Yes, the plot in Sword is pretty predictable, but I don't honestly consider this a terrible thing. The plot is Skies of Arcadia was by-the-books too, and that game was terrific! The NPC complaint is a genuine one, but not as serious as it was in Secret of Mana. At least in Sword, you can just run ahead and after a few seconds the NPC will just phase right through all obstacles and come right to you.
My only honest complaint with Sword of Mana is the dialogue. It's not that the translation is bad (it's actually pretty good) it's just that the language the characters use doesn't seem right. It's a medieval setting and the hero is tossing around terms like "ya know?" The language just seems a bit out of place.
Legend of Mana was awesome. The only flaw with the combat system was that it forced you to engage in combat with enemies. You couldn't just avoid the baddies that popped up. The dungeon-planting thing wasn't so bad, in all honesty. If you knew how to do it correctly, you could make the dungeons a cake-walk, or increase the difficulty dramatically. I thought it was a great idea.
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