Games - Seiken Densetsu

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	Games - Seiken Densetsu

Seiken Densetsu (聖剣伝説; literally Holy Sword Legend) is a computer role-playing game series from Square Enix (formerly known as Square Co., Ltd.), created by Koichi Ishii. The series is known for its action-based battle system, as opposed to the traditional turn-based style adopted by most console role-playing games. The series began as a handheld gaiden ("side story") to Square's flagship franchise, Final Fantasy
, though most Final Fantasy-inspired elements were dropped from the series from the second installment.

In Japan, Seiken Densetsu generally generates less profit than other traditional series such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest
, and SaGa
. Even so, the franchise has been reasonably successful, with Seiken Densetsu 2 managing to sell more than 1.5 million copies in Asia alone.

Overview

For most people outside Japan, their introduction to the series was 1993's popular Secret of Mana which, in its native Japan, is actually the second game released in the series (聖剣伝説2/Seiken Densetsu 2) and the third game to hold the Seiken Densetsu title. However, as no games bearing the Western title, Mana, were released for another seven years - ten outside North America - the series is not widely known.

Much like the Legend of Zelda
and Final Fantasy
games, the Seiken Densetsu series generally has no explicit order of its games apart from their release dates; various attempts to order the games otherwise are often seen as contentious by the series' fans. For example, when 聖剣伝説3/Seiken Densetsu 3 was translated by fans in 2000, it was generally accepted canon (and still is by some) that it is a prequel to Secret of Mana, but since 2003's Sword of Mana's (Shin'yaku 聖剣伝説/Shin'yaku Seiken Densetsu) suggestions to its being a sequel to Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3 is considered by some to be Sword's sequel. What also makes it difficult to classify Seiken Densetsu's games is Square's ten-year lapse in numbering the Japanese titles. Legend of Mana (聖剣伝説 LEGEND OF MANA) and Sword of Mana (a remake of the original Seiken Densetsu/Final Fantasy Adventure/Mystic Quest) were released prior to the upcoming numbered 聖剣伝説4/Seiken Densetsu 4 and feature somewhat different gameplay styles and elements from their predecessors (particularly Legend): as a result, some players regard them as side-quests or gaiden to the "main series", while others do not make this differentiation.

Despite the classification differences, the games share a number of common elements. Most notably, the plotlines tend to revolve around the greedy ambitions of an often subversive antagonist who wishes to claim the force of Mana for themselves. Mana is described somewhat differently for each game, but it is perhaps best considered to be akin to Star Wars Force. Unlike The Force, however, Mana finds its source at the Mana Tree, a giant sacred tree which, from Seiken Densetsu 3 onwards, is revealed to be the resting place of the Mana Goddess after she creates the world, named Fa'Diel in Legend of Mana. By the antagonist's actions to claim Mana, the "balance" of it is thrown askew; as a result, the protagonist hero (or heroes) find their daily lives also thrown askew and are launched on their quest to restore the balance, despite how catastrophic the restoration may be. Another very important element of Seiken Densetsu is the Mana Sword which could, perhaps, be best described as a key to controlling Mana.

Another common element of the games is its top-down action-based battle system, helped in part by its distinctive hierarchical "ring menu" system. Each ring is a set of pictures with a textual infobox explanation which, upon selection, allow the player to use an item, or cast a spell, or to look up game statistics or change game settings. Navigation within a menu is achieved by rotating the ring through the cursor left or right with the left or right buttons, while changing the menu is achieved by pressing the up or down buttons. Secret of Mana is almost entirely based upon this system, while later games have more traditional RPG menus accompanying it; Legend of Mana only uses ring menus for encyclopædia selection and in monster breeding options. The controversial spin-off Secret of Evermore was also built upon the ring menu system.
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Games - Seiken Densetsu

Overview

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