Play Secret of Evermore Online

Summary

Secret of Evermore stands out as the only Square title born in North America, crafted in Square’s Redmond office under the direction of a Japanese parent company. Daniel Dociu’s concept art and a small team of animators used SGI workstations and Alias software, then fed their creations straight into Square’s in‑house SAGE editor before the final build was compiled with the SIGIL engine. The result is a vibrant, real‑time action RPG that feels like a Western‑flavored Secret of Mana without ever joining that series.

Combat revolves around an aerial view and a rotating Action Ring that lets you switch between the boy and his loyal dog, while the AI handles the companion when you focus on one. Weapons must charge after each swing, and as you level each weapon type—sword, spear, axe, and even a late‑game bazooka—you unlock new charged attacks and longer reach. Each of the four realms uses its own currency, from talons to credits, forcing you to trade and adapt constantly.

Alchemy replaces traditional magic points: you collect formulas from scattered alchemists and pair ingredients—wax in Prehistoria, ethanol in Omnitopia—to craft spells. The dog’s sniff ability uncovers hidden components, turning him into a mobile ingredient detector. Only nine formulas can be equipped at once, but alchemists let you store extras for later.

Jeremy Soule’s ambient score, his first video‑game project, weaves atmospheric layers that still earn the game a cult following among retro fans. The blend of innovative tools, real‑time combat, and a unique alchemy system keeps Secret of Evermore a memorable hidden gem on the SNES.

Storyline

In Secret of Evermore, a teenage boy and his pet dog stumble into a hidden laboratory inside Dr. Sidney Ruffleberg’s crumbling mansion. While the dog chews on exposed wires, a mysterious machine flashes and thrusts the pair into the strange world of Evermore, beginning on the futuristic space‑station Omnitopia. Evermore is divided into four distinct realms that echo real‑world eras: Prehistoria with cavemen and dinosaurs, Antiqua featuring coliseums and pyramids, Gothica filled with medieval castles and dragons, and the high‑tech Omnitopia. The dog’s form changes to match each zone – a wolf in Prehistoria, a greyhound in Antiqua, a poodle in Gothica, and a laser‑shooting robotic hound in Omnitopia. Guided by the displaced citizens of Podunk – Professor Ruffleberg, his niece Elizabeth, curator Horace Highwater, and librarian Camellia Bluegarden – the duo thwarts robotic clones that seek to dominate each realm. Ruffleberg’s android butler Carltron, originally upgraded for chess, has turned malevolent and created the monsters roaming Evermore. After confronting Carltron’s giant mecha and deactivating him with Ruffleberg’s help, the monsters vanish and the world stabilises. The boy rescues the three companions, returns them to the real world, and averts Evermore’s destruction, ending the adventure with the professor’s lab back to normal.