The Elementals of Secret of Mana Are Quintessential

When it comes to fantasy RPGs that revolve around the balance of the natural world, the four classical elements are basically your standard starter pack. But not every real-world philosophy limited itself to wind, water, earth and fire — and as a result, more than a few fictional video game philosophies cast a broader net as well. In fact, the Mana series uses eight elements and even perfected its conception of elemental magic in Legend of Mana, only to inexplicably step away from it in later sequels.What you’re reading now is a follow-up of sorts to the previous post, about the legacy of Paracelsus in video games, but it doesn’t really matter if you read this one first. Really, this began as a paragraph in the miscellaneous notes section before I realized I had a lot more to say. Think of this and the previous as two in a matching set, I guess.The Greek concept of the four natural elements pre-dates philosophers such as Socrates and Plato, but it was Aristotle who suggested that a…