Speed Demos Archive - Legend of Mana

Released in June 2000, Legend of Mana is the fourth game in the Mana series (3rd in America). This time, the player assumes the role of an unnamed hero (or heroine) as they aimlessly fulfill quests for local townspeople, ultimately resulting in saving the world.

Timing note: The Dragon's quest run uses the in-game timer for timing. The other runs do not use the in-game timer because the end-game save was not shown during those runs. Using the in-game timer is now the standard. The moral of the story: show your save after you beat the game.

Welcome to the Legend of Mana.

Speed run Rules:
*Single Session
*Dragon Storyline
*Takes Damage to Save Time
*No Deaths

First, I'd like to thank the writers of several great FAQs, for without them, this run wouldn't have been amazing. This includes RCrowder for the Technique List, Myst Erik Ery for the Artifact Guide and Monster Drop Guide, and Nemesis and SeanKelson for their general walkthroughs. And also much help to Polsy who helped me translate some items from the Ultimania Guide. Though I've played this game over and over, all of these were necessary to push this speedrun to its limits.

Since my 1:49 run, I found some more changes to the route, leading to crushing some of the early game times. It depended a lot on luck, but I kept pushing until I got the luck I needed to make this run happen.

This game is played on a PS2 Slim (SCPH-70000) and run on Standard Disc Speed. Fast Disc Speed was not used as it breaks the ending and thus makes the in-game timer unreliable. It also has the potential for crashes and other issues. (I used to use a PS1.)

When playing Legend of Mana, you need to know the rules of the game. I'm going to be documenting a lot of them, both for future runners as well as for the viewer, along with some terms.

TERMS
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*Ability - These are quick actions tied to Triangle and Circle (in the US Version) or Square and X (in the Japanese version). These allow you to do things like counterattack, jump, and more. You start with 8 of these and earn more as you equip certain ones and win battles. You do NOT need to use them in battle, just have them equipped.
*AF - Artifact. These create the various lands of the game. I get these mostly from completing events, but a few are earned in other ways. There are 26 AFs in the game.
*AP - Ability Point. Each battle you complete earns you 1 Ability Point for the ability equipped.
*Battle Arena - This is the area you are locked into when you fight enemies in each area of the game.
*EXP - Experience Points. These help my character gain in levels. However, due to how the battle system works, it's mostly inconsequential for a speedrun.
*Land Level - The level of shops and enemies is determined by a few factors. First is the order in which a land was placed. The later, the stronger. Second is the distance from home. The farther (in spaces you have to walk), the stronger. Last is the mana level of the land, which is a combination of the land itself as well as any neighbors in the compass positions from it.
*Local Map - This is the 6x6 grid you choose to place your AFs on during the game and is a small portion of the world map (which is 24x24).
*Mana Level - There are 8 elements in the game: Undine (Water), Gnome (Earth), Salamander (Fire), Syphid (Wind), Lumina (Light), Shade (Shadow), Aura (Gold), and Dryad (Tree). Each area has various levels of the elements, from 0-3. As you place AFs, the levels of the land you placed and the areas around it influence each other. Every enemy has various strengths and weaknesses to the different elements, which influence its strength (level).
*RNG - (Pseudo) Random Number Generator. This determines what happens and when it happens, seemingly randomly.
*Stunlock - Hitting an enemy rapidly enough that they are unable to make an action. Easiest with two players, but possible with 1 player using certain weapons.
*Technique - These are the super flashy actions that are tied into the trigger buttons. During the technique, you are invincible. You start with 1, determined by the weapon you choose at the start of the game. You earn more based upon your weapon and ability choices.
*Weekday - A week in Legend of Mana is 6 days. The week runs as such: Salamander, Aura, Gnome, Jinn, Dyrad, Undine. Every time you move from one location to another on the World Map costs 1 day. Every time you leave an area (whether you leave manually or via a event complete), it costs 1 day. You can also advance days by staying at Cafe "Sorry, Carl!" in Geo. Unlike Seiken Densetsu 3, there is no Day/Night Cycle (which used the 2 missing Mana elements: Lumina and Shade).
*WP - Weapon Point. Each battle you complete earns you 1 Weapon Point for the weapon equipped.

AF RULES
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*You always start with AF Mailbox when you start the game. This AF can be placed on any land space, as long as there is at least 1 land space touching it within the local map.
*Almost all other AFs have to be placed on land. The exceptions are: Sword of Mana (can be placed anywhere), Brooch of Love (can be placed anywhere), and Pirate's Hook (this HAS to be placed on water). Torch of Coral and Rusty Anchor have to be placed on a land space that is touching water in any of the 8 directions. This space can be off of the local map.
*You can place an AF next to any town AF at any time. Town AFs include: Mailbox (Home), Colorblocks (Domina), Tome of Magic (Geo), Flame (Gato Grottoes), Rusty Anchor (Polpota Harbor), and Firefly Lamp (Lumina). Other locations have to have their primary event completed before you can place an AF next to them (unless it can be placed next to another AF that is eligible). For example, to place next to Jungle, you have to complete Huntin' Du'Cate.
*AFs earned from events are grouped into Primary and Secondary AFs. Your eligibility for them is determined by whether you've already earned that AF and how many you have in your collection (the spindle you see in the lower right of the local map screen). If you already have the Primary but not the Secondary, you get the Secondary (assuming you haven't already gotten that as well). If you haven't gotten either and you have 0-2 AFs, you will get them both. If you have 3+ AFs, you only will receive the Primary AF. If you already have both AFs, you'll just a tempering metal, determined by the land's level.
*There are no AFs that are only Secondary AFs, so it is impossible to miss one that way.
*Not all events give AFs. If a event doesn't give an AF, you won't get any tempering metal either.

ITEM DROPS
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Nearly every enemy in the game that has the ability to make a drop (this is almost all enemies) have 8 different "slots", from which the game can choose for the drop once they are defeated. How many slots are actually checked (and which ones) depends on the enemy level, whether you got a "lucky" drop, or if you have the pet Polterbox with you. Normally you have access to slots 1-4. If an enemy drops money and/or experience, they are ALWAYS in slots 1 and/or 2. Other items including candy, weapons, and accessories are in slots 3-8. The chances of getting a drop depends on how many slots are available and can range from 50% (Slot 1 w/o Polterbox, Slot 3 with) down to just a scant 0.78125% (Slots 7-8 on a Lv 63+ enemy). For a very detailed guide on enemy drops, I recommend Myst Erik Ery's guide on GameFAQs.

