Trials of Mana – Square Enix’s New Remake of Seiken Densetsu 3 Looks Incredible.

I can’t say I played many of the Mana JRPG series. My introduction to the series was Legend of Mana on the PS1, then Sword of Mana on the Gameboy Advance, followed by Children of Mana and Heroes of Mana on the DS. I think that’s it… Iunno, I might be missing one.

I’ve never played Trials of Mana, but it’s releasing onto the PS4, Switch and Steam.. all of which I have access to. With this in mind.. I actually haven’t watched the trailer for it yet as I just found out about it a week or so ago. Thus, I wanted to take the time to watch it with all of you.

Trials of Mana is a complete 3D remake of the game of the same name back in 1995 – well, back then it was called Seiken Densetsu 3. Since this is a JRPG.. you can bet it’s going to have an emphasis on story – but hey, that’s one of the things I enjoy most about Square Enix games.
Trials of Mana is set after the events of a great war between the Goddess of Mana and the eight Benevodons, evil monsters of destruction. Winning the war, the Goddess sealed the demons away and went into a deep slumber. Fast forward to present day, the world is on the brink of war and the Benevodons are almost free.
We take on the role of 6 heroes in their journey to defeat the monsters that threaten the destruction of our world.

The game offers quite a bit in the way of customization for your characters. I had to do a double-take on this and research a little deeper because I wasn’t sure this was legit, but each hero has a selection of classes they can choose between, with each class having an alignment between Light and Darkness.
Let’s use Angela as an example here, she’s a Magician by default. By leveling and advancing her class, she gains access to two new classes: The Sorceress with a Light alignment, and the Mysticist with a Dark alignment. The Sorceress has access to elemental magics, while the Mysticist utilizes dark magic.
Further down the line, every hero gains access to a third class. Angela has the ArcheMage and Grand Diviner with a Light alignment, and the Magus and Rune Seer with a Dark alignment. Each class is substantially different to one another, and provides players with a significant amount of customization for their party.
So in total, there are 6 heroes and each hero has 7 classes, totaling 42 different classes to level. Interestingly, when beginning the game you’re given the option of playing as one of the 6 heroes.
While you’ll no doubt end up meeting and recruiting all 6 characters, you get to choose who you ultimately play as, and who’s story you follow. The story, the characters you meet and how the game develops changes depending on who you choose as your main character.

I’m incredibly excited for this. I’m a fan of the Mana series. I know, I’ve technically only played through what, 4 of the games total? But I’ve loved every single one of them. And this looks just as good – probably even better.
It’s completely overhauled, features new systems, new mechanics, voice acting, and best of all.. it’s available in April. That’s just 2 months away! Trials of Mana is available for pre-order right now and comes with some unique goodies if you do, so if you own a PS4, a Switch or even wanna pre-order on Steam, now’s your chance!