History VideoGame / WorldOfMana

* ImprobableHairstyle - Quite a few of the characters. VideoGame/LegendOfMana HangsALampshade if you choose the female protagonist.

Tropes include:

* CMOTDibbler - Niko/Niccolo, who sells overpriced items in most games and bilks quite a few people out of their hard-earned money (including the player character) in VideoGame/LegendOfMana.
** VideoGame/SeikenDensetsu3 reveals that Niko belongs to a ''race'' of such vendors.
** VideoGame/ChildrenOfMana reveals the same about Niccolo.

* TheArcher - Chobin Hoods; the player character is one with the Bow equipped in VideoGame/SecretOfMana, VideoGame/LegendOfMana and VideoGame/SwordOfMana.

Unfortunately, to some extent the ''KingdomHearts'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles'' series have usurped the place of ''World of Mana'' in the SquareEnix pantheon, with the aforementioned games featuring the 3D version of the three-character action RPG gameplay for which the ''World of Mana'' series was once known. This has caused SquareEnix to start scrambling to find a different genre for the World of Mana series, such as the RTS ''Heroes of Mana'' and pure action game ''Dawn of Mana'', the latter of which was extremely poorly received and criticized. [[http://www.siliconera.com/2012/09/07/report-circle-of-mana-trademark-filed-by-square-enix/ A trademark]] for ''Circle of Mana'' was filed in September 2012.

World of Mana, also known as the Seiken Densetsu (Legend of the Holy Sword) series, is a group of (mostly) action [=RPGs=], most of which also tenuously share a setting. Most of the games center around a Mana Tree, the source of magic in the world, and the eponymous Mana Sword.

* ''Seiken Densetsu Legend of Mana'' (2000, by Shiro Amano, based off the [[VideoGame/LegendOfMana game of the same name]]; later collected into a 2-volume set in 2008)
* ''Princess of Mana'' (2007, 5-volume work by Satsuki Yoshino, set 300 years after VideoGame/ChildrenOfMana and 310 years after VideoGame/DawnOfMana)

* ''Seiken Densetsu Legend of Mana - Amata no Tsuchi, Amata no Hito'' (2000, by Hiromi Hosae; a novelisation of VideoGame/LegendOfMana)


Unfortunately, to some extent the ''KingdomHearts'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles'' series have usurped the World of Mana's place in the SquareEnix pantheon, with the aforementioned games featuring the 3D version of the three-character action RPG gameplay that the World of Mana series was once known for. This has caused SquareEnix to start scrambling to find a different genre for the World of Mana series, such as the RTS Heroes of Mana and pure action game Dawn of Mana, the latter of which was extremely poorly received and criticized. [[http://www.siliconera.com/2012/09/07/report-circle-of-mana-trademark-filed-by-square-enix/ A trademark]] for ''Circle of Mana'' was filed in September 2012.

The Square USA game SecretOfEvermore is sometimes confused for being part of the World of Mana, but while it was obviously inspired by Secret of Mana (it has a [[RingMenu ring-based menu system]] and multi-player capability) it doesn't have any of the World of Mana story elements in it, and magic effects are based off of alchemy formulas rather than, well, mana. That game has its own page, found [[SecretOfEvermore here.]]

* VideoGameRemake - ''Final Fantasy Adventure'' was upgraded into ''VideoGame/SwordOfMana'', bringing it more in line with the rest of the series, ditching the carryover ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' influences for more familiar ''Mana'' references. (Chocobos replaced with cannon travel, for instance)

* YokoShimomura - Composed the music for ''VideoGame/LegendOfMana'', ''VideoGame/SwordOfMana'' and ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMana''. For ''Sword Of Mana'', she arranged KenjiIto's original compositions.

Unfortunately, to some extent the ''KingdomHearts'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles'' series have usurped the World of Mana's place in the SquareEnix pantheon, with the aforementioned games featuring the 3D version of the three-character action RPG gameplay that the World of Mana series was once known for. This has caused SquareEnix to start scrambling to find a different genre for the World of Mana series, such as the RTS Heroes of Mana and pure action game Dawn of Mana, the latter of which was extremely poorly received and criticized.

The Square USA game SecretOfEvermore is sometimes confused for being part of the World of Mana, but while it was obviously inspired by Secret of Mana (it has a [[RingMenu ring-based menu system]] and multi-player capability) it doesn't have any of the World of Mana story elements in it, and magic effects are based off of alchemy formulas rather than, well, mana. That game has it's own page, found [[SecretOfEvermore here.]]

