Visions of Mana review: The Mana series is back and bigger than ever

Visions of Mana is a game I’ve been waiting for not just for months, but years. I’ve played most of the games in the franchise at launch over the years, so it’s a series that means as much to me as Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and Ultima. However, it’s important that this game does something big, something fresh to really catch fans off-guard, and boy does it! Without spoiling the story, this is a game you aren’t going to want to take your eyes off.

I recently previewed the first few hours of Visions of Mana in a spoiler-free preview, and the great vibes and hope I had for the game carried all the way through until the ending. It was such an emotional journey, and I think fans and non-fans alike will really get a lot out of it.

Visions of Mana brings a fresh story to popular Mana series

It's an incredible honor to be selected as an Alm (Image via Square Enix)

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Visions of Mana spectacularly revives the dormant franchise. It’s fitting in a way because the heroes of this title are out to aid the Mana tree and keep the world safe and filled with magic for everyone. The relationship between Val and Hinna in particular is a heartwarming one. In Visions, Val has been chosen to be the Soul Guard, to help the Alms go on a pilgrimage to the Mana Tree.

It’s a massive honor to be chosen, and people representing each Elemental are selected by the Great Fairy to travel to the Mana Tree. This game has roots in other RPG series, for sure. I’ve seen hints of storytelling found in some of the best games of all time without feeling derivative. The real question is, though, what about RPG fans who aren’t Mana players?

Don’t worry! If you haven’t played a Mana game before—or even if the only one you’ve played is Secret of Mana—you aren’t going to be left out in the cold. There are references to bosses from previous games, and the Elemental weakness system is used in the other titles, but you don’t need to know the other games. I think it helps, but it’s not required.

Combat is familiar, but offers some new additions to the Mana series

The combat is fast and furious throughout this game (Image via Square Enix)

The combat in Visions of Mana is honestly pretty incredible. Other than a few fights where I found bugs, everything else felt smooth like butter. You have a party of three characters, and while in battle, you can switch between them at will. You don’t have to just play as Val, you might want to play as Morley! Each character has a different style, and of different classes they can be.

Each Elemental unlocks a class for everyone, and each fulfills a variety of roles: Healer, Damage, Tank. However, each character only fulfills two roles. Val, for example, is Tank and Melee DPS, whereas someone like Julei is a Healer or Damage Dealer.

The classes primarily serve as what elemental type of damage you can dish out, but you aren’t bound to just that. Val has the power to turn enemies into Corestones. These can be traded to NPCs later in the game to unlock powerful Ability Seeds. These, in turn, can be equipped to add to your stats, unlock additional skills, and more.

The Ring System is incredibly easy to use and doesn't take away from the action for long (Image via Square Enix)

If you aren’t sure what kind of elemental weakness a boss is going to have, you can equip, for example, Fire Saber, Frost Saber, Wood Saber, and Dark Saber. Elemental weaknesses are crucial as they deal extra damage. Every boss has a weak point to hit too, which are always Critical Hits.

I’m also a huge fan of the Elemental Vessels being used in combat. Whether capturing enemies (or boss body parts) in bubbles that you can break for extra damage or the Luna Globe stopping/slowing time temporarily, these are major game changers. They’re also wildly powerful. Mixing these in with the action RPG combat really makes your party feel powerful.

You don’t really need to grind, either. In my experience, bosses were a level under me until the game's final—that’s when they started to get ahead of me. Simply taking the time to do side quests, and killing enemies on the route was more than sufficient. You should also take the time to do the Elemental trials as you find them; if you do them all, you unlock some truly overwhelming power that will serve you well.

The Class Strikes can make a serious difference in battle (Image via Square Enix)

As one of the things you’ll be doing the most in Visions of Mana, combat is amazing. In addition to your normal attacks and spells, accessed by the Ring or through shortcuts, you also have Elemental Break and Class Strikes.

Elemental Break is a massive elemental blast of damage that persists in battle, and Class Strikes are also elemental-themed but are short-lived but devastating. Using these at the right time in battle can do a lot to turn the tide, even in the most dire of situations.

Visions of Mana is more than just rushing from place to place

Exploration nets you extra, challenging fights, powerful weapons, and more (Image via Square Enix)

Visions of Mana’s world is so rich and full, and there’s plenty to see and do. You can collect Niccolo Coins to trade to the popular merchant, and Grizzly Syrup to trade to the Dubbears. Dubbears are adorable little traders, with some of the best, most useful items in all of Visions of Mana.

You also have so many side quests. Many of them, sure, are slaughtering bad guys. You also have some that require you to explore and find specific locations or items out in the wild. It’s always worth returning to previous areas to do more side quests, or fighting Nemeses.

Nemeses are stronger, named versions of enemy types, and you’ll find them throughout the world. Defeating them gives more Lucre (gold), EXP, and Corestones for incredibly useful Ability Seeds. I also want to point out that while most of this game is pretty linear, later in the game you’ll be able to travel around and do story beats in a manner of your choosing. However, you can often simply travel back to earlier points in the game to explore further, which is typically beneficial for you.

Visions of Mana combines fascinating storytelling with a brilliant visual style

What a stunning game! (Image via Square Enix)

Visions of Mana is one of the most beautiful games I’ve played in recent memory. It has such a bright, vivid art style. This is what I saw when I first played Secret of Mana. When you combine this storytelling, with this colorful presentation, it only aids the overall emotional impact of the game.

Hiroki Kikuta, perhaps best known for being the Mana composer, also brought his talent to bear here alongside other composers to put together an incredible soundtrack. The music you hear in each area perfectly compliments the setting. I cannot say enough good things about the presentation of Visions of Mana.

Final Thoughts

Visions of Mana brings a beautiful, full world to life (Image via Square Enix)

While I love Visions of Mana, there have been some issues to point out. Throughout my time in the game—over 40 hours of gameplay from start to end—there were some issues with framerate drops on PS5. These were rare, but they did happen. I also had two major boss fights that bugged in their own way. One froze Val in place and the other was just an incredible slowdown due to too many particles on screen. I can only imagine these were fixed, though.

These two problems did not ruin my experience or playthrough of the game. Visions of Mana is a brilliant, satisfying journey from start to end. You can easily complete the game in around 30 hours, but there’s more to do beyond that. It feels like the next evolution of the Mana series. Square Enix delivered a major hit here, and the emotional rollercoaster it puts players on is one they won’t want to miss.