SNES drunk I still love this game anyway and compared to other games it sucks but it has interesting stuff in it I was able to finish the game and it is difficult but doable but I like being able to control the dog that's a good touch and future dog is my favorite version he hovers on jet legs and barks lazerbeams soooo cooool
This is a bad video, and I'm planning on re-doing it sometime later in 2019. Some context: back when I first started this channel, my only audience were the kind folks at the Racketboy forums. The videos I'd put out at that time were for Top Gear, Chrono Trigger, Final Fight, Griffey baseball, all games I loved. Someone at the forum joked, "Are you ever going to do a *critical* review?" I chose Secret of Evermore as my first negative review, and I went overboard, foolishly. I still don't really like this game, but after playing a gazillion other RPGs, I can say it is WAY better than I ever gave it credit for compared to its peers. So, expect a new video to replace this one sometime in 2019. Thanks
It's fair to not like a game. I have found memories of the game, I still remember the cameo of Cecil from FF2(4) in a shop in the knight/medieval realm. I tried it again years later on an emulator and gave the fudge up before pulling my old cartridge out and replaying it and all hit box issues and item hunting with the dog cleared up(hope that isn't your issue) and as an adult the splat is less funny but I LOVED it when the game was new. I count this amongst the gems I found back in the day that no one I know found an interest in till I showed them off.(I'd like to note that it aged less well than some) that is the issue I think.... I enjoyed it back in the day, and nostolgicly enjoyed it when I replayed it later.... but honestly it was only the magic and in my opinion trade bazaar that I think has any level of freshness to it still after the years.
I have seen a lot of your videos and i could say which are your favourite games because you are not critical with them such as TMNT 4, NBA Jam or Space Megaforce. All them need a little more negative review. Hey, I am not criticizing you, this is just an idea for others future videos.
A lot of the criticism is deserved. Although I played through this game once as a teenager, I've never managed to play it through again, despite trying many times. There are too many annoying things about it and I usually quit very early on. I still like the game though. Let's see a remake!
I would love to see a new review for this game. IMHO it is one of the top games of the SNES platform. Fantastic soundtrack, great gameplay, goofy characters and puns. Quite enjoyable. Even my 2 teenage sons love the game, so I'm looking forward to an updated review. Just my 2¢ :)
I was going to write something completely different until I saw the date and this comment! When I heard you say it was bad, I thought you might point out that alchemy is/can be very *Broken* to the point that there is no point using the weapons; or the later alchemy spells (lv.9 flash, crush, etc. instead of new stuff like fireball or whatever) Or point out that it is so short, and so linear, or ... or the numerous bugs, infinite bazooka ammo, etc. The hit detection is wonky, but can be overcome, IIRC combat was actually harder in secret of mana. lv2 and lv3 strikes are sometimes easier to land. But even a casual play-though is enjoyable, If you follow the naive path you probably wont hit many of the above problems in the game. ProTip: stand still when trying to collect ingredients, it works better, although, iirc some locations are bugged where the dog will sniff, but you can't pick up anything. The only serious complaint I had, was that starting out you had to grind for about an hour, to be able to beat the first boss; though later playthoughs (later in life as well) this is mitigated some, since some knowledge and strategy can get you past the boss without too much grinding; the first time player is going to fall into the grind path, because its that or die to the boss too many times; no prior in game hints as to the strategy (you learn it in the re-fight later on by fighting him again at a higher level.)
Twenty years on, I'm still playing this game from time to time. There's something about entering fantasy worlds of other people that tickles my fancy. Also, the game is weird. Sometimes it's bugs, sometimes it's meant to be, but I just love it how the game makes me feel like I don't belong there.
Bugs or not, I distinctly remember being at the store as a kid and buying this game simply because the dog was a playable character. I've played through the game several times, and couldn't disagree more with people who say mana this mana that. This game simply had a charm that hooked me as a kid, and didn't wear off as an adult. It tickled some interests in history as a kid, and it still does to this day with it's own pizzazz. I still play every now and again, and it's probably the only SNES game I've beaten 10+ times.
sorta like alice in wonderland in that sense, or like playing it made me feel similar to how i felt when i first read that as a kid. at least with the queen, and with everyone ELSE seeming crazy
i loved every second of the game. you played as 'a kid and his dog' i mean c'mon how cool is that? outstanding graphics for it's time and the ambient soundtrack soaked me deeply into evermore. and to top it all it had that weird humor
I like the game. I highly anticipated it in 1995 since I loved Secret of Mana and Square's other releases so much. The graphics are wonderful, and I just love the Ancient Greece and medieval areas. It kind of falls flat near the end though, when it should have climaxed. So when I play it, I enjoy the first 3/4 of the game the best, which isn't really how you want it to be. Also, the alchemy ability was very unique.
I have to disagree, I would totally recommend this game. It has a humor and a sense of atmosphere that were rarely matched in games of its era. Although your criticisms of the game are all completely valid. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed myself with this one, I thought it was better than Secret of Mana in pretty much every regard
RollingWithNat20 You make good points, especially about the humor. I know I'm in the minority about this one (hence all the dislikes) but I just didn't enjoy playing it. Maybe I'll come back to it someday.
This game is one of my all time favorites! I never had a dog. And this was the closest to that I had growing up. The adventure and funky gameplay feel so gooofy and delightful. Thanks for sharing your feelings on it.
He says it's not that bad but he can't recommend it. A lot of people disagree with him on this one, because he tends to praise the same games that have been talked about to death. This game had nothing to do with Mana. There was a second Mana game we didn't get, Japan got. His big complaint was the hit detection, so because he didn't like the hit detection it's not good? Illusion of Gaia was strange and didn't make sense. Yet he praised the hell out of it because it's a Quartet game in the trilogy. That would didn't seem more interesting than this game. It wasn't talked about because people had moved on from Snes. It was late in the life cycle when it came out. Earthbound wasn't popular and never talked about back then. Yet it's a cult hit today, so that's kind of hypocritical when you think about this review. Chrono Trigger cake out the same year as this game, so that probably had more to do with it being overlooked. That's some stuff as competition! This game wasn't exactly marketed well either I never heard of it back then.
hm i normally totally agree with you but i loved secret of evermore and even liked it playing it about 10 years later on an emulator. mostly because of alchemy and the whole atmosphere was so awesome. it has its downs but somehow what bugs you never seemed like a biggie to me. i still agree with you for example that chrono trigger is the best rpg on the snes ;)
I've seen 115 of your reviews and this is the first one I disagree with. I find it very odd that you don't like it. I agree with the downsides you mention, but there is soo much more to the game (despite bad hit detection). I recon, this game is not for anyone except hardcore RPG nerds, so I am surprised you don't even recommend it to those type of gamers. thx for lots of other great reviews btw! Cheers from Denmark
I wanna say I'm surprised people are defending this game, because I started playing it today, got past the prehistoric area and I just can't force myself to continue. I have to agree with everything SnesDrunk is saying. There's good in it, but it's just outweighed by the bad, imo. I really can't believe this would be in any sane person's top 5 games though.
Same ! It looks like an april fool video, he says the eras are boring except the future, wtf, the future is the less interesting one, the music is amazing too !
I looove this game. The music alone is so hauntingly beautiful. You may dislike it, but even when I know the weaknesses too well, I appreciate it for what it is. Theres just so much hidden stuff..and yeah, it has its flaws, but lets be true, even the greatest games have its bad sides..sometimes very bad sides.
Fun fact: The soundtrack is composed by Jeremy Soule, who went on to do the music to the Elder Scrolls series. This was the first game he worked on, and he was only 19 at the time.
The atmosphere that you appreciate so much Super Metroid can be applied to this game too. This is one that you just have to play by it's rules (as you often say) to enjoy and appreciate it. But thanx for being honest about your opinions. Also, back when it came out it was much more exciting and fun, and sometimes that makes a lot of difference with opinions.
It may not have aged well mechanically (or ever been that strong in the first place) but I don't think there is another game on the SNES with the same moody atmosphere as SoE. It's just so weird, and dark and lonely I can't help but have a soft spot for it to this day.
You know, that's a good point. I made this video over 3 years ago, and I've gone through at least three dozen Super Famicom RPGs since then, and not a single one of them is anything like SoE. I might have to re-visit this one sometime
I agree: The atmosphere is beautifully dark and mysterious and in my opinion unique to SoE). There are some problems in the game mechanics and the dungeons can be tiring after some time. Still , back in the day, it was a tremendous gaming experience for me. By the way, did you play Hyper Light Drifter?
