Octopus Overlords

The Mana series is always one that fell into the "other" category at Squeenix, similar to series like SaGa or Star Ocean. It was never a heavy hitter like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, but rather a series that was typically enjoyable but not a "must play" game.

Visions of Mana came out last week. I have no particular nostalgia for the Mana games, but was in the mood for something that a little more cheery after playing several "very serious" games. I wasn't really expecting much VoM did an amazing job of delivering exactly that, and I found myself binging on it for nearly 15 hours over the long weekend. It's an action JRPG that leans heavily into anime tropes. If you can't stomach overly cheery characters, steer well clear of this one. I actually found them a nice change of pace from the typical dour protagonists. The story isn't anything revolutionary but sets up interestingly enough to make you want to keep moving from zone to zone. The world is really what carries the day here. Every zone is beautiful, with a lush and vibrant color palette and lots of distinct biomes and enemies. It strikes a really great balance between making want to explore every square inch without any particular area wearing out it's welcome. New traversal options unlock as you play, which gives incentive for going back to visit previous areas.

Combat happens frequently as you explore, and is always very fun. It's pretty basic action combat at it's core (standard attack, special class attack, and radial menus for abilities) but gets much more interesting as you progress. The party comes across unique "vessels" which unlock new classes and abilities for every character. Once unlocked, you can mix and match skills to create a balanced party or to lean heavily into a specific element for a specific enemy. New skills are unlocked through a simple skill tree which really begins to create some interesting strategic decisions as the bosses get tougher. Combine that with class-specific uber attacks, elementals triggers, dodge and block mechanics, and different enemy skills and resistances, and the combat is always engaging. I typically tend to get bored with action combat after a while (looking at you, Tales series) but this one has kept my interest through at least the halfway mark.

This isn't a game that's going to win any awards, but if you're looking for something that's light, cheery, and just plain fun, you could do a lot worse than VoM.

Thanks for posting about this. It does look good. At first I was like, this looks way too cute and candy-coated for me. Then I was like, that's ridiculous, I'm playing Hello Kitty Island Adventure after all!

On another note, I haven't played any of the Mana games. I figure I should try Secret of Mana since it's considered a classic.

Hipolito wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2024 9:43 pm candy-coated

This is a really good descriptor. The game is relentlessly cheery, happy, positive, and earnest, both in it's storytelling and graphical style. I'm sure that will rub some people the wrong way, but I'm actually finding it a nice change of pace from the somber, dark, brooding seriousness of so many other games I've played lately.

It's basically a JRPG sugar rush, and brings back fond memories of how much fun some of the "off-brand" Squaresoft RPG's from back in the day were.

On another note, I haven't played any of the Mana games. I figure I should try Secret of Mana since it's considered a classic.

I've only played bits and pieces of them. Farthest I ever got was about halfway through the remake of Trials of Mana. I find they're very much a "have to be in the right mood for them" type of games but are really great when that mood hits.

Final Fantasy Adventure is my one and only foray into the Mana world.

Just wrapped this one up. I wasn't expecting much, but I thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through. While the whole package is syrupy sweet, it tells a really engaging story with likeable characters, a really amazing looking world, very fun combat, an interesting skill/class system, excellent music, and a very touching ending. It didn't overstay it's welcome, finishing right around 32 hours.

I did spend spent probably the final 1/4 of the game focused on the same class/skill/party combos, which made advancement a little bit dull. However, my guess is that wouldn't be feasible on the higher difficulty levels, but I still had fun throughout. There is lots of backtracking involved as you get to the end, but I didn't mind too much.

7/8 tentacles, just a really great surprise game all around.

I've loved every early Mana game from Final Fantasy Adventure to Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana. I even loved the Trials of Mana remake. Legend of Mana and onward has left me cold. Is it safe to say I'm going to like this?

Eel Snave wrote: Mon Sep 16, 2024 5:17 pm I've loved every early Mana game from Final Fantasy Adventure to Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana. I even loved the Trials of Mana remake. Legend of Mana and onward has left me cold. Is it safe to say I'm going to like this?

I have no real experience with the Mana series, tbh. I’ve only played Visions and about half of the Trials of Mana remake.

I thought Visions was great, but ymmv.

Tried to play this and just could not get into it. Ten hours in and I’m still waiting for it to get good, so I think it must not be for me. Graphics are great, combat is okay I guess, but way too much cutesy anime. When I got to a town where everyone had squirrel tales I just wanted to turn it off. The whole ten hours I kept thinking it reminded me of Dragon Quest XI just not as good. Glad others enjoyed it though. My first and probably last attempt at the Mana series.

Yeah, if you can’t stomach cutsey anime, you’ll definitely want to avoid this one