Secret of Evermore - This SNES RPG is Polarizing...

[@Xygor]

Was Secret of Evermore a failed experiment or an underrated classic? Gain early access to my videos by supporting me at www.patreon.com/xygorgaming OR through KZbin membership by clicking the JOIN button above!

[@arcadeoutpost]

Obviously a classic, buying the ferry pass in the desert is where I first learned to grind

[@negativegains]

Underrated classic. The OST will forever be one of my Top 5 SNES OSTs. People still talk sh*t about this game but even the haters admit that there's no game like Evermore. The vibe is weird. Not Earthbound-weird. But still a masterpiece to me.

[@thepsychomagus]

Secret of Evermore is a top 50 SNES title. That is how much fun I had when playing this game.

[@StewNWT]

It's a good video but one thing I'm sick of is people complaining about the hit detection in Mana and Evermore. First off, every enemy in both games has a 'spaced' animation after they get hit and 'knocked down' animation. For the spaced animation, they are temporarily invulnerable. The knocked down animation allows subsequent hits. Second, the evasion and accuracy stats for both your characters and the enemies MATTER in these games. They actually affect your change to hit. A perfect example of this is the flying Eggplant/Pineapple gourd enemies in Secret of Mana in the Pandoran cult ruins that continuously generate zombies. They have uber high evasion so using Gnome's speed down spell allows them to be easily hit. Now certain weapons in both games have hitboxes on their animations which further complicate things - in particular, the spear in Evermore has a brutally short range and odd arc to its stab animation so unless you hit the enemy at the pointy end of the stab it's going to miss. The pole dart/javelin in Secret of Mana was also pretty bad at this, as was the boomerang. So it's a lot more complicated than just buggy hit detection. I also think you undersell the soundtrack. Is it as good as Mana, FF IV, V, VI or CT? Def not, but it is still excellent and lends the game a very distinct feel. Illusion of Gaia also has a stellar OST that is a bit different. I think Evermore's main flaw is that EVERYTHING is a fucking maze. Everything. It does make for some fun exploration in parts but otherwise like the damn forest or the castle or sewers, or the volcano, it feels like an endless grind.

[@TheItalianTrash]

Secret of Evermore is my 2nd favorite SNES Action RPG behind Terranigma. I still have yet to play Seiken Densetsu 3, but certainly enjoyed it more than Secret of Mana.

[@ItsBillsFault]

Hey there! I was the lead programmer. I periodically check to see if anyone's posted new Evermore content and pipe up if there's anything interesting I can add to it. Retirement be like that, yo. ;) So, I just wanted to add a cent or two: • Technically, we didn't even _have_ to be "shameless" when using Mana's systems. We were actually told by Square Japan to mimic Mana, which was simultaneously cool and annoying, since they wouldn't actually give us Mana's codebase, forcing us to re-invent numerous wheels. On the other hand, it gave us a little license to do a few things our way instead, from the ground up. This included big changes like Magic → Alchemy, medium ones like a better text box reminiscent of FF6's or the jungle-cover map mode, and tiny ones like making the ring menus elliptical so they weren't obscured by the text box so much when the PC was near the top of the screen. • I also am not fond of the market. As programming lead, I didn't do a lot of scenario scripting, which was the job of our designers, so I approached the market the first time the same way a player would, and I found the running-back-and-forth tedious. I wish it had been less mazelike and more focused on the actual process of bartering for what you really wanted, which I enjoyed, though I know not everyone likes that part either. By the way, I _think_ the game manual talked about the market and how it works, so it might have been less opaque to the player back then. • A lot of people talk about the hit boxes being troublesome. I wonder why we didn't think so during development. Perhaps we just got too good at the game. We did have focus groups on multiple occasions, but they might have been selected with a bias, purely via their interest in playtesting an action RPG. It's unfortunate that it frustrates people. I wonder if there's a romhack that dynamically expands the hitboxes by a pixel each or something. Other than that, not much to add. A pretty accurate and reasonable review, really. Much as I'd love a 10/10, realistically it's not a perfect game. 🤷‍Anyway, thanks for playing and talking about Evermore! It's always nice to see it kept alive a little longer by people like you. Cheers! 🙂

[@jordanmjeong]

Awesome to see this comment! I love hearing about behind the scenes information from people who worked on the game and I just wanted to say that this was one of my favorite games growing up and I still go back and play it from time to time. Thanks for the good times and happy retirement.

[@chojinnppp]

Fond memories of this game and its soundtrack. Still have my cartridge.

[@MasterKnightDH]

