There are games that manage to transport us to another time in our lives. Trials of Mana is a remake of the magic RPG that can do that and much more because Square Enix has rescued this IP to give you a more current touch. But without going crazy. After 2 years of development, the 1995 game has completely changed both in its visual and gameplay aspects. This title follows in the footsteps of Secret of Mana, which came out completely renewed and have once again replicated the formula. Trials of Mana has come to PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC to show what we didn't see more than 20 years ago.
Possibly it is a forgotten saga in the world of video games. Mainly because until last year, Trials of Mana had not left Japan. After playing it on PlayStation 4, it can be confirmed that there are games that deserve a second chance and with Trials of Mana there were not many doubts. The game allows you to make your own team of three characters that in principle are not known. Trials of Mana tells this journey to explain at what time do they coincide in history and what do they have in common. There comes into play the sword of Manna, an artifact that grants immeasurable power to its wielder. We already have protagonists and a goal, so the bad guys will let you discover them for yourself.
A narrative puzzle
The first thing we appreciate is the graphic section, completely redone and inspired by the original levels. But everything is bigger and more colorful. It is really magical to contemplate the landscapes with the background soundtrack, also remastered. In this remake there is a use to the millimeter of the space to reward exploration. In general, the scenarios are very well built to get lost on all the paths it offers, although the game takes the player by the hand at almost all times. However, later on, you can get some special objects that will allow us to move in other ways in order to give the player more freedom. Likewise has been added to Cactolillo, a cactus character spread across all scenarios to grant benefits for every 5 cactolillos located.
So they can be distinguished two phases in history. The first chapters lead us to discover the variety of cities, forests or meadows, while the second part gets serious. And we don't mean bosses, since some have incomprehensible peaks of difficulty. Even so, it is not a difficult game, the objects and equipment are very accessible at all times, allowing you to go well prepared for each combat. Also, before each boss, there are always save points (mana statues). This version of Trials of Mana is very focused on adventure to add more pieces to the narrative puzzle with the flashbacks. These are stretches of each character's individual story that are fully optional and highly appreciated.
AI, a pending subject
So there are up to three characters that deal the most damage in physical attacks and three others that base their gameplay on magic and a supporting role. Therefore, the game provides many facilities to play your way, although we have already warned you that magic is always a great ally. And it all works thanks to the mobility of the characters that makes fighting extremely fun. A wide range of hits, spells, or techniques are available, some of which are unique to each class. Each one more spectacular. Visually it is a joy to see the magical animations without being pretentious, although they have not put so much effort into elementary techniques. But we can see Kevin throwing a very destructive Kame hame ha, among other abilities.
All of them can be obtained through equipment points to improve the classic attributes of the RPG such as strength, wisdom or constitution. Luckily there is skills and techniques that are unlocked over time or the class change of each character. It is in the second phase when the player can look for new confrontations or continue reinforcing his characters. Square Enix has put special care to take care of these details to have a good gaming experience, only clouded by some design decisions and the AI.
I mean, there poorly-designed boss designs that they do disservice to the free will of the characters. This they have tried to fix with the inclusion of some parameters of tactics to avoid some situations, but with little success. Angela, for example, who should harness her magical power from a distance, often comes in to hit melee with her staff. And we will no longer talk about dodging, without a doubt the pending subject of this AI. It is a problem with certain bosses that do damage in the area quite regularly.
Details that are worth
All in all, Trials of Mana proposes a nostalgic journey to an RPG by far the classic, which has made some bad design decisions like some bosses and Filler NPCs they don't add much, just fill an empty city. This does not cloud the gaming experience where the fighting is now more fun and spectacular with striking animations. Each game element is well balanced to explore or fight without losing sight of its essence, as well as the introduction of flashbacks to delve into the individual plots. The scenarios are designed to favor that exploration, as well as the search for the Cactolillo.
Maybe this updated version of Trials of Mana gives too many facilities the player not to find an empty and more complex world. But visually it is beautiful and it is hard to imagine at first glance that it is the same game. Finally, we must highlight its duration, which can be easily reached after 30 hours, and the replayability to make the three routes available and meet all the characters, while we finish finding all the secrets. He has also taken care of other details for more veteran players such as the possibility of change the soundtrack to the original game with those more metallic touches of the 90s. The game is in English and Japanese and texts in Spanish, respecting the original dialogues a lot.
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