History YMMV / SecretOfEvermore

** A glitch involving the attack/defense buff spells and resetting the game can cause your stats to get stuck at well over 65,000, as shown in this [[http://www.twitch.tv/kazeugma/b/327331931 part]] of a LetsPlay by My Name Is Kaz and Medibot.
** There's a way to get around Verminator. However, you must remember not to try and use the door he normally blocks, or else you'll be stuck in the crates. Fortunately you can come back later in the game when you're stronger and kill him.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: The Alchemy system includes a lot of extraneous spells. You're given Cure and Heal early on, and no other healing spells will ever be needed since by the time you acquire them, you've likely leveled up Cure to the point it's just as effective, and Cure's ingredients are a lot cheaper and more plentiful. For buffing spells, you can get Defend early on too and later will get Barrier and Energize, which are the best buffs in the game and don't ''need'' to be leveled up to be worth using. For offense, you're given Flash at the start of the game, later in Antiqua you get Crush from Blimp, and if you go to the Hall of Colossia first you can get Fireball from the alchemist there; every other attack formula is either not worth the trouble to level up by the time you get it, and/or their ingredients are too expensive to be economical to use.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The entire soundtrack is lathered with some of the best orchestral works on the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]], all composed by Jeremy Soule, who went on to compose ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' and ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' music. This was his first video game soundtrack and it still holds up today.

* CultClassic: The game was never released in Japan, has never been re-released, and came out near the end of the SNES's life cycle, with the UsefulNotes/PlayStation hitting shelves and the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 on its way a year later. On top of that, it had comparatively little promotion. One reviewer offered the reason being that, unlike the other games {{Creator/Square|Enix}} was putting out for the Super NES, ''Secret of Evermore'' was an anti-epic about a boy and his dog going on a fun adventure. Despite everything set against it, the game's charm has given it a tight-knit fandom that enjoys the game for what it is.

* CultClassic: The game was never released in Japan, has never been re-released, and came out near the end of the SNES's life cycle, with the UsefulNotes/PlayStation hitting shelves and the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 on its way a year later. On top of that, it had comparatively little promotion. One reviewer offered the reason being that, unlike the other games {{Creator/Square|Enix}} was putting out for the Super NES, ''Secret of Evermore'' was an anti-epic about a boy and his dog going on a fun adventure. As a result, even if it has a certain charm to it, it's less epic and technically impressive than those other games.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: For whatever reason, the game is surprisingly popular with German audiences, especially in the context of {{Speedrun}}s--most speedrunners of the game are German, and as of June 27th, 2021, the world record of every main category is held by German players.

* VindicatedByHistory: Jeremy Soule's atmospheric soundtrack was not well-received when the game first came out. Today it's regarded as a standout soundtrack of the era.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The entire soundtrack is lathered with some of the best orchestral works on the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]], all composed by Jeremy Soule, who went on to compose ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'', ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', and ''Film/HarryPotter'' music. This was his first video game soundtrack and it still holds up today.

* VindicatedByHistory: Jeremy Soule's atmospheric soundtrack was not well-received when the game first came out, as it was so radically different from what players normally expected from a [[EasternRPG JRPG]]: much more subtle and moody than the more melodic tunes you'd normally hear. Today it's regarded as one of the standout soundtracks of the era from a guy who would go on to be a big name in soundtrack composition.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The entire soundtrack is lathered with some of the best orchestral works on the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]], all composed by the great Jeremy Soule, who also went on to compose little stuff like ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'', ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', and ''Film/HarryPotter'' music. This was his first video game soundtrack and it still holds up today. Ironically it was criticized at the time for being too quiet, atmospheric and dull compared to the bombastic soundtracks of its contemporaries (see below).

** The GameOver text is a subtle-but-effective case of AdultFear. As far as the boy's family and friends know, he and his Dog went out one night much like any other... and disappeared without a trace.

