Children of Mana

Reviewed by Alex Tiedemann
November 12, 2006

Developer: Square Enix Publisher: Square Enix Platform: Nintendo DS Numbers of Players: 1 - 4 ESRB Rating: Everyone (age 10+) Website: Click Here Review Rating: 5 out of 10

The year 1991 saw the release of a GameBoy game called Final Fantasy Adventure, a rebranded game known as Seikan Densetsu in Japan . The sequel, known in the US as Secret of Mana, was released in 1993 on the Super Nintendo. Hailed as one of the best games available for that system, it was a huge action/RPG game that featured engaging combat mechanics and cooperative gameplay. Since then, two games, the Legend of Mana on Playstation and the Sword of Mana (a remake of the original GameBoy game) on GameBoy Advance, were released to much criticism and disdain. Sadly, Children of Mana does nothing to redeem the series in the eyes of its fans or critics.

It is best to start with something good, so it must be said that this game is extremely beautiful. The painted backgrounds and detailed character portraits that display during dialogue are always a joy to look at. The music sets the proper mood for every setting, and the animated intro and cutscenes are all top notch. With that out of the way, we can proceed to the meat of the game. To say that Children of Mana puts little emphasis on story would be a massive understatement. At the outset players choose from four different characters: a well-balanced fighter, a nimble but weak dancer, a slow but powerful rabbit (?) and a short magic-user with incredibly weak combat skills. All characters can use all weapons and spells in the game, but only the fighter and rabbit can wear armor. Here we come to the first major problem in the game. The dancer and mage cannot wear approximately half of the armor in the game, thereby rendering many treasures useless. The magic system is interesting, but extremely limiting. The character can equip one elemental spirit at a time, gaining access to one attack spell and one support spell. The spirit selected determines the effect and range of the spells. Very early on, it becomes apparent that the spells are largely ineffective. Any status-changing effect, like confusion or sleep, is rendered useless by the fact that a few sword swings will dispatch nearly any foe. There simply isn't any reason to waste 15-30 seconds summoning a spell to incapacitate a foe that can be killed in 3-4 seconds.

The dungeons in the game present a whole host of other problems. Fighting through semi-randomly generated stages get very old very quickly. Each zone has a small rock called a Gleamstone that must be taken to the Gleamwell in order to progress to the next zone. Sometimes a monster carries the Gleamstone; sometimes it is hidden in a chest or under some grass. In any case, getting the stone involves lots of slashing and hacking. Occasionally the Gleamwell is hidden under a tree stump or a large rock, requiring the use of the hammer to reveal it. There are traps and hazards that vary from area to area, but essentially the entire game follows this formula. Eventually it becomes extremely boring.

In order to inject some variety, there are a number of side quests available. One of the shops in town dishes out randomly generated quests, all of which involve returning to an area you have previously cleared and slogging through a few random zones. The character specific quests are interesting, but don't affect the main story at all. By the time most of these quests become available, players will likely be bored with the whole affair.

The best part of Children of Mana is the Gem Frame. A small grid allows the mounting of gemstones that vary in color, size and quality. Weak gems can grant meager bonuses to strength or magic, while better gems can give new abilities like triple-arrow shots and sword blasts. By fusing gems together at a shop, super-powerful gems that grant immunity to status effects or give you the ability to use restoration items automatically can be created. Hopefully this part of the game can be salvaged and used later, perhaps in a game with a compelling story and well-executed combat.

Multiplayer is available for up to four players, but requires that all participants have a copy of the game. There is no way to trade items or money amongst the characters, thus drastically limiting the appeal of playing with other people.

Evolution Factor: VERY low. Gameplay does not change dramatically regardless of which character you choose, so replaying as another character has little value. In a game where the most challenging aspect is maintaining the will to see it through to the end, replaying is practically not an option.

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