Japanese developer Square is legendary for its numerous RPG franchises. Series like Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana, and Kingdom Hearts put the publisher on top and helped it secure a merger with equally prominent RPG company Enix. The newly combined company is still profiting off of modern successes like Final Fantasy XVI and Dragon Quest XI, but a rich history of remakes and remasters proves that neither company has any intention of forgetting the past. One game that has gone unrecognized by Square Enix in modern times, however, is Secrets of Evermore. This 1995 release is unique in that it never received a Japanese release, unlike contemporaries like Secret of Mana. Today we’ll be looking at this obscure gem and what makes it stand out.
Secret of Evermore Premise
The elusive Secret of Evermore is an action RPG which is exclusive to the Super Nintendo. Many fans have noted the game’s similarities to Secret of Mana, a more prominent Square RPG launched two years earlier. Like Secret of Mana, Evermore has you controlling two main characters and swapping between them in real-time combat. You have a gauge determining the effectiveness of your actions, and it resets whenever you do something. The protagonist has access to four main weapon types that he can switch between in combat, and repeated use increases your skill with each weapon. Secret of Evermore also stands out for its distinctive alchemy system. Instead of spending magic points to cast spells, as in most contemporary games, you must combine ingredients to produce the effect you want.
The game takes place in the titular world of Evermore, which is mysteriously split into four realms each based on different time periods. This includes Prehistoria, a prehistoric dinosaur-filled world, Antiqua, which is full of the most recognizable kinds of structures from the ancient world, the medieval realm of Gothica, and the futuristic Omnitopia. The two protagonists, a teenage boy and his dog, discover a strange machine which whisks them away to the fantasy realm. They must seek out the inhabitants of each distinct area in order to learn the truth behind this strange new world and, more importantly, how they can get home.
Secret of Evermore Main Characters
Like any good RPG, Secret of Evermore has a rich cast of NPCs for you to encounter on your journey. Listed below are some of the most important characters you will meet as you travel the surreal plane of Evermore. It should be noted that there are spoilers listed below. If you haven’t played the game yet and you’re interested, you should proceed with caution.
- The Hero: The protagonist of Secret of Evermore is a teenage boy who the player must name. He’s an easy-going young man who’s a particular fan of old B-movies, and quotes them constantly.
- Dog: The Hero’s pet dog serves as his faithful companion, and like his owner, his name is determined by the player. While his combat capabilities are a bit more limited than those of his owner, he can still fight fiercely in battle, and he boasts a higher movement speed. His form also changes depending on which world of Evermore you’re in. In Prehistoria, he’s a large, feral wolf, while Antiqua changes him to a sleek greyhound. Gothica casts him as a sort of poodle, while Omnitopia turns him into a robotic dog similar to Mega Man’s iconic companion.
- Sidney Ruffleburg: This eccentric scientist is the true creator of Evermore, which he invented as a realm where people could visit worlds inspired by their own imaginations. He is the nominal ruler of Omnitopia, but his evil robotic butler Carltron has usurped him.
- Elizabeth: Ruffleburg’s granddaughter Elizabeth has been trapped in Evermore just like her ancestor. She is the ruler and creator of Prehistoria and masters fire-based Alchemy in combat.
- Horace Highwater: Museum curator Horace Highwater is a friend of Sidney Ruffleburg, and his imagination is responsible for the historical world of Antiqua. While technically the ruler of the realm, he prefers to spend his time leading archaeological digs.
- Camellia Bluegarden: Camellia is the fourth person trapped in Evermore by Ruffleburg’s experiments. She was a librarian in the real world, and her imagination has manifested the tales she read in the form of Gothica, a world of fairy tales and dragons.
- Carltron: Sidney Ruffleburg built the sinister Carltron, a robotic butler, so that he would have an opponent in chess. The intelligence upgrades Carlton received to keep him competitive eventually turned him evil. He has since usurped Ruffleburg and now works to take control of all four realms of Evermore, creating robotic doppelgangers of the other leaders to take control and assume ultimate authority. He serves as the main antagonist of the game.
Secret of Evermore Titles in the Series
Secret of Evermore is, officially, a standalone game. It has not received any sequels to speak of and it’s not a part of any overarching series. Given the self-contained nature of the titular setting, it would be a hard game to follow up in any case. That said, the game has many similarities to fellow Square RPG Secret of Mana, as noted before. This similarity is largely responsible for the cult following the game has received. This means that if you enjoy Secret of Evermore for its action RPG gameplay, you can get a similar experience by trying out the Mana series. The characters and storyline might not be the same, but you can still scratch that itch. To that end, here’s every entry in the Secret of Mana franchise, starting with the Final Fantasy spinoff that started it all.
- Final Fantasy Adventure (1991)
- Secret of Mana (1993)
- Trials of Mana (1995)
- Legend of Mana (1999)
- Sword of Mana (2003)
- Children of Mana (2006)
- Friends of Mana (2006)
- Dawn of Mana (2006)
- Heroes of Mana (2007)
- Circle of Mana (2013)
- Rise of Mana (2014)
- Adventures of Mana (2016)
- Collection of Mana (2017)
- Secret of Mana remake (2018)
- Trials of Mana remake (2020)
- Echoes of Mana (2022)
- Visions of Mana (2024)
Secret of Evermore Cheat Codes
While Secret of Evermore does not have any official built-in cheat codes, it did come out during the golden age of the cheat peripheral. Third-party hardware like the Game Genie and Pro Action Replay were extremely common back then, and fans could use them to hack games like Secret of Evermore to their heart’s content. Today, many emulators include an option to enable codes from these old machines. If you’re emulating the game this way, or if you’re lucky enough to own an original copy and a Pro Action Replay device, here is a selection of codes that will help you prosper in-game. You can find more in this contemporary GameFAQs guide.
- 7E4EB3E7: Infinite health for the Hero.
- 7E4F61E7: Infinite health for the Dog.
- 7E0A3FFF: Maximum attack for the Hero.
- 7E0A41FF: Maximum defense for the Hero.
- 7E0A43FF: Maximum magic defense for the Hero.
- 7E0A4564: Maximum evade chance for the Hero.
- 7E0A4764: Maximum hit chance for the Hero.
- 7E0A89FF: Maximum attack for the Dog.
- 7E0A8BFF: Maximum defense for the Dog.
- 7E0A8DFF: Maximum magic defense for the Dog.
- 7E0A8F64: Maximum evade chance for the Dog.
- 7E0A9164: Maximum hit chance for the Dog.
- 7E0AC67F: Infinite Talons.
- 7E0AC97F: Infinite Jewels.
- 7E0ACC7F: Infinite Gold Coins.
- 7E0ACF7F: Infinite Credits.
- 7E2261E0: Unlock all Charms.
- 7E22643E: Unlock all Key Items.
- 7E2258FF: Unlock all Alchemy recipes.
- 7E22DAFF: Unlock all weapons.
Secret of Evermore FAQ
Is Secret of Evermore a sequel to Secret of Mana? Secret of Evermore’s status as a standalone game has already been discussed in this article, but its specific relationship to the Mana series bears further discussion. As you can see in the list of Mana games above, Secret of Evermore released in the same year as Trials of Mana, the true sequel to Secret of Mana. However, Trials of Mana never came out in the United States. International fans wouldn’t get to play it until they got the 3D remake in 2020, over two decades later. Likewise, Secret of Evermore was designed by Square employees in North America. Furthermore, it did not release in Japan. This means that Secret of Evermore essentially served as the United States stand-in for Trials of Mana, even though it bears no connection to the series.