Introduction

As promised, something completely different..

This time we're going to be tackling a game that was never released in the US and that is only accessible via a fan patch.

Seiken Densetsu 3, or Legend of the Holy Sword 3 was released in 1995 in Japan and… nowhere else. As a result, the cover image is.. untranslated but very pretty.

Where does this fit in the Mana Series?

The order of release is Final Fantasy Adventure (Seiken Densetsu 1), Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 2), and finally Seiken Densetsu 3. Seiken Densetsu 3, however, actually takes place in the distant past of Secret of Mana.

Intro Video

Intro Theme

What is this game like?

Seiken Densetsu 3 is very similar to Secret of Mana, with 3 characters in your party, a ring system, a cannon system, a ring menu, and a few other odds and ends that will look familiar. On the other hand, there are some significant differences..first off, we're going to be able to pick all three of our characters out of a selection of six. That's where I'm going to need some thread participation.

Thread participation?

Yep. I'm planning on making this as participatory as possible. First, I'm going to need some votes as to which characters we should include in our initial and secondary parties. There are actually 3 sets of bosses and storyline areas depending on which character we select first, and each character has 2 branching classes to choose. That is to say.. at level 18 you can choose either a light or dark path, and at level 38 you can again choose a light and dark path for 4 final class options for each character. I'll be requesting input from the thread readers at each point. At any rate, I'm intent on covering EVERYTHING this game has to offer.

The Characters

Angela, princess of the Magic Kingdom of Altena, is a mage type who is hands down the best attack magician in the game. She uses staves in battle, and she has the advantage of being able to hit just about any weakness you can imagine. She's 19 years old, and has a bit of pathos in her past.

Class Options: Level 18: Sorceress (Light), Delvar (Dark)
Level 38: Grand Devina (Light+Light), Archmage (Light+Dark), Magus (Dark+Dark), Rune Master (Dark+Light).

Carlie is a half-elf with the absolute worst physical attack in the game and great healing spells to make up for it. She uses a ball and chain, and is an absolutely great supporting cast member. She's also tied form the youngest character at 15 years old (with Kevin), and it shows sometimes. She can also learn some summons with a few of her classes.

Class Options: Level 18: Priestess (Light), Enchantress (Dark)
Level 38: Bishop (Light+Light), Sage (Light+Dark), Evil Shaman (Dark+Dark), Necromancer (Dark+Light).

Duran is your typical hero type, an almost pure fighter who is centralized around swordsmanship and dealing direct damage to enemies. He's got some healing spells and can infuse his and his party's weapons with elemental affinities. You might say that he's closest to the main character in FFA and Secret of Mana.

Class Options Level 18: Knight (Light), Gladiator (Dark)
Level 38: Paladin (Light+Light), Lord (Light+Dark), Duelist (Dark+Dark), Sword Master (Dark+Light).

I'll make no bones about this: Hawk is a Thief. He specializes in daggers and has special techniques rather than spells. He starts out in the desert, giving him a semi-Aladdin type vibe that might stick around the entire game.

Class Options Level 18: Ranger (Light), Ninja (Dark)
Level 38: Wanderer (Light+Light), Rogue (Light+Dark), Nightblade (Dark+Dark), Ninja Master (Dark+Light).

Kevin is a prince of the Beast Kingdom, and my wife took one look at the image and asked if he was a black version of Goku. At any rate, Kevin is a hand to hand fighter with a few healing spells and a multitude of powerful physical skills. Kevin's got another secret that we'll get into when we play with him, but the important thing is that he and Duran fit into the same basic group of fighters with healing.

Class Options Level 18: Monk (Light), Bashkar (Dark)
Level 38: God Hand (Light+Light), Warrior Monk (Light+Dark), Dervish (Dark+Dark), Death Hand (Dark+:Light).

Dragoon, you say? Amazon, you say? That's pretty much Lise in a nutshell. She's quite literally an Amazon and is the female physical fighter. Lise specializes in spears and has some buffs in the form of ability enhancers that give her some additional utility beyond just stabbing the bejeezus out of anything in her way.

Class Options Level 18: Valkyrie (Light), Rune Maiden (Dark)
Level 38: Vanadies (Light+Light), Star Lancer (Light+Dark), Fenrir Knight (Dark+Dark), Dragon Master (Dark+Light).

Voting Time

Before I can even get started, I need some input. The way this works is that there are three main pathways in the game dependent on which characters are selected first. The pairings are as follows:

Angela/Duran
Carlie/Kevin
Lise/Hawk

Voting Complete

We're going to be going with Lise/Hawk/Carlie first, Kevin/Carlie/Angela second, and Duran/Angela/Kevin third.

The Let's Play Archive

Seiken Densetsu 3

by ddegenha

Introduction

Table of Contents