A ten-step guide to videogame morphine

Secret Of Mana - The intro

1993 | Square | SNES

Darkness. Whalesong. Instantly your attention is hooked. You stare deep into the darkness of the screen for a few moments and are then rewarded with a few fragile piano notes ringing out a sweet but mournful melody under some sympathetic synth as the title screen appears.

The music builds. It gathers pace and purpose and moves from fragile to hopeful, before swelling to become utterly victorious as the screen expands from widescreen to full screen to show off a (for the time) stunningly beautiful forest-scape. In perfect synchronicity a flock of cranes fly by. You boggle. Eventually the music reduces back down, rounding off with the echoes of the signature piano sound from the beginning, and you realise you’ve been entranced from start to finish. Simply sublime, and that’s just the title screen.

In terms of music, visuals, and just being all-round beautiful, Secret Of Mana is a justifiable legend, and that’s clear from the very first moment you load the cartridge. Just wait until you get to the Ice Country…