing magic. I don't recall the AI dying much if you're keeping their weapons and armor upgraded. Armor upgrades can easily make or break any situation in this game unlike others, so it's essential to always have the best armor available.

My only knock on SoM is the attack charging gets kind of silly later on when you have to charge up to 5+ and then they sometimes miss.

Seiken Densetsu 3 perfected everything but can be much more frantic and tougher if you don't have a good party combination. Give it a shot though even if you don't like SoM, since the combat is a bit different and the greatest ARPG system in the history of gaming. That said, I like SoM's music a little more since it sounds a bit more surreal. But SD3's score is no pushover either and unlike most JRPG's of that time, it has like 12 boss themes or something. And the graphics tax the SNES out for sure.

EDIT: Bone beat me to it. I miss Opa Opa who knew how brilliant SoM was.

[MrPopo]

I am about 5 hours into Secret of Mana and i really dont like it.

AI is terrible. They frequently die/stuck etc.

Bosses aren't fun, i just defeated Spiky and i couldn't avoid his fire attack.
I was just standing there getting destroyed by his attacks, eating candy and occasionally attacking. And o course every AI character died few times just because they are stupid .

I am basically playing it just for superb music and very nice graphics.

PS : And why the heck can't i pile up more than 5 items.

Spiky is nasty and egregiously hard for that portion of the game. All his shit is magic so you can't dodge it and your party has nothing other than weapon attacks and half the time you need to use the shitty ranged weapons.

Aside from the getting stuck issue I never found the AI partners to be too much of a liability. That said, their greatest benefit is to abuse the game's systems to trash bosses. The less egregious form is chain casting. The more egregious is the weapon charge overflow.

I went through a cycle with SoM. When I first got it I thought it was amazing. It was like Zelda, but an RPG, and my brother could play with me. Then I got a bit older and all the roughness in how the game works really started to turn me off. Then I got more experienced as a gamer and I came back to really enjoying the game once I understood how to be properly patient and work within the game's rules, rather than what I thought the rules should be.

Seiken Densetsu 3, on the other hand, addresses basically every complaint people have of SoM and should not be missed. That one has definitely aged well.

[Xeogred]

Looks like the SoM gang got him.

[Ack]

I remember having some issues with the AI in Secret of Mana, but after playing Secret of Evermore, SoM's faults seem less egregious. And after playing Drakkhen, SoM's AI seems spectacular.