Masaru Oyamada, the Mana series producer, spills the beans on Visions of Mana during Xbox's Developer_Direct 2024. Visions of Mana is the upcoming console game in the series – the last one being Heroes of Mana in 2007 for Nintendo DS. With a total of 17 games, the Mana series stands as one of Square Enix's most cherished and enduring, alongside giants like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.
To delve into the series' monsters, he brings in Koichi Ishii, the father of the Mana series. Ishii mentions and showcases the franchise's most iconic monsters, which, according to him, have been around since Final Fantasy Adventure, the franchise's inception as a spinoff of Final Fantasy. He highlights the Pikuls, mountable creatures and companions that will assist players in traversing the vast and colorful world of Visions of Mana.
Next up, the sneak peek delves into the musical aspect of the game. Visions of Mana will feature 100 soundtracks created by veteran series composers. The goal is to seamlessly transition between exploration and combat tracks, maintaining a sense of urgency and exploration. The producer assures that the music will retain the same flair and melody as other games in the series. Notable composers working on the game include Hiroki Kikuta, Tsuyoshi Sekito, and Ryo Yamazaki.
Visions of Mana's battle system will emphasize the "action" in action RPG. The game introduces aerial combat, something unprecedented in the series – though Dawn of Mana heavily emphasized vertical combat. The Elementals, a recurring mechanic in the franchise, make a return, allowing the protagonist to summon magical powers and adopt a distinct combat style based on the wielded weapon. At a certain point in the preview, you can see that a different character, not the main protagonist, is being controlled.
The Mana series has been without new games for a while, but it has recently been sprinkled with some remasters. Secret of Mana and Legend of Mana received a remaster for current consoles, while Trials of Mana got a complete makeover in a remake.
The sneak peek wraps up by unveiling a release window and the promise of future information. Visions of Mana hits the shelves in the summer of 2024, between June 20 and September 22, for PlayStation 4|5, Xbox One|Series, and PC. You can check out our comparator for the cheapest deals on Visions of Mana and revisit the legendary Mana Tree while wielding, perhaps, the also legendary Sword of Mana.
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