* GoddamnedBats: Every [[AirborneMook flying enemy]], due to a convergence of game mechanics. They dart around aimlessly when not readying an attack (and wobble up and down when they do). Combined with the less-than-stellar hit detection and high miss rate, trying to hit them with a melee weapon (even thrown spears) is a waste of time. Their attacks have higher priority than the player's, so wasted charge attacks and [[CycleOfHurting stunlocks]] are common. Worse yet, they frequently respawn, which makes firing alchemy at them wasteful.

* CultClassic: The game was never released in Japan, has never been re-released, and came out near the end of the SNES's life cycle, with the UsefulNotes/PlayStation hitting shelves and the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 on its way a year later. On top of that, it had comparatively little promotion. One reviewer offered that, unlike the other games {{Creator/Square|Enix}} was putting out for the Super NES, ''Secret of Evermore'' was an anti-epic about a boy and his dog going on a fun adventure. As a result, even if it has a certain charm to it, it's less epic and technically impressive than those other games.

** Rimsala, the boss of the Great Pyramid. The statues around the arena occasionally cast Flash, otherwise Rimsala's only "attack" is to spin around the arena, then become immobile and immune to damage. Compared to its counterpart in the Hall of Colossia, the Minotaur, Rimsala is pathetic.

** Mungola, the final boss of Gothica. It will occasionally cast weak alchemy like Fireball and Corrosion, otherwise it relies on its infinitely respawning puppets to fight for it, and it doesn't do much damage anyway. Not to mention its visually unimpressive, just a dark head with few distinct featured that just scowls and smirks as the fight happens.

** Rimsala, the boss of the Great Pyramid. Compared to the boss fought in the Hall of Colossia (the Minotaur), Rimsala is pathetic.
** Mungola. An annoying boss, but kind of underwhelming compared to the bosses of Prehistoria and Antiqua; and in Gothica specifically, a few minutes before the fight with Mungola, you fought a dragon. And it provided a much more intense fight than Mungola will.
** Timberdrake, the second boss of the Dark Forest, has only one attack and it does laughable damage, while the dog can likely use charged attacks to tear through his mediocre health. He's so inept that Master Knight DH, in his SelfImposedChallenge run, displayed as much [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyX7DEy0H4o&list=PLO2o0_k4kOrwyc46vJ98GxaKJIGzw4HUj&index=29&t=16m18s here]] where he simply focused on commentary about dragons in general storytelling (citing ''VideoGame/DragonQuestMonsters'' and ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' as good examples), was entirely sloppy about hitting him as a result, and still could watch "Pvt.Hazard" [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] Timberdrake. Timberdrake is a disappointing end to the Dark Forest, a disgrace to dragons, and certainly a far cry from what Sterling would later manage.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: The Alchemy system includes a lot of extraneous spells. To wit, for heals and buffs, the only ones you'll ever really need are: Heal, Cure, Barrier, and Energize. For offense, you're given Flash at the start of the game, and at the start of Antiqua Blimp gives you the Crush formula. The rest are either outclassed by other spells, or the cost of their ingredients is too hefty to be worth equipping.

* DemonicSpiders:
** Vipers. Alchemy is definitely recommended when facing a bunch of them.
** Metal Raptors and Death Spiders in Omnitopia. The raptors are agile and difficult to hit, and the aptly-named Death Spiders can kill you with one bite.

** Fully-levelled spears. Combine a spear with the formula which gives you near-instant charge attacks, and you have yourself a projectile which does more damage than a bazooka shell and doesn't send you flying.

** Thraxx will counter each successful strike with a ground shake which damages both characters. Your best hope is that the surrounding Maggots drop Leaves or give you enough experience to level up, which restores all of your health.

* DemonicSpiders: Metal Raptors and Death Spiders in Omnitopia. The raptors are agile and difficult to hit, and the aptly-named Death Spiders can kill you with one bite.