The unique atmosphere is definitely my favourite part of this game. I wasn't particularly entertained by the first part of this game either, but once you get to the pirate land and cross the desert, and find your transformed dog in some Roman palace, the bizarre setting and gloomy music really starts pushing all the right buttons for me.
At the age of 24, I played through this game for the first time. I loved it. Your criticisms are pretty short-sighted. The sand traps in the desert level are pathetically easy to avoid. I got caught by one trap and I never let it happen again. The character saying "This is getting old" is a message to the player: "you suck." The sound track is pretty enjoyable, but falls short on there simply not being enough variety. The story is better than you are giving it credit for too, but you didn't really explain why you didn't like it, so I won't put any more effort into defending it. "...but [Secret of Evermore] falls short of even an average game..." What SNES games are you playing? Share with me the action RPG's for the SNES that you think are better than this one. I expect a decently long list since you are essentially calling this game trash.
"Share with me the action RPG's for the SNES that you think are better than this one." Terranigma, Secret of Mana, Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, Shadowrun, Alcahest. The hit detection is the big deal-breaker in Secret of Evermore, it's a significant problem.
I do agree that the hit detection is kinda shit; but I really liked the game, however I think the game feel unfinished, especially toward the end things move too fast and makes little sense.
@@mechanicalmizer if he was mostly basing it on the opening areas and trying to hit the little high evasion flying bugs where missing a lot early on is common maybe. Hit detection is also based on how the weapon swings. All three weapon types swing differently and that was part of the mechanics of the game and came in useful against different kinds of enemies sometimes. It wasn't all about just using the newest and the best.
Honestly, I think you got this game right the first time around. It’s downright infuriating to play at times. Even when the attack meter is fully charged and I manage to hit the enemy, it will often either say that I missed or do minimal damage. The alchemy system is an interesting idea, but poorly executed. I like the presentation and narrative intrigue, but none of this can make up for the frustrating combat. Secret of Mana also has a lot of problems, and it’s far from my favourite game, but it’s gameplay is at least more tolerable than Evermore. The wider selection of weapons, more traditional magic system and ability to play with up to two other people all make it the superior game.
Well, that was weird. From what i can recall there are distinct story arcs for all the four 'worlds' as well as an arc to tie it up in the end. Sure it's not along the lines of 'saving the world' but in itself it's cohesive.
I was waiting for a message telling me "This was a joke, the game is great, duh". But there was no message.. And I think we're kind of living on different planets, because as far as I remember, the game was famous as hell! It felt like playing a darker and more mature version of Secret of Mana. And I loved that dog so much. :,D
There is such a thing as "So bad it's good again." But yeah, Evermore deserves more credit. It does fall flat in the fourth act and there are some oddball things with the gameplay happening, but I always prefered playing this over Secret of Mana. Love the music, love the scenery, love to overlevel and overbank myself to death by leveling Flash to 9:98 right next to the starting village and using it as my only spell for everything boss-related till the very end.
I disagree with your opinion of this game. I agree with some of the issues you mentioned like the fetch quests, but everything else was you not playing the game very well. You keep missing the enemies because you aren't charging your shots, or leveling your character or weapon enough. The wiripools in the first world are in the same place every time, so you just have to remember where they are. The item pickup is kinda finicky, but then that's just punishment for being a cheap-o, since most alchemy ingredients can be bought wholesale from certain merchants--you can even quick travel to them when you get the spaceship. All in all, this game isn't without its frustrations, but with patience, grinding, and maybe a strategy guide, I think it can be really fun and rewarding. Honestly though? This is the same game with a different story, setting, and two characters instead of 4, so if you like Secret of Mana, you should like this. I personally perfer Secret of Evermore to Secret of Mana's simple, generic, Tolkien-esk fantasy setting and its story in terms of both originally and variety.
It's definitely a mixed bag, but it's still a great game if you allow yourself to get immersed. I like the fact that you have a dog, and I like the ambient background themes. It gives you the sense of loneliness as you traverse the word with only your dog for company.
@jvalex18 The hit detection isn't really a problem, the enemies did have an "evasion" stat, hence why the "miss" text showing up when you miss the hit, if their hit detection were to be bad the wouldn't even be messages like that, you would just miss all the time. The Flying Skulls were very annoying to kill for that reason, but also because you had to time when they set foot on ground to actually hit them. As for the items there were just a few places where it was actually a problem how to pick em up from the ground. The problem wasn't present that much.
Back in the day I rented this game one weekend. I don't remember a lot of things about it like the bad hit detection. I do remember liking it and that it was a very unique game. I'm not sure why, but it reminds me of Startropics in how it just feels different than other games.
SNES drunk is it really that unplayable? I need my mana fix, can't get a secret of mana 2 cart. is it good for a mana fix until I can find a good quality English translated secret of mana 2 cart? the graphics look great on evermore
I think you're probably mostly correct, in that the game has a lot of really neat ideas but the technical execution wasn't very good. I LOVED the alchemy system, in particular, it's something I've really kind of wondered why they don't do in more games. However, even with that, there's issues with the spell levels, especially the damaging ones. When you get new spells, they really don't do much more then the ones you've been leveling earlier. For example... the best attack spell in the game is probably Crush... which you get very early in the second world. This is a game that I think would really benefit with an enhanced remake. Gotta keep the music, though; the ambiance really makes the game feel unique from it's kin from the time.
I totally respect SNES Drunk's opinion, and therefore, have no desire to change his feelings on this game. That being said, for those who might be on the fence on whether or not they should play this game, here are some responses to his criticisms: Hit detection: At times unpredictable, yes, but (in my opinion) nowhere near the nightmare he's making it sound like. If you've played Mana, I imagine you'll feel quite comfortable with it. Dog-sniffing: I think he has the wrong idea here. If you can't pick up the ingredient that the dog is sniffing, that's not an issue with hit detection; that means you're not standing in quite the right place. Adjust your position and you will find it. Fetch quests for villagers: The quests are definitely there, but I don't feel like they're anywhere near the standard RPG formula. This game is more like an archetypal fish-out-of-water myth (a la Wizard of Oz/Alice in Wonderland) where you dip into several foreign little worlds and incidentally change their lives while trying to find your way home. Ambient music: It this soundtrack is 'put-you-to-sleep' material, then so is Super Metroid. Evermore's soundtrack is, in my book, pure gold. Dog: I felt an amazing connection with that darn dog. He does so much of the heavy-lifting on offense, that you are not the same combat unit without him. The one criticism I agree with is the inappropriate bug-squish noise. Who thought that was a good idea?? Otherwise, an amazing game that got the ripoff of a lifetime by having to stand in Mana's shadow.
Part of the problem some people have against this game, is that few emulators will even emulate the sound properly. You pretty much NEED BSNES/its successor (Snes9x etc won't cut it) to even hear the sound properly. As for the hit detection, there is that... but then that adds a bit of challenge to the game. Secret of Mana was a bit too easy, this game gets some challenge from the hit detection. It encourages you to use the right weapon on the right enemies. In the clip where you talk about annoying enemies and hit detection, you're trying to fight flying skulls with the spear with normal swings. lol. That's a big "NOPE!". If you're normal swinging, use a sword, and stand just slightly to the left or right of them. Or, use spells. Those things give lots of XP and money. What the dog finds is mainly just to supplement your spell ingredient list; you're more supposed to buy most of it (since there's not a huge amount of armor to buy, most of your money goes into ingredients). Also, it helps to know that the dog will sniff out more than just ingredients... again, that clip where you are talking about not being able to find what the dog sniffs, where you're at the well? The dog is sniffing the crank because it has a secret. Use the crank to pull a troll out that lets you get another item later when you find said troll in the forest. SoE made several improvements over Secret of Mana... 1), it got rid of the mandatory spell leveling (some bosses in SoM were ridiculous.... until you leveled the spells then they were cakewalk), 2). it made character movement faster (SoM movement was so slow) and 3). it gave you more variety of weapons and their attacks, and also gave you ranged attacks that didn't suck. I suppose you could also say it sped combat up a bit, which was cool too. I feel the game is unfairly railed on because of misunderstandings about how to actually play the game, and what exactly is going on, or what you are expected to do and this video is more of that. I don't have anything against you, you have your opinion and all but I think it's slightly unfair for the reasons mentioned above. The game wasn't *that* bad. I remember it fondly and still play it off-and-on to this day when I want some fast-paced Action RPG play, as there's not a whole lot of that around for SNES. Wish someone would make a good sequel to this formula to be honest. We've not had anything for awhile, and the few Steam Greenlight ones are just that... stuck in Greenlight/unfinished state... There's Ys games, but those tend to be too ridiculously difficult for my tastes. I want something right in the middle, between too difficult and too easy, and this game fits rather nicely.
