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The era of the first PlayStation was a golden age for Square Enix (then Squaresoft) and a great time in life to be a JRPG fan. There were unforgettable magical stories, there were epic staircase adventures drunk by giants like Final Fantasy VI a Chrono player, but there were also purposeful games that sought to challenge paradigms. Among the games belonging to this latter group, the third installment of the legendary series stands out: mana legend.
Thanks to the work of M2, the legendary development house behind some of the most meticulous restoration and preservation work in video game history, we’ve received a modified version of this 1999 classic. Want to know more about this game and whether it’s a trip to the Measuring? Next, I’ll tell you my experience with this title, as well as everything included in its redesigned version.
An experience of its time
To talk about this game, it is necessary to put the cards on the table: mana legend It’s a product of his time, a time when he had more scope for experimentation and where he wasn’t afraid to release games that didn’t lead the user by the hand. One can talk about games of Babylonian proportions like Dragon Quest Seventh Or games that tried to give the user the task of building the world, like dark cloud.
that’s how it is mana legendIt was a JRPG that attracted the audience a lot at the time. It is a game that completely goes against the mores of the genre, experiments with the creation of worlds and its premise for the game arises from the story itself, a game that talks about a world that the hero must dream about in order to rebuild it. from zero.
It’s hard to explain and the best way I can find it is from my experience. The facts of my arrival in mana legend. So, before talking about the work that M2 has done, I must describe what I experienced and what I felt when I took my first steps in the emerging world of Fa’Diel.
When I woke up in this world, there was only me
9 centuries before the events of the game, the mana tree, the source of life, caught fire; As a result, the different races in the Fa’Diel world fought with each other to obtain the few remaining strength of the tree. Eventually the tree died, the world disappeared, and some civilizations became artifacts. It is our duty as heroes to collect said artifacts and rebuild the world to return it to its former glory.
So the game begins. in nowhere. In the decision to choose a feminine or masculine character and to place our home somewhere in the empty and vast world. Undoubtedly confusing. I had just started the game, I had just passed the start menu and I was already confused. There was no telling what was going on, if that point on the map I had chosen was the correct one or what the implications of the point I would have placed the mailbox of my house were.
I had no choice but to proceed like this, blindly, trusting my intuition. The game will start, and eventually, something will happen that will trigger a large chain of events, something that will give me direction and direct me towards the goal, right?
Difficulty walking blind
I woke up in my bed and waited for the equivalent of «Good morning, Chrono». Nothing happened. I left my house, and went several times to dismantle the scene without finding more than a plant object. He handed me something called an artifact that was a bunch of small colored blocks and said something I didn’t think of much. I went out on the map in search of my adventure and emptiness again, reduced my freedom to choose the artifact and place it at a point on the map to turn it into a small village.
Unbeknownst to her, she was blinded by her expectation that she would find Luca at some point and transport Marle to the past, as happened in Chrono player, I had already performed twice the basic movement of what the whole adventure would have been: two locations had already awakened from their slumber, and with them, many characters and beings with their routines, dreams, and ambitions, alive as if time had never stopped, as if they had never ceased to exist.
At first I felt confused and lost. Great music motivated me to move on, but the events didn’t make sense and I couldn’t find a way to do it. I took a breath before continuing.
Little by little, as I wandered aimlessly, talking and getting to know the characters, agreeing to accompany some or lend my sword to others, because I lost the fear of blindly advancing and awakening new locations, I understood the essence of the game.
When the map void started to stop being a void and started to turn into a familiar place, a place that felt so special, I knew the great thing about adventure was on the micro scale, in the little quests that make up for a match. I thought Majora mask And its stories, the arc of love doomed by Kaffee and Anjo, or the tragedy of Pamela and her cursed father in Ikana Canyon, moments that resonate with me more than the epic of saving the world from a falling moon.
