Gamers will finally get a chance to return to the world of Mana in the newly revealed Visions of Mana from Square Enix! There was no shortage of announcements at The Game Awards 2023, with host Geoff Keighley sparring no expense – even the acceptance speeches – to ensure the biggest night in gaming lived up to the hype.
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Square Enix, a common presence as the part-awards-mostly-announcement award show, returned this year, giving fans new looks at Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide, DLC for the beloved series’ sixteenth installment. But what really took their surprises to the next level was the announcement of Visions of Mana, a new game in the studios’ critically acclaimed Mana series.
Visions of Mana Returns Gamers to the World of Mana
In Visions of Mana, players control Val, a protagonist tasked with protecting his childhood friend as they rush to save the Tree of Mana and restore the world’s mana flow. Outside of that brief synopsis, we don’t know much about the game, but the trailer proves that something special is on the way.
The Visions of Mana trailer showcases the breathtaking world as it comes to life, with Val traversing multiple environments over their journey. We see calm forests, a coastal city, snowy mountaintops, underwater ruins, and even a volcano, giving aspiring adventurers plenty of different locations to explore.
It also gives a great look at the game’s combat system, as Val showcases his hand-to-hand and magical abilities against enemies small and large. From the adorable, fan-favorite Rabites to a Kraken-like creature ten times Val’s size, Visions of Mana has no shortage of enemies, promising players a challenging yet rewarding adventure.
Although it now stands alone, Mana began as a spin-off of Square Enix’s tentpole franchise, Final Fantasy, quickly garnering enough popularity to become its own series. However, it’s been over 15 years since Square developed a new installment in the main Mana series.
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Dawn of Mana, the series’ last game, was released in 2006 on the PlayStation 2, and fans have had to rely on spin-offs and remakes since. The newest installments, Trials of Mana, a remake of the third game, and Echoes of Mana, a spin-off, were released in 2020 and 2022, respectively.
“I am delighted to finally be able to reveal Visions of Mana, the first mainline instalment to Mana series in over fifteen years. The development team have been working hard to ensure that Visions of Mana remains faithful to the series that players know and love while also offering fans and newcomers a fresh new experience with an all-new story, characters, and gameplay mechanics. We cannot wait to share more details about the game with you soon.“
Masaru Oyamada, Mana Series producer
About Visions of Mana
Release Date: 2024
Series: Mana
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Steam
Genre: Action-RPG
Synopsis: Visions of Mana will return to the series’ action-RPG roots and take players on a new adventure with protagonist Val, a soul guard assigned to protect his childhood friend, who has been chosen by the Faerie as the Alm of Fire to travel to the Tree of Mana and rejuvenate the mana flow.
Are you excited to return to the Mana world in Visions of Mana? Have you played the previous games? What do you think about the trailer? Let us know your thoughts on The Illuminerdi’s social media.
SOURCE: Square Enix
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