I notice you keep saying hit detection is the deal breaker for this game, but thats a pretty pisspoor deal breaker. Saying "bad mechanics ruins a game" may work on a modern standard, but the same is hardly true for retro games. Thats like saying the hit detection in Morrowind makes it a bad game, which is entirely unjustified. Secret of Evermore has an enjoyable story, a great protaganist, and amazing graphics for the time. If you cant struggle past annoying hit detection, you have no right to call yourself even remotely good at retro games
one small easter egg about the game is when it was released in Germany the starting Town was called ,,Großostheim,,. this Town actully exist in Bavaria Germany and was the HQ of Nintendo Europe.
i think this is one of those games that would benefit from being ported to 3DS with better hit detection and a little cleanup. i always enjoyed playing this game and sometimes i would even play as the dog instead of the boy. I never minded that it wasnt very story heavy. i thought it was cool to travel through different time periods.
I love this game. The flying skulls used to drive me nuts as a kid, then I figured out how to kill them. I think some of the hit detection depends upon what weapon you're using as well. If I remember correctly, as the game progresses and you level up the dog, he gets better at finding ingredients.
Well I really loved this game, although I accepted that Secret of Mana was better- but then again, I was very forgiving as a kid, eagerly devouring any RPG that came down the pipe. Living in a PAL region, Australia in particular, was the PITS, we missed out on SO MANY GAMES back then- we didn't even get FFVI or Chrono Trigger. The ONLY good thing ever to come from being a PAL gamer was that we got Terranigma (best action JRPG of the 16-bit era and one of the best of all time) when America didn't. But I still remember Evermore fondly, even though its flaws are even more apparent in hindsight, and I think you're a bit too harsh on it. It's still worth the play because it's such a unique experience.
I was really excited for this game, as so many people seemed to be such fans of it. However I was instantly turned-off when I came to understand that I had to constantly scrounge around for alchemy bits in order to cast any spells, and the hit box was infuriating. When I first picked it up the raptors kicked my ass multiple times before I realized the exact positioning I needed to hit them and not be hit. Between having to finagle the hit box nonsense and very limited magic to try to make up for it, coupled with the other things SNES mentions, it was too frustrating and I haven't touched it since.
Alot of the things you mention as negatives can be seen as positive. I personally enjoyed the story and atmosphere much more than other JRPGs. I find the hit detection ads a certain challenge and variety that you don't see in more predictable systems. The only downside I see to the dog sniffing resources isn't at all the difficulty, but the lack of reward. It's not worth doing when you can just buy the stuff. But it seems perfectly reasonable that you'd have to dig around and search if your dog was sniffing at the ground. To me, this added a certain degree of depth to the game and made the environment feel like more than a cardboard map. There's plenty of other things that I like and so I keep playing even as an adult. :) I am drawn to it much more than Chronotrigger or FFIII for the Snes, though these two last I am just as much a fan of.
The real reason why a lot of people didn't like it, was mostly that they didn't learn to be observant and pay attention to details. and you can't just rush this game, you need to grind to get better. People just could figure out how to play and were too impatient. But this game is better. I had no problem with the hit detection nor getting used to mazes. At 2.8 Meg's it was a large game. Making atmospheric soundtracks was a new idea. It was a unique idea. People today are terrible gamers. Casuals and newbies have 0 patience, and want to be spoon-fed everything. Games like soe required to teach by experience. It's called intelligent design classic megaman games did the same thing. This I no longer see. Good conveyance requires no tutorials.
How drunk were you? This game is fucking amazing. And the music is probably the best soundtrack of any SNES game. Also, the hit detection is not nearly as bad as your making it out to be, seriously it's just as bad as secret of mana. The game is a b movie with obvious comedy, the squish is not at all out of place. Highly recommend this game to ARPG players who like historic themed areas.
I explored the alchemy system and found it addictive. Finding bits and components to make spells function and when they did WAM. With properly leveled Alchemy you will steamroll this game. Once you get crush you can grind out the spell near the entrance to the desert on your way to the bazaar. But hey, most people just want to whack stuff
I didn't own this one as a kid, although I did own secret of mana and thought it was an OK action-rpg. However, for some reason this game has intrigued me for the past 20 years. It's one of those games I always tell myself: "someday i'll make the time to play through it". I FINALLY picked it up and the strategy guide. Even after watching this review, I still can't wait to start it!
There are aspects of this game that could have been improved, but personally I like it a lot. Playing on an emulator with the 2-player patch and a friend makes it a lot better as well.
This game is historical. You need to understand it as a first sort of flirt with the Secret of Mana formula for different games. I loved the heck out of this game because at the time it was an oasis in the face of conventional gameplay. It is flawed and it pissed me off a ton but part of playing a game on the edge of new ideas is adapting to inventive but .....distorted gameplay mechanics. I loves the dog myself but, I am a dog person I love dogs period.
How so? Believe it or not you need to offer coherent explanations of pithy remarks or they don't mean anything. Your response is bluntly incoherent and offers nothing to discuss, nothing to ponder, no possible education, and is bluntly just worthless as a social exercise other than to make me aware that you exist and that you are probably a dumb ass with emotional issues you are lashing out at strangers over.
Living up to the SoM standard? Not much of a standard to live up to! Combat hit detection, while not great, isn't _that_ much of a problem if you use alchemy and charge up attacks (admittedly they take time to level up but there's also items in the game that make you hit easier and dodge much easier). Combat overall works slightly better than in SoM for a single player. Dialogue is much, much better than in SoM, though parts of the story are a bit dumb and the late game felt rushed. 2:48 It doesn't tell the story through those, they're requirements for furthering the story :P Never thought the ost was a bad fit either, it balances out some of the silly stuff and really works with the relatively realistic looking (compared to JRPGs) environments. Especially in Colossia and the castles. You should try the balance patch by Ninakoru.
I find this game as one of the most underrated rpgs. Less known than Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy VI. It has a pretty interesting story too
Awesome game. Love the world, graphics and soundtrack. Picking up ingredients is difficult at first but at some point you know where to press the button. Finished it multiple times. Very underrated.
This was the first video game that I bought with my own money. I was 15, scrawny, geeky, socially awkward. My dad used to give us a $20/week allowance. I built a giant lego world in my bedroom based on this game. I still have my OG cartridge.
All of the points made in the video are valid, but for whatever reason Secret of Evermore is still one of my favorite titles for the SNES. While it may be less than the sum of its parts, I think I enjoy all of its individual pieces so much that I still enjoy it despite the lack of cohesiveness between components. I will say the amount of grinding one has to do to level weapons up to a usable level is my biggest complaint followed shortly by how vague the dog's sniffing out of ingredients can be. Sometimes it is hit detection, as you mentioned, but other times the dog is sniffing something out that is a meter/yard or three away. I think it could do to be remastered or reimagined so long as they keep the quirky story, characters, and alchemy system.
I'm replaying it atm. It drives me crazy that each weapon starts at skill level 0 and that nothing transfers over. If I'm good with the Horn Spear, I feel that would affect how well I can use the Bronze Spear. Nope. Its frustrating b/c it means I either have to grind way more than you really need to do to advance the story, or it just means Dog is the main damage dealer, and you back him up with spells. Still blows my mind that this was Jeremy Soule though, the man that went on to score the Elder Scrolls series.
I enjoy your reviews of SNES games so keep up the great work. I only recently stumbled across your channel a few weeks ago. I recognize some of the flaws you pointed out with SoE but I still have a lot of love for it and I admit it's purely nostalgia on my part. I was never able to get my hands on a copy of Secret of Mana despite reading about it in Nintendo Power as a kid but I did manage to get my hands on SoE and played the hell out of it.