And I was there, in mana legendAt Fa’Diel, I immerse myself in the arcs of different characters with their pasts and motivations. In the history of the places he discovered. Also in two pivotal threads, but mainly, in those little adventures that make up the bigger picture, the story of a world that has collapsed and that only exists because we are able to reimagine it.
Masterful restoration work on M2
As soon as I put the game down, the M2 logo appeared before my eyes, a studio known for its work in masterfully relaying classics from other times. When I saw it, I knew this device was going to be something special and I wasn’t wrong. Although the core mana legend She remains the same, the hand of the cat that the legendary studio gave her sticks out. All backgrounds are redrawn to match the new resolution of the game, they are full of detail and move very faithfully and look amazing. Each scene, with its own color palette and its constituent elements, delights the pupil.
When it comes to characters and other elements to interact with, M2 decided to keep the classic pixel art aesthetic. The designs and animations look very good, although, to me, they contrast a bit with the resolution of the wallpapers. Either way, it didn’t spoil my experience with the game or feel as aggressive as the lights being turned on in the theater.
Another thing I appreciate is that the studio wasn’t limited to creating HD remasters. The M2 has implemented some quality of life features, such as autosave that works in parallel with the normal save option, and the ability to stop random clashes. I appreciate the latter very much because mana legend It’s not a linear game at all, and in fact, it’s almost never clear what to do or where to go, so you end up in the round and round of stages. Being able to stop confrontations makes the experience flow better.
M2 has also chosen to include the option to access the entire audio track from the game’s menu, as well as an art gallery where we can appreciate the beautiful illustrations that characterize the series. Where. The soundtrack is a modified version of the original songs of the legend Yoko Shimomura, who is best known for her work on Street Fighter II and epic Kingdom Hearts. Additionally, the studio has added the Ring Ring Land mini-game that previously could only be played using Japan’s exclusive visual memory.
Is there anything else to expect in this mod?
Outside of the aesthetics and changes I mentioned, the game remains essentially the same. Players can expect an experience very close to what they could have lived on the first PlayStation 22 years ago, but with the quality of life choices I discussed in the previous paragraphs.
To summarize how it works mana legend: The game is organized into individual locations that you can explore on your own or with a friend. In these locations you will find NPCs that will start with different missions. It takes no more than 10-15 minutes to complete if you know what you’re doing, which usually doesn’t happen without looking at a clue. The battles take place in real time and there is not much depth to the battle system. Missions can consist of defeating a boss, solving a puzzle, or just exploring an area. It doesn’t matter in what order you complete them, after you finish them, you’ll get one or two artifacts that will help you keep building the map and progressing in the game.
Finally
mana legend It’s a very strange experience and there aren’t many games of its kind. I can understand why it was such a divisive title at the time. Although the learning curve is not very aggressive, the beginning of the adventure can be baffling and confusing. It’s a game that gives you practically no clues as to what to do and that makes you constantly wonder if you’re not failing. This, combined with the fact that the title relies on activating and solving quests, makes the game a labyrinth and the experience as a whole seem rather boring.
Despite the above, the game starts to flow better when, after 2 or 3 missions, you start to run it as a routine: use the tool to show a location, go to this or that place, find an NPC to activate the quest, solve his life according to what he asks of you, Get a new artifact and start over. The structure is convenient because it allows you to play in well-defined sessions.
Unlike the missions in other games that can be monotonous, each of the missions it consists of mana legend It’s a short story, an arc that teaches you more about who each character is, what they’re looking for and their place in the world. The latter gives mana legend Unique feeling. Everything, added to the M2’s work, the beautiful art and atmosphere that the game’s great soundtrack brings, makes mana legend A unique experience worth trying which, through thick and thin, will become unforgettable for all players.
deserve efforts mana legend? This answer varies depending on what each player is looking for. If you want to try and taste something different accompanied by the great work done by M2, then this is definitely a dish for you. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a «traditional» adventure, it’s best to leave the world of Fa’Diel to slumber.