[Análisis] Trials of Mana for Nintendo Switch – iGamesNews

Nintendo Switch can boast of having in its catalog a multitude of high-quality role-playing games. And today we will analyze one that has just joined them. Is about Trials of Mana, an RPG developed by Square Enix and distributed by Koch Media.

This is a remake of Seiken Densetsu 3, a 1995 role-playing and action game developed and published by Square for Super Famicom and debuted in the West with the release of Collection of Mana, which arrived on the hybrid console on June 11, 2019.

Will this remake live up to it? Let's check it out!

Argument

When the world was enveloped by darkness, the goddess of Mana brandished the sword of Mana to annihilate the eight Benevodons, the heralds of destruction. He sealed these abominations within the eight stones of Mana, and thus managed to save the kingdom from destruction.

Weakened after rebuilding the world, the goddess transformed into a tree and fell into a deep sleep. However, the forces of evil were launched to free the Benevodons and thus conquer the world. As part of their plan, they launched a terrible war in order to destabilize the different kingdoms.

Peace had come to an end. The manna began to fade and the Mana tree began to wither … This is how this great adventure begins, which is quite simple and falls on topics already seen in many titles, which does not mean that it is not interesting. It should be noted that although the prologues for each of the six eligible characters are completely different, certain elements of the game's story will change depending on our combination of them and also have different endings.

Remake news

The remake of Trials of Mana has a multitude of news regarding its original delivery and are as follows:

• Updated 3D graphics
• More dynamic and improved battle system
• Camera in third person that can move freely
• Improved interface and menu design
• Ability to jump and perform aerial combos
• Character voices included
• Original remastered soundtrack
• New Collectible: 50 Cactolillos
• Redesigned boss battles
• Extra chapter (epilogue)
• A new class is added (the 4)

Gameplay

At the beginning of the game we will be introduced to 6 characters availableAlthough we can only select 3 (the main and two companions) for this adventure. They are as follows:

• Angela: She is the only daughter of the legitimate queen of Altena and uses a magic staff to cast spells at a distance and against groups.
• Durán: He is a young and proud soldier of Valsena who masters the use of swords and can perform attacks and defend himself physically with excellent shields.

• Charlotte: She is the granddaughter of Wendel's Priest of Light, has a young girl appearance and masters flail use and healing and support magic.
• Kevin: he is the heir to the kingdom of Fierolia and fights cleanly. Therefore, it has a good physical attack and a powerful night transformation.

• Falco: it comes from a guild of noble thieves and uses mainly daggers. This is a fast warrior who has the luck attribute uploaded to find objects.
• Lis: She is the princess of the mountainous kingdom of Brisia and captain of the famous guard of Amazonas. He carries a spear as a weapon and can use ranged attacks, support spells, and summons.

In my case I chose as protagonist to Durán and as companions to Lis and Angela. It should be noted that we can play in the same game the beginnings of the history of each of our companions directly (when we meet them for the first time) through flashbacks or see a video summary if we want to avoid losing playing time. Of course, during these flashbacks we can not save game or the objects that we find will be saved. Unfortunately companion AI is upgradeable, since many times they do not dodge before enemy attacks and they do not help as much as they could.

In this remake the camera has gone from the overhead view of the original to a 3D camera that we can move freely, which does not mean that there are not certain sections where it remains fixed. However, not everything is good, since although it allows us to fix enemies, sometimes he can play a trick on us, especially in narrow places or with big enemies.

Trials of Mana is a 3D action RPG, where we can attack with any of the three characters on our team, swapping between them at any time by simply touching a button. When we fight we will do it in an area marked by a circle. Among the actions we can carry out we have run, jump, attack and dodge. We have two attack buttons (loose and strong) and the possibility of making a charged attack. If we hit an enemy with a powerful or charge attack, it will drop orbs which will fill in the TC bar (Class Techniques), which is essential to carry out the special attacks most powerful of each character.

We can also use combined attacks (envite, area attack or air strike). Also the possibility of jumping allows us to chain air combos, which are tremendously useful for flying enemies. But it will not always be enough to hit enemies normally, as some will have armor and they can't be knocked back and attacks don't deal as much damage to them. In this case we will have to use a powerful or charge attack to break the enemy's armor, since otherwise our attacks will not be as effective.

Although the variety of enemies that we will meet throughout the world is scarce, where the title shines the most is in the battles against the final bosses, which have been redesigned to offer us some of the most intense moments of the adventure. These feature cool designs and differentiated attack patterns, making them tremendously fun. Unfortunately the challenge of the game is rather low, being quite easy to overcome all the combats going minimally prepared.

Another interesting aspect to keep in mind that we can configure various aspects of combat to our liking. We can select the target (close enemies, distant enemies, same enemy, different enemies or weakened enemies), the tactics (indiscriminate attack, attack, balanced attack, overriding protection or protect at all costs) and customize the use of healing techniques, class techniques and objects.

After the fight, we will receive bonuses depending on our skill. For example, if we do not take damage or defeat the enemy in a certain time, we will receive more experience than usual. As we fight, we will win experience points and leveling up. Also, every time we level up, we will get training points, which are necessary to level up the characteristics of each of the characters: Strength, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Luck. We can distribute these points however we want, but we must think it over carefully, since once they are assigned there will be no going back; although, it is possible to reassign them from a certain point in history to a specific place, however, at the cost of a sum of money. With this, we will obtain new habilities and attributes for our characters. Skills can be passive or active. In this second case we must equip them or they will not take effect. There is a special type of skill called linked skills. All team members can use them and they are learned from different people during our adventure or through training points.

