Secret of Evermore

Secret of Evermore
North American box art
Developer(s)	Square
Publisher(s)	NA: Square PAL: Nintendo
Designer(s)	Alan Weiss George Sinfield
Programmer(s)	Brian Fehdrau
Artist(s)	Daniel Dociu Beau Folsom
Writer(s)	George Sinfield Paul Mazurek
Composer(s)	Jeremy Soule
Platform(s)	Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release	NA: October 17, 1995 AU: February 22, 1996 EU: March 13, 1996[1][2]
Genre(s)	Action role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player

Secret of Evermore is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in North America on October 17, 1995, in Australia in February 1996, and in Europe in March 1996. A Japanese release was planned to follow the North American release by a few months^[3] but was ultimately cancelled.

The story of Secret of Evermore follows a boy and his shapeshifting pet dog as they are inadvertently transported to the fantasy world of Evermore. The player guides both characters through Evermore, a world composed of separate realms, each resembling a different period of real-world history: "Prehistoria" (prehistory), "Antiqua" (classical antiquity), "Gothica" (the Middle Ages), and "Omnitopia" (an imaginative future world). The gameplay shares many similarities with Secret of Mana, such as real-time battles, a ring-shaped menu system, and the ability to switch control between the two characters. Despite similar game mechanics and a similar title, it is not an entry in the Mana series.^[3][4]

Secret of Evermore is unique in that it is the only game developed by Square designers in North America. The game received positive reviews upon its release for its graphics and gameplay but was criticized for not being up to the expectations many reviewers had based upon the developer's previous Japanese role-playing games. The game's North American development, Mana-like game mechanics, and ambient music have since helped it to develop a cult following.