Trials of Mana
Trials of Mana
Game
Game2018
Secret of Mana
Developer Square Enix
Secret of Mana, originally released in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 2, is a 1993 action role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sequel to the 1991 game Seiken Densetsu, released in North America as Final Fantasy Adventure and in Europe as Mystic Quest. Secret of Mana was the first Seiken Densetsu title to be marketed as part of the Mana series rather… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
312 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 2, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
53
Mixed
96 positive · 85 negative
95% range 46–60%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 96 | 85 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 27 | 11 | 77 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 4 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mixed
1,223 of 1,756 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
53% recommend · 96 yes, 86 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 182 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mixed (2,002 of 2,942 positive).
Many players praise the faithful recreation of the original game with modern graphics and audio. [1][2][3] Several reviewers report game-breaking bugs that block progression, especially in Gaia's Navel. [4][5][6] Some players recommend the game only if on sale or if you have nostalgia for the original. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
I used to love this game when I was a child, and I was excited to play it again. Sadly as the Mana fortress is rising the game just goes to a permanent black screen. I've searched but seems this bug hasn't been fixed even years after this game was released. It's really terrible that I am only be able to play 80% of this game. I can't even refund this game because I've played it too long. I consider this game …
- [14]
- - - WARNING - - - SECRET OF MANA remake is a lazy cash grab, DO NOT BUY this game. - - - WARNING - - - The game suffers from a ton of game breaking bugs ranging from random crashes to getting stuck in place. The only thing you can try to complete the game at all is limit your GPU to 60 FPS in the AMD/Nvidia control panel. It took me about 14 in-game hours to complete the game and I experienced about 40 crashes. I …
- [1]
The negative reviews are mostly old players proclaiming their childhood has been ruined or new players complaining the controls are too retro. Ignore them. This is a great game. This is more of a remaster than a remake. It remains very true to the original SNES version while offering modern graphics, audio, and some quality of life improvements. The original SNES music is still available, and the mini map also …
- [7]
tl;dr: The original base game is great. This remake is *okay,* but it is far too flawed to be worth the 40 bucks they're charging for it. Only buy this if it's on sale, but if it is on sale for a price that you find agreeable, by all means snatch it up if you are a fan of the original (or even just the genre). I first played the original Secret of Mana in like 1995 or something when I was but a young lad. It's a …
- [2]
For both good and for bad, it's a faithful recreation of the original game. Combat clunk and all. Everything else is either an upgrade (Animations on enemies mean less sudden cheap shots, UI is far more readable than SNES), an option (The remake OST is hit and miss, SNES version always available to swap) or a genuine appreciated effort. (There are now hotbar assignments, literally every single NPC is differently …
Summarised from 34 of the 289 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Secret of Mana talk about faithful remaster with modern graphics and audio; those who didn't talk about game-breaking bugs block progression in early areas. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The initial shipment of games in Japan sold out within days of the release date. Dengeki Oh magazine ranked it the second best-selling video game of 1993 in Japan, where 1.003 million units were sold that year, just below Street Fighter II Turbo. In South Korea, it was the top-selling game from November to December 1993. Edge reported in November 1993 that the game was "the most widely covered game of the year in Japan" with a high number of sales, but was initially released in North America "completely un-hyped and mostly unheard of". Despite this, Secret of Mana went on to become the second top-selling Super NES game on the monthly US Babbage's chart in October 1993, below only Mortal…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 312 · most liked firstOur game is for SECRET OF MANA FANS, algorithm PLEASE FIND THEM! Our game is for SECRET OF MANA FANS, algorithm PLEASE FIND THEM! Our game is for SECRET OF MANA FANS, algorithm PLEASE FIND THEM! Our game is for SECRET OF MANA FANS, algorithm PLEASE FIND THEM!
neutral · AI labelView post →Happy Anniversary to Secret of Mana on SNES in North America! 🎂🥳🎉 Anyone else remember getting lost in this game for an entire afternoon? Exploring the world, leveling up weapons, and telling yourself "just one more area."
