The Mana Series has been pretty dormant for the last 15 years or so. The last original main series release was Dawn of Mana which was released for the Playstation 2 in North America in 2007. It received lukewarm reviews at the time of its release for having mediocre combat and being an overall dull experience. Since then, the developers have dived into other projects like the 3DS exclusive simulation RPG EverOasis. Square Enix has also been remastering and remaking older games in the series for modern consoles. But now, a new game in the Mana series is on the horizon: Visions of Mana.
There are very few details about this new game outside of what’s in the description of the trailer. However, from what we know, the main character’s name is Val and he is a Soul Guard on a quest to accompany his friend on her pilgrimage to the Tree of Mana.
There is also a fair amount of gameplay footage in the trailer. It shows off a lot of familiar elements from previous games in the Mana series, especially Secret of Mana:
Val’s outfit uses similar colors as Randi from Secret of Mana.
The plot centers around a Tree of Mana, similar to the Mana tree which was a pivotal part of Secret of Mana.
Mushbooms and Rabites are returning enemies.
There is also a white dragon who appears as a supporting character in combat who looks very similar to Flammie.
It would appear that Visions of Mana is drawing heavily on nostalgia, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In the end, it will all come down to how well Square Enix can deliver a new Mana experience. Recently, Square Enix has had a lot of experience pulling this off successfully. They’ve done so with several of their other classic franchises, including Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Star Ocean. Visions of Mana will likely be equally challenging to pull off.
No matter how much Square Enix decides to play it safe, it is not a guarantee for success. Some of the recent remakes have still had a few questionable design choices. Examples include the Secret of Mana Remake’s bizarre soundtrack and removing co-op as a feature from the Trials of Mana/Seiken Densetsu 3 Remake. That being said, this could be the perfect opportunity to start fresh and begin establishing the Mana series with as many great games as other Square Enix franchises.
Visions of Mana is scheduled for a 2024 release and is planned for a release on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X and S and PC.
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