The Square USA game SecretOfEvermore is sometimes confused for being part of the World of Mana, but while it was obviously inspired by Secret of Mana (it has a ring-based menu system and multi-player capability) it doesn't have any of the World of Mana story elements in it, and magic effects are based off of alchemy formulas rather than, well, mana. That game has it's own page, found [[SecretOfEvermore here.]]

Unfortunately, to some extent the ''KingdomHearts'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles'' series have usurped the World of Mana's place in the SquareEnix pantheon, with the aforementioned games featuring the 3D version of the three-character action RPG gameplay that the World of Mana series was once known for. This has caused SquareEnix to start scrambling to find a different genre for the World of Mana series, such as the RTS Heroes of Mana and pure action game Dawn of Mana, the latter of which was extremely poorly received and criticized. It appears the series has [[JumpingTheShark jumped a shark]].

* ''VideoGame/SeikenDensetsu3'' (1995, Super Famicom; Japan only, though a fan translation is available via {{emulation}}; commonly nicknamed ''Secret Of Mana 2'')

* VideoGameRemake - ''Final Fantasy Adventure'' was upgraded into ''VideoGame/SwordOfMana'', bringing it more in line with the rest of the series, ditching the carryover ''VideoGame/FinalFantasy'' influences for more familiar ''Mana'' references. (Chocobos replaced with cannon travel, for instance)

* ''Seiken Densetsu Legend of Mana'' (2000, by Shiro Amano, based off the [[LegendOfMana game of the same name]]; later collected into a 2-volume set in 2008)
* ''Princess of Mana'' (2007, 5-volume work by Satsuki Yoshino, set 300 years after ChildrenOfMana and 310 years after DawnOfMana)

* ''Seiken Densetsu Legend of Mana - Amata no Tsuchi, Amata no Hito'' (2000, by Hiromi Hosae; a novelisation of LegendOfMana)


Unfortunately, to some extent the ''KingdomHearts'' and ''FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles'' series have usurped the World of Mana's place in the SquareEnix pantheon, with the aforementioned games featuring the 3D version of the three-character action RPG gameplay that the World of Mana series was once known for. This has caused SquareEnix to start scrambling to find a different genre for the World of Mana series, such as the RTS Heroes of Mana and pure action game Dawn of Mana, the latter of which was extremely poorly received and criticized. It appears the series has [[JumpingTheShark jumped a shark]].

* AccidentalHero - ''Final Fantasy Adventure'' starred an escaped slave who gets caught up in a fight to save the world. The hero of ''SecretOfMana'' appears to be this--he originally only needs the titular sword to [[InsurmountableWaistHighFence cut tall grass]]--until his [[TheChosenOne identity]] is revealed.
* TheArcher - Chobin Hoods; the player character is one with the Bow equipped in SecretOfMana, LegendOfMana and SwordOfMana.
* AwesomeButImpractical - [[ChargedAttack Charging your attack]] as of ''SecretOfMana'' onward.

** In LegendOfMana, some charged attacks go into AwesomeYetPractical territory, as it's the only way to inflict MassiveDamage on the harder difficulty levels.

* BlackAndWhiteMagic - The Girl and Sprite from ''SecretOfMana'', Angela and Carlie from ''Seiken Densetsu 3''.

* BladeOnAStick - The Spear and Javelin in SecretOfMana; Riez wields one in SeikenDensetsu3; the Spear is also a weapon type in LegendOfMana.
* BodyHorror - Amanda's fate in ''Final Fantasy Adventure'', and the effect of the Echoes in ''DawnOfMana''.
* BrokenBridge - You ''have'' to pull the Mana Sword out to chop down the plant blocking your way back home in SecretOfMana; you similarly need the Axe to break through rocks and the Whip to jump certain gaps.
** In SeikenDensetsu3, you can't even access the Moonlight Forest (where the Luna elemental is hidden) until you've gained Salamander, Undine, and Sylph, nor can you access where Dryad is hidden until you use the Luna elemental on the row of trees blocking your path.
* {{Cap}} - Every inventory item in ''SecretOfMana'' is capped to four. In ''Seiken Densetsu 3'', you can hold up to nine of each item in the ring menu, with more storeable in an inventory menu that's only accessible outside of battle. What's more, the number of items in the ring menu is also limited.
* ChargedAttack - Characters in ''SecretOfMana'' can charge their weapons up to their skill level with the weapon. Unfortunately, charging, especially to higher levels, takes a while, and also slows down your movement significantly, for an inconsiderable increase in damage. Some weapons inflicted additional [[StandardStatusEffect status effects]] when charged, making this useful in limited situations.

