Legend of Mana Reviews

Legend of Mana is ranked in the 60th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Nintendo Enthusiast
Dominick Ashtear
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jun 22, 2021

This Legend of Mana remaster features beautiful visuals, amazing music from Yoko Shimomura, and a lot of quirky old-school weirdness. Mileage will vary with its over-designed mechanics, but the game is charming, unique in its storytelling, and offers some solid quality-of-life additions.

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RPG Fan
Top Critic
83%
Jul 4, 2021

There is no question that players would welcome a gameplay experience more refined by better system upgrades to explore this wondrous world, but Legend of Mana remains enjoyable despite this. If you’re patient with the murky controls, can get lost in the mystifying crafting and pet-rearing systems, and embrace the enchanting world and cast, Legend of Mana will leave a lasting impression from a game that plays like little else.

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RPG Site
Top Critic
8 / 10
Jun 22, 2021

Released more than two decades ago, The Legend of Mana amazed players with its striking art and soundtrack. It redefined the series with its more open-ended narrative and gameplay structure, and now it's time for a whole new generation of players to experience the world of Fa'Diel.

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80 / 100
Jun 22, 2021

While it feels like Legend of Mana's issues could've been easily ironed out with a low budget remake rather than a remaster, the game was still a delight to play through and is still the hidden gem of the Mana series.

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8.5 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2024

Legend of Mana has not missed a step in the 25 years since its original launch, and is a must-try for Xbox owners with Xbox Game Pass.

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7 / 10
Jun 29, 2021

Legend of Mana Remastered rounds out the 90s Mana titles to be brought onto modern consoles in a true-to-form remaster. Updated visuals and new features are certainly a nice touch, even if the narrative can be a challenge to earn. While the game shows its age in places, fans of the genre and Mana series as a whole will love returning to the world of Fa’Diel, or experience it for the first time.

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8.5 / 10.0
Dec 10, 2019

Legend of Mana is a beautiful game full of wonder and whimsy. Every time I hopped into this gorgeous remaster, I found myself grinning from ear to ear. Though I do not have experience with the original Legend of Mana, I feel fans will be quite happy with the work put into this remaster.

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8 / 10.0
Jun 22, 2021

Legend of Mana is a beautiful game that, despite its flaws, creates a sense of adventure that few other RPGs can match.

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7.7 / 10.0
Jun 28, 2021

It won't certainly please veryone due to a peculiar storytelling style and worldbuilding mechanics, but Legend of Mana is still a unique, gorgeous and replayable JRPG that deserved a second chance on modern consoles. Give it a chance if you'd like to try something different.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7 / 10 stars
Jun 28, 2021

Legend of Mana is as it's always been: an alluring puzzle of an RPG.

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GameSpew
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Jun 23, 2021

It’s hard to fully condemn Legend of Mana Remastered, because the original game’s choices are unusual, and some players will certainly find merit in its hands-off approach to steering the gameplay. Others, however, will undoubtedly find the lack of direction infuriating. So, Legend of Mana Remastered won’t be for everyone then. Its combat and lack of engaging narrative holds it back, but its soundtrack – both the original and rearranged version – is truly a standout feature.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 22, 2021

Legend of Mana Remastered is a decent entry level action RPG for children thanks to its easy combat and seemingly wholesome setting. The various dialects characters speak in make for amusing reading with kids and the simple co-op action is easily understood. Since the plot is so light and focuses on short sub-stories, the scenarios are easily followed and digestible.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jul 27, 2021

A hidden masterpiece that should not be missed by those who miss the taste of classic J-RPGs.

Review in Turkish | Read full review

PSX Brasil
Top Critic
70 / 100
Jul 6, 2021

Legend of Mana is a game with wasted potential. For the old-school gamers it could be awesome, but newcomers to the series may not enjoy the experience as much.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

8.2 / 10.0
Jul 2, 2021

‎Is Legend ‎‎of Mana‎‎worth it ? This is an answer that varies depending on what each player is looking for. If you want to try something different and taste it accompanied by the great work that M2 did, this is definitely a dish for you. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a more "conventional" adventure, you'd better let the world of Fa'Diel remain in its lethargy.‎

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Jun 29, 2021

In effect, Legend of Mana is less interested in being a JRPG as it is a story of immersion. You’re given these truly beautiful, art gallery-worthy environments to explore, these eclectic, memorable characters to interact with, and a narrative that is broken up into a series of vignettes that keeps the overall game feeling vibrant and energetic. Perhaps the best comparison I can draw with Legend of Mana is to that of the most beautiful picture book version of Aesop’s Fables you could imagine. Without being religiously heavy-handed, this game has a way of sharing wonderful little stories of morality and humour, and it’s certainly going to be rolling around in my head for some time to come entirely because of the quality of those stories.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2021

Legend of Mana: Remastered is a difficult game to love. It's opaque, the plot needs to be pried from its hiding place, and it makes you struggle to enjoy it. If that works for you, it'll work extremely well. There's a lot of depth and replay value buried deep within the cloudy depths. You must want to dig, instead of the more instantly accessible and enjoyable gameplay of Trials of Mana or Collection of Mana. If you're looking to get a feel for the franchise, you should start with one of those other games instead. I'm fond of Legend of Mana, but that fondness is born of nostalgia for the PS1 era. Newcomers need to be willing to put up with all of its flaws and foibles to see the delicious treats beneath.

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75 / 100
Jun 23, 2021

The Legend of Mana Remaster plays things a bit too safe with its combat system, but this action RPG still proves to be a worthwhile experience. Any old-school Mana fan will not be disappointed.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 22, 2021

Back to life another gem from squaresoft stable. Legend of Mana Remastered was on track to shine again, but a few shortcomings don't allow the PS4 game to spread its wings as it deserves.

Review in Polish | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Jun 22, 2021

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to PlayStation Mana past, even with a handful of antiquated ideas and nagging frustrations. Legend of Mana is a game I would recommend to anyone hankering for an RPG that's a little off the beaten path. And even if you just wish this was a bread-and-butter Mana adventure, we can all appreciate the incredible soundtrack.

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