History VideoGame / SwordOfMana

''Sword of Mana,'' released in Japan as ''Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu'' (新約 聖剣伝説) or ''The New Testament: Legend of the Holy Sword'', is a VideoGameRemake of the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure first game]] of the ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Mana]]'' series with many of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' references removed and [[ContinuityNod many added details from the later games inserted]]. It was released for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance in late 2003. Faithful remakes of the original 1991 video game were released in 2006 [[NoExportForYou exclusively for Japanese mobile phones]] and in 2016 for {{i|OSGames}}OS, {{Android|Games}}, and UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.

* ContinuityNod: Each of the six class trees from ''VideoGame/SeikenDensetsu3'' show up again here. Isabella (in appearance only) and Deathjester (now named Goremand) have {{exp|y}}ies here as well.

* {{Expy}}: Goremand, for ''VideoGame/SeikenDensetsu3'''s Deathjester.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Goremand]]. Possibly only to be expected as, [[spoiler:he's an {{Expy}} of -- [[NonLinearSequel or possibly even the same character as]] -- Deathjester from ''VideoGame/SeikenDensetsu3'', who was never killed there either]]. But at least in [[spoiler:''VideoGame/SeikenDensetsu3'' you could punch his smug face in. Here he's TheUnfought]].

%%* EvilRedheads: The Vandole family.

* DragonTheirFeet: Despite the fact that the three [[spoiler:surviving]] members of his FiveBadBand are nearby and doing perfectly well, Dark Lord still fights you on his own, outnumbered two to one. May be a case of ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself on Julius and Isabella's part; definitely a case of dickery on Goremand's.

** If the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure'' naming trends are preserved: Hero and Heroine in Japanese, and Sumo and Fuji in English.
** Matt and Rose in the English strategy guide and official promotional comics.
** Duke and Elena in the Japanese remake material.

''Sword of Mana,'' released in Japan as ''Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu'' (新約 聖剣伝説) or ''The New Testament: Legend of the Holy Sword'', is a VideoGameRemake of the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure first game]] of the ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Mana]]'' series with many of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' references removed and [[ContinuityNod many added details from the later games inserted]]. It was released for the GameBoyAdvance in late 2003. Faithful remakes of the original 1991 video game were released in 2006 [[NoExportForYou exclusively for Japanese mobile phones]] and in 2016 for {{i|OSGames}}OS, {{Android|Games}}, and UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.

* ArtificialStupidity: It's best to let your partner die rather than waste healing items on them. If you actually try to keep them alive, the entire game can become an EscortMission.
** Except [[spoiler:in Dime Tower, where you are best off simply playing as Marshall and blasting everything to pieces with laserbeams before your main character has a chance to get themself killed]].

* BalefulPolymorph: Lester, and several other minstrels in Devius' manor.
** Inverted with one of them, who actually ''liked'' being a bird.

-->'''Willy''': H-he stopped the sword with one hand!?

** ContinuityPorn: Aside from Goremand and Isabella, we have [[VideoGame/LegendOfMana Li'l Cactus, Niccolo, Dudbears, the Seven Wisdoms]], [[VideoGame/SecretOfMana Durac and Popoi]]'s Notebook, and [[spoiler:one of Julius' OneWingedAngel forms, which is an {{expy}} of [[VideoGame/LegendOfMana Irwin]]]].
* CoolOldLady: Selah.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas
* EvilRedheads: The Vandole family.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: While playing as the heroine, explore the airship to get a good idea of its layout. [[FridgeLogic Note that Julius' room has no bed.]] Note also that most of the soldiers' rooms, as well as [[spoiler:Medusa]]'s room, have twin beds. [[FridgeBrilliance Now go find the only room]] [[ShipTease with a bed big enough for two.]]
* GenerationXerox: [[spoiler:Like every Vandole,]] Julius has distinctive red hair and green eyes.

