Secret of Mana

Most RPGs send you off on your adventure alone. Secret of Mana said no — and sat up to three players at the screen at once. At a time when co-op in a sprawling action RPG was almost unheard of, this game from Square let you play through the entire campaign as a trio, and it's precisely because of this that it etched itself into the hearts of a whole generation who played it with friends on a single couch.

Secret of Mana is the second installment in the Mana series and bets on real-time action combat instead of turns. You slash into enemies live, charge up stronger blows and draw on spells based on your magic levels. The ingenious solution is the so-called Ring Command — a circular menu you summon on the fly and from which you quickly choose spells, items and equipment without ever leaving the action. This elegant idea significantly sped up play and became a hallmark of the series.

Behind the smooth gameplay, however, lies a troubled development history. The game was originally meant to launch as one of the flagship titles for the SNES's planned CD add-on. When that project fell through, the developers had to cut the game back and cram it onto a standard cartridge. Traces of the trims are visible here and there in the final version, yet the result remained extraordinarily charming.

An inseparable part of the magic is Hiroki Kikuta's music. His soundtrack ranks among the most beautiful and distinctive on the entire SNES — atmospheric, dreamlike and musically bold in a way that far exceeded the conventions of games at the time. Together with the colorful, almost fairy-tale visuals, it creates a world you want to keep returning to.

Secret of Mana remains one of the most beloved action RPGs of its era and later received a 3D remake that brought it to new players. But whether you play it solo or as a trio, its combination of fluid action, clever controls and fairy-tale atmosphere ages with grace.

Why play it: For the rare co-op of up to three players, the elegant Ring Command controls, and one of the most beautiful soundtracks of the SNES era.