When comparing Ys Chronicles 1 vs Secret of Mana, the Slant community recommends Ys Chronicles 1 for most people. In the question“What are the best Android games without in-app purchases/paywalls?” Ys Chronicles 1 is ranked 56th while Secret of Mana is ranked 57th. The most important reason people chose Ys Chronicles 1 is:
There are actually no buttons on screen, and the whole game is controlled with a floating Dpad. Interaction with NPCs is down by just bumping into them, same with fighting monsters. This type of control method may appeal to those who find more complicated controls with many buttons complicated.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Simple directional controls that are easy to understand and work great on touch screens
There are actually no buttons on screen, and the whole game is controlled with a floating Dpad. Interaction with NPCs is down by just bumping into them, same with fighting monsters. This type of control method may appeal to those who find more complicated controls with many buttons complicated.
Pro Classic action RPG gameplay that still holds up to current day games
While an older game, the gameplay itself still holds up pretty well. In classic action RPG fashion, the player sets out on an adventure where they must battle enemies in real time. Similar in style to games such as Zelda or Secret of Mana, Y's is one of the original Japanese action RPGs with great gameplay and polish.
Pro Mobile friendly save system where you save when you want
The save system is pretty forgiving, fitting well with a mobile on the go style of gaming as you can save at anytime you like as well as rely on saves every so often from the game itself.
Pro Has stood the test of time
Twenty some odd years later and Secret of Mana is still considered one of the best action role playing game experiences there is.
Pro Unique ring command system allows for easy menu selection
The ring command system used for selecting equipment and other options is still as innovative today as it was back in 1993.
A first at it's time, the ring command system allowed for users to select their weapons and equipment easily without having to leave the main game screen, making for selecting quite easy.
Pro Shift in gameplay for Squaresoft/SquareEnix made RPGs
Secret of Mana features a top down real time battle system akin to other action role playing games such as Legend of Zelda that at the time was a large shift from the turn based fare that Square created. Even today Square Enix does not foray too often into the action role playing genre, making for a unique experience when it comes to Square created titles.
Pro Considered one of the best stories in RPG's young and old
While the outline of the story is the normal RPG fare, where a young boy is tasked with saving the world, the characters and their journey still holds up as one of the best ever written.
Pro Colorful 16bit era graphics
Secret of Mana was created at the height of the 16bit SNES era and utilized some of the most colorful and stylized fantasy role playing game graphics. While it would have been nice to see Square polish them up a bit for HD devices, they still hold up, especially in a market that has many games designed with bit graphics as a current trend.
Cons
Con Translation is full of errors
The translation of the game is chock full of errors, making for sometimes difficult to read text and hard to follow story.
Con Graphically, almost a direct port
Square Enix has done nothing to polish the graphics in this port which for the price point is a little disheartening. The black borders on both sides of the screen are also disappointing. To see Square do so little to accommodate HD devices and their swath of screen sizes, it makes one wonder how they get away charging the prices they do.