Secret of Mana version differences

The following is a list of version differences between the various releases and remakes of Secret of Mana.

Super Famicom

Initial Release

The first iteration of Seiken Densetsu 2 was released in Japan on August 6, 1993.

Super Nintendo

North American Release

The first international edition of Secret of Mana' was released in North America on October 3, 1993.

Name change

• The game was renamed Secret of Mana for the North American market for unknown reasons, establishing the name's franchise outside Japan.

Graphical changes

• The opening screen that depicted a large portion Mana Tree was now zoomed in and blurrier, focusing instead on the three heroes.
• The Gnome spell Earth Slide icon in the ring menu was changed from a catfish to an exploding boulder. In Japanese folklore, Namazu is a giant catfish that can create powerful earthquakes.
• The colors on the buttons in the Window Edit and Controller Edit menus were changed to reflect the North American SNES controller. Due to palette sharing, these changes also affected a few other screens.
• The addition of a lavender palette for the North American buttons also affected the action grid. These changes were (perhaps unintentionally) carried over to the European version.

Script

• The North American font size causing space limitation, further aggravated by translator Ted Woolsey having only six weeks to translate the game, made this version missing many dialogue and story elements present in the original Japanese game.
• The introduction screen in the Japanese version uses poor English that was rewritten and condensed for the North American release.
• Several japanese terms were changed or mistranlated. Examples of this for characters are Molière changing to Meria, Nikita to Neko, and Dirac to Dyluck.
• Likewise, some spells had the same treatment in translation, like Syringe turning into Energy Absorb or Quick to Speed Up.
• Surprisingly, the Defender spell shares its name with the Broad Sword's japanese name.

Censorship

• Due to Nintendo of America's policies on religious imagery, the warp portals were altered from depicting triangles instead of hexagrams.
• The Kettle Kin boss was censored in the North American version by removing its chainsaw, making it look like an identical palette swap of the earlier Kilroy bossw with different stats. In its second phase, the drill part is also removed.
• The Heck Hound was originally called Hell Hound in Japanese.
• The National Scar enemy was originally called Devil Magazine in Japan. Suprisingly, its rare frame depiction of a naked woman while flipping its pages was left intact, probably due to oversight.

Minor changes

• The opening logo was given a trademark (™) in the North American version.
• An additional frame depicting the English text "ALLRIGHTS[sic] RESERVED BY SQUARE" in the japanese version was scrapped in the other two Super Nintendo versions.

European release

The european release of Secret of Mana was released on November 24, 1994.

The game was translated in british English, German and French.

Graphical changes

• The French and German versions kept the North American button remodels for the Window Edit and Controller Edit menus, but reverted back to the japanese color scheme.
• The Action Grid menu has a lighter lavender palette compared to the North American and Japanese versions.
• The Satus menu was also affected by the lighter palette swap.
• For better readability, the European versions added a much needed space between the skill level and the names of the weapons and spells. However, the typo "Skil" still remained in the English versions.
• The European version received a thicker, more readable font.

Minor changes

• The SQUARESOFT^TM was replaced by NINTENDO on the opening screen since the game was published by Nintendo in Europe.
• The year 1994 was added to the copyright in the opening sequence and the NINTENDO font from the opening screen was reused.

Mobile phone

Japan

A mobile phone release of Seiken Densetsu 2 was observed in Japan on October 26, 2009.

Graphical changes

• The main menu was overhauled for a touchscreen, adding buttons links to the SquareEnix, World of Mana website, and more, as well as adding a sliding menu containing new options like a manual, game options, & official website.
• The opening cutscene was scrapped, leaving the main menu with the original artwork with its signature red birds moving from right to left of the screen. Lighting effects piercing the Mana Tree foliage was also added.
• Water found in rivers and ponds is now highly reflective, with the Sun and passing clouds depicted in.
• Rings of water forms around the player characters while moving in bodies of water.
• Butterflies were added around some flower patches.
• The flashing lights, for instance while Randi is pulling the sword, are slightly less intense and have a shorter lasting time.
• The flickering effect for ghost characters were removed, leaving them with fading but solid palette instead.
• Light radiuses can be found indoors, independently from light sources.
• Most monsters now have their design changed to their Sword of Mana counterpart if applicable.
• Enemy death animation is less detailed and shorter than in the earlier console versions.
• Boss death animation removes the orange gradient applied to sprites, only leaving the explosion animation.
• Enemy treasure chest drops now immediately appear after their death.
• Ring menus now display the player character's face in its center instead of relying on colored cursors.
• Cannon Travel shooting sequence is now signifiantly shorter.
• Dialogue choices are now highlighted in blue, making a better contrast with the background.
• Some status effects animations were altered or outright changed:
  • the Poison status now shows green bubbles hovering over the player character's head insted of changing its color palette.

Audio changes

• Background music now immediately changes while the player character exits an area. Beforehand, the music would continue playing until a short interruption took place in the next area.
• The sound effect immediately head after defeating a boss is shorted to make way for the victory fanfare.
• Some background music end abruptly instead of fading in to silence like in the original release.

Gameplay changes

• A pressing button icon was added during dialogues to advance the story.
• A run button can be pressed on the bottom right side of the screen.
• A moving stick pad was added to the left of the screen, allowing 360° rotation. The player character is still limited to 8 directions, however.
• An exclamation mark button was added for interacting with the environment, such as talking with NPCs or triggering switches. This button also doubles as using the current weapon equipped.
• Players can now register up to four different items or spells as hot keys on the upper right screen.
• Players can now run through stairs, as the collision detection on each step was removed.
• Enemies' movements and attacks are generally slower.

