HCBailly and JB play Secret of Mana - Part 38 of 41

In this entry, we get some backstory on our hero, and everything starts making sense. There is nothing else to do than to go to the Mana Fortress.

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The force of the energy knocks you to the bottom of the Mana Tree, which is now devastated. The Mana Tree then talks to the party, saying that the Mana Fortress is using up most of the world's Mana and that all of the beast will be transformed into one giant creature: the great Mana Beast, the only thing that can bring back Mana. Unfortunately, the Mana Beast has little control over its rage, and if it were to attack the Fortress, the world would be finished, and the only way to avoid this is to beat the Mana Beast with the Mana Sword, which can only be used by the people of the Tribe of Mana.

The tree will tell you that Randi's father, the legendary knight Serin, should be standing here now. Serin was the ghost that you saw at the sword at the beginning of the game. Unfortunately, he's gone after being badly wounded fifteen years ago by Emperor Vandole and eventually felled in Potos Village. You'll be taking his place. Not only that, but the Mana Tree is his wife and Randi's mother. If it isn't obvious at this point, Randi and his parents are part of the Mana Tribe. The women become the Mana Tree and the protectors of the world, while the men wield the Mana Sword and protect against evil.

Now that Mana is weak, the shields on the Mana Fortress are down, making it open to attack. From here, you can now go to the Mana Fortress. The Mana Tree will then use the last of its energy to summon the power of the Seeds of Mana, bringing the Seeds back and bringing your Mana Power to 8, giving the sword maximum power. Soon after this, you'll be able to go to the Fortress.

If you return to the Pure Land after this, you won't be able to explore it anymore. You'll just go back to the devastated Mana Tree.

Mana Fortress

Map (by Tropicon)

Whenever you see the Mana Fortress on the map (the big gray ball with the spikes at the bottom), just approach it. When Flammie flies upwards towards it, let go of the Control Pad and let Flammie do the rest. Otherwise, keep flying if don't want to go over there, in case you want to get more experience or something. Keep in mind that the Mana Fortress will change position from time to time, so keep an eye on it.

At the outside, Captain Duck will make a return appearance here, as well as the Kimono Wizard, Metal Crawlers and Dark Stalkers.

Once you're inside, you'll meet some new enemies. The Metal Crab can shoot bubbles around itself and cast Light Saber on itself. There is a chance you can get a Bow's Orb from it. The Garuda Buster is the most powerful bow in the game. (It should still be mentioned that the highest power level you can get a weapon to is Level 8.)

The purple crystals and the light blue squares near them are the whip jump points.

The Tsunamis are palette swaps of the Embermen, and can cast Acid Storm and Energy Absorb in addition to splitting into three. They have a chance of dropping the Spear's Orb. The Daedalus Lance is the best spear in the game. They can also drop Amulet Rings.

If you see a pink square tile, step on it to activate something that will open up the path.

The Wolf Lords are more powerful versions of the Werewolf enemy. They can cast Cure Water and Moon Saber, and they can also drop the Glove's Orb. This is the only way you can get the last two Glove's Orbs. The Dragon Claws are effective against Dragons, and the Aura Glove is the most powerful glove in the game.

The Beast Zombies make a return appearance from the Great Palace, as will the Turtlance and the National Scar.

The green crystals have to be cut down with a sharp weapon like the sword or axe. Unless you fully cut them down, however, they will soon grow back. Watch out with some pink tiles; some of them will cause fields of green crystals to grow back out.