Trials Of Mana Review Roundup

Powerhouse Japanese developers Square Enix already gave us one JRPG remake of a 90's classic, and now, it's time for another. The first being Final Fantasy 7 of course, but we are also getting the much more obscure Trials of Mana over here in the west. Trials of Mana, known before 2019 as Seiken Densetsu 3, is a 1995 action role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Super Famicom (SNES). So does Square's second remake in a month match the polish and care of the first? Here's the review roundup:

IGN  (Score 8/10)
'Trials of Mana is absolutely charming and does an excellent job keeping what works from the original while upgrading its aesthetics to the modern era. The combat system works well in its new 3D trappings, with a tough but satisfying learning curve. Even so, exploring, battling, and waging war with bosses all remain really fun, and its JRPG tropes come off as charming throwbacks rather than eye-rolling cliches.

For the full review please visit here.

GAMEINFORMER  (Score 7.75/10)
'It may look more modern, but Trials of Mana is a faithful remake outside of its combat tweaks – and that isn’t necessarily a good thing. But as a fan of the original, parts of this game are still charming. I adored the combat and boss fights (when my A.I. cooperated), and even with some of its repetitive nature and horrible voice acting, I didn’t want to put the game down. It’s a decent remake but not the fantastic one it could have been. This series has so much potential, I’d just love to see it fully realized.'

For the full review please visit here.

NINTENDO LIFE  (Score 8/10)
'Trials of Mana proves itself to be a successful revival of a lost classic, smartly infusing new design and content where necessary while still maintaining the spirit of the original. Multi-threaded storylines, an enjoyable combat system and flexible character progression combine to make this one a fantastic experience from start to finish, even if occasional performance problems hinder the experience somewhat. We’d give Trials of Mana a high recommendation to RPG fans and newcomers alike; there’s plenty here to love for both camps, and we hope that this release could act as a blueprint for future entries in the Mana series.'

For the full review please visit here.

GAMESPOT  (Score 6/10)
'Trials of Mana stands on the strength of its combat, and the fact that it's how you spend the vast majority of your time. That easy recommendation comes qualified with several elements that don't work nearly as well, from dull and hodge-podge storytelling to bewildering progression systems. Seeing a historical curiosity through the lens of a mostly modernized action-RPG was enough to pull me through the experience despite my quibbles, though, so there's certainly still life in the world of Mana.'

​For the full review please visit here.

RPG SITE  (Score 8/10)
'Despite some presentation issues and some lack of difficulty, Trials of Mana is fantastic fun. It knows what it is and delivers on its promises as a remake with confidence. The world of Trials of Mana is one I won’t soon forget.'

For the full review please visit here.

GAMEXPLAIN  (VIDEO REVIEW)

Overall, TRIALS OF MANA currently sits at a Metascore of 78 from 28 reviews (PS4). Not a bad score by any means especially given the fact that this being the more obscure series between the two remakes, it was always likely to receive a smaller development budget from Square Enix. I never played the original game so, I am excited to check it out when it arrives on the PS4, SWITCH and PC tomorrow. 

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