** In SeikenDensetsu3 and LegendOfMana, the charge meter builds by successful attacks, and in ''Legend'' certain {{NPC}}s have synchronization effects that can help build said meter faster.

** ''SecretOfMana'' - Dyluck, who gets brainwashed by the bad guys and sacrifices himself to save the Girl.

* TheChosenOne - Also present in several iterations of the game. Its presence in ''SwordOfMana'' is one of the major plotline differences between it and its original release.

* CMOTDibbler - Niko/Niccolo, who sells overpriced items in most games and bilks quite a few people out of their hard-earned money (including the player character) in LegendOfMana.
** SeikenDensetsu3 reveals that Niko belongs to a ''race'' of such vendors.
** ChildrenOfMana reveals the same about Niccolo.

* CoOpMultiplayer - ''SecretOfMana'' was the first RPG to feature a co-operative multiplayer gameplay mechanic where a second or third player could drop-in and drop-out at any time. ''SeikenDensetsu3'' used the same form of co-operative multiplayer.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu - The FinalBoss of most games is generally a sufficiently terror-inspiring EldritchAbomination; in ''SeikenDensetsu3'' you fight ''eight'' God-Beasts and the final boss [[spoiler: absorbs all of their power, as well as that of the Mana Sword]]; and in ''LegendOfMana'', you even have to kill [[spoiler: the Mana goddess' SuperPoweredEvilSide]].
* DoomedHometown - In ''Dawn of Mana'', the HiddenElfVillage where Keldy is raised gets invaded; the Girl from SecretOfMana hails from one of these as well, and in SeikenDensetsu3 ''all six'' protagonists hometowns get invaded/taken over by bad guys at one point or another (the order thereof depending on who you picked to be your PowerTrio).
* DownerEnding - ''SecretOfMana''. Two of the three arcs leading to the endgame in ''Legend of Mana'' also end this way.

*** And if you consider ''SecretOfMana'' to be the chronological sequel to ''Final Fantasy Adventure'', [[spoiler: she ends up dying anyway when Thanatos destroys the Tree with the Mana Fortress.]]

* FloatingContinent - The Mana Fortress in SecretOfMana and the Holyland in SeikenDensetsu3.

* GiantEnemyCrab - A boss battle VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure, SeikenDensetsu3, LegendOfMana, and DawnOfMana.

* GoForTheEye - The Demon Wall in ''SecretOfMana'', and the Full Metal Hugger boss in ''SeikenDensetsu3'' (although it had two eyes).
* GoodOldFisticuffs - The Fist weapons in SecretOfMana and LegendOfMana; Kevin fights like this in ''SeikenDensetsu3''.

* GottaCatchEmAll - Unlocking/restoring the mana stones in most games; getting all of the Weapon Orbs in ''SecretOfMana''; collecting all of the artifacts and getting all of the Cactus Diary entries in ''LegendOfMana''.

** Good luck figuring out how to trigger some of the subquests in LegendOfMana or how to master ItemCrafting.
** Knowing which enemies to farm for the third job class unlocking item or the best weapons/armor in SeikenDensetsu3 is also a massive pain in the butt even ''with'' a Guide.
** Unlocking secrets in DawnOfMana ''can'' be stumbled upon by accident if you explore every inch of the stage, but still just about impossible without a guide.
* HarderThanHard - "No Future" mode on LegendOfMana and "Ultimate" mode on DawnOfMana.

** Although over half the cast of ''SwordOfMana'' still ends up dead.
** The player character in ''LegendOfMana'' [[spoiler: turns himself/herself into stone weeping for the Jumi, thus bringing them BackFromTheDead; don't worry, DeusExMachina happens and they get better]].
** In SecretOfMana, [[spoiler: the Sprite so much as ''taking part in the final battle'']] is this.
* HiddenElfVillage - In ''Seiken Densetsu 3'', hidden in TheLostWoods; in ''DawnOfMana'', on its own remote island.
** There is one in ''SecretOfMana'' as well: [[spoiler: the Sprite's [[DoomedHometown home town]], but sadly it's destroyed by the Empire just before you arrive.]]