Bosses don't have drop slots and always drop a set number of large EXP crystals and/or large lucre coins. End Storyline bosses (Drakonis, Irwin, Lord of Jewels 1000, Mana Goddess) do not drop anything.

FAILING EVENTS
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It is indeed possible to fail a event and be able to continue on with the story. Not all event are able to be failed. Some you can fail by actions in the event itself, sometimes by starting another event. In a speedrun, I purposely fail Pokiehl: Dream Teller (Faerie Storyline) and Reach for the Stars (Jumi Storyline).

ABILITY AND TECHNIQUE LEARNING
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*Abilities are learned by having them equipped in battle. Each time you complete a battle arena, you earn 1 Ability Point for each button you have the ability equipped on. (The number of enemies in the battle arena doesn't matter.) So if you have it on both buttons, you earn 2 APs. Each new ability requires a certain number of APs on other abilities. For instance, in order to learn Counterattack, you need 8 APs on Defend.
*Certain bosses give 4 APs (per slot) instead of 1. These include: Mantis Ant, Du'Inke, Du'Cate, Du'Mere, Gorgon's Eye, Gova, Labanne, Tropicallo, Fullmetal Haggar, Orc, Jewel Beast (all iterations), Deathbringer, Kima, Akravator, Drakonis, Lord of Jewels 999, Lord of Jewels 1000, Irwin, The Mana Goddess
*Techniques are learned by a combination of factors. You need both Weapon Points and Ability Points. You also need to have the weapon equipped at the time both are finished in order to unlock the technique. So even if you have all the WPs acquired and swap to another ability while getting your APs, you will NOT learn the technique. However you can reequip the weapon for 1 battle to learn it.
*Some techniques are used with multiple weapons. The points between weapons don't add together (to my knowledge) but once one version is unlocked, they're ALL unlocked.

TRIGGERING THE CAGE OF DREAMS
-----------------------------
In order to trigger this event, you need to have completed the following:
*Completed The Crimson Dragon, Heaven's Gate, or Teardrop Crystal.
*Have placed 18 AFs on the local map. AFs in your spindle do NOT count.
*Enter Home, leave, then re-enter it.
*When you re-enter home, a cutscene will immediately play. This is your indicator that you've triggered Cage of Dreams successfully. Enter your house, then leave to continue the event.
*Final Note: If you have an event triggered that takes place in your workshop, such as Enchanted Instruments 101, you will have to complete that event before Cage of Dreams will trigger.

SAVE BONUSES
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In the game there are 3 save bonuses for other Squaresoft games. In order to trigger them, you need to either go into Load Game prior to starting or go into the Save menu within the game proper, then press down on the D-Pad until you're over these entries.
*Final Fantasy VIII: If you have this loaded before Monster Corral, you get a Chocobo instead of a Rabite from your egg.
*Saga Frontier II: If you have this loaded and have completed both Ghost of Nemesis and Niccolo's Business Unusual and return to the Bone Dungeon, you will get Heishishorin from defeating Deathbringer II.
*Chocobo Racing: If you have this loaded and enter Polpota Harbor after having completed Catchin' Lilipeas, you'll get an FastestWheel accessory from Skippy.

VERSION DIFFERENCES
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There are some differences between the US and Japanese copies of the game, enough to make the separate categories of each other.
*Weapons were rebalanced between the Japanese and US versions. US versions have been severely nerfed. About the only exceptions are shop/starting equipment.
*Enemy HP levels have been tweaked. Some are higher, some lower.
*The face buttons have been flipped. Square <-> Triangle, X <-> Circle.
*The Japanese version features anti-modchip protection. This check occurs during the extra bouncing rabite screen before the introduction video. Amusingly, the anti-modchip message is very hard to read on a PS2 (it shows up properly on a PS1).
*The Japanese version features support for the Pocketstation, which was never released in the US.
*The Japanese version uses a slightly different text font and includes a TON more character choices (besides Japanese and English that is). A few boxes were tweaked between versions. A couple of text boxes in the US version require extra button presses that weren't needed in the Japanese version.
*A few characters had their name changed.

So with all of that crap out of the way, let's discuss the game proper!

GAME START
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I choose the female character because I can (gender makes virtually no difference, outside of some very minor dialogue changes). Imu is her name, because it's her name in the manga. 2H Sword is chosen for weapon strength.

I start with Lunge and Defend as my abilities. Rising Crush is my given technique because I chose 2H Sword.

THE LOST PRINCESS
-----------------
Reasons for event choice: 3 AFs (Jade Egg, Firefly Lamp, Stone Eye). Firefly Lamp is a MUST HAVE in order to get AF Trembling Spoon.

I head to Domina to team up with Elazul. The babe Pearl is missing, and we need to find her. This is technically part of the Jumi Storyline, but it's a quick event for the artifacts I get. And since I need Firefly Lamp, this is important to do first.

Elazul for the most part is a pretty worthless partner. But I make due.

Boss: Du'Inke. Rising Crush is used during Du'Inke's techniques most for invincibility, but also because when Rising Crush connects, it stuns the enemy.

Learned Technique: Lunging Arc (4 2H Sword WP, 4 Lunge AP). Hits twice.

I side with Elazul because it's slightly faster.

Bonus Fact: –Completing this event first is what causes Sandra to be in the room before Du'Inke. If you complete another event prior to this, she won't be at Mekiv Caverns.

THE AMAZING AXE (Unofficial Event)
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Reason for the "event" choice: Better weapon.

I return to Mekiv Caverns and use a Boink to get to a certain spot in the cave where I can fight 2 Goblins. They have in their 4th slot a 2H axe called Earthsplitter. This has an attack power of 31, which is WAY better than my current weapon. Being a slot 4 drop, it's a 1/8 chance that one of them will drop it. Luckily, I get it on the first go. I equip it (which automatically removes Rising Crush as a usable technique), put on Counterattack (on both buttons, to learn faster), and retreat from the cave to continue the run.

Learned Ability: Counterattack (Defend - 8 AP)

FAERIE'S' LIGHT
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Reasons for event choice: AF Trembling Spoon is only available here. I need it to get to The Underworld.

I agree to help a man name Gilbert (or Edward as I like to call him...–FFIV joke) sell a bunch of lamps. The only buyers are a bunch of Dudbears that don't speak any English. It requires a crash course in the language, though I really don't pay attention.

