A wonderful sequel to the original, that unfortunately has a lot of problems. This game was actually made back in the 90s, but legal troubles kept it from releasing until 2015, and by then, the level design was pretty antiquated and, in some cases, just bad. The general mechanics compared to the original game on Windows is worse as well, but it's not too bad. This game has a ton of new mechanics that are really creative. And the best part about this game is that there's an editor plus community levels, of which there are some really great ones. So while the original game isn't amazing, the fan content really makes this game a lot better.

The presentation finally caught up to the gameplay with Seiken Densetsu 3, a more polished affair that reiterates the format with a greater dose of narrative ambition. What propels the story is not the premise or themes but its execution, offering a sort of linear, synchronous version of Romancing SaGa's character routes: Six main scenarios that occasionally weave and interact as they run parallel to each other. Creative story beats and a memorable cast adorn an overlapping structure that encourages many playthroughs under many team comps.

Without SD2's weapon-swapping or hard knockdowns, combat turned to a less mobile variant that favors dogpiling over stun-locking, shifting its center of mass while smoothing out the general pace. A fluid battle system which loses a bit of its luster in cramped spaces or with heavy repetition (i.e. grinding), while mini class paths and the return of stat-allocation provide it with some much-needed RPG depth. Sadly, its second half reveals the same set of problems that burden Secret of Mana: Tedious boss fights, gauntlet-style JRPG padding, unavoidable damage, etc. But this time, its world and dungeons are a step-up.

Having fully shed the Zelda influences of its early years, this release marked the complete maturation of Mana as both a stadium brawler and a charming storyteller.