It is no secret that Square Enix’s Mana series has impacted the JRPG genre immensely since it debuted in 1991. It’s a franchise rich with deep stories and memorable combat that has stood the test of time. Despite the last mainline game releasing 18 years ago, fanfare has yet to die down, as seen with the success of the 2020 remake of Trials of Mana. The question is, can a brand new Mana game replicate the same success as a remake? If this two-hour hands-on preview is any indication of the rest of the game, then Visions of Mana’s fresh take on battle and class systems not only gives it the potential to meet the success of the originals but possibly even the chance to surpass them.
From the outset, it is clear that Visions of Mana is a completely different experience from previous games in the series. Gone are the days of sprite-drawn, top-down 2D combat. Here are the days of fast-paced, flashy and vibrant 3D semi-open field battles. Gameplay puts a heavy focus on the action part of the action-JRPG genre, introducing aspects like aerial combat to help open up the tag-based sword-slashing and magic system already in place.
During each encounter, the party’s three heroes can be swapped out with the push of a button, using their unique abilities and strengths in accordance with specific enemies that were in the battle. Val’s heavy attacks are useful for fighting big enemies one-on-one, while Morely’s speed is perfect for encounters made up of a higher number of enemies. Careena serves as the ideal support role, not only providing healing but dishing out powerful magic attacks like thunderbolt that deal area-of-effect damage that is both powerful and far-reaching.
Whenever the other two characters aren’t being used in combat, the AI takes over seamlessly. Having all three heroes participate in the battle at once results in a variety of combo moves that deal significant damage, especially when adding Elemental Vessels into the mix. These mystical artifacts play a huge role in Visions of Mana’s combat. Depending on who has which element attached to them, their skillsets, stats, and weapon types will change drastically. In this preview, there were two different Elemental Vessels: Moon and Wind. The first manipulates the flow of time, while the second controls air currents, lofting enemies off their feet while dealing damage.
Playing as Val’s Aegis class using the Vessel of the Moon is a completely different experience than when it’s equipped to either of the other party members. In this state, he uses a Lance and Shield while also having the ability to manipulate the flow of time, making for a terrifying one-two punch of slowing any enemy down to be able to dish out both quality and quantity with his damage. Nothing was more satisfying than using this on the Gem Valley Ochoro in the first area of the preview.
This sturdy and fast enemy, who felt like a beefy Sonic the Hedgehog, was an absolute menace, featuring crazy speed and high defense that made for a long and drawn-out battle. That battle became much easier after switching Val over to the Aegis class. Thanks to the Luna Globe, a time bubble is created that slows every enemy trapped within it to a crawl, which is perfect for speed demons like the Ochoro. While it still takes a few attempts, trapping the hedgehog in the bubble and whaling on it with a barrage of melee and magic spells resulted in a satisfying fight. Being able to approach battles by equipping different Vessels to different characters beforehand makes for an interesting rock-paper-scissors combat mechanic.
The longer each battle progresses, the more every character’s special meter grows. Depending on what Vessel is equipped, building this up to 100 percent results in a powerful onslaught that works on individual bosses and large crowds alike to deal some serious damage and inflict. This ability makes Visions of Mana’s more challenging fights, like the side quest mini-bosses, feel more manageable while maintaining its interesting degree of difficulty.
This brief look into what to expect from Visions of Mana paints an image of how exciting it has the potential to be. While it may seem like a scary change, the action-focused combat and the introduction of gameplay elements such as Elemental Vessels might be what the series needs to bring it back into the modern-day limelight.