Because there is more to life than Final Fantasy, Square Enix has begun a quest for rebirth. This year, the publisher will be returning to its roots with the arrival of new episodes of two of its flagship licenses, certainly less lucrative, but which have left their mark on an entire generation. Hostilities will begin at the end of April with SaGa Emerald Beyond, then with Visions of Mana, presented during the Game Awards 2023. In fact, we were able to discover a preview of Final Fantasy’s little brother.
Ports and remasters have been seen in recent times. It ultimately took 16 long years before Square Enix decided to announce a new episode of the Mana saga. A booster shot for young people, the license made its debut in 1991 under the name Mystic Quest, a Final Fantasy spin-off more oriented towards action-RPG. It is especially with the following three episodes, Secret, Trials and Legend of Mana that it obtained its letters of nobility. Since then, the publisher has only brought it out of the closet for spin-offs that are average at best and more recently a rather successful remake which sold more than expected.
We’ll never know if it’s this commercial success or the incessant demands of fans over the last decade that motivated Square Enix, but this time it’s there. New characters and story, return of themes dear to the license, modernized game mechanics…Visions of Mana will mark the renewal of the saga, with an entirely new main episode. A game that aims to be more modern, but faithful to the essence of the saga. We were able to play it for a little less than two hours, and let’s face it, we’re well underway.
The Mana license opens up a little more
Every four years, several people from around the world are designated as offerings. The privilege of a lifetime, which allows the lucky ones to travel to the Tree of Mana, accompanied by their soul guardian, in order to regenerate the cycle. In the small village of fire, Tiana, the fairy’s choice fell on Hina, Val’s childhood friend who will therefore have to ensure her protection. It is some time after the start of their pilgrimage and two allies in their pocket that we find the little duo in the middle of a large green and shimmering expanse, leaving room for exploration. It’s immediately striking, Visions of Mana borrows heavily from the remake published in 2020 by resuming its new 3D setting, more in keeping with our times. We reassure you, at first glance it gets rid of its ugly gaps and its uninspired textures for a smoother, cleaner, and frankly beautiful result. Visions of Mana has a face as pretty and adorable as the creatures we had to reluctantly slay, but it is above all its lively artistic direction and its mastered color schemes which immediately charm. The magical universe of the license is immaculate and more beautiful than ever. The game has a real character, unlike the first environments, which are quite conventional for the moment.
Like any production these days, Visions of Mana opens up a little more with large areas to explore, richer and vast than its predecessors, but the exploration seemed a bit too limited to us during this first contact. We point out once again, this is only the beginning of the game and we can bet that there will be more interesting things to do in the final version. For the moment, this part simply consists of recovering hidden chests here and there, picking up objects scattered along our path (probably for crafting later, but we couldn’t get confirmation), tapping the local fauna too adorable to be defeated, but also exchange with NPCs who will give quests. Very classic therefore, just like the two missions available during our session, which simply required defeating a handful of monsters. A few more devious creatures were just waiting for a fight in certain places, but none of them really put us in difficulty. However, they seemed to give special items whose usefulness is still secret, let’s hope they gain more interest as we progress.
The exploration promises to be very convenient, but Visions of Mana should tug on the heartstrings of more than one player (me first) with the Pikuls, these new adorable mascots that can be called with the help of ‘a bell. This mount will be used above all to cross large areas more quickly and to send away the local fauna who dare to get in our way. Our dear steed (did I say he was cute?) doesn’t seem to be available at all times, however.
A gameplay that promises to be classic
This first take on Visions of Mana focused above all on the combat. The game is in line with the remake released a few years earlier, which had already started a nice modernization effort. Here again, this new episode takes up all the classic codes of current action-RPGs. A wheel of skills, techniques assigned to a combo of keys, a normal attack and a more powerful one, an avoidance and finally a special skill which requires filling a gauge common to the characters… everything is there. And unlike FF7 Rebirth and its predecessor, the attacks menu stops time entirely, where it only slows down for Cloud and his clique.
This new Mana makes no secret of it, it is openly aimed at a less experienced audience, the result is fundamentally classic gameplay which is currently sorely lacking in flavor. Not that it’s bad, on the contrary the aerial sequences suck, but the clashes seemed quite soft to us, the blows lacked impact – especially when our first boss is only a small bag of not good HP difficult -, and the targeting system needs to be completely revised. You can lock an enemy very well, except that the camera does not focus on it at all, which makes the mechanic completely useless.
Visions of Mana should stand out more thanks to the specific features of the license: spiritual relics, these mystical objects which harbor the power of the elements. In exploration, they will allow access to otherwise inaccessible places, but it is especially in combat that they will be more interesting since they change the classes of the characters. By equipping one, the most agile swordsman can transform into a rogue with two daggers, while the fighter with a two-handed weapon becomes more chivalrous by opting for a shield. The feeling changes each time, thanks to the skills, movesets and weapon types which vary depending on the combinations. Luna’s sphere, for example, allows the equipped fighter to slow down the flow of time or create powerful pockets of energy. And as all characters without exception can equip themselves with each of these relics, the game invites you to experiment and find the style that seems best suited to each one. It’s impossible not to play the game. Enough to spice up an otherwise classic gameplay. Is this a bad thing though? Not necessarily. The game is easy to learn and remains fun, even if we hope for more originality in the final version.
We’re still waiting for it… a lot
Visions of Mana seems well on its way to being this easy little game with an old school feeling that we like. The game manages to charm from the first moments thanks to its colorful and vibrant artistic direction and its adorable bestiary. A mix between classic and modernity that is fun and easy to learn, and which should be aimed primarily at a younger, or even less experienced, audience. It remains to be seen whether it will manage to bring its own character to the gameplay side, which currently lacks originality. We know in any case that the story will be the backbone of the game, but it is impossible to draw anything out on this point with this rather positive (and too adorable) first introduction. What we’ve seen is only a small fraction of the game and we can’t wait to see more. Visions of Mana will be available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series and PC later this year.