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Difference between revisions of "Secret of Evermore"
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(Created page with "{{Game InfoBox | jp-title = N/A | jp-trans = | en-title = Secret of Evermore | image = | colorscheme = Squaresoft | console = SNES | publisher = Squaresoft | developer =...") |
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| developer = [[Squaresoft]] | | developer = [[Squaresoft]] | ||
| director = Douglas E. Smith | | director = Douglas E. Smith | ||
| designer = Alain Weis<br>George | | designer = Alain Weis<br>George Sinfield | ||
| artist = Daniel Dociu<br>Beau Folsom<br>Rebecca Coffman | | artist = Daniel Dociu<br>Beau Folsom<br>Rebecca Coffman | ||
| writer = George | | writer = George Sinfield<br>Paul Mazurek | ||
| composer = Jeremy Soule | | composer = Jeremy Soule | ||
| jp = Never released | | jp = Never released | ||
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==Development history== | ==Development history== | ||
Development of ''Secret of Evermore'' began in 1994 as a result of Squaresoft seeking to expand it's developmental capabilities outside of Japan. Douglas Smith was appointed to helm the project, having developed a friendship with [[Hironobu Sakaguchi]] years earlier during his employment at Broderbund software. The project would grow to incorporate 25 programmers and artists, mostly first-timers, and the team would accept suggestions and ideas from every staff member to encourage the creative process. Squaresoft's headquarters in Japan were supportive of the project being an entirely American endeavor and gave full autonomy to the staff, and only assisted in technical advice and debugging tips concerning the SNES hardware. | |||
The project was originally given the working title of ''Vex and the Mezmers'', and instead of a modern day, science fiction setting it would involve the adventures of a group of wizards who could manifest dreams into a figurative virtual reality, allowing the dreams to experience their creations with lucid, waking minds. One day, a dream wizard by the name of Vex would have become trapped in a dream and begin to corrupt it, with the player having to track him down and put a stop to the chaos he'd caused. | |||
The name was dropped when George Sinfield was hired on to help write the scenario and script, having had a high school friend who'd changed his legal given name to Vexx and being too embarrassed to use it. Suggestions for a new name were submitted by the team, and Secret of Evermore was the most popular. The fantasy elements were gradually removed as development continued, with the framing narrative instead being a mad scientist who inadvertently traps his friends in a prison of their own creation. The reliance of B-movie references were implemented by Sinfield to give the protagonist something to relate his situation to, and to give him more personality. the development team was happy with the result, and requested that Sinfield continue to add the quirk until it reached the point see in the final product. | |||
The lead artist for the project was Daniel Dociu, whose emphasis on conveying as much expression as possible through the use of sprites put the project's budget in danger, with the 12-megabit cartridge quickly reaching maximum capacity with the assets he created and supervised. Permission was granted to expand the game's size to a 24-megabit cartridge from Squaresoft, and even with the doubled storage capacity it was necessary to use clever and discreet asset mirroring to fit the majority of the planned content into the ROM. This also meant that the game would not have the multiplayer feature found in Mana titles. | |||
The similarities to the Mana series, most specifically ''Secret of Mana'', are intentional though the project never used any of the software developed for the title nor the engine. The game was highly esteemed by industry critics and gamers alike, and was considered by most of the American branch of Squaresoft to be the finest product the company had released up to that point. Applying the proven Mana formula to Evermore and adjusting the specifics to accommodate feedback that the game had received back in 1993, the project staff were able to create a richly fluid experience that built upon an already rock-solid foundation. | |||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
