Visions of Mana, the first mainline game in the Mana series in over 15 years, is set to release this summer and this past week at PAX East 2024 I had the chance to get hands-on time with the latest entry in the legendary action RPG franchise. Being a series that has mostly eluded me, I have been looking forward to Visions to serve as my entry point and the brief time I spent with the game has me optimistic of a journey I’ll enjoy.
Adventuring with the main party comprised of Val the newly appointed soul guard, Careena with her sacred beast cub companion, and Morley the dashing cat boy entailed traversing around Mt. Gala and Fallow Steppe. While playing in these two selected areas in this first look at Visions of Mana, the interparty banter coupled with the colorful and stylized visuals of the game evoked a sense of whimsy that grabbed my attention from the second my hands grasped the controller.
Across these two areas, Mt. Gala and Fallow Steppe, we got a glimpse into a variety of combat scenarios, exploration techniques, and how the elemental vessels interact with enemies and the world around you. Enemies populate the overworld that you can avoid or attack as you freely swap between your party both in and out of combat. Once entering a battle with a group of enemies, you’re able to attack with not only your weapon and spells but elemental powers tied to the vessels that offer party members special abilities to gain the edge– like the Sylphid Boomerang. Tossing out a Sylphid Boomerang with Val to ensnare and damage enemies while swapping to Morley to dance with his sword through them was fluid and satisfying. These encounters left me yearning for more to be available for us to tinker with in this demo as I could see the combat loop capturing me as well the boomerang did on the enemies.
Experimenting with spells and class changes, which were tied to elemental vessels, allowed for a brief look at the potential depth that Visions of Mana may be squirreling away underneath its cheerful aesthetic. Combat was snappy, swapping between party members to utilize different abilities or dashing through the air to dodge an enemy spell all coalesced in thrilling ways that I could see myself enjoying hours of doing.
Elemental vessels don’t simply aid you in battle, as different vessels allow you manipulate the world around you at trigger points that will open up access to the path forward or maybe even some secret rewards. For instance, using Sylphid, the wind vessel, to create gusts of wind to cross a canyon or raise a platform showed teases of what these mechanics can do on the journey and hopefully culminate in more rewarding puzzle solving and not just interacting at a point of interest. If gaining more vessels and exploring rewards both Val and the gang with goodies and my brain with satisfying synapse pops then I’m all for these additions into the world scavenging.
As this will most likely remain my first foray into the world of the Mana series, I’m hopeful that the brief moments spent wandering the open areas of Visions will keep me as glossy eyed as this demo did. A sense of coziness nestled within the platforming and battling that retained a certain effervescence of the past while modern at its core. Sure, maybe these feelings were bubbling up because it was my first encounter with the music, vibes, and world of the Mana series or maybe because I can’t stop thinking about how the key art perfectly captures that Mana feel, but my optimism of what Visions can be for me is both grounded and enticing at the same time. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the release of Visions of Mana this summer to see if my initial impressions hold up for the entirety of Val’s quest.
Visions of Mana is scheduled to release Summer 2024 on PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows, and Steam.
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