Overall, nothing too exciting. Lots of talking and no combat. Though there is a couple of hidden adult jokes in the dialogue. :P

Unlike my 1:49 run, I do not purchase IronGloves here, as I now have a better weapon. So no money stealing from Gilbert this time.

Bonus Fact:– For those that didn't get my joke above, in Final Fantasy IV, the prince of Damcyan was named "Gilbert" in the Japanese version and "Edward" in the US version. Also, Monique is referred to as a princess at one point in conversation, which is what Edward''s love, Anna, would have been.

MONSTER CORRAL
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Reasons for event choice: Third member required for Ghost of Nemesis. It has to be a pet or golem. This is faster than getting a golem.

This is a pointless annoying event to make a Rabite my pet. Lovely. He's also a dingbat when it comes to finding food. Oh well.

Bonus Fact:– When you start a new game, if you were to pretend to load a game and the memcard has a Final Fantasy VIII save, instead of a Rabite, you''ll get a Chocobo.

I place the Trembling Spoon and head to The Underworld to begin the storyline.

THE FALLEN EMPEROR
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Reasons for event choice: Part of the storyline. Required to get AF Skull Lantern and complete the next event.

After a surprise greeting from Larc, I head into the underworld to meet up with a man name Drakonis. But first, I must be tested. I agree to an evil ritual which opens access to the lower floors of The Underworld (why I would agree to this, I don't know).

Boss: Hitodoma. This boss is normally an obnoxious twat, but I somehow got very lucky. He's a horrible teleporter, but outside of a couple of evades, he was nice and died very quickly.

Learned Ability: Counterstrike (Counterattack - 6 AP)

Bonus Fact:– By starting this event, it makes The Blessed Elixir event temporarily unavailable, since you don't have a soul for the moment.

Before I start the next event, I not only lay out the Skull Lantern (required to do the next event) but the Stone Eye to bring my AF inventory down to 2. Otherwise, I would not get both AFs from the next event.

THE GUARDIAN OF WINDS
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Reason for event choice: Part of the storyline. Required to get AF Dragonbone to complete the next two events.

During the event, we climb a mountain and fight a group of beings called Windcallers. I need to beat 3 of them in order to remove a barrier to reach Akravator. Later on some lessors show up, but Larc is all "you're pathetic" and one-shots the lot. About the only time he's useful this entire game.

Boss: Akravator.– This is one of the most annoying bosses due to the huge amounts of invincibility time it has. It's ability to quickly fly across the level can lead you to believe you hit it with a tech attack but no damage is taken off. It also LOVES to spam techniques one after the other. This is probably the most RNG dependant boss of the entire game. That being said, generous usage of Counterstrike made very quick work of him.

I also manage to pull off a very bizarre movement glitch after the boss fight. This doesn't affect anything, but just looks very funny. :)

Bonus Fact:– This event is one of only 2 places you hear the game's title theme outside of the title. The other is in the White Forest during Catchin' Lillipeas.

Before completing the next event, I go pick up my newly hatched Rabite. I take a half second to auto-name him "Rabite". If time wasn't of the essesence, I would name him "Buju". Dawn of Mana players will understand.

THE FIELD TRIP
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Reason for event choice: Required to trigger The Ghost of Nemesis.

A stupid event of a bunch of kids fiddling with stuff they shouldn't. I have to purposely leave the area during the first attempt at the mixture as the flowerling won't give over star sparkles the first time around. You don't need to get any of the parts of the mixture, just enter, leave, then come back.

Bonus Fact:– Bud, in case you are unaware, is one of the two sorcerers from "The Little Sorcerers" event (see Jumi Storyline).

THE GHOST OF NEMESIS
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Reason for event choice: Part of the storyline. Required to get the AF Green Cane to complete the next event.

Upon returning, I''m greeted by a big bad roar and a big bad dude that wants to kick my ass. However, thanks to the stupid Rabite, we fall into a trap and get separated. I have to find both Rabite and Larc to continue.

During my way through, I fight a pair of enemies called Dainslaif, which their slot 4 drop is the 2H sword Braveblade. While I didn't get it on the way to finding Rabite, I did get it on the way back, allowing me to cruise through the rest of the game. Like Earthsplitter, being a slot 4 drop means that I had a 1/8 chance of getting it from each enemy.

Equipment Change: Braveblade (ATK 37)
Technique Equipped: Lunging Arc

Boss: Deathbringer. This guy looks scary and tries to sound scary, but he can''t handle Braveblade.

Boss: Jajara. While the fight went mostly well, he did get off extra techniques, costing me about 30 seconds. The usually least trolly of the 3 troll bosses was, unfortunately, the worst one this time. I'm extremely miffed that all I had to do was breathe on him to end the fight when he used his last technique. :(

Bonus Fact:– If you return to where you fought Deathbringer, you''ll fight Deathbringer II, which is the combination of Deathbringer and the remains of Jajara. The benefit? If you completed the proper requirements, you'll get a bonus weapon and a cute little cutscene.

THE DRAGON PRINCESS
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Reason for event choice: Part of the storyline. Needed to trigger the next event. I also get the AF Torch of Coral, which I use later on.

Larc wants to find Sierra and can apparently detect her scent. Somebody obviously has been sniffing too many panties. He gets what he wants, but leaves me with the boss battle.

Boss: Sierra & Vadise. Two against one-and-a-half. And the half isn''t much help. However, the power of Counterstrike is too strong. :)

Bonus Fact:– No matter what my response is to Vadise, I still have to fight him. What, I don't get a say in anything in regards to saving (or not saving) the world? Boo hiss. (Though then again, it IS partially my fault.)

THE CRIMSON DRAGON
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Reason for event choice: To finish the storyline and allow me to do Cage of Dreams.

I play escort to Sierra, who certainly doesn't need any help in the fighting department. But how can she get around the Underworld even though she never received the Baptism? We could have seen a similar situation in The Fallen Emperor, but didn''t. After arriving at the bottom, we face Drakonis, who is a master of trickery.

Boss: Larc the Conqueror. Absolute pushover. Would have been slightly faster if both hits on Lunging Arc connected.

However, during the battle with Larc, Drakonis rises to power and The Underworld becomes The Flames.

The Flames is a mess of a castle that can lead you running around in circles if you aren''t careful. In order to get anywhere, you have to defeat 3 bosses, which seals up magic orbs, preventing floors from collapsing so I can reach the throne room.