!!Sword of Mana contains examples of the following tropes:

* AntiVillain: [[spoiler:Dark Lord is just bitter over his father's refusal to save his mother; Julius is slowly succumbing to his Vandole blood (that's if he's not Vandole himself). ''Why'' are we fighting them again? Oh yes, because they're too stubborn to back down when the heroine begs them to in her route.]]
** Because they're both psychopaths who kill many innocent people and settle at ruining many other lives just as badly to obtain their own goals without hesitation.
* [[HeroesWantRedheads Anti-Villains Want Redheads]]: Dark Lord's apparent love interest, Isabella, has red hair. ([[HoYay Julius would count too, depending on your interpretation...]])

* BeastAndBeauty: Backstory-wise, [[spoiler:Vandole and Mana]].
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: And it's a ''Mana game'', so destiny is a sadist. Poor heroine. Poor ''Julius''.

* [[spoiler:BittersweetEnding]]: [[spoiler:After you fight your way through the game, you find out that the heroine has to [[{{Transflormation}} turn into the Mana Tree]] to save the world.]]

* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Poor Amanda is an Unlucky Childhood Friend. Willy probably also counts.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: Crystal equipment. We're talking MASSIVE stats in all categories, not counting the number of times you can temper them. Crystal weapons even have a chance to deal '''[[InfinityPlusOneElement ALL]]'''-''(yes, that's what it actually says)'' elemental damage, while crystal armors resist ALL elements and make you immune to Charm. However, you may find that a mix of other types of armors that resist other StandardStatusEffects may be better than just straight-up pure defense. Also however, you'll notice that the heroine can only have crystal weapons and gloves. That's where Altena Felt comes in--does the same job as crystal for fabric equipment, but grants immunity to Confuse instead.
** And then of course, the secret Brownie Ring.

* InterspeciesRomance: Mavole law forbids marriage and interbreeding with humans. Sometimes couples try anyway; when the geas kicks in for the Mavole member of the couple, the results are never pretty. [[spoiler:Poor, ''poor'' Medusa.]] As for the children of such a union, there doesn't seem to be a taboo against relationships, but we never see one take its course [[StarCrossedLovers without the half-blood dying midway through]].
** Children of such a union do tend to lead very messed-up lives. [[spoiler:Poor Devius and Dark Lord.]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Goremand]], which induced quite a bit of [[PlayerPunch rage from the fanbase]].
** Possibly only to be expected as, [[spoiler:he's an {{Expy}} of -- [[NonLinearSequel or possibly even the same character as]] -- Deathjester from ''VideoGame/SeikenDensetsu3'', who was never killed there either]].
*** But at least in [[spoiler:''VideoGame/SeikenDensetsu3'' you could punch his smug face in. Here he's TheUnfought]].
* LostForever: A number of treasures in can only be acquired at certain points of the game. If you didn't realize you were supposed to backtrack to an earlier town at just the right time, tough luck.
* [[spoiler:LukeIAmYourFather: Bogard is the heroine's father.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: Julius.
* MaskPower: Dark Lord.
* MoralityPet: Medusa to Devius, Marley to Dark Lord.
** MoralityChain: Dark Lord to Julius. [[spoiler:True to type, he completely succumbs to his Vandole blood right after Dark Lord's death and makes a beeline for the Mana Tree or(if "Julius" is an assumed identity of Vandole)..... he dropped his "Julius" facade because Dark Lord is no longer a threat.]]

* NowWhereWasIGoingAgain
* ObliviousToLove: The hero. So much.

* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: Except when they want to quit.

** PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou: In particular, this is the protagonist's reaction to seeing their counterpart corrupted.

* RobotBuddy: Marshall.

* SlapSlapKiss: The hero and heroine, early on.

* TheStoic: Devius. Except...
** NotSoStoic: ...when you mess with his mother.

* WeaponOfChoice
* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou

* WorldTree: The Mana Tree. Duh.
* YouCantFightFate: Well, this ''is'' a Mana game...

'''''Sword of Mana,''''' released in Japan as '''''Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu''''' (新約 聖剣伝説) or ''The New Testament: Legend of the Holy Sword'', is a VideoGameRemake of the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure first game]] of the ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Mana]]'' series with many of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' references removed and [[ContinuityNod many added details from the later games inserted]]. It was released for the GameBoyAdvance in late 2003. Faithful remakes of the original 1991 video game were released in 2006 [[NoExportForYou exclusively for Japanese mobile phones]] and in 2016 for {{i|OSGames}}OS, {{Android|Games}}, and UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.

