Visions of Mana Reviews
Visions of Mana has a great gift: it's a game that understood perfectly what it was meant to be: an adventure faithful to the franchise. So the developers went to the roots of Seiken Densetsu to understand exactly what it was that made it such a beloved series in the Super Famicom years. In doing so, they created an adventure that expresses feelings of nostalgia, but at the same time reminds us that the medium has come on leaps and bounds in the last 30 years.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Visions of Mana is an excellent JRPG and the purest definition of a comfortable game. With functional and very fun gameplay, a simple story, but with a reflection to deliver and very well executed, make it, quite easily, one of the best (if not the best) games in the series so far.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Visions of Mana is a whimsical adventure that's filled with character and beautiful sights. I took great pleasure in traversing its colourful world and even though it doesn't do anything particularly revolutionary, it's sure to melt your heart as you play. 🐇
Visions of Mana is an attempt to modernize classic JRPGs that somehow does everything right but lacks the originality to blow you away and earn a spot in the hall of fame. Instead, it becomes a typical JRPG that doesn’t have any major flaws but is likely to fade into obscurity rather quickly.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
Visions of Mana is not only a great experience and a wonderful game, it is quite possibly the best game in the Mana series.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
Visions of Mana is a great example of the variety of franchises that Square Enix has, with creative potential to be explored. The game is a great invitation for new fans and at the same time presents classic fans with references to various titles in the franchise.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Visions of Mana marks the return of one of Square Enix's least celebrated series in recent years, but no less relevant. The team at Ouka Studios makes a title that is inherently classic in setting, narrative and feel, but calibrated for a contemporary audience. The result is a Mana that has never been so enjoyable to play, rich in content with a delightfully retro spirit, as well as a deep and rewarding combat system. However, precisely because of its strongly intended and sought-after traditionalism, the title may be far too nostalgic to appeal to a modern audience. For everyone else, it will be a sweet shipwreck in this sea of memories.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Visions of Mana is an easy recommendation for any fan of Japanese RPGs and Square-Enix games, serving as an excellent entry point into the series and a title that promises to carry the legacy of the Mana franchise to new heights. With enjoyable combat, stunning graphics and an exciting twist-filled story, Visions of Mana easily became one of my favorite games of the year.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Visions of Mana delivers a well written story with strong characters, and the game is stunning to boot.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Visions of Mana is a competent, visually beautiful, and fun game that might have stood out were it released any other year but this one.
Stepping into the world of Qi’Diel is an ocular sensation. Everything around you is so vibrant and colourful, the landscape so inviting — the enemy designs so adorable! You can’t help but smile. Visions of Mana brings a sense of childlike energy and wonder to a genre so often dominated by dark, gloomy settings.
While Visions of Mana doesn’t do enough to propel the series to new heights, many can find comfort in knowing that what we have here is another solid JRPG that can easily reiterate why you fell in love with these types of games, and that it’s a comfort to know that in 2024, there are still new adventures that can transport you to the good old days.
Visions of Mana doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it knows damn well what makes a wheel work. It plays like a game we all remember from childhood, but with all the modern frills. The game delivers a beautifully crafted, nostalgic JRPG experience that’s worth checking out.
Visions of Mana masterfully captures the heart of traditional JRPGs with classic elements and stunning visual artistry. The main storyline and combat system shine with engaging characters and smooth gameplay, but the lack of meaningful side content and occasional performance issues hold it back from perfection.
Visions of Mana is a love letter not only to fans of the series, but to anyone who loves the JRPG genre as well, in which the game did everything necessary to provide a unique experience for fans of the genre despite some of its flaws, but it is still one of the best Action JRPG games of the year.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Visions of Mana is a gorgeous-looking action RPG with a highly customizable and enjoyable combat system and an unfortunately simple storyline bolstered by a stellar cast of characters.
Playing Visions of Mana almost feels like playing an old JRPG. Its setting was inspired by the Super Nintendo’s Secret of Mana, after all, and you can really feel it when making your way through its wondrous world. However, too much reliance on classic elements also means that the game’s story feels a little too straightforward and as if it, too, is being sacrificed for the sake of reviving the series.
Visions of Mana is a wonderful continuation of the series that completely understands the strengths and appeal of the series while knowing what to modernize and what to keep classic. The themes, structure, mechanics, and art all feel explicitly Mana to the point you could swear new main entries never stopped coming out for over a decade. While there are some technical issues, it's nothing that affected my enjoyment of the game. With the closure of Ouka Studio, the basis for what could have been an even greater sequel or the hope of patches to smooth the few remaining rough edges is nothing more but leaves scattered on the wind...
If you’re a fan of the Mana series, I’m confident that you will most likely enjoy Visions of Mana quite a lot. There’s a lot here that feels in line with what the series has to offer, while offering some absolutely gorgeous locales accompanied by a great soundtrack. If you’re like me and you’ve wanted more out of the Mana series in the past, I don’t quite think this game elevates the bar all too much. Still, it’s a gorgeous game that’s still decently fun enough to play much of the time. While I would have liked to see it do more with its potential in terms of combat and story, I still found it a satisfactory adventure. If you’ve never played a game in the Mana series and you want to get into it, this is a fine place to start.
By focusing on simplicity and fun, with stunning graphics and PS2 design, Square Enix presents one of its best games in recent years.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review