Visions of Mana Review ( Playstation 5 ) – That’s Gaming

For 25 years, Square Enix’s Mana series has been a household name among Japanese RPG enthusiasts. In recent years, there have also been two remakes of titles in the Mana series including Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana. After that it has been quiet for a long time around the Mana games series but now the time has come and a new title in the Mana series has been released called Visions of Mana. We had the opportunity to take a closer look at the game and below you can read our verdict!

In the colorful world of Visions of Mana, everything revolves around what you can already imagine Mana. Mana is the in the world. Once in a while a fairy appoints an Alm who can control an element. If you have been appointed an Alm by the fairy, you must travel to the Mana tree to be sacrificed. This is done to keep the world in balance. In the beginning of the story you go to the village where the character Hinna is appointed by a fairy to be a fire Alm. Hinna has a friend named Val who joins her on a journey as a bodyguard to make sure his friend arrives at the Mana Tree in one piece. During this journey you will encounter many other characters who are also Alm, for example, and will accompany the two in their journey.

The story does not sound very interesting but it certainly is. After there have been the necessary events you really get sucked into the story and just want to continue playing. Through cutscenes you also learn more and more about the characters’ backgrounds and you notice that one story is even darker than the other.

In Visions of Mana, you quickly notice that the game is not an open world title but you always have separate areas that you have to wander through and fight through in order to advance to the next section in the game. There are also larger areas that you can traverse with animals so you can still move a little faster. What makes the game fun and beautiful include the colorful and detailed environments.

The convenient thing in the game is that there is a lot to explore and find. While you are exploring you will also see the handy in the form of a double jump that allows you to reach tricky areas more easily. In the tricky areas there are often treasures or other objects that carry items. Fortunately, it is all not very difficult to find because all treasures are indicated by a blue circle on the Map you carry. Only how you’re going to grab it that’s a little trickier. The possibility of the blue circles on the Map makes the game a little easier.

What is also useful when exploring is the use of elements. For example, with the wind element you will be able to create a small gust of wind that will allow you to jump a little further or get higher. So each element has its own possibilities that will allow you to move forward.

There are also side missions in Visions of Mana by different people who occasionally need some help. If you help them, you get an item you can use or some money for new equipment.

Visions of Mana contains an action-oriented combat system that is not too difficult to learn. You can do two types of battle attacks including a light and heavy attack, spells and a special attack that requires you to use MP of the character. You can also dodge enemy attacks and jump in battles to take out high level enemies. You can also switch between your team members while fighting to see which one is most useful to get the fight done quickly. You can also find many seeds in the game that allow you to start gaining more skills. These seeds can be obtained from side missions or in the treasure chests that are everywhere.

There are also different classes in the game that make you change. These can be unlocked by finding special items called elemental vessels in the story. Each class can be made stronger through seeds and a lot of play.

Is there nothing negative in Visions of Mana? Unfortunately yes, because to use your seeds you will have to go through several menus to eventually get to where you need to be. How this all works is not very well explained so sometimes you do not know how to proceed. The game is also not always graphically stable. The game sometimes stutters, no matter which of the two modes you set the game to. Sometimes it also seems like you get sucked into an obstacle and then you have to reload the save to get out.

Conclusion

Visions of Mana is a good JRPG that any fan of the genre should have played. The game has a few minor flaws but if you get through everything then you are in for a great title that challenges you but still lets you play through. If the game had had a more clear structure in terms of menus it would have been a lot clearer.