For some reason when I replayed this as an adult I had a much easier time picking up the ingredients then when I played this game as a kid. Perhaps I just had a better idea of where they are suppose to be since I played the game before. I think the alchemy system was really cool, but hated the fact that some of the supplies was limited for certain spells meaning I would never be able to level them up to 8:98. Even as a kid I would level every elemental magic in Secret of Mana to 8:99.
From the video and your later comments, it sounds like the hit detection is the thing that ruins the game for you, but it's just as bad in Secret of Mana, which you love. I really don't see the difference from what you call one of SNES' greats, and this that you call not even average. And the music from Jeremy Soule being a negative point! I don't know man. The game is so close to Mana and I even think it's quite better. I could go either way on the two but to think they are so different in quality in unbelievable.
There's an LP I made of Secret of Mana on this channel. Even playing more recently, I had minimal problems with hit detection. We just disagree. Oh well.
I have recently discovered your content and have been basically binge watching it. Great stuff! When I was a kid I grew up loving Secret of Mana and eagerly played Evermore only to be disappointed. I actually played it again about a month ago and still hit the same conclusion. I have always loved Square's video games but this one just didn't do it for me. I totally agree with the points you make. Not really sure why so many people are bashing you for having an opinion. Keep up the awesome work!
Well, everyone has their tastes, but I totally agree about the technical issues causing a damper on the whole experience. Though, I love the soundtrack and the fact you don't just whiff when your character isn't at 100% for attacking like in SoM.I'd recommend it, but only to those with an exorbitant amount of patience.
I played this game when I was a child. Now, 25 years later, I`m playing Secret of Mana. It´s kind of cool, but I still like SoE more. Greatings from Germany...
I loved Secret of Evermore as a kid. The hit detection was a pain but I just powered through because everything else was so charming. I think the reason I loved it so much is that the humor and story were so western. A lot of JRPG's lose something in the translation. Plus you get to hang out with your dog while beating up monsters throughout a series of changing realms? My God, kid me was blown away. I rented that game from Blockbuster for about 4 weeks straight beating it. I will never understand how this game is considered such a flop, I will treasure the fun I had always.
I remember when I played through this for the first time on snes nearly 10 years ago, loved it and didn't understand why it was so hated. Sure it didn't have much of a story but it wasn't really about its story, the game play and atmosphere is what makes it special there's really not many games like this even on the snes.
I really love this game, and I can agree that it has some flaws. For example there is one maze in each world which gets annoying fast. As for hit detection, I was able to pick up items fairly easily and the only trouble I had with it was with hitting the flying enemies. In other words, your review was well done and I do respect your opinion.
I acually loved this game, another in my rpg library. Just a cute simple story of a kid living in a boring town called podunk, the dog chases a cat somewhere and you land in an abandoned science ladand gets transported back in time. The different time periodswere cool and the music was great. And i loved how the portagonist was always comparing situations to sifi movies
This was a decent game for it's time. I remember buying it on release. The problem was that it came out around the same time as Chrono Trigger, which was a far superior game, and so SoE became overshadowed. I just remember seeing the ads for the game on the back of my comicbooks and being really hyped for the game.
Wow, i have a totally different opinion on this game. SoE, along with A Link To The Past, Illusion of Time and Secret of Mana defined my childhood and who i am today. Awesome and deep game.Technical issues are there, yes, but i didn't care for them when i was young because this game takes you on a fascinating journey through worlds and through time.
jvalex18 your answer is too simple. i played tons of games during my childhood, also games which i don't remember very well anymore. but this game especially fascinated me very much. i completed it twice when i was 11.
jvalex18 so you are saying everybody who is young has no taste because he is young? i don't think so. children have often (not always) a very good feeling for what is good and what is not. i found out that most of the games and movies i disliked when i was a kid are also considered bad from the majority of critics nowadays.
Objectively bad? If something is objectively bad than it's this few minutes review about a game where you can put dozens over dozens of hours into. Other reviews on youtube about Secret of Evermore have a total different view on this game and praise it. So, where is your objectivity now? Secret of Evermore's strength is the atmosphere it creates through it's story, it's locations, scenes, characters and it's fantastic ambient sound. Also some of the bosses in this game were among the most memorable and coolest designed bosses i have fought in video games.
Bad take on a highly underrated game. The atmosphere was amazing and the dark undertones hidden beneath the surface lended to the vibes. The ambience used in traversal areas was something no games did at the time and now we have games like Dark Souls that do it. The soundtrack was amazing and it drove home the feeling of each area, from The Halls of Collosia to the lonely town of Ebon Keep. It sounds like you never experience this game back in the 90s when it came out.
Completely understand your point but loved this game as a kid and finally finished it a few years ago. Although it was a mission and very tedious and hard I wish they properly completed it without rushing it. Another added world would have been awesome. Loved the different unique lands and Jeremy Soules debut soundtrack.
This game is amazing and there are no other snes RPG or RPGs in general which deliver the kind of atmosphere the Evermore does. I have always preferred evermore to secret of mana and I think it has aged much better. Mana seems very dated now, whreas thanks to the alchemy system Evermore feels more modern. The hit detection is fine too, the more you level up and play the easier it gets. I never had any problems with it, even when I was an 11 year old kid. And sound design is amazing too, by the great Jeremy Soule who does the elder scrolls soundtracks. I disagree with the review. Evermore stands out as one of the strongest and most unique action rpgs on the snes and in general.
But this game is amazing D: , it had some annoying moments but I enjoyed it for being light hearted and fun. I've actually finished this game several times, compared to secret of mana which I've yet to finish. I'll get on that one day.
I liked this game as a high school student, but looking back on it, my biggest gripe is that, actually, the enemies are kind of boring. For the most part you're fighting vermin all the way through. There are a few assorted satyrs and warriors, but even when you're 75% done, you're still fighting maggots and stuff.
![Is Primal Rage [SNES] Worth Playing Today? - SNESdrunk](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ik7fvwvAB8s/mqdefault.jpg)
I revisited this game in December 2019, please watch this video instead: ua-cam.com/video/4KaT1uUxlWc/v-deo.html
SNES drunk I still love this game anyway and compared to other games it sucks but it has interesting stuff in it I was able to finish the game and it is difficult but doable but I like being able to control the dog that's a good touch and future dog is my favorite version he hovers on jet legs and barks lazerbeams soooo cooool
It really is an improvement. Nice work!
This is a bad video, and I'm planning on re-doing it sometime later in 2019. Some context: back when I first started this channel, my only audience were the kind folks at the Racketboy forums. The videos I'd put out at that time were for Top Gear, Chrono Trigger, Final Fight, Griffey baseball, all games I loved. Someone at the forum joked, "Are you ever going to do a *critical* review?" I chose Secret of Evermore as my first negative review, and I went overboard, foolishly.
I still don't really like this game, but after playing a gazillion other RPGs, I can say it is WAY better than I ever gave it credit for compared to its peers. So, expect a new video to replace this one sometime in 2019. Thanks
It's fair to not like a game. I have found memories of the game, I still remember the cameo of Cecil from FF2(4) in a shop in the knight/medieval realm. I tried it again years later on an emulator and gave the fudge up before pulling my old cartridge out and replaying it and all hit box issues and item hunting with the dog cleared up(hope that isn't your issue) and as an adult the splat is less funny but I LOVED it when the game was new. I count this amongst the gems I found back in the day that no one I know found an interest in till I showed them off.(I'd like to note that it aged less well than some) that is the issue I think.... I enjoyed it back in the day, and nostolgicly enjoyed it when I replayed it later.... but honestly it was only the magic and in my opinion trade bazaar that I think has any level of freshness to it still after the years.
I have seen a lot of your videos and i could say which are your favourite games because you are not critical with them such as TMNT 4, NBA Jam or Space Megaforce. All them need a little more negative review. Hey, I am not criticizing you, this is just an idea for others future videos.
A lot of the criticism is deserved. Although I played through this game once as a teenager, I've never managed to play it through again, despite trying many times. There are too many annoying things about it and I usually quit very early on. I still like the game though. Let's see a remake!
I would love to see a new review for this game. IMHO it is one of the top games of the SNES platform. Fantastic soundtrack, great gameplay, goofy characters and puns. Quite enjoyable. Even my 2 teenage sons love the game, so I'm looking forward to an updated review. Just my 2¢ :)
I was going to write something completely different until I saw the date and this comment! When I heard you say it was bad, I thought you might point out that alchemy is/can be very *Broken* to the point that there is no point using the weapons; or the later alchemy spells (lv.9 flash, crush, etc. instead of new stuff like fireball or whatever) Or point out that it is so short, and so linear, or ... or the numerous bugs, infinite bazooka ammo, etc.
