Secret of Mana in Family Computer Magazine

May 1, 2021

Family Computer Magazine was first published in July 1985, initially centering on the Famicom (NES) system. It was one of the first gaming magazines of its type. It ceased publication in 1998, though a special edition was issued in 2017 commemorating the Nintendo Classic Mini. During Secret of Mana’s promotional period, it was published biweekly.

All translations by Yoshi Fukagawa

February 19, 1993

This is one of a host of Secret of Mana ads to appear in gaming publications at the time. Note the early screenshots and planned release date of April of 1993. It would eventually be pushed back to August in Japan.

The party action makes [this] RPG exciting

[There are] three characters, so there are three different attacking methods. Which character will you choose to fight as? You are the one who builds the battle.

Scheduled to be released in late April 1993 [Price TBD]

Player Character 1 (male)

Good at fighting with weapons such as swords. As mana is reduced, the Holy Sword has lost its power, and he accidentally pulls it out. He embarks on a journey to revive the holy sword.

Player Character 2 (female)

A daughter of a millionaire in a certain region, she specializes in recovery magic and hand-to-hand combat. She goes out to find her missing [boyfriend] and meets the other player characters along the way.

Player Character 3 (ambiguous, see main article])

A cheeky and energetic fairy child who specializes in attack magic and wields an axe. The child has been lost since the fairy forest was flooded due to the reduction in mana.

Super Nintendo is a trademark of Nintendo

May 28, 1993

[The] RPG [that] moves.                                                                                           
[The three player] characters and the [enemy] monsters rampage [all over the screen, and it seems] as if there is not enough space.
A sense of urgency with realistic graphics.
However, you don't need reflexes like [you would for playing] action games; this is a motion battle.
It is a new battle system that allows you to enjoy [an RPG, part of a genre that's usually a conventional still image type command interface] more realistically and graphically.               
Command battle on the action screen.
This is the motion battle!

Explanation 1: Operation method and basic concept of battle
The action patterns of the [three player characters that are not controlled by the player can directly be manually chosen] accordingly to the situation.
The maximum party [size] is three player characters. Only one [character] can be directly controlled by a player [at once]. The other two [characters] fight independently according to the action patterns set by the player.
You can change the operating character and action settings even during battle.
By using the Multi-Tap, you can play in multi-player mode! 
No screen switching. The field screen is also the battle screen.
This part is same as the action RPG. You might get hurt if you don't escape [when necessary].
However, there is the "ready time" between attacks, and the player characters would not receive any damages just being in contact [with the enemy] during that time.
On the other hand, the same condition applies to [the player character's] attacks.
This is [basically the same concept] as the active time battle of the Final Fantasy series.          

Explanation 2: An exhilarating direct attack [style] that incorporates elements of action
You can actually approach the enemy character and slash it daringly! 
If you raise the weapon levels and learn the special moves, it will be even more exhilarating! 
However, if you do not take enough time [to get ready between attacks], you will not get an effective hit. 
Rapid fire is useless. 
[You need to be] calm like [playing] a still image type [RPG] where you can't attack until your turn comes, but it [still] looks flashy [like an action game].
The magic attacks are the same method as the still image type [RPG]
You can select weapons, magic, and items via the "ring command" which is the equivalent of the command window of the still image [RPGs].
After you choose the magic to cast, an arrow to select the target appears.
The motion stops during that time.
That means, you don't need the technique to aim while [dodging the enemy's attacks].       
    
Scheduled to be released in July
Seiken Densetsu 2
9800 yen (tax not included)                                                                                                                                                                            

This section proves that the prerelease shots of Popoie on our Upper Land/Matango page were actually part of the Upper Land at some point.

The Sprite Village is full of monsters.

It's more like a gathering place for sprites rather than a town.  There are no shops or inns.  However, important information is certainly hidden there.  

The Sprite Village is supposed to be somewhere in the forest, but where is it?

It can't be found by ordinary people, but is it possible for sprites?  

What are the effects of the great flood?