Visions of Mana Review

Mana series began on the original Nintendo Game Boy and has a rich history. Latest game, Visions of Mana ($59.99), keeps classic elements while adding modern updates. Action is enjoyable, though targeting and jumping can be a bit off. Exploration is improved with large open areas but there isn’t as much to do as hoped. Overall, it’s a charming game with great visuals and fun mechanics. We played it on PC via Steam but it’s also available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and Xbox Series X/S.

World of Mana

Visions of Mana brings a vibrant, storybook-style world to life, full of nostalgic and colorful visuals. While the game has a whimsical, cartoonish look, it also incorporates elements of tragedy to add depth to its story. You follow Val and Hinna, two heroes chosen by a fairy to undertake a pilgrimage to the Mana Tree. If you’ve played other games with pilgrimage themes like Final Fantasy X or Tales of Symphonia, you might expect some dramatic twists along the journey. If not, be prepared for some sacrifices and less-than-happy endings.

Game’s world is rich and colorful with large areas to explore. Although it’s not an open-world game, it features multiple zones similar to Final Fantasy XVI. As you explore, you’ll encounter enemies, collectibles and treasure. There are also challenging elite monsters and tough gauntlets hidden throughout the map that you can tackle after finding elemental relics. Additionally, you can take on fetch quests from NPCs in towns.

However, game lacks a variety of activities. Unlike Final Fantasy VII Rebirth which had numerous side quests and mini-games, Visions of Mana is more straightforward and doesn’t offer as many distractions between combat and story missions.

Characters in the game have unique, fantastical designs that fit well with the world. Each character’s core and alternate class designs are visually appealing. The voice acting is notably better than in Trial of Mana, where the voice performances were criticized. However, many characters have stiff, robotic facial expressions and mouth movements which can lessen the emotional impact of dramatic scenes.

Music in Visions of Mana is decent but not as memorable as in previous Mana games. While it creates atmospheric backdrop, it lacks the catchy tunes found in Legend of Mana and Trials of Mana.

Visions of Mana’s Real-Time Combat

Visions of Mana is a party-based action RPG where you control characters in real-time battles across the map. You can use basic combos, pause-combos, and charged attacks to enhance your fighting style or switch to different characters for varied playstyles. Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses but the game balances them well, encouraging you to switch characters to match the flow of combat.

Even though game has a cute visual style, monsters can be quite tough especially when they inflict status ailments that make battles more complicated. Game isn’t overly difficult but it keeps things interesting. Targeting enemies can be tricky, though. Switching targets can be too sensitive and the camera often loses track of enemies that move off-screen. Jumping mechanic is useful for exploring but can leave you vulnerable in combat. While you can cancel most attacks with a dodge, improvements in jumping and targeting would have made combat feel more precise.

Visions of Mana features a class system for its characters, which you can upgrade or change by using elemental vessels found in the game. For example: Careena starts as a spear-wielding Oracle, but using the wind-powered Sylphid Boomerang changes her to the Dancer class, where she fights with bladed fans. Similarly, Val begins as a sword-wielding Guard but can switch to the Aegis class with a lance and shield if he acquires the moon-based Luna Globe.

Class changes often come with different weapons and move sets, offering a wide variety of fighting styles. Even classes with the same weapon type have unique attacks and spells, providing plenty of options for customizing your party.

However, the game could benefit from more interactive environments during combat. It would be exciting to see elements like rocks to kick around or explosive barrels, similar to what you find in games like Dragon’s Dogma. Currently, environmental interactions are limited to obstacles and puzzles which are functional but a bit predictable.

Is Your PC Ready for Visions of Mana? Check Requirements and Performance

Visions of Mana combines impressive visuals with a stunning art style, resulting in a game that looks great and performs well on most PCs. To run the game smoothly, you’ll need the following minimum specifications according to its Steam page:

• Processor (CPU): AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or Intel Core i5-6400
• Graphics Card (GPU): AMD Radeon RX 580, Intel Arc A580, or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB of VRAM
• Storage: 45GB of available space
• Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10

We tested the game on a PC with an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 GPU, and 16GB of RAM. It ran smoothly at 1440p resolution with high settings and an uncapped frame rate, delivering over 100 frames per second for most of the game. There were occasional stutters while exploring, but these were minor and didn’t affect platforming or combat.

Visions of Mana isn’t officially verified for the Steam Deck yet, but we were able to run it on Valve’s handheld device with some issues. The game ran below 30 frames per second and had graphical glitches, especially with water effects. Hopefully, these problems will be fixed before the game’s official release.

• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Review – A Descent into Madness
• Black Myth: Wukong Review
• Zenless Zone Zero Review

Conclusion: Visions of Mana Captures Classic RPG Charm

Visions of Mana is a fun RPG that honors the series’ classic style while introducing new features. The game excels with its engaging action, varied class system, and impressive graphics. However, some of the game mechanics could be improved for better precision. Overall, Visions of Mana is a strong addition to the series, even though it doesn’t have the same sharp focus as earlier games.