The hit detection is wonky, but can be overcome, IIRC combat was actually harder in secret of mana. lv2 and lv3 strikes are sometimes easier to land.
But even a casual play-though is enjoyable, If you follow the naive path you probably wont hit many of the above problems in the game. ProTip: stand still when trying to collect ingredients, it works better, although, iirc some locations are bugged where the dog will sniff, but you can't pick up anything.
The only serious complaint I had, was that starting out you had to grind for about an hour, to be able to beat the first boss; though later playthoughs (later in life as well) this is mitigated some, since some knowledge and strategy can get you past the boss without too much grinding; the first time player is going to fall into the grind path, because its that or die to the boss too many times; no prior in game hints as to the strategy (you learn it in the re-fight later on by fighting him again at a higher level.)
I think this game is very underrated.
you are right. it is great!
agreed. this is definitely one of my favorite rpg's on the snes.
@Bad Camp its the best
I loved it. Might be nostalgia goggles talking but I have fond memories of it. Never owned it but played the hell out of it on emulators growing up
Twenty years on, I'm still playing this game from time to time. There's something about entering fantasy worlds of other people that tickles my fancy. Also, the game is weird. Sometimes it's bugs, sometimes it's meant to be, but I just love it how the game makes me feel like I don't belong there.
Bugs or not, I distinctly remember being at the store as a kid and buying this game simply because the dog was a playable character. I've played through the game several times, and couldn't disagree more with people who say mana this mana that. This game simply had a charm that hooked me as a kid, and didn't wear off as an adult. It tickled some interests in history as a kid, and it still does to this day with it's own pizzazz. I still play every now and again, and it's probably the only SNES game I've beaten 10+ times.
"I just love it how the game makes me feel like I don't belong there."
Dude, you just discovered... the *Secret* of Evermore! ;D
sorta like alice in wonderland in that sense, or like playing it made me feel similar to how i felt when i first read that as a kid. at least with the queen, and with everyone ELSE seeming crazy
i loved every second of the game. you played as 'a kid and his dog' i mean c'mon how cool is that? outstanding graphics for it's time and the ambient soundtrack soaked me deeply into evermore. and to top it all it had that weird humor
I like the game. I highly anticipated it in 1995 since I loved Secret of Mana and Square's other releases so much. The graphics are wonderful, and I just love the Ancient Greece and medieval areas. It kind of falls flat near the end though, when it should have climaxed. So when I play it, I enjoy the first 3/4 of the game the best, which isn't really how you want it to be. Also, the alchemy ability was very unique.
I have to disagree, I would totally recommend this game. It has a humor and a sense of atmosphere that were rarely matched in games of its era. Although your criticisms of the game are all completely valid. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed myself with this one, I thought it was better than Secret of Mana in pretty much every regard
RollingWithNat20 You make good points, especially about the humor. I know I'm in the minority about this one (hence all the dislikes) but I just didn't enjoy playing it. Maybe I'll come back to it someday.
Underrated gem. I wish they did a sequel.
This game is one of my all time favorites! I never had a dog. And this was the closest to that I had growing up.
The adventure and funky gameplay feel so gooofy and delightful. Thanks for sharing your feelings on it.
For me this is the best SNES game ever! The fun and the alchemy was so great!
You were drunk when you did this review. This game offered some of the best atmosphere and isolation out of any SNE RPG.
I agree. I believe this was my first real rpg I tried to play as a kid
I agree I enjoyed this game as a kid.
I agree, but I also think it's difficult to understand the appeal of Evermore unless you already come at it without expectations from Mana.
You must have been drunk when you posted your comment.
SNE RPG? What the fuck is that?
He says it's not that bad but he can't recommend it. A lot of people disagree with him on this one, because he tends to praise the same games that have been talked about to death. This game had nothing to do with Mana. There was a second Mana game we didn't get, Japan got. His big complaint was the hit detection, so because he didn't like the hit detection it's not good? Illusion of Gaia was strange and didn't make sense. Yet he praised the hell out of it because it's a Quartet game in the trilogy. That would didn't seem more interesting than this game. It wasn't talked about because people had moved on from Snes. It was late in the life cycle when it came out. Earthbound wasn't popular and never talked about back then. Yet it's a cult hit today, so that's kind of hypocritical when you think about this review. Chrono Trigger cake out the same year as this game, so that probably had more to do with it being overlooked. That's some stuff as competition! This game wasn't exactly marketed well either I never heard of it back then.
hm i normally totally agree with you but i loved secret of evermore and even liked it playing it about 10 years later on an emulator. mostly because of alchemy and the whole atmosphere was so awesome. it has its downs but somehow what bugs you never seemed like a biggie to me. i still agree with you for example that chrono trigger is the best rpg on the snes ;)
how dareeee youuuu, this was my favorite game growing up.
I've seen 115 of your reviews and this is the first one I disagree with. I find it very odd that you don't like it. I agree with the downsides you mention, but there is soo much more to the game (despite bad hit detection). I recon, this game is not for anyone except hardcore RPG nerds, so I am surprised you don't even recommend it to those type of gamers. thx for lots of other great reviews btw! Cheers from Denmark
Wow, was just binge watching these reviews and loving everyone of them...until now. Can't believe what I'm hearing. In my top 5 games without a doubt.
I wanna say I'm surprised people are defending this game, because I started playing it today, got past the prehistoric area and I just can't force myself to continue. I have to agree with everything SnesDrunk is saying. There's good in it, but it's just outweighed by the bad, imo. I really can't believe this would be in any sane person's top 5 games though.
Did you just call *Nick Evans* insane?... LOL;))
It would be a decent game if Secret of Mana doesn't exist.
Same ! It looks like an april fool video, he says the eras are boring except the future, wtf, the future is the less interesting one, the music is amazing too !
I looove this game. The music alone is so hauntingly beautiful. You may dislike it, but even when I know the weaknesses too well, I appreciate it for what it is. Theres just so much hidden stuff..and yeah, it has its flaws, but lets be true, even the greatest games have its bad sides..sometimes very bad sides.
Fun fact: The soundtrack is composed by Jeremy Soule, who went on to do the music to the Elder Scrolls series. This was the first game he worked on, and he was only 19 at the time.
this games soundtrack is among the best of all time
Doesn't beat FF6 and Chrono trigger though
those two games are among the best as well
It was created by the same guy responsible for Skyrim OST. Jeremy Soule.
This game is absolutely awesome and it should have been mentioned more often . 10/10
The atmosphere that you appreciate so much Super Metroid can be applied to this game too. This is one that you just have to play by it's rules (as you often say) to enjoy and appreciate it. But thanx for being honest about your opinions. Also, back when it came out it was much more exciting and fun, and sometimes that makes a lot of difference with opinions.
It may not have aged well mechanically (or ever been that strong in the first place) but I don't think there is another game on the SNES with the same moody atmosphere as SoE. It's just so weird, and dark and lonely I can't help but have a soft spot for it to this day.
You know, that's a good point. I made this video over 3 years ago, and I've gone through at least three dozen Super Famicom RPGs since then, and not a single one of them is anything like SoE. I might have to re-visit this one sometime
I agree: The atmosphere is beautifully dark and mysterious and in my opinion unique to SoE). There are some problems in the game mechanics and the dungeons can be tiring after some time. Still , back in the day, it was a tremendous gaming experience for me.
By the way, did you play Hyper Light Drifter?
The unique atmosphere is definitely my favourite part of this game. I wasn't particularly entertained by the first part of this game either, but once you get to the pirate land and cross the desert, and find your transformed dog in some Roman palace, the bizarre setting and gloomy music really starts pushing all the right buttons for me.
At the age of 24, I played through this game for the first time. I loved it. Your criticisms are pretty short-sighted. The sand traps in the desert level are pathetically easy to avoid. I got caught by one trap and I never let it happen again. The character saying "This is getting old" is a message to the player: "you suck." The sound track is pretty enjoyable, but falls short on there simply not being enough variety. The story is better than you are giving it credit for too, but you didn't really explain why you didn't like it, so I won't put any more effort into defending it.
"...but [Secret of Evermore] falls short of even an average game..."
