Visions of Mana may be flying under a few radars. After all, when talking about classic JRPG series, the Mana series might not immediately jump to the top of your list. In fact, some players might not even realize it is its own series. And who could blame them? For a long time, we simply didn’t get many Mana releases.
The last non-remake, mainline Mana game was Dawn of Mana, and it released during the PS2 era. That’s practically a lifetime ago in gaming years. The situation only started improving recently, with the release of remakes like Trials of Mana reintroducing the series to a new generation of players.
Fortunately, these issues seem to be resolved with Visions of Mana, the newest entry in the series. As a standalone experience, it’s perfect for newcomers who haven’t followed the series due to its sporadic release history. It feels like the right time for Visions of Mana to act as a new beginning, while also paying homage to its classic roots.
For me, Visions of Mana doesn’t exactly feel new, but it does feel like a classic done exceptionally well. This series originally began as a Final Fantasy spin-off before becoming its own thing. A lot of that classic Final Fantasy vibe is present here, to its benefit. Square Enix does a fantastic job of capturing that nostalgic feeling of a classic JRPG with this Mana entry, while also incorporating the bells and whistles of modern games.
The story revolves around a world supported by the “Mana Tree,” with villages tied to specific elements. Every four years, an “Alm” is chosen to represent their village’s element. These Alms make a pilgrimage to the Mana Tree, accompanied by a protector called a Soul Guard. The main protagonists are Val and Hinna, who respectively are the Soul Guard and chosen Alm of the fire village. As these characters meet new ones across the story, you start to see the humor and charm in the game. These characters aren’t the deepest or most complex, but they’re fun and play well together. I enjoyed listened to the party banter while traveling. There was a simplicity to the relationships that felt very cozy.
While the story is pretty standard fantasy fare, what immediately stands out is the game’s world. It’s capital-B beautiful, with art design and colors that create a visually stunning landscape. The character designs are solid, but the world itself is what truly shines. The first time you step outside the main village and see a massive fiery mountain in the distance. It reminded me of moments like seeing Death Mountain in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the first time.
The whole thing felt very magical and fantastic to me. It’s a perfect fantasy setting, brimming with magic, creatures, and lore, all packaged in a colorful, cartoony style that works exceptionally well. The game isn’t open world, but it does feature large areas full of things to look for, items to find and baddies to fight.
Helping you navigate the world are also mounts that you can call to your party. The first you get fairly early and are adorable bat-like dog creatures known as Pikuls. You eventually get other mounts that can help you navigate other types of terrain too, which are also helpful and look fascinating.
One of the most refreshing aspects of Visions of Mana is the presence of actual towns and villages. I feel like towns in JRPGs have never felt the same since the shift to full 3D. Here, each village feels distinct and lived-in, adding to the game’s classic feel.
As mentioned before, almost everything in this world is tied to elements. The assistance of elemental vessels can help you to explore the world such as using wind to get to a higher area or using water to create floating bubbles you can jump inside. These elements also play a significant role in combat. While many games feature your basic elements, and some even have a few extras, Visions of Mana really throws them all at you with eight total elemental vessels.
These vessels not only determine enemy weaknesses and resistances, but also form the basis of the game’s class system. Each character can equip an elemental vessel to shift into a class representing that element. It’s different for each character, meaning each character has eight classes, plus their base, non-elemental class. For example, Val is a guard class with no element, yet if he equips the wind vessel he becomes a Rune Knight.
These classes are upgraded and skills are unlocked using the games Elemental Plot. It’s sort of like a skill tree where characters can use elemental points to purchase upgrades. Some of these abilities even transfer between classes. It’s a surprisingly simple system, yet leaves room for some strategy as you get into tougher enemies. The combat itself is fully real-time and while I believe it’s executed well, it doesn’t exactly break the mold. What I mean is, it’s far more interesting customizing your characters than it is actually using them in battle.
The combat felt very fluid in Performance Mode. I ran into a few frame hiccups in Graphics Mode, but I also didn’t really see a huge increase to detail in that mode either. One thing I thought was an issue, then realized was actually maybe an artistic choice is that at times the backgrounds seemed to move at different frame rates then the characters. It seemed intentionally done, but I found it to be a bit distracting especially in action sequences.
Many times, Visions of Mana just felt older than it is. Not visually, visually it’s stunning, but between certain aspects of the gameplay and some of the tropes on display it just felt like a JRPG from another era. This isn’t inherently a bad thing. I think there’s something to say about a game making me feel nostalgic and like I played it when I was younger even though it just released. A lot of people have wanted an experience like that, but it’s important to know what you’re getting.
In the end, Visions of Mana doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it knows damn well what makes a wheel work. It plays like a game we all remember from childhood, but with all the modern frills. The game delivers a beautifully crafted, nostalgic JRPG experience that’s worth checking out.
Visions of Mana will come to the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on August 29, 2024. A demo is available.
Visions of Mana is the first brand new Mana mainline title in over 15 years. The protagonist Val and his childhood friend Hinna, the newly appointed Alm of Fire, set off on a journey to the Mana Tree. PS5 version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes.
While the game doesn't break the mold, it fills it well. It's exactly what you should expect from a classic JRPG, even though that sometimes means it feels a little older than it actually is. At times I felt like I was playing a well polished remaster of a beloved classic game.
- Somehow made me feel nostalgic, like I had played this game as a kid.
- The art direction and visuals are stunning and had me stopping to check things out often
- While the combat is fine, I just wish it was as fun to fight as it was to get ready for fights
Published: Aug 27, 2024 08:01 am