If you could ever provide the groundwork for a remake, I can let you know that Super Mario RPG Switch sets a solid bar for how to handle a remake, with the following points: -Mushroom Derby was massively improved by the visual aid -The added Ally Buffs mechanic is so welcome that the document I wrote for it is 29 pages (Bowser's Ally Buff even got 8 pages to itself as well) -The inventory system revamp makes lower-end items actually usable and also doesn't break exploration -Enemy block timings are better balanced and involved with every damaging attack other than all-target spells rather than select physical attacks being blockable -The controls and UI are cleaner, with an additional Help menu that has later concepts unlocked for viewing on it as the game goes on -Aesthetic improvements all around with Star Hill and Forest Maze getting the best of as much While I can point out the menu aesthetics aren't up to the game's standard, that's more an issue with Square-Enix's handling of menus in general nowadays than with Super Mario RPG itself. A Secret of Evermore remake could do things like set up an optional tutorial room, an easier time for the player getting chargeup attack availability and learning about the pseudo-intangibility of chargeup attacks in general, in addition to reducing the sketchy design of things like the market even if I feel the market does have a route that feels sensible, but there could stand to be less demanding of optimized gameplay anyway. And I can point out that I make it a point to stress-test fun factor as I did my run of the game with Axes, so I do know that Dancin' Fools have OTT hitting capability and flying enemies are outright jackholes in general. There's also opportunity to add gameplay mechanics that could help with improving Alchemy balancing and incentivize people to use Swords and Axes. I can cite that if I were to handle another update for my balance patch (the 25th Anniversary Balance Patch), I'm definitely looking at the point that Final Fantasy Adventure/Adventures of Mana had chargeup possible to use on boosting spells instead of just weapon attacks, where was that in Secret of Mana, and that it would allow for improved design space with alchemy spell balancing by allowing for letting them still be capable of heavy damage but not be the out-of-the-box insanity it becomes in lategame with ingredient management being trivialized by all the money the player has. Oh yeah, and keep chaincasting, though nerfing it would be very understandable but it should be a still useful option. If anything, defaulting to playing as the Dog should be more reasonable. It's simply the game-breaking bugs that need to be squashed, though things like "tartget" will always be funny.

[@Breeelax]

For what it is worth, I absolutely loved your game - I always liked it more than Mana. For the market place: The game manual had the entire market mapped out and told you which vendor sold what, so you could plan your route out with the book. I actually liked it very much because you had that whole planning process. Thanks for making this amazing game. Have a beautiful life!

[@fabriciobasso5822]

I love it, still play it to this day! It's a pretty unique game. The soundtrack is fantastic, and the "flaws" were never a problem to me. Great job, sir!

[@dr.philfanfiction6778]

Absolutely loved this game as a kid. I can understand why people wouldn't like the market or alchemy system, but I liked them both. Thanks for the walk down nostalgia lane.

[@Unpetitmax]

I loved the market scene. I actually wish more games had markets like this. Even markets where you could buy the same item at two different places, but like one of them could have a discount, or maybe you could either buy or trade. I thought it was really cool.

[@vivarc2]

Yeah, I remember liking it as well. The gist of it was you start with almost nothing then trade your way into something of grand importance right?

[@Unpetitmax]

@@vivarc2 I think there are several items of choice, but yeah, you need to trade beads and rice and such first

[@elgatofelix8917]

It should have been skippable. That part of the game was so boring and convoluted that I ended up exchanging it for another game.

[@Unpetitmax]

@@elgatofelix8917 too bad/good for you I guess? Why should you be able to skip parts of a game just because you don't enjoy it?

[@mugsofmirth8101]

@@Unpetitmax because there's no clear instructions or clues on what to do and because it's a bore. That's why.

[@negativegains]

Edit: I wrote this before the launch of the video so it's cool to see you incorporate the commercial in the video Enter "secret of evermore commercial" in the youtube search bar. This is a hidden gem. Imagine being a kid in the 90s and this pops up in the TV.

[@MattCayen]

Damn. I could never rly get into this game but that commercial makes me want to give it another try XD

[@schockbock-w8l]

I don't have to imagine, cause I've been a kid in the 90s and I I've seen this commercial. And then me (and my mom) went and bought the game. And it was awesome. And 25 years later here I am re-playing the game and having tons of fun with it.

[@james-michaelrobson287]

I love this game. But, as someone who collects EVERYTHING (especially after the market portion) and would max level each new weapon or spell as soon as I got it (ingredients willing), I was never able to finish the game. Here's why. In the 3rd world, you have to rebuild a rocket to go to space and move to the 4th and final world. To do this, you have to collect 3 components. However, you can go back and get one of those components a 2nd time. Which you would do if you want to collect everything and maybe it can be traded for something later, like at the market. Unfortunately, the rocket, which bow has all of its 3 required components, will see that you have an extra, and think that its the first time its seeing it and now you need the other 2 components, which were boss drops and impossible to get again. And you've (I've) now hard locked myself into nonprogression. I never went back. Hundred hours to max everything and get to that point in the game just to be stuck and it doesn't feel good to have to go do it all again. I may be able to GameGenie those items back into my inventory, I never looked it up, but that's just kinda shitty. Still love the game though, and I enjoyed the market because I wanted to collect everything.

[@Dorelaxen]

Even with the flaws, I still love it.

[@Wanderer1200]

I've actually come to appreciate this game more as I've gotten older. When I played it back when it first came out I was a bit disappointed because it was so different from Secret of Mana. However, now I really appreciate its uniqueness. I absolutely love the dialogue, the music and the overall atmosphere. Sure, it has some flaws, but overall I think this is without a doubt an underappreciated gem.