Boss 1: Sky Dragon.– Goes down nice and quick. I took his breath away. :P
Boss 2: Land Dragon. Also goes down nice and quick. I'll enjoy some nice Dragon Steak later.
Boss 3: Zenoa. Simply put, Larc with a palette change. Nice of him to give me free access to his backside for a Lunging Arc.
Grand Boss: Drakonis, The Crimson Dragon. This guy has one of the WORST hit detections of a boss, especially considering its size. A combination of Lunging Arc and Vortex of Death made quick work of him though. THAT'S FOR FRYING MY POOR RABITE, YOU BIG MEANIE.

Bonus Fact:– This is the only one of the 3 storylines where you have to do some scrolling of the text after the boss battle is over. The other two are totally automatic until the THE END appears. This is likely due to some text being split between two text boxes in the US version, as this issue doesn't occur in the Japanese version.

I head over to Domina and meet up with Niccolo. This triggers Niccolo's Business Unusual, but I'm going to do Summer Lovin' first, so I have him for 2 events.

I lay out the Wheel, Torch of Coral, and Broken Doll AFs. The first two are needed for the next two events, and Broken Doll is laid out to cut down my current AF collection to 2, so I get both AFs in the next event.

SUMMER LOVIN''
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Reason for event choice: Needed for more AFs to get The Cage of Dreams to trigger.

Which came first, the Penguin or the Egg? I try to chase down the answers while tiptoeing around not-so-crabby crabs.

Boss: Fullmetal Hagger. Giant crabs ahoy! Thanks to a well executed Lunging Arc, I managed to skip both eye gouging invincibility periods. He didn't stand a chance. XD

Bonus Fact:– That crab on the last screen (where the final conversation takes place)? He''s important to note for when you do REAL crab crushing for another event (not shown in any event in the 3 storylines). HE SEES ALL. And knows when you crush his buddies.

Before continuing, I lay out Tome of Magic and Rusty Anchor to bring my AF count down to 2 so I get both AFs in the next event.

NICCOLO'S BUSINESS UNUSUAL
--------------------------
Reasons for event choice: Needed for more AFs to get The Cage of Dreams to trigger.

Niccolo has a problem. There are bandits on the highway, so I decide to join him. First off, how does he find a wheel on the highway when the wheel IS the highway? Ok, whatever. At the Goblins, there is no difference in the choice; you still have the same result –- boss fight.

Boss: Mantis Ant. Basically is one-shotted by Lunging Arc and doesn't get to do anything. Poor Mantis Ant.

Smile!~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bonus Fact:– Mantis Ant is also a boss in Secret of Mana. (Go watch that run, even if it''s not mine –- totally awesome game.)

I lay out the rest of my AFs and prepare to finish the game.

THE CAGE OF DREAMS
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Reason for event choice: Required to receive AF Sword of Mana in order to win the game.

While I trigger The Little Sorcerers, I don''t need to do it. Instead, I head back to my workshop, find a bunch of mysterious people in there, get mad, count to 3, and then kick the lot out.

Bonus Fact:– Your answer to Pokiehl will determine how much conversation you hear.

LEGEND OF MANA
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Reason for event choice: Uh, to finish the game?!

Welcome to the glory and beauty that is the Tree of Mana. I love this level in every way, with the sound of the music, the lily pads, everything. The ascent is a blessing. After clearing the 4 corners of the Sanctuary of Mana, I arrive at...t...;
Final boss: Mana Goddess. – There are two kinds of love that a person can give. One form of that is tough love, which is what this goddess gives and needs. I show her my love - with the almighty power of Counterstrike! (Unfortunately, my attempt to use Lunging Arc to speed up the fight failed miserably. Lined up perfectly...just somehow bumped right on the analog stick and ended up facing the wrong way.)

Bonus Face: The song in the ending, titled "Song of MANA ~Ending Theme~" is sung in Swedish. Well, from the translation, a somewhat "Engrishy" Swedish.

Enjoy the ending people!

This run is Copyright (C) 2015 Nicholas "Sir VG" Hoppe and IMAMYTH Colosseum (http://www.imamyth.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/user/SirVG) and is allowed for downloading and private viewing. Permissions for hosting this run have been granted to Radix and Speed Demos Archive. Public viewing of this run is prohibited without prior permission from the creator. The selling or distribution of this run for profit in any way, shape, or form including (but not limited to) selling on eBay and television for profit is prohibited without prior permission from the author. Video hosting sites (i.e. YouTube, etc) may host this video in part or in full, as long as full permission is granted by the author. Any violation of the above listed may result in legal action. Legend of Mana is (C) 2000 Squaresoft (now Square Enix).

Sir VG, signing out.

"We came. We saw. We speed ran."

FIN

Welcome to the Legend of Mana. This is the Fairy Storyline run, version 3 (2nd published version).

Speed run Rules:
*Single Session
*Takes Damage to Save Time
*No Deaths

First, I'd like to thank the writers of several great FAQs, for without them, this run wouldn't have been done. This includes RCrowder for the Technique List, Myst Erik Ery for the Artifact Guide, and Nemesis and SeanKelson for their general walkthroughs. Though I've played this game over and over, all of these were necessary to determine the minimums for doing a speed run.

What are the differences between this and the prior published version? And why is this version 3 (submission 2)?

First off, the difference between this and v1 (submission 1) is about 12:43, pushing this run to under 2.5 hours, which was the goal of this new submission. This run is classified as version 3, as there was a version 2 done, but not submitted.

If you read my old notes, take note. There are a LOT of differences between then and this. Check out all the cool new stuff, including Boss Defeat Time, Mission Improvement Time, and the Storyline Comparison Listing.

What is the Boss Defeat Time? I added it to the notation this time around for a little something extra. The time is in minutes:seconds, and is calculated from when the characters "flip" (to start the battle) until the boss meter disappears.

Also added to this version is Mission Improvement Time. First, both runs had to be timed in a similar manner, so the timer starts when I enter the town that leads to the first event of the mission, and ends after THE END fades out. So entering Domina to find Elazul and get the Jade Egg is the beginning of the mission The Lost Princess, not entering Mekiv Caverns. After that the two runs are compared and the Mission Improvement Time is born. This will be displayed in a similar manner to the Boss Defeat Time.

One last thing added is the Storyline Comparison Listing. Some missions done are in multiple (or all three) storyline runs. This will compare how much faster or slower this run's attempt was compared to the others. This is a comparison of Jumi v3 (Submission 2), Fairy v3 (Submission 2), and Dragon v3 (Submission 2).

