Visions of Mana was this close to being on my list of most anticipated games of 2024, but because it’s been 15 years since a mainline series entry I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. We got a glimpse of the game when it was announced The Game Awards, but it still wasn’t that much. At Xbox’s Developer Direct today, Square Enix popped up to show off Visions of Mana through the eyes of Mana series producer Masaru Oyamada and Mana series creator Koichi Ishii. It also announced a new release window: “summer” (Northern) 2024.
A super brief history of the Mana series: it began as a Final Fantasy spin-off called Mythic Quest in 1993, and there have been 17 Mana titles to date. Done.
Visions of Mana follows a carefree young man named Val who lives in the Fire Village if Tianeea. Every four years, the Faerie choose people that are fated to travel to the Tree of Mana which presides of the world’s entire flow of mana. A festival welcomes to Faerie to Tianeea, where Val’s friend is declared this year’s chosen one – the alm. Val will have to journey with her to the Tree as her soul guard.
The video includes new gameplay and behind-the-scenes footage; it also takes a look at gameplay features, monsters, and creatures. Oyamada reveals new details about combat. A new aerial combat system will take players to new heights and enable mid-air attacks. A series staple, the Elementals, are of course in Visions of Mana to assist players during battle in the form of specialised items. Each weapon produces a different effect according to its respective element.
In Visions of Mana, there is a new companion: the pikuls. They are designed by Mana series creator Koichi Ishii, taking inspiration from animals and mythology. The pikuls will help players traverse the expansive ground map.
Oh, and I can’t forget: Square Enix revealed that the soundtrack will include 100 songs at launch (does that mean… soundtrack DLC?). All have been composed by or contributed to from creators who have worked on other Mana games. A new adaptive music system in the game will allow players to seamlessly transition from map/exploration to battles, heightening their sense of urgency through the arrangement of the background music changing as players enter or leave combat.
Developed and published by Square Enix, Visions of Mana will be released for PC via Steam/Windows, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Xbox Series in “summer” 2024 (likely June-September).
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