[@Dhalin]

The hitboxes are something one can get used to if they pay attention to which angle(s) work best on which enemies. After playing through the games a few times, if I miss an attack, I usually know why 80-90% of the time. It was usually something I did wrong, and I know exactly what I did wrong. It is true that they are not very intuitive but they are by no means impossible to understand. They are quite predictable in when you should swing and from what angle, what you should be aiming at. As for the market system, other than having to wait 15 minutes, you are by no means required to do anything in the market whatsoever, other than talking to someone who mentions the market closing and then just simply waiting. However, choosing to partake of the market, earns you some awesome gear if you choose to do that. You can get the tier 3 chapter 2 gear at the very beginning of the chapter if you come into it with some foreknowledge which is very helpful because Chapter 2 is a decent step up in difficulty from Chapter 1. The enemies hit harder, more enemies have status attacks (the staff guys' confusion...) and there's generally less room for error. As for the alchemy system, there's pretty much only 3 spells you need in the entire game right up until the end: Heal, Cure, and Crush. Everything else is a take it or leave it thing. Crush, once obtained, should be levelled ASAP on the skulls outside of Nobilia, that area east along the wall where all the skulls spawn (the best XP/money over time in Chapter 2 by far), and in fact leveling Crush only costs time, as casting 1 Crush on 3 Skulls (which is an instant one-hit kill on all 3 once you get Crush to lv2 or higher) returns more jewels than you spend on ingredients to cast Crush (along with a ton of XP to get overlevelled in a hurry). At the very end, you will want to add Aura to this list for obvious reasons. Flare and Mud Ball are mildly useful during the first boss fight to gain extra XP by killing its arms, but are otherwise not needed at all. If you need even more help, there's an infinite source of call beads on a particular square right outside the palace, where you can max out 99 call beads anytime you want after you get the dog back after the marketplace event.

[@an3582]

This video was entirely too short and I feel fails to state why this game is so good! But of course its your opinion!

[@Animebryan2]

Not to mention that clickbait title. Having some design flaws doesn't mean its polarizing. Games that get caught up in controversy like Hogwart's Legacy or The Last of Us 2 would be considering "polarizing". There's nothing polarizing about this game at all.

[@Dhalin]

@@Animebryan2 It is polarizing because some people absolutely love this game, and some people can't stand to play it and refuse to play it. There's such a huge divide between both camps, and it isn't something like Chrono Trigger that has like a 95%+ thumbs up rating. It's a game where half the people hate it and half the people love it, and there's very few in-betweens. But rather than controversy over politics, ideologies, etc it's the gameplay that you either love or hate. I'm on the love side of it, it's one of my favorite games and I find it sad when people diss it, but I understand why though I wish that people'd give it a chance and let me teach them how to get good at the game so they can enjoy it.

[@alondor8157]

@@Animebryan2 Polarizing doesn't mean controversial. It's just people tend to either really hate it, or really love it. I think that's true. Everyone told me this was a gimmicky wannabe secret of mana when I was younger. But I absolutely love this game, and still think about it till today.

[@Eener1000]

The problem was that Secret of Evermore was constantly compared to Secret of Mana and it is quite a different game. I love this game for the story and unique atmosphere and the market was part of that atmosphere for me.

[@Xygor]

Glad you did! Definitely a different feel.

[@despawn7663]

I think i'm still looking in the desert for that rare drop...

[@Xygor]

Haha, all this time?

[@traviswall1982]

Hey skipper. Do you want a ride Champ?

[@drebin1381]

​@@traviswall1982 Hey potty mouth...that'll cost you 3 Amulets of Annihilation ☝️

[@stanm4410]

An issue of Nintendo Power magazine had a full map and guide for what to purchase for the market area. My friend had a Nintendo Power subscription, and because of that we were able to work through it using the guide. And i actually have good memories of that part of SoE because of it lol. But looking back on it now as an adult, I wonder if that section was designed in such a way in order to sell copies of Nintendo Power? Square had a pretty good relationship woth Nintendo at the time so i wouldn't be surprised.

[@mrdeatheli]

Most under rated SNES game ever! People who cannot figure out the hit detection should just stick to turn based games. The market scene isn't for everyone, but almost ever RPG makes you do drawn out stuff! I'm not a fan of the opera scene in FF6, but it's still my favorite game ever. And people still rave over that scene. I'd much rather be getting awesome gear than singing. SOE gets way too much flack on KZbin, but it is easily one of the best RPGs on SNES.

[@SiND3R]

Love Evemore and the market aint to bad, free Choccobo Egg from cermaic pot in you are lucky. FF6 opera is epic (:

[@TheBuzzati]

I enjoyed this more than Mana and I'm not ashamed to say it 😊

[@Xygor]

Fair enough, glad someone does!

[@TheItalianTrash]

Ditto!

[@alexclaton]

same

[@lopezzelo2502]

Same here

[@theologamer]

Thousand percent. Better tone and game feel

[@aaroon3214ify]

They don’t make games like this anymore . Miss these days of figuring stuff out and actually having to think about what you needed to do .. what a great game it will live in my memories always ❤

[@kitfanboy]

This was one of my favorite games and one of the most influential games I played growing up in the 90s. The soundtrack especially made a marked impression on me, as well as the prehistoric, classical, medieval, and futuristic settings. I doubt this game will ever see the light of day outside of the SNES cartridge, but it is always a delight to see it get nods online. Thanks for the retrospective of sorts!

[@Alianger]

The market is just an opportunity to get some money and items while waiting for the event at the square, which I'm pretty sure is mentioned. I found the hit detection better than in SoM and they did some other tweaks that make it play better to me, but yeah it can be annoying when charging up an attack and it misses due to dice rolls or your character doing a dodge based on that, taking priority over the attack. The "skullbats" can be annoying for sure, I tend to use spells on those or throw the spear. While the game can be a bit grindy as well as easy at times there's a good balance hack for that by ninakoru (there's one for 2-player too although there's a couple of issues with it). One of my faves on the SNES, it stands out as pretty unique despite starting out as a clone of sorts.

