We met when we were young, on the move.  You told me your name was Final Fantasy.  We both knew it was a lie, but it was fun to pretend.  You couldn’t have known then that I loved you for who you were, and didn’t need to be anything but yourself.  When we settled down, you told me your real name, Secret of Mana, and we became inseparable.  You did some things behind my back in Japan, a sequel that never came here, but thanks to some translators and ROM hackers, I was able to enjoy this side of you.  And when you became a Legend, you became my one true love.  It was because of this, I was blinded to all the signs that you would go on to hurt me repeatedly. 

I ramble on about a game series I loved as a child, and wonder where my love for it went, if you so wish to share with me.

The Seiken Densetsu series, or what would go on to be the Mana Series in the US, started quietly as Final Fantasy Adventure for the original Gameboy.  It was an enjoyable title by creator Koichi Ishii (credited as the "Inventor of the Chocobo"), who still watches over the series to this day.  In it, Square gave us a real-time action-adventure, rather than the turn-based titles it had come to be known for, and for the time, it was done very well.  But, a couple years later, a project originally intended for the stillborn SNES CD-ROM was salvaged and turned into one of the biggest sleeper-hits in SNES history, Secret of Mana.  A colorful, action-RPG for up to three players, few graced it without falling in love.  It’s still a somewhat difficult to find title, typically going for around $40.

A great deal of elements that would remain were either established or solidified into the series here, both mechanically and in the series lore.  A sequel came out in Japan soon after, tweaking the gameplay some, but still keeping true to the original.

The Playstation would have the 4th title in 2000, which toyed around a great deal with how the game was played.  The potent (or overpowered, however you look at it) magic system of the SNES games would be nerfed down (remaining so for the rest of the series), but great depth would go into every angle of the game.  The game left a lot of people overwelmed or lost, due to its unique and open means of building the world map and discovering quests, which while activated individually, panned out into numerous story arcs.  I personally obsessed over this one for well over a year.

Things turned downhill, strangely enough, with a game that wasn’t bad.  Sword of Mana for the Gameboy Advanced took the basic story of Final Fantasy Adventure, and fleshed it out into a game that played more like the SNES games.  This time you could play as the main character from that game, or the female lead, who had her own, previously undocumented path in the story.  It was a good game.  I can’t explain why, but that was it.  It’s a "good" game.  The whole while, playing and enjoying myself, I don’t feel obsessively compelled to push on, or pick it back up every morning like the rest of the series had done to me.  I blamed it on aging, and didn’t analyze it.  Little did I know my nostalgia was blinding me to the series having caught the "meh" virus.

I was excited to pick up Children of Mana, when it was announced on the Nintendo DS.  Reading the description, watching it being played, I knew it didn’t have much of a story to speak of, but it looked like fun.  I got the game, and it felt fun.  With randomish dungeons to explore and play in, and a promise for potential multiplayer fun, I let my love of Mana bind me to it.  But, I couldn’t keep playing.  I never found someone else to link up with and play along side.  I never felt compelled to push onward into the 4th dungeon.  I set it aside, and let it collect dust.  And if anyone asked, I’d still tell them it was a good game.

Then came Dawn of Mana, which I never actually bought, though probably still will if I see it used for under $20.  Visually, it brings the lore and fantasy of the amazing Mana world to life.  The story, while not amazing, is portrayed with an energy and quality that makes the 5 year old in me feel the warmth and love of being told a bedtime story by mom, stirring visions of majestic wonder the like of which would make Kingdom Hearts jealous.  The gameplay is fun.  Just fun.  It’s pretty linear, kind of inventive, though ignorable and a little awkward.  High quality in some places, flawed in others, and ultimately just not making me need to play it.

The latest, Heroes of Mana, goes the farthest from its roots, modeling the game as a Real Time Strategy, such as games like Starcraft.  Reviews place it as having a great presentation and interface, with flawed gameplay that makes it nothing special.  I find no spirit left in me to give it a chance, perhaps because I’m horrible at RTS games, or because I’ve finally realized my love and I have grown apart.

I don’t dislike her.  We’ve had some amazing years.  She’s still kind of fun, and we still want to be friends, but we’ve reached that point in our relationship where we look into each other’s eyes and know that the passion is gone.  I don’t feel upset that she’s been experimenting with RTS, and she’s not jealous that I look at her sisters in ways that I no longer look at her.  Love truly is a strange beast.  Be well and live long, Mana.  I’ll never forget our time together.

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