How does one follow up a beloved remake of a series that includes intricate world lore, a colorful bunch of characters, and gameplay that’s somehow similar to its Super Nintendo roots while also updating it toward a newer audience?
So, it has been four years since the remake of Trials of Mana came out with a pretty positive reception, and with the care that Ouka Studios has taken in creating this next installment, Visions of Mana, it’s a shame that they will now not being properly rewarded due to circumstances beyond their control.
But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, how is this newest entry in the Mana series? It’s quite good of a follow-up.
Presentation
The game does look quite colorful, with the landscape and atmosphere feeling vibrant and distinct between each explorable area, something the Mana series has excelled in its long history. And it does push the likes of the olden-gen consoles to their limits to make it look this good, with a mostly solid affair of 30fps in the framerate department, though there are some slowdowns during more intense scenes on the now almost 10-year-old PS4. But, it doesn’t impede the gameplay at all.
Story-wise, it’s one about traditions and how being too rigid doesn’t really work in the long run. It’s a story that I feel embodies the Squaresoft-era of their RPGs, one of grand adventure and meeting your party members along the way.
And defying the odds that are stacked against our main cast, which is led by our protagonists, Val and his companion Hina, along with the rest of the cast that we’ll get to banter and play, like Southern-belle type dragon girl Karina and Montrea, the feline person whose past is haunting them.
The voice cast for Visions mostly consists of newcomers who have done an incredible job in voicing their respective characters, with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows being captured incredibly well by the folks in the recording booth. As is the music that still brings in the percussions and orchestra with the mixing that makes battles intense and melancholic moments.
However, one quibble about Visions of Mana that I have is that the subtitles in the game do blend with the game’s visuals at times, which makes it unreadable at some points. That could be rectified by making the text a bit bolder in the borders and it should be readable.
Gameplay
If you enjoyed the remake of Trials of Mana, then the combat itself should be no issue as it is mostly the same light and heavy attacks, as well as a dodge and jump button that are the commonstay of the Action RPG genre. With the animation of the attack feels quite floaty (as it was before) to compensate for the bosses and their AOE attacks that can one-shot you.
Controls are also like Trials, with the shoulder buttons being the shortcuts for your magic powers and healing items that you can mix and match to make your experience easier. It also still has the quick switching with your playable combatants bar Hina who does serve as our mage healer and buffer during encounters.
But one new aspect of combat is the Elemental powers, which are kinda like a Jobs System, in that all of the party members can equip in-between combat encounters that can switch the combat style of your character within 8 different ways. This would balance and keep the gameplay fresh as you try to make out who fits who in any encounter, leveling up their Jobs stat as the game goes on.
Really, it seems the dev team has made it their mission to make the gameplay to be as cohesive with the storyline as possible, and by golly have they made sure that the balance between story and gameplay to be as solid as they have right now.
Content![]()
Visions of Mana is an incredible time sink if you’re looking for an Action RPG game that has the hallmark of a PS2 game but with a modern flair. It picks up when it needs to, and the game even slows down for you if the player wishes to do the many side-quests littered within town-to-town.
And by the looks of it, it’s one of those 25 to 30-hour romp that may or may not be your jam if the length of the game feels daunting. But once you get a hold of things, the time will speed through the campaign rather fast.
Personal Enjoyment![]()
You don’t need some knowledge in the Mana series to jump into this one, but some stuff does prop up that if you’re a fan of this decades-old series, you might have noticed some lore bits here and there, but not really that prominent. It’s a game about adventure and having moments with your cast, and I do like that aspect of this series really.
It’s just a shame that the developers could no longer be around at this point. I would have loved to see them branch out to other genres but that would be in another life, perhaps.
Verdict
Visions of Mana is a nice follow-up to Trials that does its best to make the most of what was established and then switch it up a bit, to make the journey more interesting, and some might even say memorable.
It is not flashy in its storytelling but intrigues the players enough for them to see what awaits in the next chapter, right until the end. And I respect that.
Maybe you too, dear reader, could find it in your heart to try out this peep-squeak of a title amongst the juggernauts of releases this past few months. Who knows, you might even find something special too.
Played on PS4, Review copy provided by Bandai Namco Entertainment
Visions of Mana
A nice follow-up to Trials of Mana that does its best to make the most of what was established and then switch it up a bit, to make the journey more interesting, and some might even say memorable.
- Presentation 8.5
- Gameplay 8.5
- Content 8
- Personal Enjoyment 8