[@negativegains]

I don't want to hear whining about the market sequence. We managed to gain everything even as 11 year olds. Also there's this "desert trick" 🤫

[@elgatofelix8917]

I didn't whine about it. I just found a better game to play.

[@bwillythekid8249]

Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and **** the prom queen.

[@MinecraftMartin]

I didn't know about the desert trick until this year. But yeah, I don't know why the market place was so difficult for people. You really have to be deliberately turning your brain off to not be able to figure out how to trade in the market. Just talk to the damn NPCs lol they tell you exactly what they're trading for.

[@AndyNinXdo]

Carley was the prom queen

[@Kuljin20]

I always liked the market sequence. Plus, there’s guides out there now detailing exactly what to do

[@DFloyd84]

I remember this game being hard as balls when I played it back in the day. The forest maze was the first and so far only time I have written to a game developer to ask for help.

[@theguybrarian]

Love this game til I die. Great story, man and his dog, great imaginative lands, GREAT SOUNDTRACK.

[@johnlerch7699]

remember playing this game and beating it there was one glitch in the game with the bazooka, you really only need one ammo and you get infinite amounts from it and can just keep shoot till its maxed out in levels and its the only OP'ed weapon in the game

[@OneTato]

I rented this game multiple times to beat it because i needed to know what my dog would turn into next.

[@drearmouse9510]

God I love this game. Just dripping with atmosphere. The professor, the castle, the ship.. just so much personality. And the alchemy system was sooo rad. Definitely needa replay it..

[@QMulative]

The alchemy system was somewhat self-defeating, as whenever you learned a new formula, you didn't know where or how often you could find the ingredients for it, which incentivized you to just level up the cheap formulas with easily buyable ingredients. If they remade Secret of Evermore, then in addition to fixing up the hit-detection, and search detection so you weren't pixel hunting for hours while your dog kept sniffing the same corner all the time, they would have to make sure all the ingredients can be replenished one way or another, maybe have the ingredients you find in the environment recur as you leave & re-enter or something.

[@BeCurieUs]

Secret of Evermore was one of the first games I ever got with MY money. Needless to say, it holds a special place in my heart despite all its shortcomings

[@Xygor]

Glad to hear that!

[@yangofice8361]

I put this game at the top of my SNES favorites alongside Act Raiser and Chrono Trigger. It's so corny and classy and the music... WOW. SO GOOD. one of the best calming fun and innovative snes games on the system.

[@Xygor]

That's some pretty high praise!

[@AlexBermann]

Definitively underrated classic, but with the caveat that it needed mor polish. Aside from the hit point detection, a few bosses just are way too hard for their spot of the game (I especially think about the swamp monster). I really like the market sequence and how you couldnt just buy all alchemy ingredients everywhere. The slight inconvenience really showed how you were brought to a world where you couldnt get whatever you want in a supermarket. Add to that that you had to master every new weapon upon retrieval and it felt much more than any other RPG that you played some random Joe thrown in the adventure. If I look at action RPGs and action adventures of the era I knew, secret of mana only feels like tbis until you get your first magic and Zelda a Link to the past makes you instantly feel like a master of all once you pick up the sword (ymmv, maybe when you get the running boots, but still extremely early).

[@boydwgrossii]

I enjoyed this game so much. The cover was really cool. I picked it up and started playing and felt much closer to the characters than I did in secret of mana. I had to keep a journal to remember where I was going and secret of mana between being able to afford to rent the game. I didn’t with Secret of evermore. I really enjoyed the lighthearted comedy because, to me, it seemed more like a game of a kid just trying to get home. And between himself and home was a lot of stuff to explore. I also really liked how the dog changed and how each utopia became a prison. 8:08

[@JohnSmith-ps7yq]

It’s very clearly an American production. That’s why it feels so different.

[@Xygor]

True!

[@nanoglitch6693]

Oh, good old-fashioned American "isekai" lol. This game is such a vibe! I only wish they had made more in this style because back then, I actually preferred more action-style rpgs like this and SoM.

[@BillyLavoie]

I think my biggest gripe with the game is that at the time I was playing Secret of Mana with my friend and we LOVED the coop aspect. We were super excited and he managed to get his parents to buy it......imagine our faces when the second controller did NOTHING. oof

[@StewNWT]

yeah that was absolutely inexcusable

[@Alianger]

Didn't games tell you on the box if they would have multiplayer or not?

[@ZappaSlave]

I've always loved Evermore more than Mana. It just feels good. Those flaws are super valid but the rest shines above it. I just love it! Id love some hacks make it a bit different

[@Xygor]

That's some pretty high praise!

[@Coyote_85]

I loved the game as a kid. The market sequence gets a lot easier when you interact with the quicksand pool just west of that city. I especially liked the medieval time for the vibe it had. Good times.

[@Xygor]

Good point, thanks for your memories!

[@soldier614100]

i think a big complaint from many people that hated the game was that spells required too many ingredients to gather too. not the early spells you get in the game but probably they meant the spells that you get much later in game. i dont remember how long it really took to gather the ingredients though since its been years since i played evermore. but im sure that i still liked the alchemy method of casting spells overall. i enjoyed it much more than secret of manas method of just spamming spells endlessly.

