So I've started replaying Secret of Evermore now, alongside Mana. I think I'd be hard pressed to say which one I like more, and I'm more surprised now at how different they are than when I first played them.
The atmosphere in Evermore feels so bleak compared to Mana. I think it's largely due to Jeremy Soule's soundtrack, which is a lot more understated and calm than SoM's. The weapon setup is a lot more streamlined and simplistic than SoM's, which I'm not sure I like. The alchemy system is a nice alternative to magic, though. I find the amount of MP you get vs. the cost of spells in SoM to be pretty annoying. The alchemy system isn't really better, but it's a cool way to do magic. The dog sniffing out ingredients is a nice touch too.
One of the things Doc mentioned in the first episode was how SoM has a fairly silly bent to it, and that's something that Evermore doesn't indulge in to nearly the same degree. The entire gameworld has a very empty and depressing feel to it, which fits nicely with the story. Money is also a lot harder to come buy, and you spend a lot on ingredients, whereas in Mana it feels like it's pretty easy to get ahead in gp. That's not to say that Evermore doesn't have a sense of humor, but it's not nearly as prevalent as it is in Mana (no balloons rooting monsters, or shopkeepers dancing to up tempo music)
Anyway, keep up the good work Doc.
Craigopogo on
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ViscountalphaThe pen is mightier than the swordhttp://youtu.be/G_sBOsh-vyIRegistered Userregular
It'd be hard for me to say which one I liked more, too.
Possibly Evermore, if just for the fact that your dog turns into a tiny little hot pink French poodle. And also a toaster that shoots rockets.
...now I want someone to do a Secret of Evermore let's play.
Agreed, it needs to happen. I always preferred SoE, I think largely because the dog was better under AI control than are the 2 non-player members in SoM. And SoE was just quirky, especially for its time.
I think Evermore is filled with way more memorable moments than Mana. It feels like it's designed more as a series of kick-ass set pieces. But it seems to overall lack cohesion and Mana's wide-eyed, fairytale charm. Therefore, it's probably not as good a game overall as Mana, but I'd pick any of Evermore's boss fights over any of Mana's any day.
I used to be really pissed that we got Evermore instead of SD3... but in hindsight (and having played both games extensively), I get more of a feeling that it's a fair trade-off. Did they even get Evermore in Japan? My point is that they're both really fun games that offer completely different experiences. At any one time, I'm either in a Mana mood or an Evermore mood.
Maybe it's just because I'm still at the beginning of the game, but I find the combat in Evermore a lot harder than in Mana. In Mana it's easy to trap enemies and whack away, or chain nuke a boss to death with the Sprite. Healing is a little weaker in Evermore, and you only have one companion, who can only do physical attacks, so the fights are little rougher, which is nice.
I think Evermore is filled with way more memorable moments than Mana. It feels like it's designed more as a series of kick-ass set pieces. But it seems to overall lack cohesion and Mana's wide-eyed, fairytale charm. Therefore, it's probably not as good a game overall as Mana, but I'd pick any of Evermore's boss fights over any of Mana's any day.
I used to be really pissed that we got Evermore instead of SD3... but in hindsight (and having played both games extensively), I get more of a feeling that it's a fair trade-off. Did they even get Evermore in Japan? My point is that they're both really fun games that offer completely different experiences. At any one time, I'm either in a Mana mood or an Evermore mood.
SimBen, you said exactly what I couldn't manage to say earlier. I think Mana is a superior game, but I'd rather play Evermore. It's odd.
I wouldn't say Evermore's a fair trade off for Seiken Densetsu 3. SD3 is just ridiculous good. I would've liked Evermore more if it had another companion, or maybe some more weapon variety. But I'll mostly agree with the bosses. Most of SoM's weren't anything terribly exciting...
ActRaiser remains the only Square-Enix game to have been released on the Virtual Console to date.
And it's glorious.
Not that it's the only one; the game itself.
The only reason I can think of is it wasn't developed actually at Enix, so there might be some licensing reasons they could release it.
Anyway, I love this LP, it makes me horribly horribly sad I no longer have an SNES and that they have mind-bogglingly never re-released SOM on anything ever.
But I will say, I'm glad we never have to hear your King Truffle voice again. :P
It's been the only voice so far that has been really cringeworthy.
P.S. I'm pretty sure the "Boss" is a girl.
Hey the Bill Nighy accent is impeccable. I'll hear no more of your lies.
edit: ok I just had to stop recording episode 10... I got 45 minutes to it and got stuck, so I scrapped the whole thing and will start over tonight-- maybe with some multiplayer.
