The Most Exciting RPG of the Summer Just Got a Free Demo
A series returns from the grave.
Square Enix’s Mana series hasn’t had a new console game in nearly 17 years, with only a few scattered mobile games and remakes in all those years since. That’s all set to change: the franchise is finally primed for a huge comeback with Visions of Mana, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous RPG that introduces a new world and cast of characters. Square Enix has released a lengthy new demo for Visions of Mana on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, allowing players to test out what could be one of the Summer's surprise hits.
Visions of Mana is set in a bright and colorful fantasy world, where a gargantuan Tree of Mana controls the flow of a magical life force called Mana throughout the world. You take on the role of Val, a young boy who becomes a “Soul Guard” for his childhood friend Hinna, who sets out on a pilgrimage to the Tree of Mana.
Visions of Mana is already leaning into one of my favorite RPG tropes — where the party is a bunch of weirdos, including Karina (on the right) who has an shockingly thick Southern accent.
It’s a pretty classic setup that seems entirely intentional, meant to give Visions of Mana the same vibe as beloved RPGs from the ‘90s and early ‘00s. That sense of embracing the style of the “classics” is important, as Visions of Mana practically feels like a high-resolution PS2 game, in all the good ways.
The demo drops you seemingly a few hours into the story, with a party of three characters at level 10 and a selection of combat and customization abilities. There’s an immediate sense of charm and whimsy you’ll notice right off the bat, as Ghibli-esque houses twist in weird patterns, chimneys lazily cough up smoke, and a light breeze gently pushes trees and lush meadows. Visions of Mana’s world is delightful to look at, colorful, and full of personality in every way. This is easily one of the most visually impressive games of the entire year, largely because of some really strong art design.
But past the visuals, Visions of Mana’s gameplay is a throwback to a bygone era — combat filled with dazzling effects and characters shouting out attack names left and right. It instantly feels chaotic, but mostly in a good way. It’s hard to describe exactly but the way Visions of Mana controls also feels reminiscent of classic RPGs, kind of chunky but almost like you have too much control over characters' movement, all at the same time.
Visions of Mana’s demo gives you a chance to meet and ride around with the adorable dog-like creatures called Pikuls.
Part of this is simply due to the array of options you have during battle; spells that use MP, special elemental attacks, class (job) attacks, items, and more. It’s a lot to wrap your head around, but there’s already some surprising depth. By far the most interesting aspect so far is the jobs system, with each character able to equip an Elemental Vessel. This gives that character a specific job with a unique skill tree and abilities, on top of an elemental attack. One vessel lets you drop a sphere that freezes enemies in time, while another lets you throw a wind boomerang that can stagger multiple enemies. You can equip any vessel on any character, seemingly allowing for a huge amount of customization.
In many ways, Visions of Mana actually feels like a sequel to the Trials of Mana remake, released in 2020. Trials of Mana was a massive reimagining of a pixel-based RPG, recreating the entire world and story in 3D, crafting a brand new combat system, and more.
The job system in Visions of Mana already feels like it has the potential for real depth and variety.
Everything in Visions of Mana builds on the foundation set up in that game, the combat and job system feels similar but upgraded, the gorgeous world now has more freedom and exploration, and even the whimsical story intentionally leans into the same tropes and characters archetypes. As someone who loved Trials of Mana, I couldn’t be more excited, and if you dig the Visions demo I’d absolutely recommend going back to the remake.
The last few years have seen RPGs grow in leaps and bounds with ambitious genre-pushing games like Elden Ring, Baldur’s Gate 3, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and more. But what makes Visions of Mana so exciting is how it’s attempting to scratch an itch that just hasn’t been satisfied by these earth-shattering RPGs. It’s a deliberate throwback to the RPGs of yesteryear, a smaller RPG that wants to capture a spirit of whimsy and adventure. And that’s perfect.