[@soldier614100]

evermore just felt more rewarding to play because it took way longer to work for the increases in power compared to secret of mana which was way less of a grind. so i disagree with the haters about this game and feel like it was a unique experience too.

[@Varizen87]

I personally liked the market place segment. It was a favorite memory. I did it at like 9 years old with no guide.

[@MinecraftMartin]

I never knew the market place was so terrible until youtubers complained about it. You just talk to NPCs and get the stuff. That's it.

[@RaouBZH360]

I was 15 in 1995, old good memories playing it. Secret of Mana was gold tier, A Link to the Past as well. Terranigma was good, and I loved Illusion of Gaïa. SNES era was top noch for RPG 🤩

[@slimtim1782]

Me too! I turned 15 that October when it released but my parents got it for me for Christmas. It introduced me to the Action RPG genre and I loved it!

[@slimtim1782]

One of my other favorite Action RPG's was another overlooked and under-rated game but for the PS1, being Alundra. Loved that game to bits as well.

[@ryanvrecic6181]

great mentions. illusion of gaia also holds a special place in my heart along with secret of evermore, so damn involving atmostpherically, (I LOVE IT!!!), and zelda ALTTP was awwwesome too! memories FOREVERMORE :)

[@ShockStormRPG]

I'm gonna give this game a try. I played Secret of Mana and enjoyed it and I've always wanted to try Secret of Evermore and the different gameplay mechanics like the alchemy sounds really cool.

[@dan47483]

I've played through Secret of Mana a couple times. I've beaten Evermore at least 10 times. The atmosphere means it just never gets old.

[@Sparkbomber]

It's actually a fun game, though yeah... the hit detection is abysmal. I do like the market though, but it sucks you can only use it twice in the entire game. More games need a marketplace that feels alive, not static. And that you have to spend hours gathering components for alchemy.

[@AngryAnimeFan2]

The ironic thing was. I never played Secret of mana. I played this one and loved it. One can wonder, had I played Mana, would I even have liked this? The game has many glitches and certainly is not revolutionary. But it was a nice play for its time, and what I heard in thesoundtrack worked for the stages. The bosses were difficult unless one leveled up the weapons. I even got nostalgia from it bu hats cause I played it in another place. A forgotten game with flaws, but look beyond that it is certainly another classic SNES RPG that may one day join the inspiration bundle for future Indie Games.

[@Robotoda2000]

There is no time limit to get the items in the market place. It temporarily closes for the event at the statue, but as soon as you beat that boss the market place is permanently back for you to get all the items with no time limit.

[@mpnfresh]

The soundtrack is by Jeremy Soule, the atmosphere alone is enough to make up for gameplay hiccups

[@EnricoPallazzoooo]

Love this game. When I was still a Kid I had to keep my SNES at my Grandparents House and we usually visited them over the Weekend. I played the Game from start to finish every weekend for years. 100 Playtroughs easily. It's the only SNES Cartridge I still own. The Super Nintendo has a vast amount of Classic Games for sure, Secret of Evermore is pretty much in the top 5, to me at least.

[@violinfanatickamraz1403]

YEAH!

[@elgatofelix8917]

If you can finish it in just a weekend then it must not be that substantive. I prefer RPGs that take you on a deep and immersive journey that takes time to complete, and not just because you're stuck in a boring marketplace the whole time.

[@EnricoPallazzoooo]

​​@@elgatofelix8917Most SNES RPGs can be beat in a weekend. The time you take in the Marketplace was greatly exaggerated imo

[@planescaped]

@@elgatofelix8917 We get it, you struggled with a basic puzzle. It's okay dude, it might be time to let it go.

[@jmhaces]

I remember liking this one a lot, though it did annoy the hell out of me that you had to upgrade every weapon independently. That is to say, instead of upgrading your skill to wield a type of weapon, such as swords or spears, you had to learn each weapon specifically, so you had no reason to upgrade that sword to level 3 because by then you had progressed enough that you'd found one or two stronger swords you had to upgrade from zero. Secret of Mana focused on weapon types, not on individual weapons.

[@coolgreek79]

Definitely an underrated classic. I loved it back in the day. For the reasons you mentioned... Specially the resource management of my spells

[@Xygor]

Good point!

[@MorgenthauMusic]

A classic game that is somehow different - especially in its specific environment. Basically a somewhat offbeat Action-JRPG, but with quite a bit of WRPG vibes, at least aesthetics-wise. At that time I didn't know anything about game styles or such distinctions. I knew Super Mario World, A Link to the Past and GB games (Tetris, Mario, Solar Striker, Zelda, Turtles etc.), basically. And Strategy games on the PC. I only got it as a Christmas gift because Secret of Mana was sold out at that specific store or mall my parents went to and the clerk recommended this to them instead. In retrospect, I am very happy about that, because otherwise I would have never known this game as more than some weird looking thing in some magazine ads ... The "magic" system, the look, the sound, the market sequence and the temple in Nobilia, the dark melancholia of Gothica, Prehistoria's monster-filled jungle and volcano ... I fell in love with this game. Later, I played Secret of Mana, and it was very good! But Secret of Evermore was somehow more interesting, unique and ... well, Secret of Evermore-ish than the far more well-known games.

