“Where did ya come from, where did ya go?”
Sword of Mana is a really interesting game in the Seiken Densetsu lineage, specifically for learning from its predecessors, trying new things, and functioning more than adequately as a GBA action rpg. Its aesthetics, gameplay, and story are all relevant to the Mana series writ-large, so we’re inquiring further, more than I usually do, into the history of Mana. Also I talk about Hiro Isono, Romantic era art and other fun stuff.
I never really got over Mana, and way back when I covered the games I totally ignored Sword of Mana. It fell through the cracks, so I dredged the thing back up. This is a much more “mature” and “sensible” look at the Mana games for the crymads that hate when I take my pitch up a notch and have a giggle. Try screaming sometime, you know, Patrick said it best and he was right. No need to tearfully whine about “thuh yoochewber” when you’re having a bad day, take that crap to league of legends. You know who you are.
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*note that I’m not changing my thumbnail structure, I just couldn’t make my style work with what I was trying to convey about the video being different, so I experimented with something more conventional. Back on my usual grind soon – see ya then
0:00 Historicizing About Mana
09:34 Intro to Sword
13:12 Mana’s Aesthetics
19:38 Talkin’ Gameplay
27:07 Sword Story
41:44 Finisher
#seikendensetsu #mana #kbash
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Silence youngling, for I recall an even more primitive, unholy time, a time of $30 Gameboy games and $70 cartridges… a time best left forgotten.
great video as always Kbro, love it when you tackle rpgs. Will you ever cover Earthbound/Mother 3/Mother series? 👀
I started to play this one like 10 years ago and never finished. I dont even know why for sure, i just started to do other stuff and totally abandoned the game. My save is still in my PC, but if i come back to it i probably will have to reset the entire game because i dont even remember what i needed to do.
God I would kill for you to do a long format video on Legend of Mana. I know you did it in the original coverage, but it's one of my favorite games of all time, and you're the only person I know of that actually pays the game it's due. It's just so…fucking amazing.
Still have my copy from when I was a kid, this is the game that got me into the mana series and too this day I dig the class system for it.
Gotta say, I really enjoyed this video. I'm a proud owner of this game, which I almost bought on a whim but ended up really enjoying, and it makes me sad that it's so overlooked and sometimes criticized by the community, hence why I thank you for bringing more attention to it and offering some really great outlook.
If I had to point out something to disagree with, it would be about the game's soundtrack. I really love it, specially the way it tries to combine more gb sounds with an orchestrated approach (as much as a gba will allow of course), which makes it sound more original compared to other soundtracks of the era. It seems to me like another attempt to unite the old and the new of the mana series.
Wow….just wow. Fantastic video!
Browniebear is really good at making these childhood magic games. You can very much see that in magical vacation and mother 3.
Both gba games that are stuck in japan…
Hope the sword of mana gets the trials of mana remake treatment one day
My favourite is Seiken Densetsu 3 – the art style, gameplay etc. I found Legends a huge let down, have tried to like it but it never clicked with me. Haven’t really kept up with the series until Trials was released. Thanks for the deep dive into Sword – very informative.
good video my man
This video makes me happy
You are the only YouTuber whose end credits I will actively pay attention to
Always nice to see some love for this game.
I apologize for putting a novel of text here as I often do but I feel it necessary to get this across.
Man, this was such a relaxing cozy video. It had such a soothing effect on me it was surreal. I believe a couple weeks ago on Twitter you said something to the effect of "I'm working on a non chaotic passion piece." And you were not the least bit kidding. This upload came at the most perfect time too because I actually bought a copy of Sword of Mana a while back and began playing it when I was on vacation with my dad and sister a couple weeks ago. The timing is so impeccable it's stunning. I recently fully inaugurated myself as a fan of the Mana series (due in no small part to your enthusiastic videos from a few years back) and I've very much enjoyed my time with it so far. I'm playing through Secret on SNES and I own a copy of Legend but I'm gonna wait until I've finished Secret and had time to play the original Trials on the Collection of Mana to sink my time into Legend. I know you sent out a Tweet implying this video isn't doing as well as you'd hoped. And while I think it's criminal that a video this passionately analytical isn't raking in the views you hoped it might've, It was a lovely watch, man. I personally adored this more down to earth and laid back approach to the game in question, because it's wonderfully apparent how much you appreciate what you're discussing. Just like your Axes video, I'm gonna rewatch this one A LOT down the road. Kbash, within the past year and a half/two years your videos have brought me an incalculable amount of entertainment. They've become such a reliable source of relief for me when I'm stressed or overwhelmed or depressed, I don't go a single week without watching at least a few of them. You've become of the few content creators on this platform who I follow so avidly and I hope you know how much your videos mean to some of us who watch them. I'd like to say thank you for being so damn awesome, dude. The work you put into these uploads is truly commendable and I hope at the very least you never feel like you've wasted your time doing it.
Man fuck the vid on mana games what’s the shampoo for them LOCKS?🧐🤣
10/10 hair. I love sword of mana its actually good. FFA is terrible.
your passion for whatever you're talking about shines through in each vid you make. keep up the great work homie
Hey Kbash, did ya ever play/check out Shadow Hearts series? That game was hella niche
Wonderful video KBash.
Doing my part to draw engagement and beat the algorithm!
My new favorite Kbash video… Really like the more chill and indepth tone
Sword of Mana should have been included in the SD Collection
Sword of mana! I played this when I was a kid. Really glad you decided to cover it.
Some hair care company needs to sponsor these vids (like Formula or Prose) cuz KBash out here looking straight out of a 90's Panetne commercial.
Soul Fencing always wroth with tears :p
Minor addition/correction: the protagonists' canon names (in this version) are Duke and Elena.
Love the loreal quality! Time to relax and watch it
Your luscious locks will always bring me crawling back no matter how long I've been away
Your hair looks fantasic
It really comes across how much you love this little mistreated, forgotten gba game as it is one of your least shitposty videos. Well done KBash.
You really owe it to yourself to take a look at the SoulBlazer trilogy on SNES, you’d find so much to love there.