positive · AI labelView post →Was Secret of Mana the first game to have a weapon wheel
neutral · AI labelView post →🚨 The pre-order for Video Game Maps: SNES - Vol 3 is up! retrogamebooks.com/products/vid... From the colorful landscapes of Secret of Mana to the depths of Super Metroid, this book showcases the stunning artwork that captured the imagination of gamers around the world. *Credits in thread*
neutral · AI labelView post →Do you like RPGs inspired by retro games like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana and Breath of Fire? Meet our indie game, Alterium Shift. #TrailerTuesday #gamedev #indiegame #jrpg #pixelart
neutral · AI labelView post →This art by Hiroo Isono (1945–2013) is for the 1995 Super Famicom game Seiken Densetsu 3 (known in the west as Trials of Mana), the third game in the "Mana" series (and the sequel to Secret of Mana). This art was the cover of the Japanese SFC instruction manual
neutral · AI labelView post →redraw of a Secret of Mana doodle I drew when I first played the game in 2021 #secretofmana
neutral · AI labelView post →Evolution of the Mana Tree 🌳 1. Final Fantasy Adventure (Game Boy Classic) 2. Secret of Mana (SNES) 3. Trials of Mana/Seiken Densetsu 3 (SNES)
neutral · AI labelView post →Ever played Secret of Evermore for SNES? 🗡️🐶 Released in 1995, it’s a cult classic action RPG and the only game ever developed by Squaresoft USA! You play as a boy and his shapeshifting dog, traveling through time-inspired worlds. Think Secret of Mana… but weirder.
neutral · AI labelView post →Evolution of the Mana Tree 🌳 1. Final Fantasy Adventure (Game Boy Classic) 2. Secret of Mana (SNES) 3. Trials of Mana/Seiken Densetsu 3 (SNES)
neutral · AI labelView post →I wish we lived in the timeline where the Secret of Mana remake had a shitzillion dollar budget and replicated the look of the promotional clay figures for the whole game
negative · AI labelView post →White people don't say, “Secret of Mana is the greatest game of all time” anymore.
neutral · AI labelView post →Secret of Mana has a beautiful fairy tale quality to its adventure, a childlike sense of mischief and wonder: kimimithegameeatingshemonster.com/2020/11/01/a...
positive · AI labelView post →Secret of Mana PC Engine demo running on misterfpga is looking great on this #scanlinesunday kaffeeware.itch.io/secret-of-ma...
neutral · AI labelView post →You will like our indie game if you played these games: -Secret of Mana ⚔️ -Final Fantasy ☄️ -Illusion of Gaia 🗺️ -Chrono Trigger ⏳
neutral · AI labelView post →i played this in its original days on the SNES with my pops so i always do a playthru for him. I lost him in 2009
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →SNES co-op classic Secret of Mana was out 33 years ago (1993)! 🌳 A lush world in 16-beautiful-bits of graphics and music. Glitchy gameplay ages it nowadays, but it's a fun time with friends, and with lots of spells and weapons to try. Review + Art: www.rpgfan.com/game/secret-...
neutral · AI labelView post →The folks at @timeextension.com recently posted an interview with game music legen & Scarlet Moon artist Hiroki Kikuta, discussing his iconic score for the classic action-roleplaying adventure, Secret of Mana! Read it here: timeextension.com/features/int... #SecretOfMana #GameMusic #interview
neutral · AI labelView post →Tonight on stream I'll be starting my first playthrough of Secret of Mana! Many people have recommended this game to me and told me it's a childhood favorite of theirs, so I'm excited to see what it's like! All I know about it is BIG TREE 🌳
positive · AI labelView post →I'm playing Secret of Mana (SNES) and goddamn this game is so special
positive · AI labelView post →I hate to not recommend this, but only because of my own nostalgia. Secret of Mana was an awesome SNES game because it was an SNES game, making it one of the beginnings of action RPGs. The combat itself was okay for the time, being on an old console game, but it won't translate to someone who isn't looking through rose colored glasses. For definite negatives, the magic was absolutely amazing back then, up there with any RPG, but they kind of fumbled that in this one. There are levels for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →And we know the SNES/SFC soundchip was capable of some pretty awesome stuff. Just look at Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy V, Secret of Mana, EarthBound, and so on. Honestly I think FFV has my favorite soundfont of any old game ever, it's so good and charming.
