Visions Of Mana review – solo adventure

Visions Of Mana does a great job of recreating the overall vibe of Secret Of Mana and Trials Of Mana (its original Japanese-only sequel) on the SNES, with a similar art style and focus on combat. While technically a Japanese role-playing game, the series is definitely action based and Secret Of Mana is essentially a 2D Zelda with stats but no puzzles.

The new game looks great in a crisp, hyper-colored, slightly frilly way. But it falls down in one very important area, by not including a co-op option. It’s one of the key features of the SNES game, but Visions Of Mana is only one-player – which is a terrible shame given how used it seems to know so much of the Secret of Mana that appeals.

Story wise, Visions Of Mana sets up a classic quest structure. You play as Val, a keep the soul sent to accompany the alms chosen by the different elements that dominate each region of the game world. The alms should make a pilgrimage to the Mana Tree that sustains the whole world, where they will be sacrificed; it’s up to Val to protect them until they get there.

Naturally, the knowledge that almsgiving leads to the ultimate sacrifice causes existential anxiety, emphasized by a false flashback that begins when Lyza, the earth almsgiving, abducts her duty after falling in love with another, before disaster befalls her. and his village. The villagers occasionally try to interrupt the pilgrimage and revive Lyza, but while adding a dark undercurrent, the overall tone is cartoonish, with a simplistic script and overly American voice acting.

While the story is a bit basic, Visions Of Mana’s battle system is great, just like the original game, but with more depth and modern features. It includes some elements familiar to those who played 16-bit games, such as a ring menu that allows you to choose magic attacks and items to use in battle. It also works in real time, encouraging you to chain attacks, specials, and dodges.

You are also given the ability to change the fighting nature – to be precise, the class – of your party members, simply by changing their elemental affinity. Thus Val, for example, nimbly wields a short sword when he has the wind element equipped but becomes a lance-wielding tank with a shield when you choose the fire element for him; equip earth vessels and he is a defense specialist.

Meanwhile, Palamena’s party members are magic specialists by default and Morley can warp time to slow enemies down, but if you equip them with different elements, the fighting style changes drastically.

For a long time, outside of boss battles, you rarely encounter enemies challenging enough to have to assemble a special battle party with special skills and complements, which will encourage you to try to change your character’s elemental affinity. Ultimately, though, you can fight enemies that are easier to take down if you have certain elemental classes in your party.

That’s where a lot of strategy involved Visions Of Mana’s battling comes in. And while it’s technically a role-playing game, the only real upgrade tree in the game is located in the path of each character’s element. If you like how to fight with certain elemental vessels equipped, you can navigate the skill tree that brings new abilities and special moves. You also level up throughout the game, raising your basic stats, but the process happens automatically.

The environment design of Visions Of Mana is excellent, as your team pings around the game world, you will encounter several different biospheres and, occasionally, you will have to call on the elements to reach inaccessible places – such as jumping from bubbles water into the water bubble, catch. huge wind-powered updrafts, or even flying around in a fireball.

The environment is packed with chests and hidden objects, along with a mini-war arena, and there is a fair amount of side quests, which vary enormously in quality and interest. There are several fun-built cities in the game, giving you the chance to meet some interesting characters along the way. Overall, the game world feels vibrant and rewards exploration.

Regardless of whether that’s true though Visions Of Mana can’t overcome the fact that, inexplicably, not a single feature of the franchise, or at least its favorite entry, is the most recognizable. If there was already a co-op mode, especially a local co-op mode, this would be an easy recommendation. Without it, it’s still a fun and breezy Japanese role-player, but one with a very obvious hole in its center.

Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC
price: £59.99
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Ouka Studios
Release Date: August 29, 2024
Age Rating: 12