Review: Trials of Mana
The return of a Region-Locked Classic
25 years ago, Seiken Densetsu 3 (what is now known as Trials of Mana) was released in Japan to critical acclaim. Reviewers loved the exciting combat and vastly improved graphics over its predecessor, Secret of Mana. Fans of the series in the US waited excitedly for a US release, hoping to get their hands on this new entry in a beloved series…
And waited.
And waited.
After five years of waiting, there was no official US release of the game in sight, and no plans on the part of Square to ever translate the game. So fans took the translation into their own hands. An unofficial Fan Translation of Seiken Densetsu 3 was released online to savvy fans through ROM sites, and was received with high praise, possibly more praise than it would have as an official release due to the forbidden nature of the Fan ROM.
And now, for the first time ever as a stand-alone release (it was released as part of the Collection of Mana roughly a year before, alongside the first two entries in the franchise), Trials of Mana has been released to the world outside of Japan with a modern 3D remake . So after a bit of spit and polish, how does this 25 year old classic hold up? Surprisingly well.
For those that haven’t played the original, and don’t want to wade through paragraphs of updates and specifics: Trials of Mana is a fun Action RPG romp that, while dotted with graphical glitches, is well worth the purchase. The story was slightly dated and cliche even when it was first released, but in this new remake it feels almost campy. The gameplay is engaging, focusing on small, arena-style combat with bombastic boss fights sprinkled in to keep you awake, and an interesting leveling and class system that gives you endless variety of teams to build from the 6 playable characters. Trials of Mana is the gaming equivalent of a popcorn flick; not very challenging, but engaging enough that it’s still a blast to play and replay without even noticing you’ve restarted.
For those who did play the original, the remake is a breath of fresh air to a beloved classic. The gameplay and story have been kept intact (unlike certain other remakes of late), with just enough changes to bring it into the modern era. While there are a few narrative additions, those have been kept for the Post-Game content, which is… interesting. More on that later.
The most obvious updates to the game are artistic. The transition from 2D to 3D brought with it a need for more detailed characters and more robust animaton, and Xeen delivered in spades. The team, led by director Naoki Matsue, chose a visual style taken directly from the original artwork for the game in lieu of a more realistic style, bringing Trials of Mana into the 21st century with brilliant colors and beautiful locations. While the graphical fidelity isn’t extreme (we’re not looking at FFVII Remake levels of detail), this style makes the game feel visually comfortable and exciting, reminiscent of fun cartoon rather than a cinematic epic.
That doesn’t mean that the visuals aren’t without issue, however. While the new character models feel vibrant and colorful, the models themselves sometimes feel stiff and unmoving, due in no small part to the lack of physics applied to the models. This is great for characters like Duran, who’s wild Sonic-Style hair looks fantastic in this style, but is absolutely dreadful for characters like Charlie, who’s hat sits in a specific position at all times. Meanwhile, a not-uncommon graphical glitch occasionally causes some characters’ clothing to stretch far afield from their character model, as if they were suddenly connected to the wrists and feet simultaneously.
The transition from 2D to 3D also required a stark change to the gameplay. The original action-oriented combat is deep in the DNA of the remake, but has been updated with a light combo system, aerial enemies and jumping attacks, and abilities that can change how your characters interact with enemies on the battlefield. In addition, combat now takes place in a small circular space created as soon as your team is noticed by the enemy, keeping fights from sprawling across entire areas, which have now been completely remastered. The original zones were split between several screen transitions, but now each one is a complete area, with ledges and out-croppings added to make full use of the new jump function. These changes make the already fun gameplay of the original feel nostalgic and new at the same time as you try to figure out just the right combos and moves to maximize your experience thanks to the new XP Bonus system.
Unfortunately, this same transition has brought some added difficulties. With the addition of aerial enemies and differences in elevation, it isn’t uncommon to find yourself unable to attack a given enemy. While most of the caster classes have some form of ranged spell to bring these fliers down, it is possible to create a team that’s entirely incapable of dealing with these situations. Meanwhile, the expanded stat system can force some odd decisions. Angela suffers the most from this, as gaining access to all of her spells now requires spreading her attribute increases across every stat rather than the Intellect that improves her damage. Trials of Mana also continues its long tradition of not telling you anything, giving vague hints about how certain mechanics work rather than just spelling it all out, causing rampant confusion as you try to figure out what stat does what for which characters.
The Post-Game content is an interesting addition. It creates a culmination arc for each character, as well as a 4th Class that acts as a synthesis of the classes before it. Both of these additions are wonderful. The last dungeon? Less so. While there are one or two interesting puzzles to be found, the majority of the dungeons is just a long, lifeless slog through a seemingly infinite wave of enemies until you reach the last boss. That final boss fight is an interesting fight, but the hour and a half of dungeon before it can be exhausting. I found myself having to stop an hour in just because I was so bored and annoyed with it. It’s a shame, considering how good the other changes that the team has brought in were.
One of the most divisive changes though, has been the Voice Acting. The game is now fully voice-acted, and depending on who you ask that’s either a good thing or the worst thing. While the Japanese voice acting is fluid and emotive, the English voice acting can occasionally feel stilted and uncanny, as if the actors have conflicting direction between scenes. Meanwhile, certain characters have verbal affects that translate audibly in strange ways. Kevin’s choppy, conjunction-less speech makes his English voice actor, Tyler Rhoades, sound like he’s tripping over his lines. However, Charlotte’s manner of speech, while infuriating to try to read, sounds endearing when delivered by her voice actor, Alana Marie Cheuvront.
When the voice acting is good, it’s great, making every character feel alive as they banter their way through combat or important conversations with NPCs. When the voice acting is bad, it can throw you completely out of the experience… but when you think the voice acting is good or bad seems to depend entirely on personal taste. While I have frustrations with Kevin’s affect and adore Charlotte’s, I’ve spoken to some who find the reverse to be true. Luckily, changing the voice acting’s language between English and Japanese is as simple as flipping a toggle and popping back to the title screen for a moment.
The rest of the sounds in the game are absolutely stunning. Hiroki Kikuta supervised the remaster of his old score, now with added richness and depth, something that wasn’t possible on the SNES, to an already amazing soundtrack. And if you’re feeling nostalgic, you can change back and forth between the old soundtrack and the new as easily as you can change the voice acting. Many old sound-effects return as well, with the unique rumble of enemies being defeated and the specific chime of a chest being opened bringing with them that cozy sense of cartoony fun.
There’s so much more to talk about, with hundreds of small changes and additions scattered throughout. Every corner of this game is packed with something new and interesting to discover thanks to aspects both old and new. And while this release does have its flaws, it is EASILY worth the $50 price of admission. The demo (available on most platforms, though the Switch version recently had to be temporarily pulled for technical reasons) really doesn’t do it justice, but if you aren’t quite sold on the game yet you should check it out. You’ll be able to carry over your progress in the demo to your full game when you inevitably purchase it.
As always, I want to thank my Patrons for helping me make these articles and the other things I make for them over at Patreon.com/BardsGambit
Special Thanks to:
AJ
John Beckelhymer
Katie Coker
Tyler Litton
Sara White
Thaddius Goldner
William Moton
Serenity Tomala
Brett Schoonover
Elliot Chapple
