Let me get it out of the way right now, Embers of Mana is an easy recommendation. If you're a fan of Final Fantasy Adventure, the Mana saga, romhacks, or Action-RPGs, then there's plenty to love here. This is a brisk, tightly designed tale about Lene, a young woman fighting to protect the world from Dark Mana. Anybody familiar with the Game Boy classic will instantly appreciate the focused storyline, impressive dungeons, and a level of difficulty that isn't immediately undone by stacking gobs of stamina.
For the unfamiliar, I suppose a short explanation is necessary. Like its originator, Embers of Mana is a top-down adventure with the screen-by-screen exploration often seen in Zelda-likes. In the beginning, Lene is armed with a steel sword, her steely determination, and not much else. While seeking out clues to prevent the spread of Dark Mana, she'll meet several allies. Their assistance in battle is limited to whether or not a monster happens to get in their way, but they have other talents that help Lene reach the normally inaccessible. She should also seek out the eight spirits governing the world. The spells they provide are pretty helpful. While Cure is undoubtedly going to see a lot of casting, don't sleep on Soothe. Status effects are actually pretty common and dangerous. Poison, for example, actually scales with max HP. Leave it untreated and Lene could see a third of her life disappear in seconds.
Last year, I finally got around to playing through Final Fantasy Adventure. "It's a fine weekend game", but some parts didn't age particularly well. Perhaps the most noticeable issue was the heavy usage of consumable keys and mattocks. The world of Mana is packed with locked doors and breakable walls. Somehow, both regenerate if the hero leaves the current dungeon. Either you're just that good at spotting clues, have a guide nearby, or you're running back to the shop to restock. Embers of Mana immediately resolves this issue by gifting players an unbreakable Watts mattock. Dungeons are much more natural, relying on switches and small puzzles to gate progress instead of just a couple dozen keys.
Another aspect of this game that I really like is its linearity. Each location is a mini-overworld, with the next destination and a town in fairly close proximity to one another. Besides a couple optional dungeons in the late game, there's hardly any reason to wander aimlessly. A lot of unpleasant fat was cut, keeping Lene's quest brisk yet fulfilling. If there were actual cuts, such as missing bosses, then I didn't notice. Another wise move was tossing out the superfluous weapons. From the chain that assists with gap crossing to the axe that fells trees, everything serves a purpose. At the same time, menuing is kept to a minimum, because nobody wants to switch weapons every couple of screens. The author's love for the original game really shines here. They show respect for what made it a classic, while evading the missteps that have taken some of its shine away.
So yeah, easy recommendation. Set aside a weekend and treat yourself.
*Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. It's a game that goes by a few names.
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