Visions of Mana is an unexpected new entry in the beloved Seiken Densetsu franchise that was officially announced at lastnight’s The Game Awards ceremony.
The Mana series is paramount in the JRPG genre, with the first Seiken Densetsu game releasing in 1991 on the Game Boy as Final Fantasy Adventure.
But it was 1993’s Secret of Mana that really solidified the series as a strong contender in the genre, and set it apart from its parent Final Fantasy series.
Secret of Mana is still on my top 10 of all time list, and was one of the biggest influences on my own game The Mayor of Sanctuary.
To see the series alive and well in 2024 is heart warming and exciting… especially when you see how good it is looking!
Visions of Mana
The new Visions of Mana game is looking like one of the most visually stunning and action packed in the franchise.
It fits very comfortably with Square Enix games from the Dragon Quest series and Kingdom Hearts, and this feels absolutely perfect for a reboot of the Mana series.
The charming graphic style and vivid colors pair very well with the fluid movement and wild battle effects we see in this short teaser trailer.
The trailer features lively scenery, delightful characters, dynamic live combat, a wide range of environments and supporting cast, and stunning cutscenes.
I’m getting hints of Dragon Quest, Ni No Kuni, Tears of the Kingdom, and Kingdom Hearts in this reveal trailer. All of which are wonderful ingredients to add to the classic Mana formula to reintroduce it to the contemporary audience.
This obviously blows the 2022 mobile title “Echoes of Mana” out of the water, and is a big evolution from the “Trials of Mana” remake from 2020.
Visions of Mana is an incredibly exciting new entry that should breath new life into the Seiken Densetsu series.
Release Information
Today’s Visions of Mana trailer finishes with the promise of a 2024 release date. And we are obviously hoping for more news sooner than later.
One particular detail about the reveal trailer that has caught a lot of attention was the final list of supported consoles for the release.
Square Enix plans to release Visions of Mana on the PS4/PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PC. You may have noticed a major platform missing from that list – the Nintendo Switch.
I believe this is because the capabilities of the first Switch model has been surpassed, and the new Visions of Mana game is offering graphics that need more performance than what will be possible.
I also have a hunch that we will get a Nintendo Switch 2 announcement in 2024, and Visions of Mana would be one of the most exciting early entries for that console.
