Squaresoft’s legendary Secret of Mana (1993) is iconic as one of the first JRPGs (Japanese role-playing games) to make it over to the west. This was at a time when that was very rare, with this type of game deemed unsuitable for western markets.

The game was very well received upon its launch in North America and, finally, in Europe in November 1994.

We played the game in 1995 and fell in love with it, not least thanks to the fantastic score by Japanese composer Hiroki Kukuta. He went to some great creatives lengths to produce one of gaming’s most celebrated soundtracks! Thus, we’re here today with our ears to listen.

Hiroki Kukuta’s Masterpiece Score to Secret of Mana

Hailing from the 16-bit era of Super Nintendo excellence, it was an exciting time in video games. The SNES has a very high status now, still considered by many gamers to be the greatest games console of all time.

That’s down to the sheer staggering number of outright masterpieces on the system, from Nintendo as well as many third-party developers. Squaresoft being one of the big names of the day.

However, creating great music on the system was hard work—it required skill and patience to get the very most out of the system (see the Donkey Kong Country music by David Wise for more on that).

The plot of Secret of Mana involves a young boy being outcast from his village home, after which he sets off on an intrepid adventure to restore peace to the land. It’s dramatic fantasy stuff and a brilliant RPG that stands the test of time.

Hiroki Kukuta’s score embodies the quest perfectly, with its often melancholic themes reflect in the likes of Phantom and a Rose.

Keep in mind, for kids playing this thing (as we did) it was really something. A clear statement that gaming was much more than a thing “for kids”. We were 10 in 1995, but playing Secret of Mana we realised this was going to be a lifelong passion and the score was an integral part of that realisation.

Some of these compositions are buried in our memory, instantly remind us of that time in 1995 when we first toured through the game.

As we’d seen the terrifying film Watership Down (1978) fairly recently, the adult themes of Squaresoft’s RPG had a particular resonance to it all. It was all part of our coming-of-age journey.

It’s also a reminder that gaming, by 1993, was already a much more advanced medium than many people gave it credit.

As for the composer, Hiroki Kikuta was 29 in 1993 and had the daunting task of making his first ever video game soundtrack.

With the Super Nintendo’s technological limitations, he immediately hit problems creating the score. Other composers at the time, such as Rare’s composer David Wise, had the same issue. How do you get your sweeping creative vision onto a console that is suited to bleeps and bloops?

We’ve covered that before, but it’s worth revisiting in Nerdwriter’s excellent tribute below.

To get around that, he spent near 24 hour days at Squaresoft headquarters to master the technology and get his ideas across.

The result was a balancing act between ominous and more light-hearted music (the latter more familiar to the world of video game music at the time).

Those weighty numbers became a trademark for the developer.

Secret of Mana, set amongst some typically chunky, very charming typically colourful SNES graphics, is packed dramatic themes of exploration, loss, growing as a person.

Whilst researching other gamer’s experience of the RPG, we found so many others had exactly same feelings as we do. One comment on GreatestGameMusic.com states:

“No game has left a mark so deep on me than Secret of Mana, while playing it for such a little time. I discovered this masterpiece when I was nine, spending the night at a friend’s house, then didn’t have access to it for years.”

Which raises a good point—in 1995 you didn’t have access to your favourite game scores. These days, everything is there on Spotify or YouTube to access, but for 10+ years after the game launched it was difficult to access the music (without playing the game, obviously).

Squaresoft made a habit of this with their 1990s releases. Anyone who has played the amazing Final Fantasy VII (1997) will also have that music burned into their memory.

FFVII is certainly an all-time favourite of ours, too, but there’s just something extra special about what the Japanese developer achieved with Secret of Mana. A major watershed moment in gaming that began the complete unification of eastern gaming with the west.

Live Performances of Secret of Mana’s Music

Parisian symphonic orchestra Pixelophonia has entertained and wowed us over the last six years. We’re big fans and always welcome their latest renditions of retro gaming classics!

So, we were very chuffed when the above launched in mid-May 2025.

They often perform in concert, with selected SOM pieces, but this was a more private gathering with a full dedication to the game. Not a big surprise, it’s an excellent performance and we love all those cute hats.

We left them a comment on the video and they responded with:

“Thank you so so much for being always there 🥹”

Which means they’ve noticed we’ve been documenting their work and responding to their social posts. That means a lot! Cheers, dudes.