I had a lot of fun playing this one. I think some of the puzzles are insanely outdated and without a guide it can be cumbersome. The sprite work is also atrocious. But the game at its core is good and rebuilding from a game boy title this is a hidden JRPG gem.
Sometimes a bit confusing, trophies not worth the effort of grinding
Kind of boring gameplay but it's cute enough and it's Mana, so I sat and got the platinum while watching TV. It's just...really not essential.
[Ref Played 2023] It plays like a budget 2D Zelda with RPG elements, but that's not the worst thing a game can be
Pros: 2D Zelda hasn't released in a long time, the game feels pretty similar while being different enough to be satisfying and help scratch that itch
Cons: The touchscreen elements are pretty infuriating as well as the dated control system although that does help with the Zelda feel
Pros: 2D Zelda hasn't released in a long time, the game feels pretty similar while being different enough to be satisfying and help scratch that itch
Cons: The touchscreen elements are pretty infuriating as well as the dated control system although that does help with the Zelda feel
looks bad, plays bad. it's boring.
Note: mild spoilers in the penultimate paragraph, though the game's story is light enough that I think I stepped around the finer details just fine. I don't think it's enough to warrant a spoiler-tagged review, but continue at your discretion.
This game is very much a sidegrade compared to the original. It looks pretty bad, but it sounds great. It has a much more accessible menu system, but its movement controls are subpar because of its platform. Its translation is better, but the general look and feel of the world is far more bland. Some old design flaws (such as hardlocks in the final dungeon) are fixed, yet enemies are much harder to respawn to actually make the fixes work totally as intended. For each thing it does right, this remake does one thing wrong. I adored the original in part because of its impressive nature, and unfortunately this 2016 remake does not carry that same status. It doesn't even look particularly good even for a mobile title.
Still, it's a remake of a quality game! If you played the original and loved it like I did, this is worth playing just for the sake of it. I had a good time with it, and its quality of life improvements help make the whole experience feel a lot more polished and smooth. It's got some fun little extra features like a secret paladin costume and the ability to play the original game's soundtrack, and it's plenty accessible because of its platform.
As for the game's actual content, I found the dungeons and combat pretty enjoyable. I do still think the keyring as an item really shouldn't be in the game at all, but that's a pretty minor issue in the grand scheme of things. I enjoy the game's use of destructible walls and the way its traveling mechanics progress, and the many weapon types differ enough that I find I use more or less every type throughout the game. Things do eventually become optimization-heavy, but that is literally in the final few screens up until the final boss and is relevant for story reasons, so I'd hardly call it an issue.
This game's got a fairly simple story, although I personally enjoy its not-overly-depressing-or-dark take on the idea of the end of an era or kalpa. It's got a decently subtle theme of learning from the mistakes of the past, and it handles its subject matter in a way that's bittersweet yet still optimistic... mature in its own soft way. One thing that I think is important for a player to take note of is that this game's characters are not really meant to be fleshed out on their own, nor is the story meant to be particularly grand and epic. It's the ensemble and arguably the entire world that carry the story and theming into one big package. The narrative scale is large when viewed on a map but truly very intimate, and I believe the player is meant to develop a sense of hope for the world they're in rather than just save it. The many failures the hero faces illustrate that point: the hero (and player by extension) aren't a power-trip perfect savior, and they're not even an ideal Gemma Knight. Even so, they press on and do what they can to allow the world to effectively be reborn with its scars of the past having finally healed.
Do note that I feel this score is generous. The game is more realistically a 2.5/5 or 3/5; the original, which I rated a 4.5/5 here, is (relative to its context) truly closer to a 4/5. I simply vibe with the original a whole lot, and this remake doesn't dampen it enough for me to dislike it. If you can play the original with a guide or maps on the side in case you get stuck, just do that. If you're wanting to play a more modernized and accessible experience, try this instead. If you just want to relive the original game for fun or while on bathroom breaks at work, consider giving this one a shot.
This game is very much a sidegrade compared to the original. It looks pretty bad, but it sounds great. It has a much more accessible menu system, but its movement controls are subpar because of its platform. Its translation is better, but the general look and feel of the world is far more bland. Some old design flaws (such as hardlocks in the final dungeon) are fixed, yet enemies are much harder to respawn to actually make the fixes work totally as intended. For each thing it does right, this remake does one thing wrong. I adored the original in part because of its impressive nature, and unfortunately this 2016 remake does not carry that same status. It doesn't even look particularly good even for a mobile title.