Holy hell, the vampire bat. I ran out of magic and faerie walnuts grinding magic in the ruins, and HE NEVER COMES DOWN AND I CAN NEVER HIT HIM AND HE HEALS HIMSELF ALL THE TIME ARGHGHGHGHGH.
Hmmm... I admit, he can be a pain to put down. The secret is to keep moving and smack him with a spell to keep him from moving. Then unload on him with a charged weapon skill- I like my highest-skilled weapon with a little dose of Flame Saber. Also, don't forget that Rachel's Salamando spells- Flame Bouquet and Fire Wall- also do damage. I'd say... hmmm... slap him with an Acid Rain to kill his physical defense, follow up with Fire Bouquet to drop his stats a bit more, then maybe a Flame Wall to keep him in place. Or maybe throw Popo's Tangle (not sure of the name right now) spell on the jerk. It'll slow him down so you can anticipate his movements. Make sure you go through those Ruins room by room- with a total of FIVE weapon orbs availible here (two from bosses, three from chests), you won't want to miss one.
Oh, and never ever EVER use HP Absorb on something undead. Popo will end up on the short end of the stick and give the enemy some of his HP for your trouble.
Don't be afraid to pull out and go resupply. Save so you don't lose the progress you've made, and restore your HP and MP. I usually make a trip back to town after defeating the wall boss, forge weapons, maybe go back to the sewers and grind weapons if you find one for something you use a lot, and then go back and kick the Vampire's furry ass.
I think Evermore is filled with way more memorable moments than Mana. It feels like it's designed more as a series of kick-ass set pieces. But it seems to overall lack cohesion and Mana's wide-eyed, fairytale charm. Therefore, it's probably not as good a game overall as Mana, but I'd pick any of Evermore's boss fights over any of Mana's any day.
I used to be really pissed that we got Evermore instead of SD3... but in hindsight (and having played both games extensively), I get more of a feeling that it's a fair trade-off. Did they even get Evermore in Japan? My point is that they're both really fun games that offer completely different experiences. At any one time, I'm either in a Mana mood or an Evermore mood.
When I think about it, Evermore did do something that no other RPG to my recollection did to a serious capacity: currency exchange. Although I think SoM is superior to Evermore (and SD3 superior to that), as I played Evermore first, it will always hold a special place in my heart.
The other thing for the vampire is you can just zap the fuck out of him with thunderbolt and it works reasonably well. That or yeah the straight up weapons method is perfectly fine, though ideally you have a second player for healing and girl with spear awesomeness.
Also, Angel's Fear (the main theme) is such a fantastic song.
enlightenedbum on
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
Thanks everyone for your patience, episode 10 is now up!
Episode 10 : Tiger Bikini
PLEASE RIGHT CLICK -> SAVE AS! It's a direct link to the .mov file. Hopefully this will fix any problems people had with blip.
I'm now hosting these LPs on my own server because I get about 1TB transfer a month. We'll see how that goes. I'll upload to Google later today.
To all who helped me, sorry I didn't give due credit in the LP because it has been so long since I read the thread. I promise to fix that during the next LP.
Jayson and enlightened - I completely forgot about your help and just spammed magic for the Vampire bat. It doesn't mean I'm ignoring you! I just... forgot. Please continue to help me because I'm sure to need it
Here's a tip for something kind of annoying that you don't have to worry about for a while:
When you get to the Pure Land, if you want to get the best helmet for the Hero you need to farm the Griffin feet guys until they drop one. It took me a while of just going back and forth between the first and second areas of the Pure Land. I gained about 10 levels trying to get a helmet, which might be a good spot to grind magic later on, since it can be a pain in the ass to grind up the new magics you get just before then. Oh, and don't forget the Magic Rope. You can use it to quickly get out of dungeons (it only works in seed rooms as I recall).
Yeah, you can use it as many times as you want, same with the Moogle Belt and Midge Hammer (which you can get after the triumphant return/cameo of a certain maligned someone!!)
Oh, I almost forgot (ok, well, I DID forget and I just remembered):
If you want the helmet from the Pure Land, make sure you get it before you finish with the area, cause once you beat it you can't go back.
Heh, don't worry about it. Dropping the heavy end of the magic hammer on him is a good way to waste him, too.
Let's see...
After you get back from the Northtown Ruins, you'll end up invited to the Empire's main castle. Rest, refuel, and top off magic stats in the sewers if you have to. Only level up weapons you're using, unless you can afford it. Stuff as much crap in your supplies bag as will fit- Candy, Chocolate, Royal Jam, Cups of Wishes, Herbs, especially Faerie Walnuts- do not go to the Castle unless you are packing a full complement of everything. Then save. If you miss the Weapon Orbs in the castle, reload your save and go back. Seriously, you get one shot at finding them- if you beat both bosses here, you're automatically whisked away, and they won't let you back in, even if you ask real nice.
