Visions of Mana is a game with many innovations. It’s the first all-new mainline Mana game in more than 15 years. It’s the first game to offer such expansive 3D worlds and the freedom to explore them. And – perhaps most excitingly for readers of this blog – it’s the first Mana game to release on Xbox!
Of course, this means that some of you may not be entirely familiar with this franchise. You may be asking yourself: What makes this series one of the most popular Square Enix series ever? Why did this announcement and trailer contribute? Visions of Mana shown at the Game Awards 2023 – and his surprise appearance in Developer_Direct – Make people so giddy and excited?
Let’s start by introducing you to this brand new adventure:
what is Visions of Mana?
This expansive new single-player action RPG puts you in the shoes of Val – a curious and carefree young man and skilled fighter. One eventful night, his childhood friend is chosen as charity – someone who must travel to the Mana Tree and regenerate the flow of mana power. Val joins her as The Soul Guard protects them on their journey and an epic adventure begins.
As Val, you explore vast areas, fight monsters, gain allies and discover the many secrets of this vast world. And what a world this is! As you can see from the screenshots and trailer, it’s a beautifully vibrant game with rich colors and expressive characters.
Along with the beauty comes an equally engaging combat. Dogfights allow physical and magical attacks in the air, and the great and mysterious powers of elemental spirits can aid players in the form of special weapons. It’s fast-paced, strategic and endlessly satisfying.
In short, it’s a perfect entry point for those of you who haven’t experienced a Mana game before, as it combines everything great about this incredible series.
What is the Mana Series?
The Mana games are a long-running series of fantasy RPGs that typically feature fast-paced, action-based combat, attractive graphics and music, and stories centered around nature and the majestic Mana Tree.
It’s one of those series that’s instantly fun to watch, with exciting combat, colorful worlds and a desire for constant innovation. This is how Mana series producer Masaru Oyamada defines it:
“There are different opinions about what constitutes a Mana game – after all, series creator Koichi Ishii always tries to do something new with each game.
“I think we’ve managed to capture all of these elements in a consistent visual style for Visions of Mana that truly reflects the spirit of the series.”
Masaru Oyamada, producer of the Mana series
“But from my perspective, I think there is a distinct Mana style that is easily recognizable to everyone. You can see it in the great Hiroo Isono’s Tree of Mana illustrations, in Mr. Ishii’s unforgettable monsters, and in the characters that inhabit these worlds.
“I think we’ve managed to capture all of these elements in a consistent visual style for Visions of Mana that truly reflects the spirit of the series.”
Each Mana game is a standalone adventure with its own characters, stories, and even gameplay mechanics. There is rarely any narrative connection between them – instead they are linked by elements such as repeating monsters like the adorable rabbits.
In other words, you can jump into any Mana game as if it were your first, and Visions of Mana is no different. In fact, it’s a particularly good place to start since it’s the first all-new mainline Mana game in over 15 years!
A Brief History of Mana
Yes, that really is that many years! The Mana series is one of the longest running and most popular RPG series on the market, dating back to 1991.
Introductions to Mana
You could be forgiven if you didn’t know that the first game was the start of the series, as the title “The First Game” was used for its North American release Final Fantasy Adventureand – to make matters even more confusing – in Europe it went by that name Mystical quest (This is of course not to be confused with 16-bit Mystical quest, which is a completely different game. And one that also has an alternative name in Europe – Mystical quest legend. As you can see, naming regional games in the 1990s could get very complicated.
Whatever name it had, Final Fantasy Adventure can be considered the first Mana game. It puts players in the shoes of a brave hero who must prevent the Dark Lord and his assistant Julius from destroying the Tree of Mana and with it the world.
Many of the elements that would define the series began here – action-based combat, themes surrounding nature and the Tree of Mana, incredible music and a strong visual style.
Secrets of Mana
Final Fantasy Adventure/Mystic Quest was a hit with gamers and critics alike, getting the series off to a strong start. But it was the second game in the series, the 1993 16-bit game Secret of Manawhere it truly defined his identity.
This incredible RPG introduced many of the familiar monsters and gameplay elements that continue to be present Visions of Mana, such as the ring menu for quickly selecting spells and items. It’s also bursting with personality – in this game you fight ducks wearing army helmets, fast travel through a cannon piloted by a gunman, and meet and help Santa Claus.
This was followed by what was then only av ailable in Japan Trials of Mana
Generations of Mana
The next game in the series, 2000s (released in Japan in 1999) Legend of Manawas another boldly experimental game that gave players unprecedented freedom in designing their adventure. Its beautiful graphics, great soundtrack, and unstructured approach to storytelling made for a unique game that won many fans.
More Mana games were released throughout the new millennium, including a portable remake of Final Fantasy Adventure titled Sword of ManaDungeon crawler Children of Manathe last new Mana game released on consoles, Dawn of Manaand even a real-time strategy game for handhelds, Heroes of Mana.
The last decade has also seen a number of re-releases and remakes, introducing a new generation of fans to this incredible series. Nevertheless, there was an appetite for something new – and now it’s coming Visions of Mana.
“It’s been about 10 years since I took over the reins of the Mana series, but one of my ambitions from the start has been to release a completely new game on consoles.”
Masaru Oyamada, producer of the Mana series
Producer Oyamada explains why it was finally time for a new console adventure:
“It’s been about 10 years since I took over the reins of the Mana series, but one of my ambitions from the start has been to release a completely new game on consoles.”
“However, there was already quite a gap since the last entry when I took over the series helm, so I was a little unsure how many fans actually wanted to see a new Mana game.”
“So we initially decided to release various remakes and remasters, both to renew the interest of former fans of the series and to give newcomers the opportunity to experience the series. Following the company’s good reputation Trials of Mana With the remake, it became clear that we could realistically make the kind of game we had long envisioned.”
“Visions of Mana is the game.”
Which brings us to this Visions of Mana
Visions of Mana offers a fresh new take on the series, with large areas to explore and a rich story, all presented in a beautiful, colorful visual style.
This was what the team particularly wanted to capture, as Mr. Oyamada explains:
“I asked the development team to try to create character models that captured the atmosphere of character designer HACCAN’s illustrations, and to experiment to see if they could create a world that incorporated artist Hiroo Isono’s beautiful depictions of nature.
“During this experimentation process, I also managed to enlist the support of Mr. Koichi Ishii, the creator of the Mana series and designer of many of its classic monsters, and asked him to oversee the updating of his previous monster designs in 3D for current generation graphics. All of this resulted in a world that I thought was instantly recognizable as being from the Mana series.
“Once the graphics and setting were established, the team was inspired to develop many different ideas about what types of combat mechanics and gameplay elements would work best in this beautiful world full of nature and overflowing elemental power. These were gradually worked out until the final.”
Visions of Mana will launch on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PCs in summer 2024. To stay up to date with game news, be sure to follow the team on social media:
But we’ll leave the last word to Mr. Oyamada:
“Visions of Mana takes the core elements that define the Mana series, such as the warm and welcoming world, monsters and epic stories of new encounters and emotional farewells, and takes them to a new level. And it’s coming to Xbox for the first time!
“We’re working hard to finish the game and I hope Xbox fans can look forward to a great experience!”
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