#LEGEND OF MANA SWITCH SERIES#
Now, the Mana series was one of the first notable examples of live combat in an RPG, so it’s hard to expect too much out of a pioneer, but it’s tough to look past the flaws when many years of iteration in other games have vastly improved upon this foundation. The mechanics of the combat are good, but actually executing these moves feels quite rigid and clunky, which can make the moment-to-moment action feel sub-par. The main issue, however, is that it’s rather clear that this title released a couple decades ago. If you have a friend nearby, you can also have them hop in and take control of one of your many party members, which can add a fun dimension of co-op to the experience. Once in battle, things feel a bit like an upgraded take on a beat ‘em up, as you string together myriad combos and special attacks to lay waste to your foes. Enemies roam the map in dungeons and can trigger a live-action encounter that takes place right there. Of all things, combat is probably the most straightforward aspect of Legend of Mana. This isn’t strictly a good or a bad thing, but it is at the very least an interesting one.
Not only are branching paths and dialogue options plentiful among the dozens of quests here, but the order in which you complete quests and place new Lands also affects the kind of content you can engage with later.
#LEGEND OF MANA SWITCH PLUS#
Again, this is by design, as it’s clear that Legend of Mana expects you to play through multiple times via new game plus if you want to see all that it has to offer. Similarly, this isn’t exactly a game that we’d recommend to completionists, as there’s plenty of missable content along the way that you can unknowingly lock yourself out of if you don’t have a guide open on another screen. Still, those of you who don’t have the patience for this more hands-off approach to quest design will find that Legend of Mana can more often than not be a challenging experience to parse. This is by design, of course, as it’s clear the developers want to encourage you to engage with more of the world and really dig in, rather than simply sprinting from point A to B as efficiently as possible.
#LEGEND OF MANA SWITCH TRIAL#
In the latter case, it can then be quite frustrating when you basically have to trial and error your way through until you finally find the NPC you needed to speak with to get things moving again. Some quests are good about pointing you in the right direction, while others give only the vaguest of suggestions as to where you should go. That’s not to say the storytelling is weak, however, as topics like love, war, genocide, and persecution are all explored in ways that can be shockingly hard-hitting. And while you can tease out a ‘main’ quest over time, it’s so esoteric and airy that it could hardly be described as gripping. Legend of Mana plays more like a collection of loosely connected fairytales all set in the same world, connected to each other in various thematic ways. If you come into this expecting a typical RPG story (or even a ‘normal’ story in general), you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Broadly speaking, there are three ‘arcs’ to the story, but they can be experienced in any order you choose and are each comprised of a series of sidequests that can also be played in a very loose order.Ĭonsidering this non-linear approach, it’s certainly advised that you approach Legend of Mana with an open mind. The story goes that the legendary Mana Tree burned down centuries before the events of Legend of Mana and the world of Fa’Diel was subsequently broken up into fragments called “Artifacts” which were then scattered.
You begin as a nameless, self-insert character, and you’re tasked with effectively creating the world as you explore it. The narrative of Legend of Mana is… confusing, to say the least.
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