The following missions were removed from the last run (Fairy v1 [Submission 1]) and the time saved from removing them:

Reach for the Stars: 6:20 Enchanted Instruments 101: 1:55

NICCOLO'S BUSINESS UNUSUAL
Reasons for mission choice: 3 artifacts (Wheel, Flame, Medallion)

Niccolo has a problem. There are bandits on the highway, so I decide to join him. First off, how does he find a wheel on the highway when the wheel IS the highway? Ok, whatever. I get a good number of drops, which is crucial for making my purchase later. At the Goblins, there is no difference in the choice; you still have the same result - boss fight.

Boss: Mantis Ant -Being the greedy rabbit he is, he takes all my money (since I don't have 300 Lucre) and gives me two worthless items, and IronPot. I'm supposed to smile after that?

Boss Defeat Time: 1:01
Mission Improvement Time: 0:14 (Faster)
Compared to Dragon: -0:21 (Slower)
Compared to Jumi: 0:15 (Faster)

Bonus fact - Mantis Ant is also the first boss of Secret of Mana as well. (Go watch that run, even if it's not mine - totally awesome game.)

THE LOST PRINCESS
Reasons for mission choice: 3 artifacts (Jade Egg, Firefly Lamp, Stone Eye).

I head back to Domina to team up with Elazul. The babe Pearl is missing, and we need to find her. This is technically part of the Jumi Storyline, but it's a quick mission for the artifacts I get.

Boss: Du'Inke - The key to this fight is tech attacks. It's handy that they protect me from Du'Inke's attacks and most of the time I connect with them.

Boss Defeat Time: 1:27
Mission Improvement Time: -0:06 (Slower)
Compared to Dragon: 0:44 (Faster)
Compared to Jumi: -0:28 (Slower)

Bonus fact - If you do this mission before Niccolo's Business Unusual, Sandra will be in the room before Du'Inke.

FAERIE'S LIGHT
Reasons for mission choice: 2 AF (Trembling Spoon, Sand Rose)

I agree to help a man name Gilbert (or Edward as I like to call him - FFIV joke) sell a bunch of lamps. The only buyers are a bunch of Dudbears that don't speak any English. It requires a crash course in the language, though I really don't pay attention. During the mission, I buy my SteelSword upgrade before talking to the bears to not get my money messed up with Gilbert's.

Mission Improvement Time: 0:31 (Faster)
Compared to Dragon: -0:03 (Slower)
Compared to Jumi: 0:04 (Faster)

Bonus fact - For those that didn't get my joke above, in Final Fantasy IV, the prince of Damcyan was named "Gilbert" in the Japanese version and "Edward" in the US version. Also, Monique is referred to as a princess at one point in conversation, which is what Edward's love, Anna, would have been.

HUNTIN' DU'CATE
Reason for mission choice: Needed to trigger The Murmuring Forest.

Skippy and Hamson are housecleaners at the mansion in Geo, but apparently racked up a huge debt breaking stuff. So they need to go hunt down a Du'Cate tail. I decide to compete against them, since they're a couple bumbling idiots.

Boss: Du'Cate - After getting into position, this boss can't do anything to stop me.

Boss Defeat Time: 0:39
Mission Improvement Time: 0:02 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - Whether you've cleared this mission or not will determine whether Hamson and Skippy will be at the entrance to the mansion in Geo (compare the v1 and v3 Jumi runs).

THE MURMURING FOREST
Reason for mission choice: Part of the storyline. Needed to trigger Two Torches.

Most of the mission is over before it actually begins. Apparantly the Penguins serving under Rosiotti want to know why the Fairies are pissed. Ok, fine.

Boss: Funkmaster - How the boss got that retarded name is beyond me. He's not funky, nor a master at anything, except being an angry fellow. Counterstrike makes the fight much easier.

Boss Defeat Time: 0:49
Mission Improvement Time: 0:01 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - Some of the other options that you get at Funkmaster will lead to a fight, but the bottom one is immediate.

THE FLAME OF HOPE
Reasons for mission choice: Need to clear it out of the way to do Two Torches and other Gato related missions.

This mission has some of the funniest lines. I swear, seeing the Spoutling yelling "NOOO!" is the funniest thing. There isn't much battling here, just running back and forth between the edge of town and the temple chasing a stupid plant. Lovely.

Mission Improvement Time: 0:17
Compared to Jumi: -0:10 (Slower)

Bonus Fact - The scene at the end of the mission is shown in the ending, less the hero and text.

THE GORGON EYE
Reason for mission choice: Needed to trigger In Search of Faeries.

Forsake the lake to see the sea! See? I'm off to find out why penguins are being turned to stone. Come to find out it's not Medusa.

Boss: Gorgon Eye (How original!) - HAHA poor guy can't do a damn thing. Too bad, sucks to be you.

Boss Defeat Time: 0:32
Mission Improvement Time: 0:48 (Faster)

NICCOLO'S BUSINESS UNUSUAL 2
Reasons for mission choice: AF Broken Doll.

Our favorite rabbit is back, and he's looking to go get some food. I'm suppose to escort him through the dungeon, but being that I've already been through it, the game allows me to skip over it and right to the waterfall. In order to get the fairy to appear, I have to go to the Cancun Bird's nest for some unknown reason. Oh well.

This was a new mission to the run. Time added: 1:59
Compared to Jumi: Dead Even

Bonus Fact - The fairy shown at the end may appear before hand (though not to trigger the mission end) under certain conditions. This is most likely to happen during this storyline (though it didn't in this run).

TWO TORCHES
Reason for mission choice: Part of the Storyline. Needed to trigger In Search of Faeries.

Your cue about this mission is actually what you saw at the beginning of Niccolo's Business Unusual 2 - Escad walking into the temple.

Boss: Spriggan - Once again, I must say hit detection sucks. He does his attack at the middle of the room and I'm at the top, yet it hits me. Ok, THAT was interesting.

Boss Defeat Time: 1:40
Mission Improvement Time: 0:37 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - It is possible to get to the sealed room without Deana's help, but it's a pain in the ass.

IN SEARCH OF FAERIES
Reason for mission choice: Part of the Storyline. Needed to trigger Pokiehl: Dream Teller

Deana is missing and I have to find her. She's gone looking for Faeries, which means she's in one of two locations: the Jungle, or Lake Kilma. Since I'm smart I go to the lake.

Boss: Boreal Hound - This boss has to be the most difficult boss in the entire game. I found this out during some failed runs. It's lightning attack can be hard to avoid and can easily take one-third of your life out given proper conditions. Let me say this - walking in to Lake Kilma with the Jinn mana grid at full on a Jinn day is a BAD idea. Hitting it with the first Rising Sun was totally an accident, but it was totally funny.

