Unknown Areas
Unknown Areas from Secret of Mana’s cut content
February 28, 2021
Interest has abounded for content deleted from Secret of Mana during development. While no prototype has surfaced, the early phases live on through screenshots and promotional videos. Here we have prerelease areas that can’t be placed in known locations of the game.
This castle (or fancy rug?) doesn’t resemble anything on any map. It almost certainly predates IIa.
This is similar to the first room of the Ice Palace:
(May 1993)
Possibly a cannon travel test:
Shops that could be anything given their source. Likely from early in the game:
This shop features Sergo and Phanna, and also has a rear door. The rear door’s frame is still in the ROM, but the rest of the graphics have been removed. The NPCs were likely being prototyped at this stage. This location was altered and used as the pub in Potos; it could be an early version of that. It also resembles the cannon man’s house in Kippo.
Same place with Pecard:
These two islands from I don’t resemble anything in the final, and I’ve moved them together in this shot:
The one on the right was at least partially coded. It doesn’t show up on IIa maps so it was a very early cut:
(March 1993)
(February 1993)
(March 5, 1993)
(Family Computer Magazine: December 25, 1992)
(Family Computer Magazine: December 25, 1992)
(February 1993)
It looks like there’s a volcano on the island. Some have suggested a possible forerunner to Volcano Island Bucca in Seiken Densetsu 3 (Trials of Mana). Also note the more intricate map objects.
Early Lighthouse?
No idea on these either:
(February 1993)
(March 1993)
Then there’s a trove of random shots that are mostly from the Gaia Lowlands. Some may be early versions of the Lofty Mountains, or test areas. Some appear in the final in a different form:
(May 1993)
(May 1993)
(Family Computer Magazine: April 30, 1993)
(May 28, 1993)
(May 1993)
(May 1993)
(May 1993)
(May 1993)
(Family Computer Magazine: April 30, 1993)
Famitsu
(March 19, 1993)
(July 1993)
(May 1993)
(Family Computer Magazine: December 25, 1992)
(Family Computer Magazine: April 30, 1993)
(Family Computer Magazine: April 30, 1993)
(Family Computer Magazine: April 30, 1993)
(Family Computer Magazine: April 30, 1993)
(Family Computer Magazine: April 30, 1993)
(February 5, 1993)
(May 28, 1993)
(May 28, 1993)
(March 5, 1993)
Probably enemy tests:
Unfinished Cannon Travel screen:
This is some of the most interesting stuff, i wonder if this was post or pre non CD adaptations. It still pains me knowing what really could have been.
It looks like they wanted to add some more flourishes in certain areas, like with more fences and brick roads. Would have gave the world a more settled feel to it.