[@lukemaddux229]

Surprised to learn this was such a polarizing game. I loved it. Underrated classic 100%

[@chaff5]

Secret of Evermore is a highly underrated game. I have fond memories of every aspect of this game, including the market. I loved the idea of bartering. I also spent a lot of time learning the hit boxes; once I got familiar, it became second nature.

[@eviljoshy3402]

When this game came out I rented it but never got past the bug palace. For some reason I couldn't find the path to get to the boss. Then many years later I saw it somewhere and decided to give it another go. I hadn't played secret of mana before so I went in with no expectations. I really enjoyed the game but I it felt very grindy to lvl up weapons and spells. On top of that I hated when I found a new spell but couldn't find the ingredients to use it. I have this game on my hacked mini snes.

[@noname72390]

This game deserves a complete remaster but with a minimap added, easier acquisition of alchemy materiaks and lvling up alchemy attacks.

[@Xygor]

Maybe we will get one eventually, Square Enix has shown some commitment to RPG remasters lately!

[@noname72390]

@@Xygor hopefully because it honestly was a pretty fun game but its super easy to get lost on what you are supposed to be doing in this game especially since you only get told what you're supposed to do only once if even that half the time.

[@eldebo99]

I have complicated feelings about Evermore. On the one hand, even with the poor hit detection, i enjoyed combat here more than i did with Mana. Big thing helping that is you don't slow down while charging like in Mana. But on the other hand.. the several different labyrinths in the game were so, damn, tedious. So many aggravating maze sections that just drained my patience back in the day.

[@chadgarrett6947]

I love this game in theory. I love the original story idea and I absolutely adore the OST. It had great ideas, but I think the biggest issue was it was a very inexperienced and young Dev team. They made everything from scratch and it was the first game for many of the people working on it. I think it's an underrated classic but with many frustrating flaws that could EASILY be remedied with a remake. Which is why I actually recently started concept art for a spiritual successor-ish game. I love the vibe so much!

[@Bulbonius]

I was the weird kid who always looked forward to the market sequence. I used to make a game out of seeing how much trading i could get done before the market closes the first time you get there.

[@Xygor]

Glad someone liked that part!

[@andyb8219]

I liked Secret of Evermore more than Secret of Mana because I mostly used the Sprite character in Secret of Mana because his magic attacks were insanely powerful. What was the point of switching characters. In Secret of Evermore, I mostly used the boy but had the option to force sniff ingredients by the dog while using the boy. I also loved the music in Secret of Evermore for it was more dark!

[@The-Cutmaster]

I still have nightmares over the dog-running-through-the-castle-alone segment.

[@Xygor]

Haha, nice! A classic intro.

[@arcadeoutpost]

Weird synergy, I was just looking up if there was any kind of fan remake or remaster of this yesterday 🤔🤔🤔

[@ikmor]

There's quite a few "ROM hack" add-ons I believe, fixing a lot of issues with the original game.

[@silver924]

I played the game later than the release and wasn't aware of the marketing or anything else. We didn*'t have a PS1 or N64 at first, so I played the snes games in that era, which were also the first videogames i ver played. My brother had all of the RPGs so naturally they were the first things I played in 1997, when I was like 6/7. And Evermore was the third ARPG after Zelda and Secret of Mana I've played. I liked it..not as much as SoM, but still. Years later, when I was in my 20s, I replayed it and...it held up. Still liked it a lot.

[@femtrooper]

Awesome review! I own this and still haven't played it...one day haha, but really, it does look pretty neat, so I gotta check it out sometime!

[@Xygor]

Hope you enjoy it! It's well worth playing for sure.

[@JaimeGonzalez-wx1gw]

Did you ever play it?

[@femtrooper]

@@JaimeGonzalez-wx1gw Still haven’t! It’s harder for me to play SNES games right now but someday I will.

[@JaimeGonzalez-wx1gw]

@@femtrooper Hope you get a chance to play it soon. I still remember watching the commercial for it when it was released, and I ended up playing it on New Year’s Eve in 1995 when I was 12. Great game with a great soundtrack!

[@femtrooper]

@ Omg, sounds like the best time ever!

[@tsg9256]

I wish this game was popular enough to get a remaster like secret of mana did.

[@heroinpenguin666]

My favourite game of all time ever since I played the game as a kid. I've played through this game more than probably any game ever, excluding short rouge-likes, but certainly when it comes to RPGs. I've played it a lot more again in recent years due to the randomizer called "Evermizer". A game I would recommend to anyone who enjoys (A)RPGs.

[@amd3636]

I remember being a kid and having to get the game guide. I loved that game. It was my first RPG. Fond memories.

[@BeerZombieRob]

He is not from "podunk". It is a description of where he is from. It means a hypothetical small town regarded as typically dull or insignificant. It's like saying "Any town USA".

[@MrSerpico145]

The marketplace was just fine, and is a maze/puzzle area with the trade system. I had no problem with it then or now.

[@Xygor]

Glad someone thought so!

[@MrSerpico145]

@@Xygor many do hehe

[@dr_unne]

This is one of the ones I never finished. I remember most distinctly how frustrating combat felt, but I was also 13. I may have to give this one another go, now.