You'll meet the Emperor when you go to the castle. He's happy to see you- happy to see you get your butt thrown in the castle dungeon, where Krissie and her two pals are currently cooling thier heels. Talk to them, then talk to the soldier guarding you. He'll end up throwing you into a pit where you'll fight your first Boss encounter of the area- the Metal Mantis. He's just a great big XP pinata, so knock him around with weapons skills and use items to heal. Don't waste magic, unless you absolutely have to- you've got quite a haul ahead of you. You'll find a teleporter in the pit, so take that to somewhere else, and then let the smackdown commence. The castle is loaded full of big guys in armor and ninjas- watch the ninjas, they can put a hurting on you if you're not paying attention.
There's a treasure room where the Empire's been keeping some stolen Weapons Orbs- it's up top, and you have to make sure you can get there. It's the room on top on the right- you'll have to go outside onto the castle ramparts to get to it, but there's two orbs in here plus two from the bosses, so get them.
After you fight through the legions of losers here, you'll run into Emperor Vandole, surrounded by three of his bodyguards- Sheex (dark-haired guy) Fanha (red-haired woman) and Geshtar (green-haired little prick). You'll end up fighting Geshtar here, and he hasn't learned a thing since Kakkara. Drop the magic on him and stay out of his way. Make sure Popo stays out of the way, too, as the AI-controlled characters have a habit of wandering out into the Mech Rider's path like squirrels. Keep kicking his metal butt, he'll go down eventually. The castle will catch fire after Geshtar wipes out and explodes, and you'll hear a strange drum, followed by a voice.
Yep, it's the Mushroom King. He came all this way to see you, and he's brought a surprise-
your new ride.
Take him to Matango, and he'll tell you how to call Flammie, as well as point you in a new direction- the quest to find Sage Joch. Your next target is up in the mountains, a little hell-hole of a town that you will come back to over and over and over again as you look for the Sage. It's in among the massive mountain range, but you'll find it.
Hm, so I recorded my new episode, but there were some technical difficulties regarding my new microphone... so I'll have to record it again. AWESOME. It should be up tonight, either way.
Posts
The atmosphere in Evermore feels so bleak compared to Mana. I think it's largely due to Jeremy Soule's soundtrack, which is a lot more understated and calm than SoM's. The weapon setup is a lot more streamlined and simplistic than SoM's, which I'm not sure I like. The alchemy system is a nice alternative to magic, though. I find the amount of MP you get vs. the cost of spells in SoM to be pretty annoying. The alchemy system isn't really better, but it's a cool way to do magic. The dog sniffing out ingredients is a nice touch too.
One of the things Doc mentioned in the first episode was how SoM has a fairly silly bent to it, and that's something that Evermore doesn't indulge in to nearly the same degree. The entire gameworld has a very empty and depressing feel to it, which fits nicely with the story. Money is also a lot harder to come buy, and you spend a lot on ingredients, whereas in Mana it feels like it's pretty easy to get ahead in gp. That's not to say that Evermore doesn't have a sense of humor, but it's not nearly as prevalent as it is in Mana (no balloons rooting monsters, or shopkeepers dancing to up tempo music)
Anyway, keep up the good work Doc.
I would argue that squaresoft is too stupid to make this a reality. Which is why SoM hasn't been sold since.
Possibly Evermore, if just for the fact that your dog turns into a tiny little hot pink French poodle. And also a toaster that shoots rockets.
...now I want someone to do a Secret of Evermore let's play.
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
Agreed, it needs to happen. I always preferred SoE, I think largely because the dog was better under AI control than are the 2 non-player members in SoM. And SoE was just quirky, especially for its time.
D/P: 2621-2512-5050
The best thing I have to say about Children is that it's the best entry in the World of Mana sub-series.
That is not saying much.
I used to be really pissed that we got Evermore instead of SD3... but in hindsight (and having played both games extensively), I get more of a feeling that it's a fair trade-off. Did they even get Evermore in Japan? My point is that they're both really fun games that offer completely different experiences. At any one time, I'm either in a Mana mood or an Evermore mood.
SimBen, you said exactly what I couldn't manage to say earlier. I think Mana is a superior game, but I'd rather play Evermore. It's odd.
D/P: 2621-2512-5050
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
And there's no comparison, Mana's magic system is a lot less retarded.
Many, many hours back in the day I spent leveling weapons (and spells) here just for this reason alone.
PSN: LucidStar_BC
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
It just makes it a pain to grind your spells (sorry, "formulas") because you have to go reagent-farming.
This.
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
Steam BoardGameGeek Twitter
That is the best Easter-related Secret of Mana joke I have ever heard. Congratulations!
