Secret of Evermore
| Secret of Evermore | |
|---|---|
North American box art
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| Developer(s) | Square |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Designer(s) | Alan Weiss George Sinfield |
| Artist(s) |
Daniel Dociu Beau Folsom |
| Writer(s) | George Sinfield Paul Mazurek |
| Composer(s) | Jeremy Soule |
| Platform(s) | SNES |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Aggregate score | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 81% |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| AllGame |    |
| EGM | 33.5 out of 40 |
| Nintendo Life |   |
| Nintendo Power | 3.8 out of 5 |
| Game Players | 88 out of 100 |
| Next Generation | |
| RPGamer | 4 out of 5 |
| RPGFan | 86% |
| Super Play | 81 out of 100 |
Secret of Evermore is an action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released by Square in North America on October 1, 1995. In February 1996, it saw release in the PAL territories of Europe and Australia. A Japanese release was planned to follow the North American release by a few months, but was ultimately cancelled.
The story of Secret of Evermore follows a boy and his pet dog as they are inadvertently transported to a fantasy world created by an eccentric inventor. The player guides both the boy and his shapeshifting dog through Evermore, a world that is composed of separate realms, each resembling a different period of real-world history. The gameplay shares many similarities with Secret of Mana, such as real-time battles, a ring-shaped menu system, and the ability to switch control between the two characters. Despite similar game mechanics and a similar title, it is not an entry in the Mana series.
Secret of Evermore is unique in that it is the only game developed by Square designers in North America. The game received positive reviews upon its release due to its graphics and gameplay, but was criticized for not being up to the expectations many reviewers had of its developer.
Secret of Evermore takes many of its interface and gameplay aspects from Secret of Mana. The game mostly consists of an aerial view setting, in which the boy and his dog negotiate the terrain and fend off hostile creatures. If the boy is currently selected as the player character, his dog will be controlled by the artificial intelligence, and vice versa. Both characters can find refuge in caves or a town, where they can regain their hit points or purchase restorative items and equipment. Upon collecting enough experience points in battle, either character can increase in level with improved stats such as strength and evasion. Options including changing equipment, casting alchemy spells, or checking status can be quickly performed by rotating through the game's Action Ring system. Combat takes place in real-time. Located below the players hit points is a percentage gauge that determines the amount of damage done to an enemy, as well as how far the player can run. Swinging a weapon or running causes the gauge to fall to 0% and then quickly recharges, allowing the character to attack at full strength or to run at full sprint once it is full. The gauge may also fill up to allowing the player to use charged attacks with equipped weapons.
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Wikipedia