Minor changes

• The opening scene changed its SQUARESOFT logo to SQUAREENIX, reflecting the fusion of the two companies in 2003.
• 2009 was added to the copyright.

Worldwide

The international edition of the mobile remake of Secret of Mana was released on iOS December 21, 2010.

The same game was later ported on Android devices on October 30, 2014.

HD remake

Worldwide

A 3D remake of Secret of Mana was released worldwide on PlayStation 4, PSVita, & Windows on February 15, 2018.

Gameplay changes

• The Mode 7 scene when characters are shot from Cannon travel is replaced with a black loading screen.
• The game loads every few seconds every time a character enters a new room.
• Buzz Bee no longer gets attacked upon the characters landing in Gaia's Navel on impact.
• The user interface at the bottom of the screen now also displays MP and the current weapon equipped on the played character.
• A mini map whose art style is reminiscent of the mobile phone version of the game is displayed on the top right corner of the screen. It can be turned off from the options.
• Negative status effects are no longer shown in the status menu.
• Additional cutscenes at inns are added before the characters go to bed.
• Armor values (Defense, Evade and Magic Defense) and status effect protections for each gear in the inventory are now shown in the equipment menu.
• Players can now have a full 360º range of movement when walking and attacking instead of four in the original release.
• Game Log menu is a new addition to the main menu, making it easier to follow the story.
• Players can now place items, weapons and/or spells on two hotkeys for easier access.
• Players can now increase the consumable item carry limit to eight or twelve in the options instead of being limited to four in the original release.
• Characters recover fully their MP upon leveling up.
• Players cannot chain cast spells like in the SNES version.
• Players are now not limited to the rubber band AI of the other party members and can go anywhere they want and make them come to you instantly if need be.
• When the players sleep at the Inns. The players lie on the bed rather than get in the covers. Also when they're shrunk or Moogled, they automaticity get cured even before they lay down on the bed.
• Players can now run in any direction with the energy meter depleting much slower than in the original version when you could only run in one direction and it would empty the meter completely.
• Just like the mobile version, stairs are now treated as flat ground and thus can be traversed faster and without interruption.
• Attacks doing zero damage are now displayed as MISS instead of 0 for the SNES version.
• Javelin attacks can now pierce through enemies instead of being stuck to them like in the SNES version.
• In order to find the Sprite's hidden village, players now need to traverse the Forest of Seasons from spring, to summer, to falls, to winter and then spring again, effectively going back to the spring map from the Moogle village. On the SNES, one would only have to go through summer, falls, winter and spring to unlock the path to the hidden village.
• The Enemies Mystic Book and National Scar who originally flashed the Devil Magazine picture of a naked woman has been removed in the Playstation 4, Playstation Vita and PC remake.
• The Playstation 4, Vita and PC now has a Trophies List Achievements.
• It is no longer possible to get the Sword Orb cheat without casting Dryad's Mana Magic spell.

Story changes

• Additional scenes were added when players visit an Inn. Characters will discuss previous or current game events .
• After completing the Underground Palace, Luka will now telepathically reach the player to inform him about an incident in the Water Palace.
• After completing the Underground Palace, Pamaela is now blocking the path to Pandora Ruins and must be interacted in order to pass. This is in contrast to the SNES version when she would be wandering near the path and the player could opt not to talk to her.
• The clue for revealing the path to Sprite Village is no longer in verse. Popoi now recites it as follows:

"Walk the seasons from spring to winter. When you reach spring again, the village will appear."

• Players now are prevented to leave the Wind Palace until they've interacted with the Mana Seed. In the SNES version, they could leave as soon as receiving Sylphid.

Graphical changes

• Cutscenes are now added for important plot events.
• This game now features voice acting cutscenes. Also, every character the players talk to has voice acting. Also Randi, Primm, Popoi now talk during battle. Players can choose to hear them in Japanese or English.
• The sound effects from the original has been replaced.
• The player can choose between the original soundtrack and the remake soundtrack.
• Many of the enemy sprite models have been altered.
• When performing any activity in battle, certain numbers will use different colors vs. the original version: damage points are now yellow, critical damage is orange, HP recovery is green, and MP recovery is blue.
• When a character lands a critical hit, the victim no longer "gets whacked!" and instead simply "takes a critical hit!".
• Neko will now leave the Witch's Castle as soon as the player defeat Spiky Tiger whereas he would remain in its cell until the player go outside the dungeon.
• Jema's name in the original SNES version has been respelled Gemma.
• Phanna's name in the original SNES version has been renamed Pamaela.
• Players can now walk behind the altar when Thanatos initially stands in Pandora Ruins. In the SNES, the altar texture extended all the way to the back wall.
• Stone totems, which can be found in various places, no longer stick out their tongue upon being hit with a weapon.
• Geshtar can now only be interacted to the front since its character model has been moved to the stairs of its pedestal on the Sandship. On the SNES, it was possible to speak with it at an angle, making its sprite facing to the side.
• As with the mobile ports, players can now walk on the edge of the narrow path in the Ice Palace, making dodging enemies and reaching switches easier.
• The top right interactable sphere's text in Mandala Temple has been slightly modified and is no longer referencing Abe Lincoln and Jeopardy!, making its reference Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
• The Matango catchphrase "Gontma" no longer means "Goodbye" as it was replaced by "Ognatam".
• The Tree Palace was renamed Mana Palace.

References

• Wikipedia
• Censorship fandom
• The Cutting Room Floor