* HyperspaceArsenal - Most obvious in SeikenDensetsu3, where you have a second "bag of holding" that can hold quite a bit more than the main inventory, but all of the other games has your party carting around quite a bit of stuff. Even more so in LegendOfMana, where you can carry a ridiculous amount of VendorTrash, weapons, armor, instruments, and magical artifacts in your pockets.
* ImprobableHairstyle - Quite a few of the characters. LegendOfMana HangsALampshade if you choose the female protagonist.

* InsurmountableWaistHighFence - Bushes, rocks, or even just mildly rough terrain can prove impassable; in SeikenDensetsu3, the entrance to the dwarf cave is blocked by an insurmountable ''optical illusion'' that cannot be bypassed unless you talk to an NPC and then use the Wisp elemental to remove said illusion.
* InterfaceSpoiler - in ChildrenOfMana with your empty weapon slots and to a lesser extent, the gems.
* InUniverseGameClock - SeikenDensetsu3 has both a Day/Night cycle and a weekly cycle tied into character stats, types of monsters spawned, and which {{NPC}}s are active; LegendOfMana has a weekly cycle whose only obvious effect is which teachers are in session at the Geo academy and whether you can recruit Pearl or [[spoiler:Blackpearl]] in the Bejeweled City after you've finished the Jumi arc.

** the BonusBoss in SeikenDensetsu3
** on [[IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels No Future Mode]] (the hardest level in the game) of ''LegendOfMana'', ''every'' rabite (and [[EverythingTryingToKillYou every other enemy]]) is this.
** In DawnOfMana, you can encounter "rare" versions of enemies that have longer life bars and tougher to take town otherwise, and of course Rare Rabites can be found in certain areas.
* ItemCrafting - ''LegendOfMana'' and ''SwordOfMana'' both allow the player to forge much better weapons than they can buy in stores.
* ItsAllUpstairsFromHere - The tower in the City of Gold in ''SecretOfMana'' and the Luna Tower in ''SeikenDensetsu3''; the Tower of Leires in ''LegendOfMana'' isn't ''quite'' all going upstairs, but it may as well be.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia - Sprite from the SecretOfMana and [[spoiler: Pearl]] from LegendOfMana.

* MookMaker - Eggplant Men have a tendency to summon zombies, whereas Slimes can reproduce and at least one boss in ''SeikenDensetsu3'' and ''DawnOfMana'' can summon {{Mooks}} to attack the party; several of the games also have destructible enemy spawn points.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero - In ''SecretOfMana'', releasing the sword from the stone on the waterfall spawns Rabites outside of town, eventually leading to the hero getting [[YouCantGoHomeAgain kicked out of the village forever]].

* NewGamePlus - A feature in both ''LegendOfMana'' (carries over items, levels, and equipment) and ''DawnOfMana'' (carries over earned badges and acquired pets).
* TheObiWan - Bogard in ''Final Fantasy Adventure'' and ''SwordOfMana''.
* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame - Except for the one in ''SwordOfMana'' who wants to "quit" being a Dwarf. [[spoiler: He goes back to the mine in the end.]]

** In DawnOfMana, you can backtrack to just about any point in any stage except for the last one, where a large, unclimbable drop keeps you from LevelGrinding for better stats before the second-to-last boss.
* QuicksandBox - In SecretOfMana and SeikenDensetsu3 you could theoretically travel to any spot on the globe, but realistically it'd be a lot easier to take the path recommended by [[GuideDangIt online walkthroughs]] and there are multiple choke points where you can't get past unless you have the right kind of magic.
* RandomlyDrops - Several of the orbs necessary to power up the weapons on ''SecretOfMana'' can only be obtained by random drops from certain enemies in the final area. The items necessary to upgrade character classes in ''SeikenDensetsu3'' are similarly tricky to get.
** Meanwhile, in LegendOfMana, you can have a pet that, if you're synchronized with it, guarantees an enemy killed will drop something, but ''what'' gets dropped is still randomly determined.
* RapunzelHair - Just about every female character in all of the games; Hawkeye in ''SeikenDensetsu3'' is a male version.
* RebelliousPrincess - Purim from ''SecretOfMana'', (comes from a noble family, and is not actually royalty but otherwise fits perfectly,) and Angela (and to some extent Carlie) from ''SeikenDensetsu3''.