Still, it's a remake of a quality game! If you played the original and loved it like I did, this is worth playing just for the sake of it. I had a good time with it, and its quality of life improvements help make the whole experience feel a lot more polished and smooth. It's got some fun little extra features like a secret paladin costume and the ability to play the original game's soundtrack, and it's plenty accessible because of its platform.
As for the game's actual content, I found the dungeons and combat pretty enjoyable. I do still think the keyring as an item really shouldn't be in the game at all, but that's a pretty minor issue in the grand scheme of things. I enjoy the game's use of destructible walls and the way its traveling mechanics progress, and the many weapon types differ enough that I find I use more or less every type throughout the game. Things do eventually become optimization-heavy, but that is literally in the final few screens up until the final boss and is relevant for story reasons, so I'd hardly call it an issue.
This game's got a fairly simple story, although I personally enjoy its not-overly-depressing-or-dark take on the idea of the end of an era or kalpa. It's got a decently subtle theme of learning from the mistakes of the past, and it handles its subject matter in a way that's bittersweet yet still optimistic... mature in its own soft way. One thing that I think is important for a player to take note of is that this game's characters are not really meant to be fleshed out on their own, nor is the story meant to be particularly grand and epic. It's the ensemble and arguably the entire world that carry the story and theming into one big package. The narrative scale is large when viewed on a map but truly very intimate, and I believe the player is meant to develop a sense of hope for the world they're in rather than just save it. The many failures the hero faces illustrate that point: the hero (and player by extension) aren't a power-trip perfect savior, and they're not even an ideal Gemma Knight. Even so, they press on and do what they can to allow the world to effectively be reborn with its scars of the past having finally healed.
Do note that I feel this score is generous. The game is more realistically a 2.5/5 or 3/5; the original, which I rated a 4.5/5 here, is (relative to its context) truly closer to a 4/5. I simply vibe with the original a whole lot, and this remake doesn't dampen it enough for me to dislike it. If you can play the original with a guide or maps on the side in case you get stuck, just do that. If you're wanting to play a more modernized and accessible experience, try this instead. If you just want to relive the original game for fun or while on bathroom breaks at work, consider giving this one a shot.
Eu torço muito que os melhores Mana contem a história de maneira melhor que esse e o Secret, esse aspecto tira um pouco a potencialização que eles poderiam ter, por ter um mundo bem vivido até.
Nesse caso ainda é um pouco mais direto a história, o que facilita mesmo deixando a desejar.
No mais, jogo legalzinho, nada grandioso mas também não achei ruim.
Nesse caso ainda é um pouco mais direto a história, o que facilita mesmo deixando a desejar.
No mais, jogo legalzinho, nada grandioso mas também não achei ruim.
Wish I could appreciate this more, but it's obvious that this game was mainly destined to a smartphone audience. Which sucks because a faithful remake of the original Seiken Densetsu deserved more.
Just play the Game Boy original (also avaiable on Collection of Mana) or play Sword of Mana. You'll have a better time.
Just play the Game Boy original (also avaiable on Collection of Mana) or play Sword of Mana. You'll have a better time.
A nice game to scratch that Zelda-like itch on the Vita. The game balance is a little whacky sometimes but overall you'll have good time playing through this.
There are plenty of unique boss fights here, which makes it feel like there's always something interesting to discover in the main story. The simplistic dungeon design doesn't quite hold up. Some of the objectives are so vague that you'll practically need to look up a walkthrough on how to proceed in certain points in the game.
There are plenty of unique boss fights here, which makes it feel like there's always something interesting to discover in the main story. The simplistic dungeon design doesn't quite hold up. Some of the objectives are so vague that you'll practically need to look up a walkthrough on how to proceed in certain points in the game.
A great example of a remake that is too faithful to the source material: wonky hitboxes, abrupt and clunky dialogue, overly simple level design. Yes the music is great and the graphics are obviously a cut above the original Gameboy, but also the stuttering between every screen diminishes even those upgrades. This game just doesn't stand up well without nostalgia propping it up.
I don't have much to say about it except that a game that looks like this runs like shit on the Vita.
how
how
A low-budget remake that looks awful, runs ok, and sounds excellent, but still reeks the dated game design of the original title.