Boss Defeat Time: 2:45
Mission Improvement Time: 0:03 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - Selva appears for 3 missions in the game: this one, Heaven's Gate, and The Seven Wisdoms.

TEATIME OF DANGER
Reasons for mission choice: Needed to trigger Star-Crossed Lovers.

Teapo has wandered around looking for tea leaves, but got lost. I'm supposed to go find the whiney baby. Great...

Boss: Count Dovula - After the funny intro, it's time to fight. Except I left my oak stakes and holy water at home. Counterstrike does some great damage.

Boss Defeat Time: 0:47
Mission Improvement Time: 0:15 (Faster)
Compared to Jumi: 0:27 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - This is the only mission where I fight the same enemy 3 times at the same location.

THE INFERNAL DOLL
Reasons for mission choice: AF Tome of Magic and Moon's Mirror

They toys are upset and planning revenge on the humans. Junk should stay in its place.

Boss Defeat Time: 0:22
Mission Improvement Time: 0:47 (Faster)
Compared to Jumi: 0:21 (Slower)

Bonus Fact - The guy at the end is named Louie. If you go off in the right (well, wrong) direction enough, he'll find you and point you in the right direction.

MINE YOUR OWN BUSINESS
Reason for mission choice: Needed to trigger Pokiehl: Dream Teller

Pokiehl sends me off to find Watts for some unknown reason other than to annoy the little bugger. Ok, fine.

Boss: Labanne - As you notice, I only have to chop the red hand down, but not attack it to take damage to the boss. However when it's down it's potentially very dangerous. The green swirl can do a large amount of damage and stuns you. But I am easily victorious.

Boss Defeat Time: 2:10
(This is a bit inflated from the victory time as it takes about 7 seconds for the meter to disappear.)
Mission Improvement Time: 0:11 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - If you've played other Mana games, you might recognize Watts as being in Secret of Mana and was a blacksmith there too.

POKIEHL: DREAM TELLER
Reason for mission choice: Needed to trigger Star-Crossed Lovers. Even though I fail it, it will still trigger it.

Pokiehl has a story to tell, the story about Escad, Deana, Irwin, and Matilda. But actually, I don't care. I purposely fail this mission.

Mission Improvement Time: 0:04 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - If you actually completed this mission, it would tell a bit more about the past of the incident involving why Matilda is an old geezer though everybody says she's 26. Twenty-six is a sad age to be at, trust me.

STAR-CROSSED LOVERS
Reason for mission choice: Part of the storyline. Needed to trigger Heaven's Gate.

Deana, being the nice woman she is, wants to help Matilda prolong her life and live happily with Irwin. Naturally, this pisses Escad off. Though I wonder, how did Matilda selectively warp everybody except Escad out of the room? And why did all of us wind up at different locations? And where did Deana wind up when she arrived at the temple?

Boss: Escad - Daena is also a potential boss, but my choice leads to fighting Escad. Counterstrike was great for doing damage and Rising Sun makes for great defense during his special attack.

Boss Defeat Time: 0:52
Mission Improvement Time: 0:56 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - Whomever you fight at this boss battle officially dies at the end of the fight. Whoever you join can become your partner in the next mission.

HEAVEN'S GATE
Reason for mission choice: Final story in the storyline. Needed to trigger Cage of Dreams.

Irwin plans on destroying the world. Naturally, I must stop him by going through a decayed wyrm. Finally, the Cancun Bird comes into play other than letting Sandra escape. Selva is a tempter during the mission, trying to get me to turn back. Naturally, I refuse, because I'm the most kick ass Legend of Mana player ever.

Boss: Irwin - He gets way too much invincibility time and that meteor strike attack is NASTY. I prevail though, because I'm awesome. Funniest moment is watching a stunned Irwin pull off a tech attack. How come I am never allowed to do that?

Boss Defeat Time: 2:23
Mission Improvement Time: 0:51 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - After completing the mission, you can no longer enter Lumecia.

THE CAGE OF DREAMS
Reason for mission choice: AF Sword of Mana.

While I trigger The Little Sorcerers, I don't need to do it. Instead, I go talk to a stain glass window and a bird about love. All you need is love, love. Love is all you need.

Mission Improvement Time: 0:54 (Faster)
Compared to Dragon: -0:04 (Slower)
Compared to Jumi: -0:47 (Slower)

Bonus fact - You need 18 artifacts to trigger this. I also needed to return and leave home for it to start. Unlike previous thoughts, you do NOT need to enter and leave your house before the initial scenario triggers, just before the title appears.

LEGEND OF MANA
Reason for mission choice: Uh, to finish the game?!

Final boss: Mana Goddess - There are two kinds of love that a person can give. One form of that is tough love, which is what this goddess gives and needs. Unfortunately unlike the other two storylines, I don't have some kick ass weapon, so I'm desperately relying on counterstrike. I wish I could have gotten one more in as to not have to face the laser attack, which cost a bit of time. But I still win, which is the most important thing.

Boss Defeat Time: 1:48
Mission Improvement Time: -0:09 (Slower)
Compared to Dragon: -1:25 (Slower)
Compared to Jumi: -2:36 (Slower)

Enjoy the ending people!

Game was completed with the hero at Level 21 (2 levels lower than v1), buying only one additional item (SteelSword), learning 3 abilities (Counterattack, Counterstrike, and Rising Sun), and making 2 equipment changes (equipping SteelSword and Iron Pot).

This run is (C) 2006 Nicholas "Sir VG" Hoppe and is allowed for downloading and private viewing. Permissions for hosting have been granted to Radix and Speed Demos Archive for hosting this run. Public viewing of this run is prohibited without prior permission from the creator. The selling or distribution of this run for profit in any way, shape, or form including (but not limited to) selling on eBay and television for profit prohibited without prior permission from the author. Any violation of the above listed may result in legal action. Legend of Mana is (C) 2000 Squaresoft (now Square Enix).

Sir VG, signing out.

Welcome to the Legend of Mana. This is the Jumi Storyline run, version 3 (2nd published version).

Speed run Rules:
*Single Session
*Takes Damage to Save Time
*No Deaths

What are the differences between this and the prior published version? And why is this version 3 (submission 2)? And why the change in weaponry?

First off, the difference between this and v1 (submission 1) is about 28:43, pushing this run to under 3 hours, which was the goal of this new submission. This run is classified as version 3, as there was a version 2 done, but not submitted.

