Seiken Densetsu 3 is the sequel to Secret of Mana, and was released in Japan in 1995. The amount of detail and polish put into every aspect of this game is fantastic, and it is in my opinion in the same category of SNES games as CT, FF6, DQ6, Zelda 3, etc. If you love Secret of Mana, you’ll love SD3 even more.
Seiken Densetsu 3 Story / Outline
About Seiken Densetsu 3
Once, when the world was yet spellbound in darkness, the goddess of Mana felled 8 incarnations of disaster that guided the world to annihilation, the God-Beasts, with the Sword of Mana, and sealed them in 8 stones. And, as the darkness left, the world was created. The goddess of Mana turned herself into a tree, and fell asleep.
Many years passed...
Due to the events of some who scheme to unleash the God-Beasts from the stones, obtain power surpassing even that of the gods, and make the world their own, difference breaks out heralding the end of peace...
Mana is rapidly fading from the earth. Even the Mana Tree has begun to wither...
About Seiken Densetsu 3
Seiken Densetsu 3 is very similar to its predecessor Secret of Mana, as it employs an immediate combat system, making use of a ring menu which offers the player quick access to magic spells and items as well as character information, amongst other options. One of its main differences, though, is that the variety of characters is doubled to six, with the player choosing the three members of his or her party when starting a new game. A single diversity of weapons is obtainable for each character, and the "progression by means of use" present on the series' prior game was removed from the weapons and magic systems; now the only factor which influences a spell's damage is how high the character's "magic" attribute is. A storage space system was introduced, where extra items can be placed, replacing Secret of Mana's "four-of-a-kind limit rule". The player can control items among storage and their nine-slot item ring menu, or else "top-up" items currently in it to a maximum of nine each.
A battle style was introduced as part of the gameplay, which holds some aspects of normal gameplay (such as item storage) to allow the player to focus on beating monsters. Players can exit battle mode by moving off-screen or far enough away from the monsters for it to be disengaged (unlike the Legend of Mana no-escape mode). When in battle mode, the character adds one point to his or her "power gauge" by making an attack which hits a monster (in place of Secret of Mana's exposed charge-up). When the gauge is full enough, special moves can be unleashed - moves vary according to the character and their class. Once all enemies on-screen are defeated, the player has the option to obtain a reward item in a treasure chest. from time to time, a "prize" wheel of traps is given when opening the chest; this can be eluded by timing the cursor to fall over an "OK" disc.
Once, when the world was yet spellbound in darkness, the goddess of Mana felled 8 incarnations of disaster that guided the world to annihilation, the God-Beasts, with the Sword of Mana, and sealed them in 8 stones. And, as the darkness left, the world was created. The goddess of Mana turned herself into a tree, and fell asleep. 
