The Let's Play Archive

Legend of Mana

by Mega64

Part 93: Basic Techniques



There are 26 basic techniques you can use in Legend of Mana. You begin the game with eight, and unlock the rest by winning a set number of battles with specific techniques equipped. You can have two basic techniques equipped at one time. These techniques are also used to learn weapon-based special techniques. And of course, they all have different uses in battle.

This update will go over all of them. I'll post a link of a short video showing off each technique, as well as the technique's listing in the in-game technique book and my thoughts on it. For requirements, the number next to each technique represents the number of battles you need to have won with that technique equipped. Note that these values are from the Japanese version, so there may be differences in the US version.

Full video of all 26 techniques. 11 minutes long.

Let's get started.



Requirements: None

Video

Jump launches you up, letting you jump over enemies. Useful if you're surrounded, though it gets outclassed by other jump abilities later. While jumping, you can press the Heavy Attack button to dive down to the ground, which can hurt enemies. Not very useful, though it's an escape option that can let you do damage.



Requirements: None

Video

It's alright for blocking basic attacks, but I don't think it stops anything major, like a boss attack. Besides, the more you defend, the more you rely on your allies to attack, and that will simply slow everything down. Situationally useful.



Requirements: None

Video

Lunge boosts you forward a bit. Considering that characters move in bursts during battle, it's not too bad, especially if you're trying to reach an enemy or item. Pressing the Heavy Attack button while Lunging lets you thrust your weapon out, which is always handy. Outclassed by Defensive Lunge, however.



Requirements: None

Video

Retreat is a reverse-Lunge. When used, your character moves the same distance as Lunge, only in the opposite direction they're facing. However, you can't attack with Retreat the same way you can with Lunge, so it's probably worth the extra half-second it takes to face a different direction and just use Defensive Lunge instead.



Requirements: None

Video

A nice panic button, it increases the HP regen rate of your character in exchange of leaving you vulnerable to enemy attacks. Very handy if you have an ally and pet to distract the enemy for you while you recover. Probably one of the more useful abilities.



Requirements: None

Video

Push knocks back an enemy a little bit. A nice way to handle crowd control, though later abilities overshadow Push's effectiveness. Not a bad ability for awhile, though.



Requirements: None

Video

The most useless technique, which is saying something. Cheer is really more like a taunt, where your character just does a flashy move. While you can hit enemies with it, it doesn't really do anything to merit its use. I guess it's nice if you want to be a show-off, but otherwise avoid it.



Requirements: None

Video

Spin will stun any nearby enemies for a second, which is great. Even better, if you use the Heavy Attack button while spinning, you'll be able to damage enemies. The problem is that if you overuse Spin, your character will get stunned for several seconds from dizziness. Still a handy technique to have.



Requirements: Defend (6), Push (10)

Video

Definitely one of the cooler-looking techniques, Grapple lets you grab an enemy and throw them elsewhere. It's hard to control where they go, and it takes awhile to do this technique, so it's not a reliable method of crowd control, though it can inflict damage. If you just want to look cool, it's worth using. Ultimania says this move does more damage if you're wearing gloves.



Requirements: Spin (8), Grapple(3)

Video

Whirl is similar to Push, except it knocks the enemy back so that it's facing the other way. It seems to be more difficult to hit with than Push, though I could be wrong there. Either way, there are better options for crowd control, though it's still a bit better than Push.



Requirements: Push (7), Whirl (4)

Video

Probably the best crowd-control move, Bash throws an enemy all the way to the edge of the battlefield. Great for singling out enemies, as it'll take a few seconds for enemies to catch back up, in which case you simply Bash them away again. A rather handy technique.



Requirements: Jump (7), Lunge (12)

Video

This move propels you forward, like Lunge. It's slower than Lunge, and it doesn't evade attacks as well as the game says it does. Still, using Heavy Attack will propel you forward with a powerful weapon swing, but it's another technique that's done better elsewhere.