The following missions were removed from the last run (Jumi v1 [Submission 1]) and the time saved from removing them:

Huntin' Du'Cate: 10:19

NICCOLO'S BUSINESS UNUSUAL
Reasons for mission choice: 3 artifacts (Wheel, Flame, Medallion)

Boss: Mantis Ant - Thanks to help from Niccolo, he falls nice and quickly. I did send it the wrong way with my tech attack, which cost some time. Great fight otherwise. Being the greedy rabbit he is, he takes all my money (since I don't have 300 Lucre) and gives me two worthless items, and IronPot. I'm supposed to smile after that?

Boss Defeat Time: 0:51
Mission Improvement Time: -0:04 (Slower)
Compared to Dragon: -0:36 (Slower)
Compared to Fairy: -0:15 (Slower)

Bonus fact - Mantis Ant is also the first boss of Secret of Mana as well. (Go watch that run, even if it's not mine - totally awesome game.)

THE LOST PRINCESS
Reasons for mission choice: 3 artifacts (Jade Egg, Firefly Lamp, Stone Eye).

I head back to Domina to team up with Elazul. The babe Pearl is missing, and we need to find her. This is one of my favorite missions in the game...I guess I like the whole damsel in distress thing.

Boss: Du'Inke - The key to this fight is tech attacks. It's handy that they protect me from Du'Inke's attacks and most of the time I connect with them. The last one I started a little early, but oh well. Pearl is safe and we're on our way.

Boss Defeat Time: 1:00
Mission Improvement Time: 0:57 (Faster)
Compared to Dragon: 1:12 (Faster)
Compared to Fairy: 0:28 (Faster)

Bonus fact - If you do this mission before Niccolo's Business Unusual, Sandra will be in the room before Du'Inke.

THE LITTLE SORCERERS
Reasons for mission choice: Needed to trigger later missions.

I return home to trigger this mission. This mission is made available by doing either of the first two missions. Apparently these kids have started some pumpkin voodoo cult and want to take over the world or something, and I need to stop them.

Boss: Bud & Lisa - These two make quite a good team. If you can get them separated and take one out, that makes things much easier, but it's hard to do with the constant threat of magic looming about. But I win and allow them to go home, where they stay for the rest of the game.

Boss Defeat Time: 1:08
Mission Improvement Time: 0:08 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - Bud and Lisa can become partners for various missions. However they won't come if you already have a NPC or can't come if you need one for a mission.

FAERIE'S LIGHT
Reasons for mission choice: AF Sand Rose

Mission Improvement Time: -4:35 (Slower)
(This mission was not run in v1, so the comparison is only to getting SteelSword and leaving, hence why this mission is so much slower than before)
Compared to Dragon: -0:07 (Slower)
Compared to Fairy: -0:04 (Slower)

REACH FOR THE STARS
I start but purposely do not finish this mission. Starting it moves the Principal of Geo out of his office in Geo and leaves him in the desert. This is important for The Lucky Clover.

THE FLAME OF HOPE
Reasons for mission choice: Part of the storyline and part of the formula needed to trigger Teardrop Crystal.

Mission Improvement Time: 0:56 (Faster)
Compared to Fairy: 0:10 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - The scene at the end of the mission is shown in the ending, less the hero and text.

NICCOLO'S BUSINESS UNUSUAL 2
Reasons for mission choice: AF Broken Doll. I can get this from Reach for the Stars, but due to my desire to leave the mission open, I get the AF here.

This was a new mission to the run. Time added: 1:59
Compared to Fairy: Dead Even

Bonus Fact - The fairy shown at the end may appear before hand (though not to trigger the mission end) under certain conditions. This is more likely to happen during the Fairy storyline.

THE INFERNAL DOLL
Reasons for mission choice: AF Tome of Magic and Moon's Mirror

They toys are upset and planning revenge on the humans. Junk should stay in its place.

Boss Defeat Time: 0:17
Mission Improvement Time: 0:14 (Faster)
Compared to Fairy: 0:21 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - The guy at the end is named Louie. If you go off in the right (well, wrong) direction enough, he'll find you and point you in the right direction.

THE LOOKING-GLASS TOWER
Reasons for mission choice: Needed to trigger The Lucky Clover.

Well, look who's here. It's Pearl, and she's gotten herself lost again. I try to stop her, but she runs away into the tower. Time to chase her down.

Boss 1: Iron Centaur - With Elazul's help, this guy falls quickly. At this point, Elazul leaves and I have to escort Pearl back down the tower.

Boss 2: Jewel Beast - Hurrah for screwing up the computer AI!

Boss 1 Defeat Time: 1:05
Boss 2 Defeat Time: 0:59
Mission Improvement Time: 0:52 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - If you choose to go with Pearl up the tower, Elazul will not be standing at the Door of Fate. It also affects the scene inside.

TEATIME OF DANGER
Reasons for mission choice: AF Rusty Anchor

Teapo has wandered around looking for tea leaves, but got lost. I'm suppose to go find the whiney baby. Great...

Boss: Count Dovula - After the funny intro, it's time to fight. Except I left my oak stakes and holy water at home. Counterstrike does some great damage.

Boss Defeat Time: 0:58
Mission Improvement Time: 0:10 (Faster)
Compared to Fairy: -0:27 (Slower)

Bonus Fact - This is the only mission where I fight the same enemy 3 times at the same location.

DROWNED DREAMS
Reasons for mission choice: Part of the formula to trigger Teardrop Crystal.

Apparently a ghost has take over the hotel and it's up to me to solve the mystery. Zero fights and way too much dialog. Along the way say hi to Gilbert who's made the trip from Lumina!

Mission Improvement Time: 0:14 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - When Inspector Boyd asks you if there's any news, the choices don't matter, you just have to ask 3 times to trigger the choice to ask about him.

THE LUCKY CLOVER
Reasons for mission choice: Part of the storyline. Needed to trigger Cosmo.

Thanks to leaving the principal of Geo out in the desert, I can avoid a couple days of day manipulation. Certain events can only happen on certain days, like meeting Esmeralda in the library can only happen on Gnome or Undine days. Normally I would need to stay in the Caf... until Dyrad day to get the stone out of the principal's office, but since nobody's there...

Boss: Jewel Beast - Yep, it's back for another helping of getting its ass kicked. Unfortunately I'm not only fighting it, but in a sense I'm fighting Elazul who's absolutely NO HELP AT ALL. Stop shoving the damn thing around so I can screw the AI up again.