[@Dhalin]

If you ever need help or tips, I like to educate people on how to have the easiest time playing it as there's a few certain things the game doesn't tell you that lets you make the game much smoother until you get the hang of it. I want to someday do a kind of walkthrough type thing but I've yet to do it.

[@Joe_from_Rio]

In Europe, we could not play the major Squaresoft releases on the SNES like Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger. Secret of Evermore was the next Squaresoft game we had after Secret of Mana so I think it probably got more love there as a result of rarity. I don't know in the US, but in France the game was sold with the guide, which was great for immersing into the game atmosphere and find your way though the market (but not through the medieval forest and the castle ventilation sytem unfortunately 😅)

[@Eric-fl1kh]

I beat it again last year, and mostly remember being annoyed by the mazes and slow pace to combat. But it's still likely one I'll play through again!

[@Xygor]

Oh yeah, that maze! Thanks for leaving your thoughts on it.

[@Choralone422]

I liked Secret of Evermore back in the day but I wasn't crazy about it and I can see why some didn't like it. For me the biggest disappointment was that it wasn't a sequel to Secret of Mana, especially since back then I knew that Seiken Densetsu 3 existed. Plus, it didn't help that Square just had 3 phenomenal games in Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy 3/6 and Chrono Trigger. So while Secret of Evermore was good, I think quite a few people (myself included) didn't feel like it was up to the same level as those 3.

[@bobjoemac1]

Played this before secret of mana and i remember making a friend telling me about secret of mana... where the first boss is this bug thing and its an action rpg etc etc. Blew our minds when we found out about how our games were different haha. Enjoyed secret of evermore...but it did not have the charm Mana did. Still loved evermore though every time you would go to a new area was so awesome and the dog changing was so funny to me getting a poodle in the medival section was so funny.

[@Xygor]

I think I totally agree with you! Thanks for sharing your memories of it.

[@hteekay]

Not just people were taking it as Secret of Mana sequel, gaming magazines during that time indirectly "advertise" it as such too... I never get to finish the game, I only remember I got so frustrated that I stopped

[@acidbath3226]

the soundtrack was done by the guy who did the skyrim soundtrack and I feel like its probably one of the best by an american composer on a squaresoft title

[@Ezekialify]

I remember playing this as a kid and being so excited I had a doggy co-op NPC. The game was too hard for me at the time, and I never went back to it for some reason. I dunno why I thought about it again this week. Maybe because Legends of Mana is on sale right now on steam.

[@jayrobitaille2402]

I actually played this game to the final credits. It is a pretty good game, but not as good as Secret of Mana despite having almost the same battle system. What I have always thought was a missed opportunity with this game is lack of a two-player mode with the dog, when even Mana could be played 3 player if you had 3 controllers and the multitap peripheral (making it quite curious why you could not play this one co-op).

[@alexclaton]

someone made a mod that lets you play coop with the dog

[@jayrobitaille2402]

@@alexclaton That is awesome. Someone modded a game that is almost as old as I am and I turn 36 near the end of the year.

[@IsaacG8]

I didn't realize this until this video, but Podunk is the name of the place in Mother 1 (Earthbound Zero). But I do realize, this game took a lot things from other games, like Cecil from FF4 running an inn. All-in-all, I felt this polarizing effect you're talking about. When this game released, I didn't hate it. But knowing that this is what they passed as a sequel instead of the superior Seiken Densetsu 3, really soured the experience.

[@Xygor]

Yeah, they definitely tied in a lot of stuff from other Squaresoft games.

[@acmnin2146]

Guys, Podunk isn’t a real town and it’s not invented by Square, it’s a word. “a hypothetical small town regarded as typically dull or insignificant.”

[@IsaacG8]

@acmnin2146 right, I got what the name is referencing but in both games, the town is named Podunk. While the meaning of the word is correct, Square used it to name a hypothetical town, which is quite apropos.

[@Jaynevermore319]

I personally loved this game. I'd love to see a remaster or something. Heck, even a simple port.

[@Xygor]

Square Enix has shown a commitment to remakes, so maybe it will happen!

[@markkatain7891]

I liked this game a lot after playing it for the 1st time last year. The only section I got really angry with was the one later in the game where you're in the castle and it's like a maze and you're in the dark. I kept getting so turned around and lost. Other than that, solid experience!

[@tsbulmer]

I felt like the game had some pretty compelling elements, but it also showed me that I could dislike a game's combat even more than Secret of Mana's.

[@graveytugboat7376]

I have to say I haven’t played secret of evermore, but I have played secret of mana and I think that’s where they got the idea for secret of evermore the game is strikingly similar with a lot of the same sounds in the game as well from what I have seen.

[@lawrencemcstephens308]

Wish the video was a bit longer, but touched on a good bit. I enjoyed this game as a kid, as I was a big fan of Secret Of Mana. Rented it when it came out in late-1995 when I was 12 years old, and my brother and I beat it with not too much fuss. I hear people criticize the market scene, but I didn't have much trouble with it. Some navigation in Antiqua gave me trouble, as well as a little in Omnitopia, but overall, it is a pretty entry level RPG in my opinion. Great graphics, and the moody, atmospheric compositions were cool to hear back in the day!

[@planescaped]

If I had to say what is the most nostalgic game for me, it would be Secret of Evermore. I *adore* this game and would love a sequel, a switch port and to have its babies. And though you say the marketplace part was stupid, I loved that part of the game as a kid it is honestly probably one of the most memorable moments of the game for me. lol, though I can definitely see it not being fun to someone playing it for the first time in 'current year'. I used to have dreams about that marketplace when I was 7.

