The Mana franchise, known as Seiken Densetsu in Japan, may have its best days behind it. While Secret of Mana is often regarded as one of the best PS2-era JRPGs released, the franchise never expanded in the same way that Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest did, and as such, the Mana sequels have struggled. Trials of Mana, a 3D remake of the follow-up to Secret of Mana, aims to reverse that trend 25 years later.
In an all-new gameplay trailer for Trials of Mana, the game's new 3D gameplay is showcased. It's not a robust look at the JRPG's action, but it does cover all of Trials of Mana's core combat features.
The trailer starts by detailing Trials of Mana's story. Players are tasked by a faerie to seek out the Sword of Mana, which can only be accessed by drawing power from the 8 Mana Crystals. Players will select 3 out of 6 different characters, dramatically changing the story of the game based on who is picked to be the "main" character.
After switching to gameplay, the Trials of Mana trailer focused heavily on customizability. Each character's class can be swapped out, offering access to over 300 different combat abilities. Many of these abilities are showcased in the trailer so as to provide an idea how customizable gameplay can become based on a player's preferences. The core JRPG progression systems are still there, too, underneath the new 3D combat.
Unlike the original game, it's confirmed that the Trials of Mana remake will not feature cooperative multiplayer. Whereas the original game was 2D and fit all combat on a single screen, perfect for hectic co-op action, a 3D camera doesn't allow for similar design elements. Instead, the developers are focused on making the best single-player experience as can be made, based on the original game's ideas.
This isn't the Trials of Mana that JRPG fans fond of the mid-90s will recall. That's not necessarily bad, however. It's a completely new game with modern graphics and a remade 3D action RPG combat system. It's made to appeal to a new audience that sees classic JRPGs with sprite graphics as too niche, for better or worse. The new trailer makes a good case for the remade classic, but there's no arguing that some of the magic from 1995 may now be missing.
Trials of Mana releases April 24 on Nintendo Switch, PC, and PS4.