neutral · AI labelView post →Sometimes I remember that I spent more than 3 years building a FULL Secret of Mana engine, all the spells, weapons, items, with the last two bosses of the game completely playable, and PvP combat, all in 16:9, for just pure joy #gamedev #indiedev
positive · AI labelView post →I used to love this game when I was a child, and I was excited to play it again. Sadly as the Mana fortress is rising the game just goes to a permanent black screen. I've searched but seems this bug hasn't been fixed even years after this game was released. It's really terrible that I am only be able to play 80% of this game. I can't even refund this game because I've played it too long. I consider this game DEFECTIVE seeing as you can't complete this game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You will like our indie game if you enjoyed: -Secret of Mana -Zelda: A Link to the Past -Terranigma -Illusion of Gaia
neutral · AI labelView post →Evolution of the Mana Tree 🌳 1. Final Fantasy Adventure (Game Boy Classic) 2. Secret of Mana (SNES) 3. Trials of Mana/Seiken Densetsu 3 (SNES)
neutral · AI labelView post →- - - WARNING - - - SECRET OF MANA remake is a lazy cash grab, DO NOT BUY this game. - - - WARNING - - - The game suffers from a ton of game breaking bugs ranging from random crashes to getting stuck in place. The only thing you can try to complete the game at all is limit your GPU to 60 FPS in the AMD/Nvidia control panel. It took me about 14 in-game hours to complete the game and I experienced about 40 crashes. I still powered through just to write the review and warn everyone, especially…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →How do people describe our game: -Secret of Mana vibes -Is that the dash attack from Terranigma? -Puzzles like A Link to the Past but with co-op #gamedev #indiegamedev
neutral · AI labelView post →Secret of Mana is pretty cool man. I always hear people praising the third game as the best one, but it never hits quite like this one when I try to play it.
positive · AI labelView post →Kid Icarus: Uprising. Hell it doesn’t even need to be updated. Diablo 1. Betrayal at Krondor. Zelda Oracle of Ages/Seasons. Any Quintet game (Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma) Secret of Mana
neutral · AI labelView post →When you learn the Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger started development as the same game it’s a little hard to wrap your mind around but it does at least make sense of how much the main Boy/Girl characters in each game look alike
neutral · AI labelView post →What a weird remake of a game. I loved the original back in the SNES days and beat it several times, so even after seeing this one got a lot of criticism I thought it'd be alright. But no, it updated the graphics and added more voice acting and cutscenes, but kept all the outdated gameplay choices and it even seems it implemented them in a more clunky manner. The first boss kept hitting me despite being nowhere near me, for instance. I'm really forgiving and try to see the bright side of any…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What game do you often find yourself just playing the prologue to remember that feeling of when you were a kid playing the game for the first time? Some of mine are Super Metroid, Shadowrun, ALttP, and Secret of Mana.
positive · AI labelView post →Heroes, Story Art, Water Palace Audience, and Possessed Dyluck from Secret of Mana (Remake) by artist Haccan. More art from the game: www.creativeuncut.com/art_secret-o...
neutral · AI labelView post →The negative reviews are mostly old players proclaiming their childhood has been ruined or new players complaining the controls are too retro. Ignore them. This is a great game. This is more of a remaster than a remake. It remains very true to the original SNES version while offering modern graphics, audio, and some quality of life improvements. The original SNES music is still available, and the mini map also contains the original SNES graphics. If the voice overs bother you the voice volume…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm thinking about picking up a Mana game as my "side game" since I've never played one; folks who have, is Secret of Mana the best starting point? (The SNES version of course!)
neutral · AI labelView post →🎶New GaMetal Remix!🎶 We're taking it back to the game with one of the most iconic SNES soundtracks, Secret of Mana, to take on the Dark Lich with this remake of The Oracle! www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8xb...
neutral · AI labelView post →A new update for 'Secret of Mana: Reborn' ROM hack added "recreations of two previously unused locations cut from the finished game." www.timeextension.com/news/2026/02...
neutral · AI labelView post →Zelda. Secret of Mana. Holy shit game reviewers really need to update their knowledge of Japanese action RPG. omg
negative · AI labelView post →Although not a computer game, my favorite video game Santa moment is fighting his corrupted form in Secret of Mana
positive · AI labelView post →I've been regaining some cognitive tolerance lately, so I'm tipping my toes into "proper" gaming again. I did a bit of research which games might be suitable (not too much cognitive load or focus, still fun and engaging) and ended up with #ChronoTrigger. It might be the most praised SNES games that I have never played so far. Due to its production history, it also looks similar to a beloved classic of mine: #SecretOfMana. So far it's quite promising. :) #VideoGames #Gaming #SNES #RetroGaming
neutral · AI labelView post →if you have or can get access to the original, play that instead. the music is better, the gameplay is smoother. only thing remake has is graphics and it looks like cheap half a$$ed 3d.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tonight at 6 PM PST, I'm going to be starting a new playthrough of Secret of Mana! I haven't played this game since I was a kid, so I'm excited to revisit this gorgeous game and give it another playthrough! See you then! www.twitch.tv/eltrioch #vtuber #envtuber
positive · AI labelView post →The original Mana trilogy is funny. I owned Secret of Mana as a kid and loved it. I didn’t play FFA (SD1) until adulthood. I played a bit of the SD3 fan translation but not fully until “Trials of Mana” Yet, now SD1 and SD3 are my favorites, despite still having a ton of love and nostalgia for SoM 🤷🏻♂️
neutral · AI labelView post →Secret of Mana, SNES (1993) My comfort game.
