Secret of Mana (remake)

Secret of Mana, alternatively known as Secret of Mana HD, is a 2018 remake of the 1993 game of the same name. Released on the 25th anniversary year of the original, it is the second main-series title produced by Masaru Oyamada for Square Enix. Rendered in 2.5D widescreen definition with assistance from Q Studios, the remake incorporates identical gameplay to the original, but with a revised script that includes voice acting with additional cutscenes as well as an updated music score from longtime series composer Hiroki Kikuta. Following several months of testing and preview through 2017, the game was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Microsoft Windows PCs on February 15, 2018.

The remake is particularly notable for preserving the original story and gameplay, and yet it is also notorious for the sheer volume of bugs, glitches, and other missteps throughout its development that led to negative reception and low sales.

References to other games

 * Adventures of Mana - A portrait of Sumo can be found in the basement of Potos Elder's house.
 * Adventures of Mana - A portrait of Fuji can be found in Pamaela's house in Pandora.
 * Adventures of Mana - A portrait of Bogard and Fuji's Mother can be found in the reception room in the castle of Pandora.
 * Adventures of Mana - A portrait of Marcie can be found in the Cannon Man's house in Kippo Village. This is befitting the fact that in the original Final Fantasy Adventure game, Marcie was created by Dr. Bowow which in turn is a direct ispiration for the Cannon Man character.
 * Trials of Mana - Vuscav's flag can be found on top of the central hut of Turtle Shell Isle.
 * Trials of Mana - Duran's ultimate weapon for his Paladin class, the Brave Blade can be found hanging on a wall in the King's room in the Republic of Tasnica.
 * Legend of Mana - A portrait of Niccolo can be found at Neko's which in fitting since they share the same name in japanese.
 * Legend of Mana - A portrait of the Hero (Toto in japanese) can be found in northeastern house in Tropics BEFORE Salamando's rescue.
 * Legend of Mana - A portrait of the Heroine (Imu in japanese) can be found in northeastern house in Tropics AFTER Salamando's rescue.
 * Legend of Mana - A portrait of Pearl can be found at Gold City shop.
 * Legend of Mana - Li'l Cactus' pot can be found at the inn in Kakkara.
 * Legend of Mana - The Sword of Fate obtained from the Teardrop Crystal quest by choosing Pearl is found hanging on a wall in Watts's forge in Dwarf Village.
 * Children of Mana - During one of the Inn Cutscenes, Popoi mentions that they have found a rare plant that the showed to his Grandpa. This is a reference to the Lake Flower item which description reads as follow: A rare flower that blooms in the outer reaches of Star Lake. Believed to grow only in this area, it is highly prized for its medicinal uses.
 * Children of Mana - Near the end of the game, the Mana Tree mentions that Soon all the Mana beasts in the world will be transformed into one giant creature. The term Mana Beast was translated as Benevodons in some languages, leading to some speculations linking the Malevodons from Children of Mana being the result of such transformation.
 * Rise of Mana - A plushie of Shyarumu (Sharm) can be found at the inn in Todo Village.
 * Rise of Mana - A portrait of Rein & Van can be found at the inn in Mandala.
 * Rise of Mana - The Wing Sword (ウィングソード) can be found hanging alongside other pieces of equipmenta at the shop in Northtown.

References in later games

 * Legend of Mana - Flammies is referenced many times in the Encyclopedias in the protagonist house. On entry called The Dark One speaks about a dragon race called Flammie.

Development and release
As early as 2017, Oyamada floated the possibility of a remake in time for the Secret of Mana 25th anniversary. More details surfaced in the form of gameplay footage later in the year, and the project was submitted to Q Studios for development and conversion. The 2.5D remake was ultimately released on February 15, 2018 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Windows PCs, with a physical PS4 Blu-ray release available to select retailers. Players who pre-ordered digitally also received two selectable costume sets for the party to wear in-game. Reviews of the remake were initially mixed; but unfortunately, several show-stopping bugs were hit upon by a number of reviewers and players, who then blasted Square Enix for delivering a rushed and/or unfinished game. Although many of the worst bugs are now patched out as of late 2018, the remake remains one of the least-recommended in the series as a whole.

Trivia

 * Fanha is the only of Emperor Vandole's generals that doesn't yield an achievement upon defeat.
 * The Obtain all torso, head and arm gear achievements depict the most protective end-game equipment dropped from rare enemies. They are respectively the Faerie Cloak, dropped by Master Ninjas, the Griffin Helm, dropped by Griffin Hands, and the Faerie's Ring, dropped by Wolf Lords.