Trials of Mana

Seiken Densetsu 3 is one of the most celebrated RPGs in the world. Its impressive graphics and unique gameplay make it one of the best SNES games ever. It has, to date, never been officially released outside of Japan.

This book assumes that you are playing this game by emulator using Neill Corlett's English translation patch. If you are playing from a Japanese version on console, the gameplay will remain unchanged, but certain characters and items will have slightly different names. This book and its authors do not endorse illegal possession of copyrighted items, such as ROMs of the game.

There are a few concepts that should be understood before beginning the walkthrough proper. First, Seiken Densetsu 3 is a difficult game. If you follow the instructions within, you should be able to finish the game in roughly 30 to 40 hours without ever dying. However, this is not always the case. Be prepared to level up vigorously, and expect the game to require exertion and a good amount of effort. The best games are always the hardest ones!

Second, Seiken Densetsu 3 has a style of combat somewhat like Chrono Trigger and much like its predecessor, Secret of Mana. Combat is fully real-time. Instead of menus, your physical attacks are directed and initiated platform-style, like an isometric Mortal Kombat. Like Secret of Mana, you have a charge attack, called a "Tech." Techs, or B-button Attacks (BAs) as they are occasionally known by, are attacks performed by pressing the B button after building up your Tech Gauge with normal physical attacks. Magic, however, is menu-based and turn-based. An in-depth guide to using Techs is in the beginning of the walkthrough, and an introduction to Magic is in the walkthrough as well.

Third, Seiken Densetsu 3 has six heroes, three female and three male, of whom you choose three to form your party. The first member you pick determines the difficulty of your quest and the series of bosses you will fight at the end of the game. The second and third members will eventually join you on your quest.