What SNES games are you playing? Share with me the action RPG's for the SNES that you think are better than this one. I expect a decently long list since you are essentially calling this game trash.
"Share with me the action RPG's for the SNES that you think are better than this one."
Terranigma, Secret of Mana, Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, Shadowrun, Alcahest. The hit detection is the big deal-breaker in Secret of Evermore, it's a significant problem.
i never had issues with hit detection could you be more specific
Shadoninja d
I do agree that the hit detection is kinda shit; but I really liked the game, however I think the game feel unfinished, especially toward the end things move too fast and makes little sense.
SNES drunk shadowrun is Dec not a better game. Lol
So what you say - "If I'm bad at playing this game, it has to be bad"
I never had a problem with the hit detection....
Yeah same. Well actually I did but I learned to master it very quickly
I'll admit the hit detection can be a pain in the ass...until you get any other weapon after the useless bone crusher.
exactly i wonder if he played that far before making the decision that hit detection sucked
@@mechanicalmizer if he was mostly basing it on the opening areas and trying to hit the little high evasion flying bugs where missing a lot early on is common maybe. Hit detection is also based on how the weapon swings. All three weapon types swing differently and that was part of the mechanics of the game and came in useful against different kinds of enemies sometimes. It wasn't all about just using the newest and the best.
Honestly, I think you got this game right the first time around. It’s downright infuriating to play at times. Even when the attack meter is fully charged and I manage to hit the enemy, it will often either say that I missed or do minimal damage. The alchemy system is an interesting idea, but poorly executed. I like the presentation and narrative intrigue, but none of this can make up for the frustrating combat.
Secret of Mana also has a lot of problems, and it’s far from my favourite game, but it’s gameplay is at least more tolerable than Evermore. The wider selection of weapons, more traditional magic system and ability to play with up to two other people all make it the superior game.
Acctualy this game is pretty amazing! I will have to do a let's play of it soon!
Well, that was weird. From what i can recall there are distinct story arcs for all the four 'worlds' as well as an arc to tie it up in the end. Sure it's not along the lines of 'saving the world' but in itself it's cohesive.
I was waiting for a message telling me "This was a joke, the game is great, duh". But there was no message.. And I think we're kind of living on different planets, because as far as I remember, the game was famous as hell! It felt like playing a darker and more mature version of Secret of Mana. And I loved that dog so much. :,D
This is one of the most memorable games from my child hood so it can’t be that bad if it left an impression on me I loved it
There is such a thing as "So bad it's good again." But yeah, Evermore deserves more credit. It does fall flat in the fourth act and there are some oddball things with the gameplay happening, but I always prefered playing this over Secret of Mana. Love the music, love the scenery, love to overlevel and overbank myself to death by leveling Flash to 9:98 right next to the starting village and using it as my only spell for everything boss-related till the very end.
I had fun playing this game back in the day.
I disagree with your opinion of this game. I agree with some of the issues you mentioned like the fetch quests, but everything else was you not playing the game very well.
You keep missing the enemies because you aren't charging your shots, or leveling your character or weapon enough.
The wiripools in the first world are in the same place every time, so you just have to remember where they are.
The item pickup is kinda finicky, but then that's just punishment for being a cheap-o, since most alchemy ingredients can be bought wholesale from certain merchants--you can even quick travel to them when you get the spaceship.
All in all, this game isn't without its frustrations, but with patience, grinding, and maybe a strategy guide, I think it can be really fun and rewarding.
Honestly though? This is the same game with a different story, setting, and two characters instead of 4, so if you like Secret of Mana, you should like this. I personally perfer Secret of Evermore to Secret of Mana's simple, generic, Tolkien-esk fantasy setting and its story in terms of both originally and variety.
You know what's crazy though? Jeremy Soule (Skyrim) did the soundtrack for this game... it was his first game.
WOW thats a cool thing to know.
i liked the roman market trading concept for all the bonus items.
Besides 'Zelda: A link to the past' my favorite SNES Game of my childhood!
It's definitely a mixed bag, but it's still a great game if you allow yourself to get immersed. I like the fact that you have a dog, and I like the ambient background themes. It gives you the sense of loneliness as you traverse the word with only your dog for company.
This game is amazing don't believe a drunk
@jvalex18 The hit detection isn't really a problem, the enemies did have an "evasion" stat, hence why the "miss" text showing up when you miss the hit, if their hit detection were to be bad the wouldn't even be messages like that, you would just miss all the time. The Flying Skulls were very annoying to kill for that reason, but also because you had to time when they set foot on ground to actually hit them. As for the items there were just a few places where it was actually a problem how to pick em up from the ground. The problem wasn't present that much.
@jvalex18 play the game before repeating something stupid
jvalex18 the hit detection is just as crappy in secret of mana, which everyone praeses... I still enjoy both games regardless btw.
@@satanosSKM That's pretty shitty of you.
I liked this game better than secret of Mana. The battle system was a little off but it was fun and had a good story.
Back in the day I rented this game one weekend. I don't remember a lot of things about it like the bad hit detection. I do remember liking it and that it was a very unique game. I'm not sure why, but it reminds me of Startropics in how it just feels different than other games.
Going back and watching your older videos I missed. Great job since the very beginning man. You definitely deserve more attention
The "MISS!" is part fo the game mechanics. You become more accurate as the character progresses.
Probably one of my most favourite games from back in the day. Bought and loved it entirely because of it's similarity to Secret of Mana.
I actually finished this game and not Secret of Mana. I played them both around the same time and SoE was just more appealing
Aw man you missed the mark on this one.
Ryan Ratking COUNTERPOINT: nah
counter-counterpoint: yah
Well I can't argue with that
SNES drunk is it really that unplayable? I need my mana fix, can't get a secret of mana 2 cart. is it good for a mana fix until I can find a good quality English translated secret of mana 2 cart? the graphics look great on evermore
I bought it... it's like a more modern day secret of Mana, I miss the epic music, otherwise it's AWESOME!
I think you're probably mostly correct, in that the game has a lot of really neat ideas but the technical execution wasn't very good. I LOVED the alchemy system, in particular, it's something I've really kind of wondered why they don't do in more games. However, even with that, there's issues with the spell levels, especially the damaging ones. When you get new spells, they really don't do much more then the ones you've been leveling earlier. For example... the best attack spell in the game is probably Crush... which you get very early in the second world.
This is a game that I think would really benefit with an enhanced remake. Gotta keep the music, though; the ambiance really makes the game feel unique from it's kin from the time.
This is one of my favorite RPG games of all times
I just played this game for the first time in October of 2020. Without any nostalgia, It was really good.
I totally respect SNES Drunk's opinion, and therefore, have no desire to change his feelings on this game. That being said, for those who might be on the fence on whether or not they should play this game, here are some responses to his criticisms:
Hit detection: At times unpredictable, yes, but (in my opinion) nowhere near the nightmare he's making it sound like. If you've played Mana, I imagine you'll feel quite comfortable with it.
Dog-sniffing: I think he has the wrong idea here. If you can't pick up the ingredient that the dog is sniffing, that's not an issue with hit detection; that means you're not standing in quite the right place. Adjust your position and you will find it.
Fetch quests for villagers: The quests are definitely there, but I don't feel like they're anywhere near the standard RPG formula. This game is more like an archetypal fish-out-of-water myth (a la Wizard of Oz/Alice in Wonderland) where you dip into several foreign little worlds and incidentally change their lives while trying to find your way home.
Ambient music: It this soundtrack is 'put-you-to-sleep' material, then so is Super Metroid. Evermore's soundtrack is, in my book, pure gold.
Dog: I felt an amazing connection with that darn dog. He does so much of the heavy-lifting on offense, that you are not the same combat unit without him.
The one criticism I agree with is the inappropriate bug-squish noise. Who thought that was a good idea?? Otherwise, an amazing game that got the ripoff of a lifetime by having to stand in Mana's shadow.
Part of the problem some people have against this game, is that few emulators will even emulate the sound properly. You pretty much NEED BSNES/its successor (Snes9x etc won't cut it) to even hear the sound properly.
As for the hit detection, there is that... but then that adds a bit of challenge to the game. Secret of Mana was a bit too easy, this game gets some challenge from the hit detection. It encourages you to use the right weapon on the right enemies. In the clip where you talk about annoying enemies and hit detection, you're trying to fight flying skulls with the spear with normal swings. lol. That's a big "NOPE!". If you're normal swinging, use a sword, and stand just slightly to the left or right of them. Or, use spells. Those things give lots of XP and money.
