In the Super Nintendo catalogue you can find a long list of RPGs, this console being one of the most perfect for all lovers of this genre due to the number of gems it left us. Unfortunately, not all of these spectacular works ended up reaching markets around the world, hence one of the most striking and painful cases was that of Seiken Densetsu 3the sequel to Secret of Mana.
The acclaimed saga developed by Square Enix has been through a few platforms, especially during the 90s. However, it was somewhat forgotten and has only come back to life for a long time with compilations, remasters and remakesas is the case of Trials of Mana, the name that was assigned to this game in the West and that left us wanting to play it during its time on SNES.
Luckily, with this new version we had the opportunity to relive the greatness of this outstanding RPG with a huge facelift. Thanks to PlayStation Plus Extra y Premium It is possible to enjoy this tremendous game if you are subscribed to Sony’s service, which will allow you to download it for free from PlayStation StoreHowever, you’re running out of time to give it a go, because on August 20th it will disappear along with many other titles.
Although I already had a copy of this brilliant adventure, it is always a good excuse to return to this fantasy world, so I took advantage of this opportunity to opt for one of its higher difficulty levelsespecially those that were introduced later in a free update. This time around it certainly posed a real challenge, and I found it hard to get through the main campaign on standard difficulty, but it’s a different story when it comes to New Game+ mode and its No Future level.
In any case, so that you are clear about what you are going to find, the plot tells that the Goddess of Mana was responsible for putting an end to the threat of the fearsome Benevodons, beasts that were sowing chaos and that were defeated thanks to the Sword of Mana. This caused them to be confined in Mana Stones whose power was weakening, hence their re-emergence after a long time and now it is necessary to lock them away once again to restore peace.
However, this is just the main premise, because the truth is that one could say that in reality There are several stories in oneThis is because you can choose three of the six available characters to play with, without having the option to change your choice later, so you have to think carefully. Especially since each one has their own personality, their most iconic abilities and, most importantly, their background.
The point is that the leader of the group is the one who will be the protagonist and the one who will be the one who will have the entire plot, focusing exclusively on him. Therefore, this affects the routes that must be followed, the scenarios that are visited, the dungeons to complete, the final bosses to defeat, the conversations that are held, the allies and villains that appear, the impressive cinematics that parade and much more. In short, just completing the plot for the first time It will take you a good handful of hoursso imagine doing it with all six.
There is no doubt that these details already make it clear that we are dealing with a very special game. Even so, the plot remains identical to the original, but the same cannot be said about the gameplay, because it has been revamped from top to bottom to become an action RPG with 3D characters. What’s more, the recreation is so faithful that it’s mind-blowing, which is why I enjoyed reliving this legendary journey and engaging in amazing battles that are impossible to tire of as much as the first time.
The fact that it is a more direct action causes the protagonists to have new types of attacks and ultimate skills that they can execute to witness some simply beastly attacks with their respective sequences. In addition to this, another of the biggest novelties of this version is the possibility of choose between different classes to opt for more varied and balanced teams, which is undoubtedly something that I have especially appreciated at the highest difficulty level.
It may not be crucial for combat against normal enemies. However, the story changes completely when it comes to stand up to the Benevodonsbecause in that case you really have to put in a lot more effort to defeat these powerful final bosses, who have been given new attacks and other patterns compared to the SNES game. In fact, in the new game mode these encounters have even been made more complicated, making me sweat a lot, but I still loved dealing out the hard work in these shocking and exciting fights.
Beyond all that, it must also be said that the areas remain the same, although with dimensions that have clearly been increased for the occasion, in the same way that the soundtrack retains its emblematic melodies with versions that have followed the same example as the rest of the sections by being renewed. One of those great songs that you want to listen to over and over again without stopping.
For all that has been said, it is indisputable that Trials of Mana is one of those works that deserves a chance. Not only because it is so exceptional, but also because one of the most important releases of this month is Visions of Mana, so it is a good way to warm up the engines until then due to the similarity between both works.
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