Attributes influence different types of techniques. For example, intelligence affects attack spells and wisdom affects healing spells. If we have a high attribute of luck, it will be easier for us to avoid traps and projectiles. But to be able to fight in conditions it is necessary to be well prepared, so we must equip with weapons and armor to increase the attributes of attack and defense. In this regard it is important to take a look at the armories and armor shops when we reach a new town.

I will not deceive you, Trials of Mana's combat system is not exactly deep, but its fun lies precisely in its simplicityIt is tremendously fun and addictive to fight once you start. However, we can also run away of the fighting if we want or we are in a hurry. For this, it will be enough to go to the limit of the combat area, which can be red or yellow. If it is red we will not be able to run away, but if it is yellow (most of the time), we will simply have to run outside and when a bar is filled, we will escape.

Without a doubt one of the most interesting aspects once we advance enough in the adventure is the possibility of using the Mana stones What is there for the world to change class. Each of our characters starts being Class 1, but each time we change classes the character will become stronger, although for this we must meet a series of requirements: for Class 2 reach a certain level and for Class 3 In addition to reaching a certain level, also have the corresponding class object. We can even make it to Class 4 once the story is complete. So do not hesitate to try it!

In the game we can also get a multitude of objects, either by defeating the enemies, finding them in chests, by the scenarios (in the form of bright dots) or buying them in stores. The title allows us to create shortcuts for objects or techniques that we use frequently, which saves us a lot of time streamlining combat. If we have received a lot of damage during a combat, we can select objects or healing techniques that will allow the group to recover their vitality and partial magic points (they can also be used when we are not fighting). In this sense, the exploration, since in each scenario we can find treasure chests, vases and shiny dots, which will always give us some reward. If we want to find them all, we will have to explore to the last corner! One of the most outstanding novelties of this remake is the inclusion of a very particular collectible. Is about Cactolillo, a small cactus that is hidden in the different maps of the game world and you never know where it will appear. The most curious thing is that every time we find it we will receive a stamp and the more stamps we get, the better awards We will receive, for example, discounts in stores or being able to rest for free in the inns.

Another important aspect to highlight is that the game has auto save points at certain points, but obviously we can also save the game on our own. To do this we must pray before the statues of the Goddess Mana

Finally it should be noted that this title, like most Switch games, can be played in portable mode, desktop mode and TV mode. In addition also It is compatible with the Nintendo Switch Pro controller and the cloud data saving service.

Graphics and sound

This remake of Trials of Mana stands out graphically for presenting a more than remarkable face lift, looking better than ever. The characters have become 3D modeled, which is why it is a very colorful title. On the other hand, we have very varied scenarios and we will visit different cities, forests, dungeons, snowy areas, areas with lava, etc.

Unfortunately not everything is good and it should be noted that some popping (sudden appearance of elements on stage) and robotic animations and somewhat late loading of textures, especially in cinematics. Therefore we are not facing a technical portent, far from it, but it is not something that seriously tarnishes the experience, since its good artistic design Makes these details in the background and we focus on enjoying this great adventure.

Regarding the sound section, the title offers us good melodies, highlighting above all its main theme that is a real delight for the ears. On this occasion we also have the possibility of listening to the remastered soundtrackalthough older players will be delighted to know that it is also possible to listen to the original soundtrack. further voices have been included for characters in English and Japanese (I recommend the second ones) and it has Spanish subtitles, something that is always appreciated. In addition, the sound effects are varied and have also been improved, being very forceful when we fight.

Duration

The main story of Trials of Mana can be completed in about a few 25 hours, duration that can vary depending on the level of difficulty that we play, if we focus on going towards the objectives without further ado or on the contrary we explore all the corners of the different stage in search of chests and objects, find Cactolillo or we stop to levelar.

It should be noted that depending on the trio of characters we choose, the story will change slightly and we will have different antagonists. This small, but at the same time important detail, makes the title despite being short (compared to other RPGs) replayable, since we will have no choice but to replay it several times if we want to discover the personal stories of all the protagonists.

But once the main story is completed, the thing does not end here, since we will have a extra chapter which will lengthen the game for a few more hours. Obviously I am not going to reveal anything about it, since the ideal is that you discover it for yourself. In addition we can also visit the different locations to find the chests that we have left.

Curiosities

• In the world of Trials of Mana there is a day and night cycle and the weeks have seven days: Astro day, Salamandra day, Ondina day, Dryad day, Zephyr day, Duende day and the day of Mana. Every day the magic of an element is more powerful, so it is interesting to keep that in mind when we are fighting.
• There's a "gazapo accessoryAs a DLC, we can equip ourselves in the game to get more experience after a fight up to level 10. This item will be received by those who pre-order the game before May 21 on Nintendo Switch.
• Trials of Mana has a demo in the Switch eShop which allows us to enjoy the beginning of the adventure. Best of all, we can transfer your save data to the final version of the game.

conclusion

The Trials of Mana remake is a great tribute to the original title released 25 years ago. Many have been the novelties introduced and although there are some areas for improvement, we are undoubtedly facing a great RPG that is worth discovering if you did not play the original or rediscover otherwise.

Trials of Mana is available in physical and digital format, through the Switch eShop, from April 24 at a price of € 49.99. You must have a free space on your console or 10.3 GB microSD card to download it.