Secret of Evermore is another famous RPG developed and released by Square in 1995. A day at the movies for a young boy & his dog turns into an adventure that spans across several different time periods and locations, on their journey they discover the Secret of Evermore and find their way home. Produced by the North American branch of Square, Evermore's soundtrack would be the first major work by Jeremy Soule, the famed Elder Scrolls composer.
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The only Square game designed in north america, Secret of Evermore proved to be more than just a western Mana epigone. Regional differences are visible in its writing & main characters, while gameplay/system ones such as alchemy - which simply adds crafting materials to leveled spells (mainly for RPG utilities but also for mild Zelda-like progression), offer partial but more intriguing twists on the source. Its combat follows a similar approach; top-down brawling modeled after Secret of Mana (ring menu, stamina, charge attacks, battler-swapping, etc.) but without the ability to vortex and push foes around (as knockdowns last for a fraction of what they used to), focused instead on evasive movement, brief stuns and follow-up attacks from a companion. In a sense, it's closer in concept to the original Seiken Densetsu than to its follow-ups, although updated with the speed of SD2 and the flow of SD3. If its production pales when compared to mainline Manas, Evermore managed to surpass them in other areas, from enemies (trickier and more diverse in design) to sprinting (that controls more freely than SD2's pegasus boots-ian dash), from progression (quasi-levels that leave the world map for much later) to dungeons (lengthier and far more creative). Not everything works - though: Its weapons feel samey beyond their niche, bosses are as varied as they are annoying, and the second half disappoints, relying too heavily on mazes, hidden paths and backtracking to confuse the player.
this game rules and more people need to check it out. your dog transforming to a multitude of creatures and for the main character to only say 'yeah...he hasn't been himself lately!" is my favorite
I love the graphics. I love the music and ambient sounds. I totally dig the atmosphere and the original, crazy story and writing.
For real, this is one of the most unique games I have played from the SNES era.
But I hate everything else: the awful combat system with its dreaded hit detection. The original but annoying alchemy mechanics. And the frustrating, time consuming and boring mazes it has for levels. Is one infernal-boring maze after another. Is not a game from 1987; is a 1995 game. You can't be so cheap.
If someday this is remade with a better combat system and level design, it will be a truly amazing game.
For real, this is one of the most unique games I have played from the SNES era.
But I hate everything else: the awful combat system with its dreaded hit detection. The original but annoying alchemy mechanics. And the frustrating, time consuming and boring mazes it has for levels. Is one infernal-boring maze after another. Is not a game from 1987; is a 1995 game. You can't be so cheap.
If someday this is remade with a better combat system and level design, it will be a truly amazing game.
Belos sprites, bom senso de progressão e uma ótima ambientação, é um excelente ARPG pra sua época.
I want to love it as much as I respect it, but this combat system is so unsatisfying.
cuk