The Mana series makes its way to the GBA

When I played Squaresoft's game, Secret of Mana, for Super NES, I experienced what I believe was one of the best RPGs ever. Sword of Mana is far from that, but is nonetheless an enjoyable game that most RPG and adventure fans should appreciate. In this game, you are a hero who loses your parents as a result of the Dark Lord's evil plan to gain power from the mana tree. Abusing this power, he plans to rule the land you journey through, and for this, you seek vengance. When I played Sword of Mana, I noticed the battle system of quickly hacking and slashing at enemies as well as the unique way of arranging items seemed very much like its predecessor, Secret of Mana, which is a good thing. Also, I noticed some familiar creatures show up in the game, like the mushbooms, moogles, and of course, the great mana tree, which the game's plot revolves around. That's pretty much where the similarities end, as Sword of Mana is noticeably shorter (around 20 hours), and the plot itself just isn't as compelling. Also, the system of upgrating your armor by forging it with fruits and vegetables is kind of a strange concept. Although battling is quick, easy, and overall fun to do, it could get tedious and sometimes frustrating. Your ability to use mana mixes things up a bit, but you could go through most of the game without even using it. For being the prequel to an amazing RPG by Square, I expected a little more from this game. Don't get me wrong though. Sword of Mana is a good RPG, and if you enjoyed Secret of Mana, you should definetly give Sword a chance. As far as the graphics go, they are pretty impressive for a GBA game. The audio is also nice, and for the most part it fits in well with the different situations in the game. The controls are pretty easy to get use to, and with the simple way of organizing items and viewing stats, you shouldn't have much trouble messing with items. Those looking for a good RPG that will kill some time should not be let down by this prequel.