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New interview with legendary Secret Of Mana composer Hiroki Kikuta
by David Houghton on 06.11.2007 18 comments

New interview with legendary Secret Of Mana composer Hiroki Kikuta screenshot

Every passionate gamer carries with them a very personal list of the people key to their videogaming upbringing. Whether they be game designers, publishers, journalists, or the friends and family members who bought them their first games, everyone knows the importance of these people within their own videogaming mythology. Within my own internal encyclopedia of gaming, there is no more significant name than Hiroki Kikuta.

Picture the scene: It's Christmas Day, 1994. A thirteen year-old me puts his new Secret of Mana cartridge into his SNES and loads it up, full of excitement and hope for the now mythical game which until recently, he'd thought he'd never get to play. Suddenly, something happens. Attention already fixed by the stark atmosperics of the opening whale-song, he hears a few lonely, delicate piano notes ring out, and his spine and arms tingle in a way that no videogame has ever made happen before. This is clearly something very different. Within a couple of minutes, the music has swirled and evolved from fragile to hopeful, and then from there to empowered, and eventually utterly, gloriously victorious. 

When that opening theme ended, my younger self and my younger Dad shot each other the wordless, stunned glance that only the truly blown of mind can share, and it was at exactly that moment that the way I saw videogames changed forever. Kikuta and Mana switched me on to games as a serious, expressive medium, and probably did more work than anyone in turning me into the kind of gamer I am now. For that reason, whenever the man's talking, I'll be listening; and if you have any interest in game music, RPGs, or gaming as an artistic medium, you should be too. 

Square Haven is currently hosting a new interview with the composer, covering his work with Square on Mana and Soukaigi, as well as his self-produced RPG Koudelka, and his most recent album, Lost Files. While Kikuta doesn't tend to get referenced as widely as Final Fantasy's Nobuo Uematsu, his work is just as important, and the interview is a very interesting read, taking in everything from composing, to the importance of world travel, to anthropology, human communication and aspirations to write a videogame musical. Check it out here

[Thanks Jeriaska]

MORE IN OUR Square Enix SECTION

Latest comment by alexkorova |view all 18 comments
Great game, was really fun to play with a friend (or two!) and had some really cool atmosphere (and some quite not so cool) and some great music (the Thanatos boss music, the opening scene and lo......





Michymaster's Avatar
Michymaster at 06/11/2007 12:55

That was a cool game
Black Mage Slim's Avatar
Black Mage Slim at 06/11/2007 12:58

My musical video game experience was in Final Fantasy 7. When Aerith died I was just thinking that, "Oh, this is just another death in a game." But when holy fell out of her hair, and the music was cued, I actually had a tear roll down my cheek. I was about 10 or 11 when I played this. I was a "crying is gay" type boy. And even then I was touched. Nobuo is my Kikuta.
Snaileb 's Avatar
Snaileb at 06/11/2007 13:09

I came in here looking for an interview....

WTCrap? Oh... nm I found it. You must really like Secret of Mana, huh?
Joseph -Orcist- Leray's Avatar
Joseph -Orcist- Leray at 06/11/2007 13:09

The music in the Ice Country is so serene, it still blows me away. I remember being really struck by how odd it was to be slaughtering monsters on the backdrop of the beautiful landscape and calming music. Really cool part of SoM, if I do say so myself.
flanflan's Avatar
flanflan at 06/11/2007 13:27

I loved this game for the simple fact that you could join with a friend or family member in this fantastic adventure. Other than that, I knew that this game would be epic, when I first heard it's gentle flute melody and later turn into a dramatic piece of music. It's nice to know the name who came up with the music for this beautiful game.
Black Mage Slim's Avatar
Black Mage Slim at 06/11/2007 13:46

We need to get Nintendo to release Secret of Mana on the Wii.
David Houghton 's Avatar
David Houghton at 06/11/2007 13:49

Black Mage Slim:

Yes. Yes we do. Ideally with online multiplayer.

It's just a shame Square Enix are too busy re-releasing things themselves to put anything on the VC at the moment.
Goldensly's Avatar
Goldensly at 06/11/2007 14:00

Ah great memories with Secret of Mana. So far I've been disappointed with anything made related to it since the original came out.
David Houghton 's Avatar
David Houghton at 06/11/2007 14:12

Seiken Densetsu 3 was pretty good, but apart from Kikuta's score, it just didn't have the same magic as Mana.
Geoff's Avatar
Geoff at 06/11/2007 14:16

I named the dwarf after me when I was a kid D: The ending was sad
fearian's Avatar
fearian at 06/11/2007 14:31

PSP snes emulator + friend + secret of mana = I love this game!

only found out about it a month ago but I love playing it multiplayer with my mate!

theres a +1 for the psp!
Crunshii's Avatar
Crunshii at 06/11/2007 15:45

secret of mana was my turn table for RPG. I played other RPG but non of them really brought what this game did. and unfortunately, all the seiken densetsu's that came out after this one sucked. every... single... one of them...

Even the sword of mana, nothing ever brings back the story line that drags you in the game imagination, gameplay, how to fight bosses.

Fighting that EYE-Wall was a head rusher for me... ???in eye kept resurrecting the one I just killed! ah the memories...
Goldensly's Avatar
Goldensly at 06/11/2007 17:00

Opening Sequence, Thanatos Battle and Ending Sequence take me back :) and the four seasons...and...too much to list lol
Wedge's Avatar
Wedge at 06/11/2007 19:04

Best soundtrack ever. I get chills to this day if I pop in that cartridge.
VTSvsAlucard's Avatar
VTSvsAlucard at 06/11/2007 19:10

I was so confused on how this game worked when I first played (like 4 or 5) but after returning to it a few years ago I loved it.

My music game is the same game that hooked me to RPGs: Xenogears.
Im OK's Avatar
Im OK at 06/11/2007 22:14

*rocks out to The Oracle*
_Jeriaska's Avatar
_Jeriaska at 06/11/2007 22:45

You rock, DavidHoughton.
alexkorova's Avatar
alexkorova at 06/12/2007 09:10

Great game, was really fun to play with a friend (or two!) and had some really cool atmosphere (and some quite not so cool) and some great music (the Thanatos boss music, the opening scene and loads of others)

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