Legend of Mana

Legend of Mana is a remaster of the 1999 2D action RPG by Square (later known as Square Enix). The original is formally the fourth installment in the Mana series, as the first part of the series was released in the West either as a spin-off of the Final Fantasy series (in America) or as Mystic Quest (in Europe). The game was refreshed shortly after three of the four earlier installments in the series, Adventures of Mana, Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana.

Plot

As a typical high fantasy game, Legend of Mana takes us to a universe full of magic and monsters. However, at the start, the world of Fa'Diel is almost empty due to a cataclysm that took place nine centuries earlier. It was then that the Mana Tree, the source of life and magical energy, was almost burnt to the ground. A war broke out between the inhabitants of Fa'Diel, which eventually led to many lands being sealed in ancient artefacts. The task of the player-led hero or heroine is to restore the Mana Tree, the entire world and its magical energy to its former glory.

Mechanics

Like previous remasters of the Mana series, Legend of Mana is a top-down action RPG. During the game, together with up to two companions, we explore locations where we encounter NPCs and monsters. We defeat monsters in a fight, in which we use magic and weaponry, in case of weapons we also use their special attacks called Special Techs. From time to time we also encounter powerful bosses, and with the progress of the game we gain experience and develop the hero's abilities.

The biggest new feature introduced in Legend of Mana is the Land Make system. When we start the adventure, most of the map is literally empty. To change this, we have to find artifacts in which old lands were sealed. Then we place them in the chosen location to make a city, dungeon or other location appear there. These differ not only in design, but also in the monsters and objects present in them. These locations also describe the Mana Levels for each of the eight types of magic assigned to mythical creatures such as jinn, ogres, salamanders or gnomes. The higher the mana level, the more effective the spells are during clashes in the area. All this can also change depending on the artifacts neighbouring a particular location.

Game modes

Legend of Mana remaster is not just the story campaign, which can be played solo or in co-op with a friend. With the game's debut, western gamers can finally check out the Ring Ring Land mini-game. Originally only available in Japan and requiring a PocketStation accessory, it functions along similar lines to the iconic Tamagochi. So the player takes care of a pet, allowing the pet to gain experience and the hero to gain items, which can then be uploaded to the main game.

Technical aspects and other

Unlike Trials of Mana, the refreshed Legend of Mana did not abandon the 2D graphic design. Stylistically, the graphics do not differ from that of the original release, but the developers took care to adapt it to modern standards. So the game works in much higher resolutions, and the whole thing looks decent. An additional soundtrack was also prepared for the remaster, and the game lets you switch between the original and refreshed tracks. The remaster also introduced additional features, such as the ability to deactivate battles with enemies.