'''''Sword of Mana,''''' released in Japan as '''''Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu''''' (新約 聖剣伝説) or ''The New Testament: Legend of the Holy Sword', is a VideoGameRemake of the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure first game]] of the ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Mana]]'' series with many of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' references removed and [[ContinuityNod many added details from the later games inserted]]. It was released for the GameBoyAdvance in late 2003. Faithful remakes of the original 1991 video game were released in 2006 [[NoExportForYou exclusively for Japanese mobile phones]] and in 2016 for {{i|OSGames}}OS, {{Android|Games}}, and UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.

'''''Sword of Mana,''''' released in Japan as '''''Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu''''' (新約 聖剣伝説) or ''The New Testament: Seiken Densetsu'', is a VideoGameRemake of the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure first game]] of the ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Mana]]'' series with many of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' references removed and [[ContinuityNod many added details from the later games inserted]]. It was released for the GameBoyAdvance in late 2003. Faithful remakes of the original 1991 video game were released in 2006 [[NoExportForYou exclusively for Japanese mobile phones]] and in 2016 for {{i|OSGames}}OS, {{Android|Games}}, and UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.

'''''Sword of Mana,''''' released in Japan as '''''Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu''''' (新約 聖剣伝説) or ''The New Testament: Seiken Densetsu'', is a VideoGameRemake of the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure first game]] of the ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Mana]]'' series with many of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' references removed and [[ContinuityNod many added details from the later games inserted]]. It was released for the GameBoyAdvance in late 2003. Faithful remakes of the original 1991 video game were released in 2006 [[NoExportForYou exclusively for Japanese mobile phones]] and in 2016 for [[IOSGames iOS]], [[AndroidGames Android]], and UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.

* GoshDangItToHeck: Usually not overtly so, but it does make the {{bowdlerize}}d English versions of scenes that originally had impassioned swearing a little {{Narm}}tastic. See the entry for {{Narm}} itself below.

*** But at least in [[spoiler:''VideoGame/SeikenDensetsu3'' you could punch his smug face in. Here he's TheUnfought.]]

* VillainousCrossdresser: Julius is bordering on this, what with the painted nails, [[FashionVictimVillain hot pink cape]], and brightly colored robes. He doesn't present as trans, though.

* TheWorldTree: The Mana Tree. Duh.

'''''Sword of Mana,''''' released in Japan as '''''Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu''''' (新約 聖剣伝説) or ''The New Testament: Seiken Densetsu'', is a VideoGameRemake of the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure first game]] of the ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Mana]]'' series with many of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' references removed and [[ContinuityNod many added details from the later games inserted]]. It was released for the GameBoyAdvance in late 2003. Faithful remakes of the original 1991 video game were released in 2006 [[NoExportForYou exclusively for Japanese mobile phones]] and in 2016 for [[IOSGames iOS]], [[AndroidGames Android]], and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita PlayStation Vita]] ([[NoExportForYou the latter platform, again, Japan only]]).

* GenreSavvy: Dark Lord is fully aware of all the implications of his being Julius' MoralityChain, ''and'' apparently knows [[spoiler:exactly who and what Julius is]]. Eventually, [[spoiler:while dying, he tells the protagonists that they'd better go stop Julius because there's no longer any incentive for him to resist his Vandole blood(or if he is Vandole himself then there's no incentive to hide his true nature)]].

* TheObiWan: Bogard and Cibba.

'''''Sword of Mana,''''' released in Japan as '''''Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu''''' (新約 聖剣伝説) or ''The New Testiment: Seiken Densetsu'', is a VideoGameRemake of the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure first game]] of the ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Mana]]'' series with many of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' references removed and many added [[ContinuityNod details from the series since]] inserted. It was released for the Game Boy Advance in late 2003. A more faithful remake of the original 1991 video game was released in 2006 [[NoExportForYou exclusively for Japanese mobile phones]].

** Hero and Heroine if the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure'' naming trends are preserved.
** Sumo and Fuji if the English-language screenshots count from the original version's manual.

