Square Opens Preorders For Legend Of Mana
Square Enix has shown more love for the Mana series recently than they have in many years. They remade Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana, and rereleased the first three Manas in one package…and now the fourth game, Legend of Mana, is coming back too. Not in its original form, and not as a remake…this time it’s a widescreen remaster with polished-up backgrounds and updated features.
Usually the plot in a Mana game involves a threat to the Mana Tree, source of all life in the candy-colored world the games take place in. It’s said that if the Mana Tree ever dies then all life goes with it. And I guess they weren’t kidding because when you start up Legend of Mana, you discover the Mana Tree is gone — and so is everything else in the entire world!
This meant a very different gameplay gimmick than fans at the time were used to. Instead of strightforwardly marching through environments, you had to build places yourself and place them on a custom world map. You also had to create and craft items and equipment, and battles took place strictly on the 2D plane. Though Legend of Mana has the same painterly artstyle and heavenly music as the previous installments, it’s definitely not the same game and the shift had fans crying foul. Eventually, though, people came around to it and it’s regarded as a classic in its own right (the poor quality of Mana games that came after it likely had something to do with its reappraisal).
Speaking of that, what will Square do next? No other Mana games are as beloved as the first four so….how about a new Mana, guys? Think about it.
- Exclusive Equipment– Players can forge one of a kind equipment and also alter existing equipment at the Equipment Smithy. Similarly, once the instrument workshop has been established, it can be used to manufacture enchanted instruments with potency.
- Featured Pets – Players can capture eggs and hatch pet monsters featuring supportive Synchro Effects to help players secure victories in battle. The pets live at the monster corral in the grounds of the player’s home and can quickly be made stronger by sending them out to play the Ring Ring Land mini-game.
- Magical Golems – Golems are magical life-forms that players can collect which have been imbued with the power of Mana and will sustain players in combat. Players can control a golem’s HP, stats, and can equip them with over 50 different offensive and defensive abilities to help defeat enemies in battle.
Legend of Mana will be released digitally for Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC June 24, at an affordable price of $29.99. Preorders are open as of today. Square has not made mention of a physical edition in the US…however, if you’re willing to import…