One major element in Legend of Mana is the Land Creation System. Instead of having one big cohesive world players see the world as an empty world map. In the world map you can place artifacts in designated spots on the map that turn into individual locals. Each time you finish a small quest you gain more artifacts to plant on the world map, and in turn more locations and quests to venture on. The bad part about the Land Creation System is that it's there for novelty. It's bothersome to get artifacts and plant them down after every quest you embark on, and it just plain doesn't add much to the game.

Each artifact that is planted onto the world map makes up one individual mini quest. Mini quests are the meat of Legend of Mana and it's how the game advances. Each mini quest starts out with a title and ends with a static ending screen to signify the closure of the adventure. The quests are completely unrelated, but revolve around some interesting characters and amusing dialogue.

The battle system is straight forward and effective in LOM. There is a quick attack and power attack button that can be interchanged for combos. There are also super moves that can be gained with more experience then assigned to the trigger buttons. The super moves also come with nifty special effects that have become a Square trademark. The only problem with the battle system is that you can only attack left and right and not up and down, making the fighting a bit clunky in tight spots. Another player can also join up in the action when certain adventures team you up with a supporting character.

The hand drawn visuals in LOM are a work of art. Each area has a creatively drawn layout that provides a great visual substance to the game. The art isn't very animated but it looks nice and gives a great setting for players to walk around in.

In addition to the actual game there are other places where players can spend their role-playing time. After completing a particular quest, the Monster Corral located near your home will be open. Players can then capture eggs during various quests that will be brought back to the corral and can be raised and later help you in battle. After they mature through several stages they can be used as a party member. After completing another quest, the Backyard Orchard opens where players can grow fruit. Sure it's odd but hey, you can grow fruit! Players can also create new weapons at the Equipment Smithy and use raw materials to create a Golem in a laboratory - a Golem can then become a party member.

The mini quests in Legend of Mana is a refreshing idea, but one massive continuing storyline would have added more depth to the adventure. There seems to be more depth on side then in the actual game. Players can customize the world map, breed monsters, create Golem party members, and even grow fruit. Square did a wonderful job in creating a world where players get to customize so many parts of the game. LOM wasn't the next chapter I was expecting, but it's a great game for people who want to build the world they play in.