* PlotCoupon: Fuji's pendant, the titular sword...

'''''Sword of Mana''''', released in Japan as '''''Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu''''' (新約 聖剣伝説) or ''The New Testiment: Seiken Densetsu'', is a VideoGameRemake of the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure first game]] of the ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Mana]]'' series with many of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' references removed and many added [[ContinuityNod details from the series since]] inserted. It was released for the Game Boy Advance in late 2003. A more faithful remake of the original 1991 video game was released in 2006 [[NoExportForYou exclusively for Japanese mobile phones]].

* ContinuityNod: Each of the six class trees from ''SeikenDensetsu3'' show up again here. Isabella (in appearance only) and Deathjester (now named Goremand) have {{exp|y}}ies here as well.

* {{Expy}}: Goremand, for ''SeikenDensetsu3'''s Deathjester.

** Possibly only to be expected as, [[spoiler:he's an {{Expy}} of -- [[NonLinearSequel or possibly even the same character as]] -- Deathjester from ''SeikenDensetsu3'', who was never killed there either]].
*** But at least in [[spoiler:''SeikenDensetsu3'' you could punch his smug face in. Here he's TheUnfought.]]

** Sumo and Fuji if the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure'' naming trends were preserved.
** Duke and Elena in Japan.

** The legendary Gemma Knights were Gemma: a sword-wielding hero, Bogard: a man from the mana clan, and Granz: a minstrel. What are Sumo, Willy, and Lester again? And all of these characters are more or less doomed to re-enact the adventures of the previous generation. [[spoiler:The heroine]] and [[spoiler:Julius]] in particular have a pretty raw deal, as destiny has arranged for the former's self-sacrifice and the latter's loss of humanity.

Like many of the other "old-school" Seiken Densetsu games, ''Sword of Mana'' allows the player to choose whether to play as [[HelloInsertNameHere the hero or the heroine]]. Unlike other Seiken Densetsu games, though, there are significant differences depending on who you choose to play--the hero's route has slightly more focus on dungeon gameplay; in the heroine's story, the characters (particularly the villains) are MUCH more well-developed.

Also like many other "old-school" Seiken Densetsu games, ''Sword of Mana'''s story is wrought with angst, and a great many main characters die. Good luck not getting attached to any of them, though.

* ContinuityNod: Each of the six class trees from SeikenDensetsu3 show up again here. Isabella (in appearance only) and Deathjester (now named Goremand) have {{exp|y}}ies here as well.

* EliteMooks: Kill 1000 of a specific enemy and the black version replaces them. This applies to ALL enemies. For example the standard Rabbite becomes a Black Rabbite. (Not the Seiken Dentetsu 3 version though) Said monsters also drop high end materials required for the best equipment.

Part of the ''VideoGame/WorldOfMana'' series--a VideoGameRemake, in fact, of the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure first game]] with many of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' references removed and many more [[ContinuityNod details in keeping with the Seiken Densetsu continuity]] inserted. It was released for the Game Boy Advance in late 2003.

** ContinuityPorn: Aside from Goremand and Isabella, we have [[VideoGame/LegendOfMana Li'l Cactus, Niccolo, and Dudbears]], [[VideoGame/SecretOfMana Dirac]], [[VideoGame/LegendOfMana the Seven Wisdoms]], and [[spoiler:one of Julius' OneWingedAngel forms, which is an {{expy}} of [[VideoGame/LegendOfMana Irwin]]]].

* [[spoiler:BittersweetEnding]]: [[spoiler:After you fight your way through the game, you find out that the heroine has to turn into the Mana Tree to save the world.]]

Part of the ''VideoGame/WorldOfMana'' series--a VideoGameRemake, in fact, of the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure first game]] with many of the ''FinalFantasy'' references removed and many more [[ContinuityNod details in keeping with the Seiken Densetsu continuity]] inserted. It was released for the Game Boy Advance in late 2003.

* PosthumousCharacter: Vandole and [[spoiler:Mana]]. Granz too, [[spoiler:but this eventually turns out to be subverted, as Dark Lord and Julius kept him alive to siphon off his magic]].