Boss Defeat Time: 1:15
Mission Improvement Time: 3:18 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - If you complete this mission without doing The Lost Princess, you'll receive the Jade Egg to insure that you can do Cosmo.

COSMO
Reasons for mission choice: Part of the storyline. Needed to trigger Two Pearls.

How did Pearl sneak out from under my nose? After ditching Elazul, he shows right back up again. I tell him Pearl hasn't arrived (even though she was there at the end of The Lucky Clover) to trigger this event.

Boss: Jewel Beast - Yep, another one! This time though, I have Lady Blackpearl who can beat anything down with that gigantic shell mallet. Don't mess with her boys.

Boss Defeat Time: 0:44
Mission Improvement Time: 0:23 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - You notice that after the note appears on the world map, I reenter home. This is a game automated action, not an error.

TWO PEARLS
Reasons for mission choice: Needed to trigger Alexandrite.

First off, how did Elazul sneak out? Did he jump out the window or something? What a magician! I chase him down to the Tower of Leires and we head back up this dreaded place again. At least this time, I only have to go up.

Boss: Blackpearl - A fairly easy fight, with the tech attacks making for great defense.

Boss Defeat Time: 1:13
Mission Improvement Time: 0:48 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - How can Pearl and Blackpearl be standing next to each other? They are the same person after all.

REACH FOR THE STARS
Reasons for mission choice: Needed to trigger Flourite.

Ok, it's time to wrap this mission up. I'm sure everybody's tired of being scorched in the desert. Green students always lie, so whatever they say I do the opposite.

Boss: 2 Axebeaks - I managed to quickly get them separated and they were nice enough to stay that way. Combined with constant counterstrikes, the fight was fast.

Boss Defeat Time: 0:47
Mission Improvement Time: 0:52 (Faster)
(Time comparison to the original does include the time for starting this mission but leaving.)

Bonus Fact - Aren't fireworks cool? This is your only shot at seeing it, so enjoy.

ALEXANDRITE
Reasons for mission choice: Part of the storyline. Needed to trigger Flourite.

After heading home quick (to trigger Elazul and Pearl's appearance in the pub in Domina), I head over to Geo to search for Diana's 3 keys to her heart. However, this was a stupid move as it gives a chance for Sandra to steal her core. Yep, we killed another Jumi. Just a reminder that after the note appears on the world map I reenter Domina. This is a game automated action, not an error.

Mission Improvement Time: 0:42 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - In case you forgot, Diana was Rubens' girlfriend.

FLOURITE
Reasons for mission choice: Part of the storyline and part of the formula to trigger Teardrop Crystal.

I get sucked into Pandora's box to meet up with Florina, the only Jumi who can cry tears. Alex has locked her up in the box and she's having bad dreams. Time to kill the boogieman.

Boss: Jewel Beast - Yep, a 4th one. I accidentally paused long enough for it to break away for a little bit, but otherwise another dead monster.

Boss Defeat Time: 1:00
Mission Improvement Time: 1:22 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - If you don't talk to Elazul during the first encounter between him and Blackpearl, they won't appear at the second location.

TEARDROP CRYSTAL
Reasons for mission choice: Final mission of the storyline. Needed to trigger Cage of Dreams.

Finally, the Jumi storyline comes down to this. You're given the choice of taking either Pearl/Blackpearl or Elazul. I take the former as Blackpearl is devastating in boss battles and that SwordOfFate Elazul hands over is NICE. Plus Elazul sucks as a partner, so I'm glad to see him well...you'll see.

The object is to play Mastermind in the Bejeweled City. It's easiest to play with a full deck of jewels, so after I unlock a door, I go back to get new sets the jewels I just used. All cutscenes must be viewed or the door at the top floor won't open.

Boss 1-3: Jewel Beasts - I won't go over these individually. They don't deserve it anymore now that we're at manifestations 5, 6, and 7. Besides, they all fell in a hurry. Only the 7th one got lucky enough to actually get some attacks off.

Boss 4: Lord of Jewels 999 - Blackpearl really kicked some ass at this boss. I like her use of the dash-split, similar to what Spriggan used during Two Torches (Fairy Storyline).

Boss 5: Lord of Jewels 1000 - Ok, I believe this was the fastest boss fight out of every one I did. Between a Rising Sun and Blackpearl's mallet, this boss didn't have a chance.

Boss 1 Defeat Time: 0:25
Boss 2 Defeat Time: 0:23
Boss 3 Defeat Time: 0:47
Boss LoJ999 Defeat Time: 0:37
Boss LoJ1000 Defeat Time: 0:16
Mission Improvement Time: 8:20 (Faster)

Bonus Fact - In case you haven't figured it out, Alex, Sandra, and Alexandra are all the same person. Alex was the jewelry store shopkeeper in Geo, Sandra is her "jewel hunter" guise, but she was originally Alexandra the Jumi. She, unlike the rest of the Jumi legion, is not revived by the hero's tear, or at least she doesn't appear in the scene.

ENCHANTED INSTRUMENTS 101
Reason for mission choice: Forced to because I completed Reach for the Stars.

Some kid from Geo teaches me how to use and make instruments and has made a shop in my backyard without my permission. He should be arrested.

Mission Improvement Time: 0:10 (Faster)

THE CAGE OF DREAMS
Reason for mission choice: AF Sword of Mana.

I go talk to a stain glass window and a bird about love. All you need is love, love. Love is all you need.

Mission Improvement Time: 1:05
Compared to Dragon: 0:43 (Faster)
Compared to Fairy: 0:47 (Faster)

Bonus fact - You need 18 artifacts to trigger this. I also needed to return and leave home for it to start.

LEGEND OF MANA
Reason for mission choice: Uh, to finish the game?!

Final boss: Mana Goddess - There are two kinds of love that a person can give. One form of that is tough love, which is what this goddess gives and needs. SwordOfFate does some MAJOR damage to her. Counterstrike for the win!

Boss Defeat Time: 0:28 (Yes, I beat the Mana Goddess in under 30 seconds!)
Mission Improvement Time: 3:36 (Faster)
Compared to Dragon: 1:11 (Faster)
Compared to Fairy: 2:36 (Faster)

Enjoy the ending people!

Game was completed with the hero at Level 26 (2 levels lower than v1), buying only one additional item (SteelSword), learning 3 abilities (Counterattack, Counterstrike, and Rising Sun), and making 3 equipment changes (equipping SteelSword, and later SwordOfFate, and Iron Pot).

Sir VG, signing out.