* RespawningEnemies - Killing all the enemies on a screen in ''SwordOfMana'' causes them to respawn after a few seconds. This is annoying, but can make farming random drops easier, and since the game has both a healing spell and a technique that lets you recover MP, it stops the player from completely recharging after every battle. In the other games, enemies respawn if you leave the area far enough and return, making LevelGrinding fairly easy for areas where you can just keep going in a circle, killing things along the way.
* RingMenu - a staple of the series since SecretOfMana.

* SequelGap: [[DawnOfMana Seiken Densetsu 4]] was the first numbered game in the series in 11 years since SeikenDensetsu3. This isn't noticeable in the overseas ports since they exclusively used the [[IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming idiosyncratic]] -Of Mana

* UltimateBlacksmith - Watts in most games; in LegendOfMana, he teaches the player character to be their own Ultimate Blacksmith.

** And in DawnOfMana, it might be marginally faster than running, so it's abused in {{Speed Run}}s; there's even a badge that lets you roll longer.

** Additionally, if you didn't grind enough stat boosts before the save point before the second-to-last boss in DawnOfMana, you are probably going to have to restart the entire chapter.

* VideoGameRemake - ''Final Fantasy Adventure'' was upgraded into ''SwordOfMana'', bringing it more in line with the rest of the series, ditching the carryover ''VideoGame/FinalFantasy'' influences for more familiar ''Mana'' references. (Chocobos replaced with cannon travel, for instance)
* TheVirus - What causes Amanda's BodyHorror in ''Final Fantasy Adventure''; the Echoes in DawnOfMana have a similar effect.

* YokoShimomura - Composed the music for ''LegendOfMana'', ''SwordOfMana'' and ''HeroesOfMana''. For ''Sword Of Mana'', she arranged KenjiIto's original compositions.

* [=~Everything's Deader With Zombies~=] - All over the place as minor {{Mooks}}

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* ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' (1993, Super Nintendo)
* ''VideoGame/SeikenDensetsu3'' (1995, Super Nintendo; Japan only, though a fan translation is available via {{Emulation}}; commonly nicknamed ''Secret Of Mana 2'')

* ''Heroes of Mana'' (2007, Nintendo DS)

* GiantEnemyCrab - A boss battle FinalFantasyAdventure, SeikenDensetsu3, LegendOfMana, and DawnOfMana.

* SpiritualSuccessor - The ''KingdomHearts'' and ''FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles'' series.

* VideoGameRemake - ''Final Fantasy Adventure'' was upgraded into ''SwordOfMana'', bringing it more in line with the rest of the series, ditching the carryover ''FinalFantasy'' influences for more familiar ''Mana'' references. (Chocobos replaced with cannon travel, for instance)

* SequelGap: [[DawnOfMana Seiken Densetsu 4]] was the first numbered game in the series in 11 years since SeikenDensetsu3. This isn't noticeable in the overseas ports since they exclusively used the [[IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming idiosyncratic]] -Of Mana.
* StaffChick - Angela and Carlie (she uses a flail, but it might as well be a staff given how low her attack ability is) in ''SeikenDensetsu3''; the player character in ''LegendOfMana'' with the Staff equipped.

* ''Friends of Mana'' (2006, Mobile Phone, Japan only)

* ''Heroes Of Mana'' (2007, Nintendo DS)

Unfortunately, to some extent the ''KingdomHearts'' and ''FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles'' series have usurped the World of Mana's place in the SquareEnix pantheon, with the aforementioned games featuring the 3D version of the three-character action RPG gameplay that the World of Mana series was once known for. This has caused SquareEnix to start scrambling to find a different genre for the World of Mana series such as the RTS Heroes of Mana and pure action game Dawn of Mana - the latter of which was extremely poorly received and criticized. It appears the series has [[JumpingTheShark jumped a shark]].

** ''Final Fantasy Adventure'' also ends this way: [[spoiler: All of the hero's friends have been killed, and the girl he worked so hard to protect is giving up her existence to become the new Mana Tree.]]

* ''FinalFantasyAdventure'' (1991, Game Boy)
* ''SecretOfMana'' (1993, Super Nintendo)
* ''SeikenDensetsu3'' (1995, Super Nintendo; Japan only, though a fan translation is available via {{Emulation}}; commonly nicknamed ''Secret Of Mana 2'')
* ''LegendOfMana'' (2000, [=PlayStation=])
* ''SwordOfMana'' (2003, Game Boy Advance, [[VideoGameRemake remake]] of Final Fantasy Adventure)
* ''ChildrenOfMana'' (2006, Nintendo DS)

* ''DawnOfMana'' (2007, [=PlayStation=] 2)