What the dog finds is mainly just to supplement your spell ingredient list; you're more supposed to buy most of it (since there's not a huge amount of armor to buy, most of your money goes into ingredients). Also, it helps to know that the dog will sniff out more than just ingredients... again, that clip where you are talking about not being able to find what the dog sniffs, where you're at the well? The dog is sniffing the crank because it has a secret. Use the crank to pull a troll out that lets you get another item later when you find said troll in the forest.
SoE made several improvements over Secret of Mana... 1), it got rid of the mandatory spell leveling (some bosses in SoM were ridiculous.... until you leveled the spells then they were cakewalk), 2). it made character movement faster (SoM movement was so slow) and 3). it gave you more variety of weapons and their attacks, and also gave you ranged attacks that didn't suck.
I suppose you could also say it sped combat up a bit, which was cool too.
I feel the game is unfairly railed on because of misunderstandings about how to actually play the game, and what exactly is going on, or what you are expected to do and this video is more of that. I don't have anything against you, you have your opinion and all but I think it's slightly unfair for the reasons mentioned above. The game wasn't *that* bad. I remember it fondly and still play it off-and-on to this day when I want some fast-paced Action RPG play, as there's not a whole lot of that around for SNES. Wish someone would make a good sequel to this formula to be honest. We've not had anything for awhile, and the few Steam Greenlight ones are just that... stuck in Greenlight/unfinished state...
There's Ys games, but those tend to be too ridiculously difficult for my tastes. I want something right in the middle, between too difficult and too easy, and this game fits rather nicely.
I notice you keep saying hit detection is the deal breaker for this game, but thats a pretty pisspoor deal breaker. Saying "bad mechanics ruins a game" may work on a modern standard, but the same is hardly true for retro games. Thats like saying the hit detection in Morrowind makes it a bad game, which is entirely unjustified. Secret of Evermore has an enjoyable story, a great protaganist, and amazing graphics for the time. If you cant struggle past annoying hit detection, you have no right to call yourself even remotely good at retro games
You’re crazy.. I loved this game....
one small easter egg about the game is when it was released in Germany the starting Town was called ,,Großostheim,,.
this Town actully exist in Bavaria Germany and was the HQ of Nintendo Europe.
i think this is one of those games that would benefit from being ported to 3DS with better hit detection and a little cleanup. i always enjoyed playing this game and sometimes i would even play as the dog instead of the boy. I never minded that it wasnt very story heavy. i thought it was cool to travel through different time periods.
This game is a secret gem from the SnEs. It's actually way better than SnesDrunk guy is making it out to be.
I love this game. The flying skulls used to drive me nuts as a kid, then I figured out how to kill them. I think some of the hit detection depends upon what weapon you're using as well. If I remember correctly, as the game progresses and you level up the dog, he gets better at finding ingredients.
This game is badass
Well I really loved this game, although I accepted that Secret of Mana was better- but then again, I was very forgiving as a kid, eagerly devouring any RPG that came down the pipe. Living in a PAL region, Australia in particular, was the PITS, we missed out on SO MANY GAMES back then- we didn't even get FFVI or Chrono Trigger. The ONLY good thing ever to come from being a PAL gamer was that we got Terranigma (best action JRPG of the 16-bit era and one of the best of all time) when America didn't. But I still remember Evermore fondly, even though its flaws are even more apparent in hindsight, and I think you're a bit too harsh on it. It's still worth the play because it's such a unique experience.
Thats true. We missed so many games here, but the ones we got were appreciated. Love SoE. And it motivated me much more than Secret of Mana.
Secret of Mana 2 is a terrific game
I was really excited for this game, as so many people seemed to be such fans of it. However I was instantly turned-off when I came to understand that I had to constantly scrounge around for alchemy bits in order to cast any spells, and the hit box was infuriating. When I first picked it up the raptors kicked my ass multiple times before I realized the exact positioning I needed to hit them and not be hit. Between having to finagle the hit box nonsense and very limited magic to try to make up for it, coupled with the other things SNES mentions, it was too frustrating and I haven't touched it since.
Alot of the things you mention as negatives can be seen as positive. I personally enjoyed the story and atmosphere much more than other JRPGs. I find the hit detection ads a certain challenge and variety that you don't see in more predictable systems. The only downside I see to the dog sniffing resources isn't at all the difficulty, but the lack of reward. It's not worth doing when you can just buy the stuff. But it seems perfectly reasonable that you'd have to dig around and search if your dog was sniffing at the ground. To me, this added a certain degree of depth to the game and made the environment feel like more than a cardboard map. There's plenty of other things that I like and so I keep playing even as an adult. :) I am drawn to it much more than Chronotrigger or FFIII for the Snes, though these two last I am just as much a fan of.
The real reason why a lot of people didn't like it, was mostly that they didn't learn to be observant and pay attention to details. and you can't just rush this game, you need to grind to get better. People just could figure out how to play and were too impatient. But this game is better. I had no problem with the hit detection nor getting used to mazes. At 2.8 Meg's it was a large game. Making atmospheric soundtracks was a new idea. It was a unique idea. People today are terrible gamers. Casuals and newbies have 0 patience, and want to be spoon-fed everything. Games like soe required to teach by experience. It's called intelligent design classic megaman games did the same thing. This I no longer see. Good conveyance requires no tutorials.
You think maze after long repetitive maze after long repetitive maze is intelligent design? Alright good talk
How drunk were you? This game is fucking amazing. And the music is probably the best soundtrack of any SNES game. Also, the hit detection is not nearly as bad as your making it out to be, seriously it's just as bad as secret of mana. The game is a b movie with obvious comedy, the squish is not at all out of place. Highly recommend this game to ARPG players who like historic themed areas.
I explored the alchemy system and found it addictive. Finding bits and components to make spells function and when they did WAM. With properly leveled Alchemy you will steamroll this game. Once you get crush you can grind out the spell near the entrance to the desert on your way to the bazaar.
But hey, most people just want to whack stuff
I didn't own this one as a kid, although I did own secret of mana and thought it was an OK action-rpg. However, for some reason this game has intrigued me for the past 20 years. It's one of those games I always tell myself: "someday i'll make the time to play through it". I FINALLY picked it up and the strategy guide. Even after watching this review, I still can't wait to start it!
As I recall any old school video gamer had no trouble at all crossing the sandpit traps after getting the jaguar ring. A simple tutorial
Fun fact: this game was composed by Jeremy Soule, who would go on to do the music for the Elder Scrolls series.
There are aspects of this game that could have been improved, but personally I like it a lot. Playing on an emulator with the 2-player patch and a friend makes it a lot better as well.
This game is historical. You need to understand it as a first sort of flirt with the Secret of Mana formula for different games.
I loved the heck out of this game because at the time it was an oasis in the face of conventional gameplay.
It is flawed and it pissed me off a ton but part of playing a game on the edge of new ideas is adapting to inventive but .....distorted gameplay mechanics.
I loves the dog myself but, I am a dog person I love dogs period.
How so? Believe it or not you need to offer coherent explanations of pithy remarks or they don't mean anything. Your response is bluntly incoherent and offers nothing to discuss, nothing to ponder, no possible education, and is bluntly just worthless as a social exercise other than to make me aware that you exist and that you are probably a dumb ass with emotional issues you are lashing out at strangers over.
Living up to the SoM standard? Not much of a standard to live up to!
Combat hit detection, while not great, isn't _that_ much of a problem if you use alchemy and charge up attacks (admittedly they take time to level up but there's also items in the game that make you hit easier and dodge much easier). Combat overall works slightly better than in SoM for a single player.
Dialogue is much, much better than in SoM, though parts of the story are a bit dumb and the late game felt rushed.
2:48 It doesn't tell the story through those, they're requirements for furthering the story :P
Never thought the ost was a bad fit either, it balances out some of the silly stuff and really works with the relatively realistic looking (compared to JRPGs) environments. Especially in Colossia and the castles.
You should try the balance patch by Ninakoru.
I saved up and bought this game, it was on sale for 25 bucks. It is one of my favorite games still today.
I find this game as one of the most underrated rpgs. Less known than Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy VI. It has a pretty interesting story too
Awesome game. Love the world, graphics and soundtrack. Picking up ingredients is difficult at first but at some point you know where to press the button. Finished it multiple times. Very underrated.
