Secret of Mana

The multiplayer Zelda-like ability- coupled with the magic and weapons systems and the wide range of enemies- made this a really fun game. The problem, though, was that you could be cornered, bludgeoned, slaughtered, and there was nothing to be done. Difficulty ranged all over. The most difficult boss is arguably really early in game (Spiky), just because he's so hard to reach and hack down much of the time. Good story, not super deep, though. Bad AI for non-played chars.

The most conflicting SNES RPG classic. In ways it is brilliant (music, visuals), in ways it is completely solid (combat). But in ways it is outdated; while the ring system isn't terrible, the way it was handled and the way it paused combat was not beneficial to a multiplayer experience. There are balancing issues. Unlike some of the other SNES games that we remember, this one has some of the most glaring issues. And yet I love it, undoubtedly. It doesn't make sense.

I heard it didn't have menu-based fighting so I gave it a go, but you still have to grind to gain levels, so what's the point?

I have fond memories of playing this as a kid, but lately I've found it so hard to go back to. It's really hard adjusting to the fact that enemies can have incredibly long invincibility frames after you hit them, and magic is such a chore to use, since you have to pause the game and navigate menus every time you want to use a spell, which really breaks the flow in an action game. Leveling each character's magic is equally frustrating, due to needing to swap characters so often.

Excellent.

I don't get the love for this game. There's so much messy shit in it; magic is overpowered and poorly designed, the companion pathing is downright awful, the level design is full of obnoxious padding, and enemies can stunlock you to death. A lot of the game feels lazy; from the palette swap bosses to the bland cookie cutter level design and enemy placement. The game has a lot of charm, but well-designed it is not.

In some respects this game is a mess. The hit boxes are wonky, the spells are so overpowered compared to the weapons that it throws the balance insanely off. But there's also a wonderful sort of magic in it at the same time, something about its charming storybook world and unconventional soundtrack and almost exact 50/50 fusion between the gameplay styles of Final Fantasy and Zelda. And that final dungeon and duo of final bosses; what an epic climax for an SNES game.