After more than fifteen years, the saga Mana finally receives a new original title that will delight fans. Visions of Mana is the new contribution of Square Enix to a series of already iconic titles, A must-have for all fans of the RPG genre. With this expansion of its universe, Xbox also took the opportunity to add it to its “Japanese” catalog, and I must say that it was a success in its promotion.
After a prologue that will question the balance established by the Mana tree, Val, our protagonist, will embark on a journey with her childhood friend Hina, recently chosen by the fairy in the Tianea region. In this context, their adventure will lead them to meet new friends along the way, and to face creatures as dangerous as they are adorable. With the sacred sword as a backdrop, Visions of Mana promises to become a new success in the saga ManaDid the Square Enix team achieve this?
The Art of the Mana Saga
Whether you are a fan of the saga or not, I assure you that you will be able to identify the title from the first minute, as soon as you see it. Although Square is not going through its best moment, it is in titles like this one that it shows us how great it was. There is a lot of care that is put into it, and it is seen at first glance in its artistic section. The video game is beautiful, and it captivates us from the beginning
While it’s not a graphical marvel (and it doesn’t claim to be), Visions of Mana keeps alive a most colorful universe. The vegetation, the streams, the lakes, each element that makes up its semi-open spaces make it beautiful with every step we take. In addition, as we advance, the change of region becomes noticeable. One of my favorites is Lon Gren, the valley of the wind full of gigantic windmills and strips of color with which the ritual of inking the wind takes place.
In addition, Visions of Mana has a excellent bestiaryas well as characters that never clash, both in narrative and design. Yes ok the plot is not the deepest that can be found, serves as a pretext to unleash the great universe built by Square Enix, and in doing so, experience an epic fantasy adventure.
Exploration always pays off
In Visions of Mana You won’t find an open world as such. The game chooses a more linear and classic path in its RPG proposal. And the truth is that this choice suits you perfectly, with vast and semi-open spaces, but always clearly delimited. They are large enough to explore and fight different monsters, but without overloading the player. Personally, I like this formula, in addition to offering these biomes enough variety.
There are coastal areas, forests, snow or large meadows. And in each of them we will find a huge amount of objects or chests in the form of rewards. In addition, the more hidden the object is, the greater its value. The enemies, for their part, change according to the areas, and although there is not much diversity between them, the change in level and design is noticeable on them as you progress through the game. You might even find some more difficult surprises.
A most satisfying fight
One of the main incentives in works such as Visions of Mana It’s still a fight. Leaving behind the more classic turn-based system, this time we have a limited real-time combatwhich covers both common enemies and bosses. It is in this last area that one can get the most out of it, using the full potential of the different characters at our fingertips. We can switch from one to the other quicklywhich gives greater dynamism to these confrontations.
Each character will have their own abilitiesso if a normal or powerful attack can still be hit by anyone, he will perform it differently. But The best is the combination of passive skills with techniques and classes. Given the elemental table to face each enemy, techniques can be applied to each character, always respecting the elemental specialty of each. Thus, Val, initially specialized in fire, will be able to use techniques of the same element. This results in more powerful attacks.
Class change is also present at any time for each of the protagonists, which gives if possible more variety to the fights. Thus, the game encourages us to try each of the classes with these characters, which in addition to causing a drastic change at the playable level, modifies the appearance of the protagonists. Something that happens with some weapons and equipment, although limited in this case to a purely aesthetic change.
The music, always up to the standard of the Mana saga
Another section in which the series usually stands out Mana It’s in the sound. He never fails when it comes to soundtracks, and This new opus dazzles us once again with more than 100 titles different, which accompany wonderfully throughout the adventure of Val, Hina and company.
The color that floods each scene is brilliantly accompanied by various melodies that change depending on the landscape, associating themselves with the ambient sounds of nature and the beings that surround us. In combat there is also a great combination of sound effects and music
It should be noted that Dubbing is available in English and Japanesecounting on Spanish subtitles. The level is also excellent, the only “but” being the facial animations of the characters. It’s a shame, since its expressiveness is practically zero, despite a very successful design as I mentioned previously.
This saga is always a reassurance
Even though it is not in a good run, Square Enix still has some very juicy sagas to its credit, and that of Mana is part of it. Along with other titles, such as Dragon Quest You Octopath Traveler, Visions of Mana This is a safe buy for fans of the genre.. With semi-open areas and real-time combat, the novelty of the series Mana It presents a solid and fun set, without reaching the heights of other AAA mammoths, but maintaining the classic essence of the saga. Music and the artistic section are clearly his trademark.and that’s precisely what it offers to long-time fans and new users alike.
Visions of Mana
Pro.
- Music continues to be a fundamental and very worked pillar, as in the rest of the saga.
- Art is preserved as a trademark
- A fight that offers enough depth and options
- Exploration always rewards the player
Contra.
- Some animations seem simple or under-worked.
- It lacks greater interaction with scenarios and physics
I have traveled to worlds you would never believe, ending enemies that defy all mysticism. I have felt my pulse quicken with each battle, and the sigh of someone who knows they must rise again. There is always a villain waiting and an adventure just around the corner.
Table of Contents
