Visions of Mana Review
Preserving the Legacy of Mana
The Mana series is finally back with a fabulous new mainline entry. Visions of Mana brings another tale of mana to revitalize this beloved franchise, which has only gotten by on remade or remastered versions of its other entries in the last fifteen years. Val and his companions pilgrimage to the Mana Tree in a breathtaking world with a story that masterfully plucks at the heartstrings. Featuring fast-paced combat and many staples of the series, fans and newcomers alike are in for a treat.
The story takes place in a world where every four years the Fairy appoints eight Alms, denizens from different villages, to journey to the Mana Tree and offer their souls to restore the flow of mana. Those chosen as Alms feel privileged and do not hesitate to fulfill their role, especially since it is said that villages that do not comply with this requirement will perish. Players take on the role of Val, a Soul Guard tasked with protecting his childhood friend Hinna, the Alm of Fire, and the other Alms on their adventure to the Tree of Mana. The adventure across the world is blissful, with Val meeting Alms and troubled locals on his travels while he comes across other fantasy legends in which he needs to participate actively. The nine-chapter pilgrimage is full of obstacles that make it more rewarding to reach each new place, with an extra chapter unlocked after completing the main story. This tale about sacrifice has many emotional moments during its dramatic twists and turns, which connect players to the cast to share their sorrows and joys. Including references to Sword of Mana as a fairytale and several surprises, this superb story is simple but fantastic to please veterans and those diving into the series for the first time.
The enchanting cast makes every story beat even more memorable. One of the highlights is how well the relationship between Hinna and Val is developed, making it relatable to connect with their fears and regrets. It is also a pleasure to get to know the other main characters. Palamena is a young queen who enjoys being treated the same as common townsfolk while Morley deals with ghosts of his past and the tragedy that happened to his family and hometown. Careena is headstrong but likable while Julei is a lovely Sproutling who comes up with the most peculiar songs. The secondary characters, including the elementals, also play an interesting role that powers up the story. Extraordinary antagonists are part of this story too, with players being able to understand their motivations and sympathize with them.
One of the most enjoyable gameplay features is exploring the world’s vast locales, which include varied puzzle-solving elements to advance or reach treasure chests. Eight Elemental Vessels that are obtained as the story progresses allow Val and his companions to use different skills while exploring, including summoning wind streams that can carry them through the air, magical plants that grow, and water bubbles that float. There are also other moments when Val needs to use these powers to change the flow of time to return dungeons to their previous states or control earth golems to destroy piles of rocks to advance. Level design is so varied and well-balanced that there is never a moment in which a dungeon feels repetitive or recycled. The game invites players to return to open areas where there were unreachable points of interest when they obtain a new Elemental Vessel just to see if this new ability can unlock more exciting secrets. These puzzle-solving elements are simple yet fun and rewarding to use, making Elemental Vessels a great inclusion while exploring. In addition, the world also includes items worth searching for, spots where Li’l Cactus hides waiting for Val to find him, and elemental orbs to unlock abilities, making exploring every corner a worthy enterprise.
Visions of Mana offers different ways to explore its world, including furry animals to ride on land, a giant turtle to explore the seas, and a dragon to fly through the skies. Several checkpoints in each zone allow players to fast travel to specific points of the world instantly. Thanks to this feature, helping people in need is effortless, allowing Val to complete requests rapidly and get rewards that are certainly helpful for the pilgrimage. The user interface is notably friendly, having icons on the screen and on the minimap with the location of sidequests and other points of interest. Sidequests are varied and include finding items, reaching specific spots, and defeating groups of enemies. Going back and forth and searching for details about sidequests is breezy.
Combat in Vision of Mana is fluid, fast-paced, and feels remarkably fun from the very first battle to the final boss battle. All characters have normal and strong attacks as well as several abilities depending on the ability seeds and class that they have equipped. Classes affect character stats and enable them to acquire different skills and adopt different roles during combat, ranging from tanks and ranged attackers to buffers and healers depending on the character. Classes change depending on the equipped Elemental Vessel, and each character has unique classes. Although each Elemental Vessel can only be equipped by one character at the same time, players can combine them as they see fit. With up to ten slots for abilities and a wide set of ability seeds, players can deeply personalize their characters. Players unlock new skills by spending points in the Elemental Plot; points can be obtained by drawing power from elemental orbs or by exchanging certain items that are scattered around the world. More abilities become available in the Elemental Plot as players progress the story and acquire certain items.
Besides allowing characters to acquire different classes, Elemental Vessels grant combat abilities such as stopping time, using a gravitational force that pulls enemies, or creating a zone where allies can be healed. These skills require a cool-down time before they can be used again, but mastering their use can turn the tables in combat and is highly satisfying. Besides these abilities, the game offers Class Strikes that deal massive damage. The gauge for these strikes is shared among the three-person party, with these strikes changing depending on the controlled character and their current class. Class Strikes can be the solution to hard battles with difficult enemies.
While players are only able to fully control one of the characters at a time, they can choose the strategy for the other characters, selecting whether they go all out or focus on healing, allowing or preventing them from using their elemental vessels and items, and limiting the number of magic points they use. The variety of enemies matches the size of the world, and there is a considerable number of bosses, each with unique fighting styles that provide a renewed experience in every battle. There are different difficulty settings to please every type of gamer.
The presentation of the game is almost flawless. The only issue that could annoy some players is the facial animations that mismatch with the audio. However, the soundscape makes exploration whimsical as there’s a track to go along with every region. Using flutes and water-like sounds, the uplifting, folky soundtrack fits every place and story beat. The most impressive tracks are the boss battle themes, particularly the final boss battle, with powerful guitar melodies and a motivating upbeat tempo. Meanwhile, the voice acting does wonders in making cutscenes more touching, with Kaiji Tang as Morley and Vanessa Lemonides as Palamena being two that stand out. Cutscenes are also visually inspiring, and battle animations, including Class Strikes, are extraordinary. This spectacular world with colorful regions provides a wonderful backdrop to beautiful characters with varied outfits and imposing weapons. The cities, their citizens, and the elementals look cute while enemies and bosses are formidable.
Visions of Mana is a strong entry that effectively revitalizes the lore of the series and keeps it more alive than ever. With dancing merchants, the ring system, and cute creatures such as Sproutlings, the game includes many staples of the series at their best, with Elemental Vessels being a magnificent addition. The patience of long-time fans is paid in full, while the game will also captivate newcomers with its superb presentation and emotive story.
Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher.


Beautiful presentation
Splendid story and characters
Great puzzle-solving elements
Mismatch between audio and facial animations
Recent Comments