Trials Of Mana: The Mana Goddess Needs You

Ironically, it was this time of year back in 2020 when I completed both Final Fantasy Adventure and Secret of Mana. While I had such a good time with both titles, I couldn’t jump straight into another RPG at the time, so I tabled Trials of Mana for the future. Well guys, the future is now and I have finally completed each game the Collection of Mana has to offer. I just adore little collections like this because it gives me an opportunity to experience some of the best games in history. Trials of Mana and honestly the Collection of Mana as a whole is certainly no exception here. There’s nothing like a nice RPG to cozy up with in the winter.

Finally In The West

Thanks to this Collection of Mana, western fans of the series were finally able to play Trials of Mana, or Seiken Densetsu 3. The Switch has been a home to many of these re-releases, expanding the fan bases of these almost forgotten franchises. This version of Trials of Mana is translated to English, but retains its original bones. You can expect the graphics and soundtrack to be almost identical to the original aside from some improvements. Just like the other games in the collection, it comes with a quick save feature, frame and picture options and many other quality of life improvements. For a gamer like me with no access to retro hardware, this release is a dream come true.

The SNES had some of the very best games on it. It had some of the best looking games, as well. Pixel art is still very popular in games, especially indie titles, but we have been seeing more and more developers lean into it recently. It is beautiful for sure but it also creates nostalgia and we all know nostalgia sells. There really is something magical about that era of gaming though. The industry can be so focused on graphics and spectacle that we can often forget that games are just supposed to be fun. Trials of Mana is certainly that and so much more.

These older games also drive a ton of inspiration for modern titles like CrossCode or Octopath Traveler. Seeing modern games adopt pixel art and make it their own is something I enjoy, but playing the classics just hit differently. As I played through Trials of Mana I saw all of the groundwork that was laid for future games. I played through a history lesson and it was absolutely breathtaking.

Eight Characters, Pick Three

If you’ve played Secret of Mana, the plot here isn’t anything new. There are some differences of course, but ultimately you are just saving the Mana Tree again. This time around though, the game lets you choose three characters from a roster of eight. There are some great combinations here, but I chose Kevin to start the game with. My next two characters were Charlotte and Duran. I always have to have a white mage if possible.

The first character you choose will get most of the spotlight in terms of story development. Certain characters like Kevin and Charlotte have intertwining stories that get fleshed out when both are in your party. I did see some of Duran’s story as well as some of the other characters I didn’t choose. While the main plot of saving the world is quite similar to Secret of Mana, the story itself is different. Characters are much more fleshed out here, offering a nice insight into their lives. Kevin’s story honestly touched me more than I expected it to.

Each character is set within a specific role, whether its Charlotte who is your main magic healer, or Kevin your heavy hitter. As you level them up, you’ll choose which stats gets increased so be mindful of what they are proficient with. Eventually you’ll be able to change their class to a more powerful variant, opening the door to some more powerful moves and stat boosts. There are a few options here too, so I did a bit of research before deciding what class I wanted everyone in.

Trials of Mana

Like the title would suggest, you’ll play though the game and complete certain trials to obtain powers from each of the eight spirits. Each spirit commands a different element and each element unlocks new abilities for certain characters. These abilities will depend on the character and can often turn the tide in battle. Enemies have certain weaknesses to different elements and exploiting those can tremendously help. This especially becomes handy in boss fights. I was certainly glad to have Charlotte on my side to heal the party.

You can command either of your three characters in battle to access their abilities. When you are not controlling a character they will act on their own. Those actions are customizable to an extent, but it is still pretty basic AI. The AI in this title is a big improvement from Secret of Mana though, which was definitely a relief. Each boss felt unique and challenging and I had a blast battling all of them. Towards the end of the game I got into the habit of just controlling Charlotte for most of the fights and managing all the of heals for the party. I usually gravitate to the support role but it is hard to find single player games that allow you to take on that role. I can say with confidence that I was able to wear my white mage hat proudly.

Along your journey to save the Mana Tree, you’ll find yourself in many different biomes. This offered a ton of variety and environmental changes throughout the game to keep things fresh. I certainly enjoyed seeing every single pixel of this world. This game is absolutely gorgeous with a killer soundtrack to accompany the atmosphere.

Retro In Modern Times

I’m so thankful to little collections like this. Anybody in my position can agree that we need more of these titles to relive, or even experience for the first time, some of these iconic games. I wish I had starting collecting games earlier but since I didn’t these collections are the perfect thing to allow me play through the glory days of video games. While I enjoyed every second of Trials of Mana and Collection of Mana as a whole, I can’t wait to dive into more retro collections in the future.