TRIALS OF MANA
Not a trial, not a triumph
Having been in the works since the poor Secret Of Mana remake, for Trials Of Mana Square Enix employed fan feedback to deliver a better game.
What we get is a full 3D remake with an over-the-shoulder camera and the original locales lovingly remodelled. The change to 3D isn’t always smooth – while the colour scheme captures the brightness of the original, ugly textures abound and there is noticeable pop-in, especially during cutscenes. Combat is another aspect that received a makeover: while you still take on classic monsters of the Mana franchise, like the rabite, in mostly free-roaming action, whacking foes is a lot more lively in 3D, aided by new strong attacks and special attacks for each character. You can now also invest skill points into your character’s different abilities. Combat is a simple, joyous affair, but questionable teammate AI can make planning strategies hard. Elsewhere, it’s unchanged in terms of music1 and text, or the different character classes.
Back in 1995, Trials was unparalleled in its adaptability, even when it came to its story – you choose a party of three out of six possible characters to take on a journey to restore the sacred Mana tree and hopefully stop wars breaking out between different factions. Some parts of your characters’ backstories will overlap, leading to shared experiences. However, despite new additional lines, interactions between characters can feel random, and the dialogue doesn’t hold up for a modern game. The English voiceover, too, strongly varies in quality. 2
A win for fans, Trials Of Mana nonetheless proves not every game ages well. Malindy Hetfield