This was the first video game that I bought with my own money. I was 15, scrawny, geeky, socially awkward. My dad used to give us a $20/week allowance. I built a giant lego world in my bedroom based on this game. I still have my OG cartridge.
All of the points made in the video are valid, but for whatever reason Secret of Evermore is still one of my favorite titles for the SNES. While it may be less than the sum of its parts, I think I enjoy all of its individual pieces so much that I still enjoy it despite the lack of cohesiveness between components. I will say the amount of grinding one has to do to level weapons up to a usable level is my biggest complaint followed shortly by how vague the dog's sniffing out of ingredients can be. Sometimes it is hit detection, as you mentioned, but other times the dog is sniffing something out that is a meter/yard or three away. I think it could do to be remastered or reimagined so long as they keep the quirky story, characters, and alchemy system.
I'm replaying it atm.
It drives me crazy that each weapon starts at skill level 0 and that nothing transfers over. If I'm good with the Horn Spear, I feel that would affect how well I can use the Bronze Spear. Nope. Its frustrating b/c it means I either have to grind way more than you really need to do to advance the story, or it just means Dog is the main damage dealer, and you back him up with spells.
Still blows my mind that this was Jeremy Soule though, the man that went on to score the Elder Scrolls series.
SoE had the greatest soundtrack of all time IMHO. Composed by Jeremy Soule himself.
I enjoy your reviews of SNES games so keep up the great work. I only recently stumbled across your channel a few weeks ago. I recognize some of the flaws you pointed out with SoE but I still have a lot of love for it and I admit it's purely nostalgia on my part. I was never able to get my hands on a copy of Secret of Mana despite reading about it in Nintendo Power as a kid but I did manage to get my hands on SoE and played the hell out of it.
For some reason when I replayed this as an adult I had a much easier time picking up the ingredients then when I played this game as a kid. Perhaps I just had a better idea of where they are suppose to be since I played the game before. I think the alchemy system was really cool, but hated the fact that some of the supplies was limited for certain spells meaning I would never be able to level them up to 8:98. Even as a kid I would level every elemental magic in Secret of Mana to 8:99.
Lmao, that first part.
Your reviews are just the best. Love your work man, keep it up!
One of my favorite games of all time.
From the video and your later comments, it sounds like the hit detection is the thing that ruins the game for you, but it's just as bad in Secret of Mana, which you love. I really don't see the difference from what you call one of SNES' greats, and this that you call not even average. And the music from Jeremy Soule being a negative point! I don't know man. The game is so close to Mana and I even think it's quite better. I could go either way on the two but to think they are so different in quality in unbelievable.
There's an LP I made of Secret of Mana on this channel. Even playing more recently, I had minimal problems with hit detection. We just disagree. Oh well.
I have recently discovered your content and have been basically binge watching it. Great stuff!
When I was a kid I grew up loving Secret of Mana and eagerly played Evermore only to be disappointed. I actually played it again about a month ago and still hit the same conclusion. I have always loved Square's video games but this one just didn't do it for me. I totally agree with the points you make. Not really sure why so many people are bashing you for having an opinion.
Keep up the awesome work!
Well, everyone has their tastes, but I totally agree about the technical issues causing a damper on the whole experience. Though, I love the soundtrack and the fact you don't just whiff when your character isn't at 100% for attacking like in SoM.I'd recommend it, but only to those with an exorbitant amount of patience.
I played this game when I was a child. Now, 25 years later, I`m playing Secret of Mana. It´s kind of cool, but I still like SoE more. Greatings from Germany...
I loved this game when I played it.
I didn’t play Secret of Mana so I had no expectations going in.
I loved Secret of Evermore as a kid. The hit detection was a pain but I just powered through because everything else was so charming. I think the reason I loved it so much is that the humor and story were so western. A lot of JRPG's lose something in the translation. Plus you get to hang out with your dog while beating up monsters throughout a series of changing realms? My God, kid me was blown away. I rented that game from Blockbuster for about 4 weeks straight beating it. I will never understand how this game is considered such a flop, I will treasure the fun I had always.
If you're going to play this game, play it before Secret of Mana. After Secret of Mana, play Seiken Densetsu 3.
"A cartoonish squish sound when you finish off an enemy doesn't exactly fit"? If that enemy is a huge insect it does.
I remember when I played through this for the first time on snes nearly 10 years ago, loved it and didn't understand why it was so hated. Sure it didn't have much of a story but it wasn't really about its story, the game play and atmosphere is what makes it special there's really not many games like this even on the snes.
I really love this game, and I can agree that it has some flaws. For example there is one maze in each world which gets annoying fast. As for hit detection, I was able to pick up items fairly easily and the only trouble I had with it was with hitting the flying enemies. In other words, your review was well done and I do respect your opinion.
I acually loved this game, another in my rpg library. Just a cute simple story of a kid living in a boring town called podunk, the dog chases a cat somewhere and you land in an abandoned science ladand gets transported back in time. The different time periodswere cool and the music was great. And i loved how the portagonist was always comparing situations to sifi movies
This was a decent game for it's time. I remember buying it on release. The problem was that it came out around the same time as Chrono Trigger, which was a far superior game, and so SoE became overshadowed. I just remember seeing the ads for the game on the back of my comicbooks and being really hyped for the game.
I have to agree with u on this one. It definitely falls flat. I never played it and was excited to. I got about halfway through and said fuck this.
Wow, i have a totally different opinion on this game. SoE, along with A Link To The Past, Illusion of Time and Secret of Mana defined my childhood and who i am today. Awesome and deep game.Technical issues are there, yes, but i didn't care for them when i was young because this game takes you on a fascinating journey through worlds and through time.
jvalex18 your answer is too simple. i played tons of games during my childhood, also games which i don't remember very well anymore. but this game especially fascinated me very much. i completed it twice when i was 11.
jvalex18 so you are saying everybody who is young has no taste because he is young? i don't think so. children have often (not always) a very good feeling for what is good and what is not. i found out that most of the games and movies i disliked when i was a kid are also considered bad from the majority of critics nowadays.
Objectively bad? If something is objectively bad than it's this few minutes review about a game where you can put dozens over dozens of hours into. Other reviews on youtube about Secret of Evermore have a total different view on this game and praise it. So, where is your objectivity now?
Secret of Evermore's strength is the atmosphere it creates through it's story, it's locations, scenes, characters and it's fantastic ambient sound. Also some of the bosses in this game were among the most memorable
and coolest designed bosses i have fought in video games.
Bought this game at its initial release. It's def no Secret of Mana, but goddamn I love this game!
This is one of my favorite games, I have it on my phone lol
Dude I loved this game. And I will always love this game. I played this before secret of mana and I think this game deserves a remaster
Bad take on a highly underrated game. The atmosphere was amazing and the dark undertones hidden beneath the surface lended to the vibes. The ambience used in traversal areas was something no games did at the time and now we have games like Dark Souls that do it. The soundtrack was amazing and it drove home the feeling of each area, from The Halls of Collosia to the lonely town of Ebon Keep. It sounds like you never experience this game back in the 90s when it came out.
Completely understand your point but loved this game as a kid and finally finished it a few years ago. Although it was a mission and very tedious and hard I wish they properly completed it without rushing it. Another added world would have been awesome. Loved the different unique lands and Jeremy Soules debut soundtrack.
This game is amazing and there are no other snes RPG or RPGs in general which deliver the kind of atmosphere the Evermore does. I have always preferred evermore to secret of mana and I think it has aged much better. Mana seems very dated now, whreas thanks to the alchemy system Evermore feels more modern. The hit detection is fine too, the more you level up and play the easier it gets. I never had any problems with it, even when I was an 11 year old kid. And sound design is amazing too, by the great Jeremy Soule who does the elder scrolls soundtracks. I disagree with the review. Evermore stands out as one of the strongest and most unique action rpgs on the snes and in general.
But this game is amazing D: , it had some annoying moments but I enjoyed it for being light hearted and fun. I've actually finished this game several times, compared to secret of mana which I've yet to finish. I'll get on that one day.
I liked this game as a high school student, but looking back on it, my biggest gripe is that, actually, the enemies are kind of boring. For the most part you're fighting vermin all the way through. There are a few assorted satyrs and warriors, but even when you're 75% done, you're still fighting maggots and stuff.