positive · AI labelView post →In the dwarf village, after the show - the blacksmith door still wont open. You need to dash against it. Seems to be a year old bug. Maybe this one helps a few people.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After much time spent with this game and lots of hard thinking, I've decided that I simply cannot recommend this de-make. The only thing about the original game that arguably needed reworking was some of the hit detection. It seemed that swings on enemies would often miss for no reason and you never got a real positive feedback when you thwacked them. This is fixed in the remake, and hitting stuff with the sword finally feels like it should. But at what cost... What do you look for when you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just finished my most detailed oil painting to date from the video game Secret of Mana!
neutral · AI labelView post →Does not support Steam cloud save. Due to reasons having issue with my Steamdeck, I had to factory reset it which meant I lost all my data saved on the device. So because the game itself doesn't save your data on the cloud then you will definitely lose all your progress. Such a shame as his was a nice upgrade to the original game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For both good and for bad, it's a faithful recreation of the original game. Combat clunk and all. Everything else is either an upgrade (Animations on enemies mean less sudden cheap shots, UI is far more readable than SNES), an option (The remake OST is hit and miss, SNES version always available to swap) or a genuine appreciated effort. (There are now hotbar assignments, literally every single NPC is differently voiced.) If you liked the SNES, here's a decent remaster. If you're new,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Randi, Primm, Popoi, and Gemma from Secret of Mana (Remake) by artist Haccan. More art from the game: www.creativeuncut.com/art_secret-o...
neutral · AI labelView post →They did this game dirty. The soundtrack has been turned into utter garbage, which was more than half of the environment of the original. It just feels like slop meant to feed to people who wanted a touch of nostalgia. Horrible. Port the original.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What is a game you absolutely love to pieces, but everyone seems to have forgotten its existence, or it flew under the radar? I love Secret of Evermore so much. It's an action JRPG that plays JUST like Secret of Mana, but you need to find/buy ingredients to create alchemy, the game's magic system
neutral · AI labelView post →Secret of Mana: Climate Crisis - Battling Fahna at the Emperor's Castle. It's a good climatic fight for this point in the game. - Grinding spell levels is much faster than in vanilla Secret of Mana. - We call her Fluff Beast now. - The Test of Courage. #retrogaming #snes
positive · AI labelView post →READ BEFORE PURCHASE Please patch this game and its issues. This is a great game and certainly a throwback to childhood. The remaster visually is done very well. Got this to replay/relive these memories with my wife. However we quickly ran into issues. I got lost in Gaia Cave unable to find my way out. Then realized that it was not that I couldn't it was a bug that was preventing me to pass. After looking at resolutions online I was able to get past this using some glitching with getting…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played the original Secret of Mana on SNES and loved it. Played a few other Mana games on Switch and Steam and loved them. Played this for 2 hours and encountered a game-breaking bug that bricked my save. Thanks Square.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →bug gameplay. cant progress the game. cant enter the tiny pathway in gaia fall
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →PSA GAME IS CRITICALLY BUGGED EARLY GAME! DO NOT BUY! There are many short comings with this game, it is a cheap remake but you cannot progress as they changed the characters physics at one point making it impossible to get to gaias navel
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can not recommend this game for myself. I am unable to even get passed Gaia's Navel because of a game breaking bug. No matter what I tried or did, uninstalled, reinstall, left the area, sprinted, jump slashed, nothing worked to get pass this invisible wall. The start of the path between a wall and the water down below, there is a goblin kid and a slime off to the right leading to a different path. I really wanted to continue but was left saddened by this happening to me.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Share some of your favorite game OSTs 🎶 🎮 Unreal Tournament 🎮 Jazz Jackrabbit 2 🎮Deus Ex 🎮Secret of Mana
neutral · AI labelView post →
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