Visions of Mana just got more clear.

Square Enix officially set the action RPG’s release date as Aug. 29 while providing a deeper look at the five playable characters and the combat system. Visions of Mana will release on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Visions of Mana, which debuted during the 2023 The Game Awards, is the first mainline installment in the long-running Mana series since 2006 when Dawn of Mana released on the PlayStation 2. The series began in 1991 as Final Fantasy Adventure.

The nearly four-minute trailer offered a brief glimpse into some narrative moments but mainly focused on combat of the five playable characters. The game will allow for a three-person party that the player can customize.

Soul Guard Val, Oracle of Wind Careena, Radiant Sword Morley, Queen of the Deep Palamena, and Woodland Custodian Julei are the five main characters. Each character utilizes either magical or melee abilities.

Each character can change their class with elemental spirits, allowing for elements-infused attacks. The trailer also showcased several other bits of the combat including the ring menu and assist characters.

The support characters that can show up in battle include Alm of Fire Hinna, Sacred Beast Cub Ramcoh, and Dark Archives Curator Aesh. It is unclear exactly how these support characters will manifest in battle.

Along with combat, the trailer unveiled an expansive look at the overall world and the artstyle. This included ways for traversing the world, boss fights, and non-playable characters.

While Visions of Mana marks the first mainline game in 18 years, it is part of a larger resurgence for the series.

Square Enix had remade several of the older titles including Adventures of Mana in 2016, Secret of Mana in 2018, and Trials of Mana in 2020. Furthermore, the publisher also released Collection of Mana in 2017, which was a compilation of the original first three games.

Reacting to the News

Fans of this game have been waiting a long time for more information on it. Since its announcement during The Game Awards, information had been scarce so this trailer was a welcome sight.

There were rumors of details emerging during the recent Xbox Showcase, but when those rumors proved to be false, it was a bit of a letdown. The game had a “Summer 2024” tag for what felt like an eternity so it made me wonder if we were getting a shadow drop.

Still, a set release date is great and, my goodness, this game looks gorgeous. The colorful artstyle and whimsical characters make me really excited to see how this one plays out.

This announcement also provides a bit of clarity of Square Enix’s future slate. Since the release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and SaGa: Emerald Beyond, there wasn’t much definitive from the developer.

There are still questions surrounding Kingdom Hearts 4, Dragon Quest XII, and a rumored Final Fantasy IX remake but having something definitive does take a bit of the pressure off.

All in all, I am really excited for this game and look forward to playing it.

Featured Image: Square Enix

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