Requirements: Jump (7), Retreat (12)

Video

Back-Roll is Somersault in the reverse direction. While slower than Retreat, Back-Roll lets you execute a rather powerful attack when using Heavy Attack, though it requires a good bit of timing. Once again, other techniques do the "move backwards" thing better.



Requirements: Back-Roll (8), High Jump (5)

Video

Back-Flip is yet another technique that moves your character backward, in between the speed of Back-Roll and Retreat. It jumps you backward, however, which can be handy in avoiding attacks. You can also use Heavy Attack to deliver a powerful blow while escaping. One of the better "retreat" moves.



Requirements: Somersault (8), High Jump (5)

Video

Moonsault propels your character forward in the air, letting them evade attacks while jumping into the frey. You can use Heavy Attack to dive down on an enemy with your weapon, similar to Jump. Not a bad technique for forward momentum.



Requirements: Jump (11), Crouch (8)

Video

High Jump is like Jump, except you jump higher. It retains the Heavy Attack function, and it makes it a bit easier to see what's going on, but other than that it's just another way to jump. Don't know if there's any mechanical difference between the two.



Requirements: Jump (14), High Jump (4)

Video

Double-Jump gives you the best of both worlds. Press the button once to perform a regular Jump. Press the button mid-jump to perform a second Jump, thus acting equivalent to a High Jump. There's no animation for a mid-air jump, so Double Jumping just looks odd. It, too, lets you dive down with a Heavy Attack. Just go with whichever you like best.



Requirements: Lunge (16), Push (5)

Video

Tackle is a better version of Push, knocking enemies much farther. It doesn't knock them to the battlefield's edge like Bash, but it's a little bit faster and knocks the enemy back a good bit. I prefer Bash, but Tackle's not bad.



Requirements: Defend (8)

Video

There's a technique that's a direct upgrade to this one without any additional downsides. There's no point in using this move when you can use the other one instead.



Requirements: Counterattack (6)

Video

It takes a good amount of timing, but if it works Counterstrike can be powerful, shutting down an enemy's attack while delivering big damage. The question is whether it's worth the effort to set it up instead of simply attacking or using other techniques. Great if you like to mock enemies by denying their attacks.



Requirements: Retreat (7), Cheer (10)

Video

Lures enemies to follow you. Nice to distract enemies from beating up your allies, but usually you won't care about your allies' health anyway. Situationally useful, but most of the time it's not worth the effort.



Requirements: Lunge (18), Retreat (18)

Video

Evade creates two copies of your character, distracting the enemy while you get some breathing room or launch a surprise attack. Pretty fun to use, plus it can let you escape a crowd of enemies to regroup. One of the better techniques.



Requirements: Crouch (10), Bash (1)
Video

Another technique that looks cool but isn't very practical, Toss lets your character throw an enemy into the air. It takes a bit of time to perform, and all it does is keep that enemy out of battle for a couple seconds, doing little damage while leaving yourself vulnerable. Not recommended.



Requirements: Defend (12), Lunge (8)

Video

Defensive Lunge is Lunge, except with the added bonus of blocking attacks while Lunging forward. It's a very minor improvement on Lunge, but considering there's no drawbacks to make it worse than Lunge, you might as well pick it over Lunge just to block the odd attack. Also has a Heavy Attack function.



Requirements: Lunge (10), Crouch (10)

Video

Another cool-looking ability, Slide lets your character knock an enemy over for a couple seconds. This move still leaves you vulnerable against groups, especially since you're diving into them, and it doesn't stun the enemy long enough to be useful. Another one not really worth using.



Requirements: Back-Roll (12), Back-Flip (3)

Video

It's Back-Flip, except it automatically executes the Heavy Attack portion of it. Since the Heavy Attack effect is the best part, Flip-Kick is a nice improvement, especially considering the power it has. Probably the best "retreat" move, and also one of the more damaging techniques you can use.