[@elgatofelix8917]

It was memorable because of how much it sucked.

[@plok3788]

My fav of all SNES RPGs! The soundtrack is so sick.

[@Xygor]

Man, I'm finding a lot of people that love this one so much. I had no idea. But yes the soundtrack is great!

[@stripedhyenuh]

Cult classic. I thought it was really subpar when it came out and didn't truly appreciate it until years later. Like a lot of games of its time, it got judged too harshly for not measuring up to what came before it, which in this case was Secret of Mana, a landmark title at the time and the first instance of a Japanese RPG getting game of the year awards in western gaming publications. There was also the mistaken belief that it was released instead of Seiken Densetsu 3, which internet RPG nerds at the time called Secret of Mana 2, which further soured attitudes toward it. Basically, "We got this American knockoff piece of crap instead of the actual Secret of Mana 2?!" Also the market in Antiqua was a fun diversion, I get confused every time I see a review video saying it's the worst part of the game. Nobody ever talks about how Utopia feels blatantly rushed and unfinished, for me that was the biggest letdown.

[@decusq]

Despite the games flaws i still loved it, especially when i figured out how to cheese the final boss XD. But overall I understand how this game can be polarizing. Which is why i think this game is PERFECT for a potential Remake. Not only can they give the Main hero kid more personality and stakes they can improve the quality of the story telling and world building as well. I wouldn't mind this getting the 3D Trial or Secret of Mana treatment. HECK you could even add another Kid party member or two to give more variety to the story, like the boys friends came along on his journey!

[@thefireysoul]

Criminally underrated game. Needs a remake.

[@brandynstorch5383]

For sure one of my favorite SNES games, and just one of my favorite games over all

[@retro9263]

I personally like Secret of Evermore. It does a lot of things better than Secret of Mana although I think the latter is still the best game overall. But I can understand why Square Enix would rather forget about Secret of Evermore. It had very high developing costs back in 1995, sold poorly and quite frankly the game isn't really that popular outside of a niche internet community.

[@Xygor]

True! Thanks for your thoughts on it.

[@Peppy34420]

I need to revisit this one, I was young and didnt grasp the concept of it

[@Xygor]

Definitely do so!

[@TheGryf0xxx]

Secret of Evermore is one of my all time favorites. Only game I've been more than it is FF7. I absolutely love it.

[@Demont]

I would love a remake of it to fixed what’s wrong with it.

[@ju2067]

It would be difficult for me to pick a winner between SoE, Chronotrigger, Zelda: Lttp and FF3 (SNES). All are masterpieces and their flaws are barely worth mentioning. I have a very poor memory, but my fondest memories of SNES adventure gaming were hands-down from SoE. I would love to have a sequel or some other game in the same story/settings.

[@BeerZombieRob]

This video game was amazing! I got it for Christmas 29 years ago.

[@universalpotentate8797]

Absolute Classic The market place was a thing you had to THINK through. I distinctly remember grabbing a piece of paper and pencil and trying to figure out the exact costs of all the items I needed. It was an excellent part of the game that required the player to act in the real world, not just interact with the screen. Any GOOD RPG has some feature like this. The hit mechanic is NOT random. It requires observation and precision. The main character wasn't "developed enough" ... I don't even understand this complaint. You wanted a rich philosophical character with a tragic backstory fighting for the human race and self-actualization? Dude. It's a kids game! Gimme a break! I loved the multifaceted aspects of this game that required some hand-eye coordination, some RPG, some bartering. Trying to get ALL the items and discover all the secrets is STILL a goal of mine. I'm attempting another playthrough and was looking up some YT videos. How's that for a backstory?

[@logananderon9693]

I hated the consumable magic that leveled up. Made it feel impossible to grow without burning all your items.

[@Aavarius]

This game isn't perfect, but it's easily one of the most memorable for my childhood. I still think fondly of it. The 15-minute market scene might be a nuisance, but once it's over, everything in the market is entirely optional. You can skip it and the game plays just fine.

[@fjcarmo0369]

Secret of Evermore was a decent game at best. The game had too many control problems for me, from getting the dog to dig right where you want him to dig to the major enemy hit detection problems. Control problems were a big issue in Secret of Evermore that sometimes made the game more frustratingly difficult than fun to play.

[@matthewburton3299]

Underrated classic, one of my favs

[@Xygor]

Great, glad you liked it so much!

[@crono_8398]

I liked this game and always thought it was part of the quintet trilogy. Id like to see both come back.

[@doomedmeatslab3100]

One of my favorite games from my childhood.

[@Sompeetalay]

I always loved Evermore because of the story and the great atmosphere settings, including the music. It sure has some less enjoyable parts (such as the market or the sewers), but overall, I enjoyed it very much and played it several times.

[@theghost6412]

I swear i did find the place that sells dry ice in the space station area. I remember finding it in one of the secret back area's that you have to walk around in the dark off screen and being annoyed it was so damn exspensive. It was not a NPC but rather it was an alcove or like an ATM in the wall that sold them. But I have never seen it since and cant find it again. Annoys me to no end but I have recently started playing again and want to give it another try to find it. Always been my favourite game, and I prefer it over Mana.