Harder Final Boss

Original game : Secret of Mana

Platform : SNES

Author : Kethinov

Release date : 01 January 2020

Category : Improvement

Patch version : 1.4

Modifications : P

Downloads : 288

ROM Information

Database match: Secret of Mana (USA)
Database: No-Intro: Super Nintendo Entertainment System (v. 20180813-062835)
File/ROM SHA-1: 8133041A363E3CC68CEDEF40B49B6D20D03C505D
File/ROM CRC32: D0176B24

Hack description

This patch significantly steps up the difficulty of the two phases of the final boss fight (Dark Lich and Mana Beast) so as to subvert the "final boss is a pushover" trope common to so many RPGs. These fights will now be much longer and reasonably challenging even if you max level your characters.

Specific changes for Dark Lich:

- Level increased from 72 to 99.
- HP increased from 6666 to 46666.
- MP increased from 99 to 255.
- Strength increased from 74 to 99.
- Intelligence increased from 96 to 99.
- Wisdom increased from 96 to 99.
- Spell power increased from 44 to 99.
- Spell list changed from the rather nonthreatening Freeze, HP Absorb, Earth Slide, Thunderbolt, Dark Force, Evil Gate, and Dispel Magic each against a single target to the much more vicious combination of Blaze Wall against all targets and MP Absorb sometimes against all targets, sometimes against one target.
- Dark Lich will attack more aggressively and go underground less often.
- Incorporated "Fix Dark Lich Head Bang Glitch" hack to prevent Dark Lich from being pinned using the "head bang" glitch. Side effect: he will no longer chase you when he is underground, but this was easily avoided in the original AI logic anyway by staying to his left or right.

Specific changes for the Mana Beast:

- Level increased from 73 to 99.
- HP increased from 9990 to 65535.
- MP increased from 99 to 255.
- Spell power increased from 45 to 99.
- Now immune to all elements.
- Will now no longer waste time casting Wall. In the original game this mechanic could be exploited to prevent it from casting Lucent Beam.

Important things to note:

- Because these fights will be so much longer now, you might want to consider combining this with patches that introduce the "Faerie Coconut" second MP restorative item and/or patches that increase the total number of items you can have in your inventory as well to take the edge off a bit.
- If you want to apply any game-wide difficulty mods such as the hacks in "Adjust Enemy Difficulty," be sure to apply those first, then this hack after.

Contributions

Contributor	Type of contribution	Description
Kethinov	Hacking	Principal author
Queue	Hacking	Bundled "Big Health And Mana Support" hack

Reviews

Now you must EARN your happy ending!	zoolgremlin	2019-11-06	Version 1.2
Tested as part of the ongoing Secret of Mana Turbo Project, by Queue (with various resources provided by zhaDe as part of Secret of Mana: New Game Improvement). Latest version used. I suppose it can seem like such a head-shaker, at least to a veteran player, that the last two Bosses in a game barely put up a credible fight. As if the developers were actually afraid to test a player's determination to finish the game he started! Well, I have heard it argued once before, in a review for another RPG, that it is better to err on the side of "too easy" rather than the reverse. Because at least then one does not have to be a "game wizard", to experience all of the content and feel like the journey was worthwhile. And since all gamers are not alike in their tastes and skills, this is a strategy that I agree with, if it exists. A "hard mode" of any kind, whilst not unthinkable, is really only justifiable if it's on by player-choice. To make it a requirement, if multiple difficulty settings are not implemented, is to potentially alienate gamers who would otherwise buy the game. Or a sequel. Fortunately, the good side of modding is that it is optional by default. Giving a master-level player sufficient reason, to return to a game he/she left behind for greener pastures. My only minor criticism of Harder Final Boss, is that it only improves the Stats of the last two Bosses. Their AI-scripts are exactly the same, which is slightly disappointing. But arguably this mod is a sizable leap forward for the game's replayability. Plus, as the Creator would no doubt be aware, AI-scripting is much more complex than Stat tweaks. I got a lot of mileage out of this one. Someone who can beat the Vanilla game's enemies with their eyes closed, could certainly get the same.

Great Stuff	hmsong	2019-08-28	Version 1.0
This is extremely good. While some may think that the now-final-bosses are too hard, they're not. It does require you to think things through, rather than "spam chain-magic until I kill the boss". I managed to beat both bosses without even using a single item. They're not absurd difficult, nor do they take THAT long to beat. Recommended.

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