Secret of Mana is a 1993 action role-playing game in the Mana series, developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The sequel to the 1991 game Final Fantasy Adventure (Mystic Quest in Europe), the game follows three heroes as they attempt to prevent an empire from conquering the world from an ancient flying warship. Unlike other role-playing games of the time, it features pausable real-time battles. A cooperative multiplayer system allows a second or third player to drop in and out of the game at any time. Secret of Mana was directed and designed by Koichi Ishii, programmed primarily by Nasir Gebelli (pictured), and produced by veteran Square designer Hiromichi Tanaka. The game received considerable acclaim for its brightly colored graphics, expansive plot, innovative menus, and real-time battle system. Critics also praised the soundtrack by Hiroki Kikuta and the customizable artificial intelligence settings for computer-controlled allies. The original version was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console in 2008, an additional release for mobile phones in Japan was produced in 2009, and an enhanced port of the game was released for iOS in 2010 and Android in 2014. (Full article...)