** On a related note, many Japanese gamers were disappointed because the game was never released in Japan, feeling they should have received this one in conjunction with ''Trials''. As mentioned above, the development teams for the two games worked 100% independently of one another, and ''Evermore'' was developed for the Western audiences to begin with. In other words, if there's anyone to blame, it's the executives for [[DolledUpInstallment slapping the name "Secret" onto a standalone title]] to boost sales..

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The appearance of [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV Cecil Harvey]] in Gothica is a random cameo out of nowhere, and the implication that somehow the world of ''Final Fantasy IV'' is connected to Evermore raises a lot more questions. Which are never answered, since Cecil is just a cameo, nothing about him is ever brought up once you leave his inn, and Cecil never leaves his desk. (Cecil claims to have settled down with Rosa, but we don't see her.)

* GoddamnedBats: Every [[AirborneMooks flying enemy]], due to a convergence of game mechanics. They dart around aimlessly when not readying an attack (and wobble up and down when they do). Combined with the less-than-stellar hit detection and high miss rate, trying to hit them with a melee weapon (even thrown spears) is a waste of time. Their attacks have higher priority than the player's, so wasted charge attacks and [[CycleOfHurting stunlocks]] are common. Worse yet, they frequently respawn, which makes firing alchemy at them wasteful.

** Timberdrake, the second boss of the Dark Forest, has only one attack and it does laughable damage, while the dog can likely use charged attacks to tear through his mediocre health. He's so inept that Master Knight DH, in his SelfImposedChallenge run, displayed as much [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyX7DEy0H4o&list=PLO2o0_k4kOrwyc46vJ98GxaKJIGzw4HUj&index=29&t=16m18s here]] where he simply focused on commentary about dragons in general storytelling (citing VideoGame/DragonQuestMonsters and WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon as good examples), was entirely sloppy about hitting him as a result, and still could watch "Pvt.Hazard" [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] Timberdrake. Timberdrake is a disappointing end to the Dark Forest, a disgrace to dragons, and certainly a far cry from what Sterling would later manage.

* GoddamnedBats: Every flying enemy, due to a convergence of game mechanics. They dart around aimlessly when not readying an attack (and wobble up and down when they do). Combined with the less-than-stellar hit detection and high miss rate, trying to hit them with any melee weapon (even thrown spears) is a waste of time. Their attacks have higher priority than the player's, so wasted charge attacks and stunlocks are common. Worse yet, they frequently respawn, which just makes firing alchemy at them wasteful.

** On a related note, many Japanese gamers were disappointed because the game was never released in Japan, feeling they should have received this one in conjunction with ''Trials''. As mentioned above, the development teams for the two games worked 100% independently of one another, and ''Evermore'' was developed for the Western audiences to begin with. In other words, if there's anyone to blame, it's the executives for [[DolledUpInstallment slapping the name "Secret" onto a standalone title]] to boost sales.
* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSXndXJGGas this]] showcases how the game has its gameplay hold up a quarter of a century after its release, regardless of the game's fair share of flaws.

* MomentOfAwesome: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSXndXJGGas this]] showcases how the game has its gameplay hold up a quarter of a century after its release, regardless of the game's fair share of flaws.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSXndXJGGas this]] showcases how the game has its gameplay hold up a quarter of a century after its release, regardless of the game's fair share of flaws.

** The air duct sequence with the Dog in Ivor Tower. The ducts and the rooms they connect to each need to be explored in different directions, and you can't really glimpse the layout of the ground floor from this limited exploration. So trying to map them out yourself is a lot of guesswork. You have to find an ''invisible'' (until you're standing directly in front of her) old woman to get a key to the castle rooms for the Hero to use. Finally, the quickest path to the exit is hidden behind scenery due to the forced perspective, so you'll probably [[DepthDeception find it by accident]]. This maze is difficult to navigate even with a walkthrough.

** A glitch in the US versions causes the Bazooka to fire infinite Cryo-Blasts/Practile Bombs.