CHOCOLATE won't fit.
Candy and Royal Jam will.
Oh, and never ever EVER use HP Absorb on something undead. Popo will end up on the short end of the stick and give the enemy some of his HP for your trouble.
Don't be afraid to pull out and go resupply. Save so you don't lose the progress you've made, and restore your HP and MP. I usually make a trip back to town after defeating the wall boss, forge weapons, maybe go back to the sewers and grind weapons if you find one for something you use a lot, and then go back and kick the Vampire's furry ass.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
When I think about it, Evermore did do something that no other RPG to my recollection did to a serious capacity: currency exchange. Although I think SoM is superior to Evermore (and SD3 superior to that), as I played Evermore first, it will always hold a special place in my heart.
Steam: pazython
Also, Angel's Fear (the main theme) is such a fantastic song.
Episode 10 : Tiger Bikini
PLEASE RIGHT CLICK -> SAVE AS! It's a direct link to the .mov file. Hopefully this will fix any problems people had with blip.
I'm now hosting these LPs on my own server because I get about 1TB transfer a month. We'll see how that goes. I'll upload to Google later today.
To all who helped me, sorry I didn't give due credit in the LP because it has been so long since I read the thread. I promise to fix that during the next LP.
Jayson and enlightened - I completely forgot about your help and just spammed magic for the Vampire bat. It doesn't mean I'm ignoring you! I just... forgot. Please continue to help me because I'm sure to need it
Pixel - thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
(Downloading now.)
Edit: wow, 1MB/s -- nice bandwidth on your server.
Steam BoardGameGeek Twitter
Craigopogo : Thanks for the tip, I never knew about that drop. Does the magic rope not get "used up" then? I just keep it around forever?
Oh, I almost forgot (ok, well, I DID forget and I just remembered):
Let's see...
After you get back from the Northtown Ruins, you'll end up invited to the Empire's main castle. Rest, refuel, and top off magic stats in the sewers if you have to. Only level up weapons you're using, unless you can afford it. Stuff as much crap in your supplies bag as will fit- Candy, Chocolate, Royal Jam, Cups of Wishes, Herbs, especially Faerie Walnuts- do not go to the Castle unless you are packing a full complement of everything. Then save. If you miss the Weapon Orbs in the castle, reload your save and go back. Seriously, you get one shot at finding them- if you beat both bosses here, you're automatically whisked away, and they won't let you back in, even if you ask real nice.
You'll meet the Emperor when you go to the castle. He's happy to see you- happy to see you get your butt thrown in the castle dungeon, where Krissie and her two pals are currently cooling thier heels. Talk to them, then talk to the soldier guarding you. He'll end up throwing you into a pit where you'll fight your first Boss encounter of the area- the Metal Mantis. He's just a great big XP pinata, so knock him around with weapons skills and use items to heal. Don't waste magic, unless you absolutely have to- you've got quite a haul ahead of you. You'll find a teleporter in the pit, so take that to somewhere else, and then let the smackdown commence. The castle is loaded full of big guys in armor and ninjas- watch the ninjas, they can put a hurting on you if you're not paying attention.
There's a treasure room where the Empire's been keeping some stolen Weapons Orbs- it's up top, and you have to make sure you can get there. It's the room on top on the right- you'll have to go outside onto the castle ramparts to get to it, but there's two orbs in here plus two from the bosses, so get them.
After you fight through the legions of losers here, you'll run into Emperor Vandole, surrounded by three of his bodyguards- Sheex (dark-haired guy) Fanha (red-haired woman) and Geshtar (green-haired little prick). You'll end up fighting Geshtar here, and he hasn't learned a thing since Kakkara. Drop the magic on him and stay out of his way. Make sure Popo stays out of the way, too, as the AI-controlled characters have a habit of wandering out into the Mech Rider's path like squirrels. Keep kicking his metal butt, he'll go down eventually. The castle will catch fire after Geshtar wipes out and explodes, and you'll hear a strange drum, followed by a voice.
Yep, it's the Mushroom King. He came all this way to see you, and he's brought a surprise-
your new ride.
Take him to Matango, and he'll tell you how to call Flammie, as well as point you in a new direction- the quest to find Sage Joch. Your next target is up in the mountains, a little hell-hole of a town that you will come back to over and over and over again as you look for the Sage. It's in among the massive mountain range, but you'll find it.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
Man if I were Al Gore, my Let's Play would be so boring.
THIS is the source of my power! Behold! Terrible uptime, worst user panel in the world, the support sucks, but awesome bandwidth!
I'll record a new episode tonight. It's a Friday night and that's how I roll.
You and I both roll similarly.