Recommended Soundtracks: Secret of Mana

Secret of Mana is well known among those who’ve been playing Japanese RPGs (including their action and strategy variants) for a while, or anyone who decided to look for and play classic games. This action RPG from Squaresoft was one of the best games in the genre to release for Super Nintendo. While Square (later Square Enix after the merger) worked on several titles in the franchise after its worldwide success, this is the one remembered most fondly. This is due to how it has the best balance and pacing of all the games localized for western territories (that’s excluding Seiken Densetsu 3, which remains elusive officially), and its story and characters are charming and entertaining.

The game’s localization quality is also a good reason for its success in English-speaking territories, an early work from Ted Woolsey in a time where such translations weren’t as highly valued.

Another memorable element that can’t be ignored is the music. The soundtrack marked composer Hiroki Kikuta’s debut in the video game music world, and it remains one of his best. It helped that Kikuta knew how to utilize the SNES’ sound capabilities compared to other composers early in the platform’s life, as it floored the likes of Final Fantasy IV from this same developer at the time. Like the game, this title’s soundtrack is the most well-remembered in the Mana series, though its progeny also had great music.

I chose four tracks to highlight the soundtrack’s overall quality here, but you can’t go wrong with any track here. Also, while the remake’s soundtrack is okay, many of its remixes aren’t on par with the original thanks to the instrument choices in the audio synthesizer used. Kikuta wasn’t too heavily involved with the new track arrangements, but he unsurprisingly provided the best remixes. Yuzo Koshiro’s contributions were also well done.

The opening theme, “Fear of the Heavens,” is one of the best in video game history. It’s a melancholy track that works as an ominous foreboding for the adventure that’s to come. If you have nostalgia for the game, I recommend closing your eyes and listening to this track to soak it in. (It’s not just me who’s done this before, right?) But if that’s a bit much for you, the track goes well with the main artwork from the late Hiroo Isono:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFN0GLAMJ3k

“Into the Thick of It” is aptly named, which plays when protagonist Randi literally ventures into the thick of it after he’s cast out of his home village. Japanese RPGs and their actionized variants tend to have great tracks accompanying calm and serene forests, and this one is no exception. Aspects of this track’s were reused for “Did You see the Ocean,” though its tempo is more upbeat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3oxjanw72w

“A Bell is Tolling” plays in the Ice Palace. Ice palaces in many games tend to have calmer tracks to reflect a wintry sense of coolness, which this track delivers. But it also includes a sense of anxiety to reflect how difficult the trek is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYX350EdM-8

The final track I’ll highlight here is “The Oracle,” which plays during the battle with Dark Lich, one that can be a little frustrating if you don’t know the strategy. When you do know it, it’s rather easy. This fast-paced track goes well with the tenseness you might feel as you try to discover the best way in which to defeat it, without pursuing a guide:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEmDpKsMJWc

I haven’t noted any remixed themes from the remake here, but it’s worth highlighting “The Oracle” remix due to how wildly different it is. I’m almost hesitant to even call it a remix, as it feels more like a recreation. It also doesn’t sound like the kind of track that would fit this battle per se, and feels more like a track included as part of an arrange soundtrack released separately instead of a replacement for the old track. Note that the SOM remake also allows for players to choose the original soundtrack.

Again, there are too many good tracks to highlight in SOM’s soundtrack, and you can’t go wrong with any of them. Chances are, I left out someone’s favorites here, but don’t take this as a slight.

Kikuta hasn’t been heavily involved with a Mana game since Seiken Densetsu 3, and was sadly banished to the realm of eroge titles for several years. But he’s been slowly making his return to more mainstream games in the last half-decade, contributing to the likes of Soulcalibur V and Atelier Escha & Logy. His biggest upcoming project is Indivisible, a crowdfunded RPG inspired by Valkyrie Profile being developed by Lab Zero Games. The man’s officially back in action outside the illicit realm.

Meanwhile, it’s tough to determine if the Mana franchise even has a future outside of ports, the occasional mobile game, and new arrange soundtracks. I’m still holding out hope for an SD3 remake so western territories can receive an official localization, but it’s tough to determine how well the SOM remake performed. We’ll know how it did if that remake happens, or doesn’t happen.