Seiken Densetsu 3 came out in Japan almost two years after Secret of Mana came out. Secret of Mana's real name is Seiken Densetsu 2. Ever heard of Final Fantasy Adventure for Game Boy? That's Seiken Densetsu 1!  Yup, its true. So if Seiken Densetsu 3 came out here, it would've been called Secret of Mana 2. Anyway, this is the first Seiken Densetsu title that actually lets you choose your battle party. Each character has a slightly different storyline. And there's another new feature that past titles haven't had yet, character classes! There are 6 possible classes for each character. Some classes are down the path of light while the others are down the path of darkness.

 
Much like in Zelda, you explore a world and fight with enemies in real-time battles. But there is much more! After each battle you gain experience which allows you to grow stronger. When a character gains a level, you can choose which area it will grow stronger in (Strength, Vitality, Luck, etc). The magic system in this game is slower than in Secret of Mana. When you cast a spell, you have to wait a short while for it to come. And you don't learn magic spells immediately when you gain an elemental spirit. Your characters need to grow stronger in order to learn the spirits' spells. The spells a character learns depends on which class you promote them to. In Secret of Mana, you can't hold that many items. But in Secret of Mana 2, you still can't hold that many items! BUT there is also a new feature! You can store a whole ton of items in storage and you can access them anytime you want (except during battle). Amazing huh? Calm yourself down. Anyway, the two characters that assist you are much more violent in Secret of Mana 2 than in Secret of Mana. In the options menu, you can choose which enemies you want those two assisting characters to attack. Like to attack a far away enemy, to attack the enemy you're fighting, to attack the enemy the other assisting character is fighting, etc. During battle, you can have your main character (the one you control) automatically fight for you just by holding down the attack button.

Formerly, when the world was enshrouded in darkness, the Mana Goddess used the Mana sword to destroy the 8 Mana beasts that intended to destroy the world, and sealed them into 8 Mana stones. Thus the darkness dissipated, and the world was reborn. The Mana Goddess turned herself into a tree, and went to sleep. Many years passed. But then, the 8 seals started to dissolve, and the Mana beasts were free. They now aim to gain power enough to rival the gods. Meanwhile, due to greedy people who want to make the world their own, wars started to break out...  The era of peace has come to an end...  Mana itself is starting to fade from the world. Even the Mana tree is beginning to die...   It doesn't really matter which characters you choose because each one has their own unique advantages and disadvantages. Every Seiken Densetsu 3 fan has their own favorite battle party that they think is the best. Knowing that, I don't think you would want to listen to my suggestions. It would be best if you browsed some of the specialty FAQs at GameFAQs. Some of them are individually devoted to information on every character class and the advantages/disadvantages of every possible character combo. But I do have a couple tips. Don't feel like fighting? Then when you enter a battle, just hit the enemy once and your two assisting characters will finish them all off for you. Then all you need to do is play the role of healer. And those black magic coins are so awesome! You can only buy them in the black market. What they do is just automatically cast a spell. So if you have an offensively useless character like Carlie, she can be pretty dangerous with coins like that up her sleeve!

 
This game is a freakin MASTERPIECE! If you love Secret of Mana then you'll love this game a whole lot more! The graphics are amazing! Most of the scenes in the game are so beautiful. The music is pretty good too! It blends into the game's sequences very nicely. I swear this game is so fun and very addicting. The battle system seems a very awkward at first but you get used to it. Your eyes get used to the flying numbers and fast-paced attacks. We sure are lucky that this game was translated for us! I sure am grateful as hell for it. I can die a happy man now knowing this game is available in full English. And I love that little Rabite animated gif I made. It's almost mesmerizing if you stare at it for a while. Rabite is my hero. Bounce Rabite! Bounce! Faster! Muahaha! Uh oh, Rabite is foaming at the mouth. Stop bouncing Rabite! You're getting a little too obsessive with your bouncing. I said stop! God damn it listen to me! I am your master!! I created you frame by frame!!! Bah! The hell with it. I hope you die of a Rabite heart attack! Bounce away to your death you foolish imitation of a rabbit. Foolish I say! FOOLISH!!