Back in its '90s heyday, the Mana series' realtime action set it apart from its RPG peers. But as the first mainline entry since 2006's Dawn Of Mana, Visions arrives in a changed landscape, with many of its genre contemporaries having abandoned the idea of taking turns. So what does it have to offer these days? On paper, there's little to choose from, though were we to pick one aspect from our hands-on, it would be the air-dash.
As we freely explore Fallow Steppe, one of its semi-open world areas, it's an action that's effortless to execute. When we leap off a cliff to lower ground, we discover we can air-dash repeatedly during our descent though the distance covered diminishes with each button press. We may not find a specific mechanical purpose for it, such as reaching a treasure chest on a distant platform, but it makes for pleasingly brisk traversal.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1713437535/articles/bRUZNnKl41713442274656/0407173170.jpg]
More pleasing for devotees of this long-dormant series (though interest has been renewed by a spate of remakes and re-releases in recent years) is that Visions is recognisably a Mana game. That's most notable in its bright palette and its character designs, its penchant for cuteness extending to the monsters – one of our most formidable encounters is with some rather harmless-looking blue porcupines. Protagonist Val may not stray from the template of a protagonist with big hair and a sword to match, but the overall direction feels appealingly familiar at a time when even Dragon Quest is headed in a darker and more mature direction.
The controls take a hybrid approach based on player preference. Bringing up the traditional ring command menu pauses the action as you cycle through items or abilities, though these can also be accessed by the more modern method of holding a bumper and a corresponding face button. We initially opt for the former, if only because each icon is accompanied with a short description, though Mana veterans should have no problem remembering that candy is used to restore health. Switching between controlling party members is seamless but you can equally make the most of each character’s utilities via the ring commands. It means we can continue to swing Val’s greatsword around while having an ally cast an attack buff on him as another fires off spells at an enem...
As we freely explore Fallow Steppe, one of its semi-open world areas, it's an action that's effortless to execute. When we leap off a cliff to lower ground, we discover we can air-dash repeatedly during our descent though the distance covered diminishes with each button press. We may not find a specific mechanical purpose for it, such as reaching a treasure chest on a distant platform, but it makes for pleasingly brisk traversal.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1713437535/articles/bRUZNnKl41713442274656/0407173170.jpg]
More pleasing for devotees of this long-dormant series (though interest has been renewed by a spate of remakes and re-releases in recent years) is that Visions is recognisably a Mana game. That's most notable in its bright palette and its character designs, its penchant for cuteness extending to the monsters – one of our most formidable encounters is with some rather harmless-looking blue porcupines. Protagonist Val may not stray from the template of a protagonist with big hair and a sword to match, but the overall direction feels appealingly familiar at a time when even Dragon Quest is headed in a darker and more mature direction.
The controls take a hybrid approach based on player preference. Bringing up the traditional ring command menu pauses the action as you cycle through items or abilities, though these can also be accessed by the more modern method of holding a bumper and a corresponding face button. We initially opt for the former, if only because each icon is accompanied with a short description, though Mana veterans should have no problem remembering that candy is used to restore health. Switching between controlling party members is seamless but you can equally make the most of each character’s utilities via the ring commands. It means we can continue to swing Val’s greatsword around while having an ally cast an attack buff on him as another fires off spells at an enem...
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Edge Uk (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2024