I don't think I've ever played a game like this. So surreal and beautiful at times, and janky and bad at times. There are so many systems that you can completely overlook, and the combat isn't exactly the most riveting. Even then, there's something so magical about this game that makes me love it so much.

You aren't given much direction in this game. At the start you are given a choice of where you want to start the reconstruction of the world, your character appearance and starting weapon, and then you're off to the races. Afterwards you go to dungeons and towns that you bring into the world at your own discretion, meet characters, do quests, and traverse beautiful landscapes with even more beautiful music.

Others may see this lack of direction as bad, but I find it absolutely wonderful. Not knowing where I'm going to go, or who I'll meet or fight next contributes so much to this game's sense of wonder and discovery.

I want to say more about this game, but frankly, I think it's best experienced with minimal knowledge of it. Discovering this world completely blind not knowing what it had in store for me greatly enhanced my enjoyment of it. This game, warts and all, is an absolute treat.


TL;DR - Playing through this game is like playing through a fucking fairy tale. The art style, from the characters to the environments, are so whimsical and beautiful. The soundtrack is impeccable and some of Yoko Shimomura's best work in her already amazing discography. Even with its strange and convoluted mini-systems that I never fully understood and it's rather bare bones combat system, I thought this game was an absolute joy to experience. I would urge anyone to try it out for themselves.

a game you don't play so much as observe with a certain detachment; you don't control a hero, per se, but more a vessel into which NPCs pour their needs, doubts, and anxieties. battle is entirely perfunctory, something only performed to fill negative space between story beats, yet there are mind-bogglingly intricate crafting and farming systems to improve your performance in these battles. literally every aspect of this game is needlessly byzantine. you can miss so much and never have the faintest idea how you missed it, and the game will taunt you with wide gaps in lists. not since king's quest v has a game been both so gorgeous and so infuriatingly inane. feels more bold and refreshing today than it did at release, when it was completely inscrutable. the watercolor-on-parchment aesthetic and strictly supplemental use of 3D aged it better visually than 99 percent of ps1 games. it's easy to see why it reigns as the dominant aesthetic of the world of mana; always has me gazing in awe right up until it starts talking.

A game made for me.
Soundtrack by THE Yoko Shimomura, Unique character designs by Shinichi Kameoka, beautiful pixel art backgrounds, A story rich in flawed characters and storylines added with fun gameplay including taming monsters and crafting. Truly ahead of its time.
Literally take one look at LIl Cactus and you'll understand that their world is worth saving.

This game will hit you with the most gut wrenching dialogue and story events then politely ask you to just keep trudging on despite it all. Theres so many lines from this game that I think about even now as an adult.

Absolutely worth a playthrough even if you have to pull out a guide at times (I know I did).

eu jogava esse daqui quando criança e lembro de achar que era "o jogo perfeito" na época.
O problema: eu não sabia inglês. Joguei ele inteirinho com um detonado que perdeu os caracteres especiais (o ç por exemplo) e sempre começava com a palavra "Comeando..."
Lembro de estar desesperado procurando um outro detonado e falar pro meu primo "AH NÃO... É O COMEANDO DE NOVO"
Enfim, terminei com ajuda de detonado, mas amei o jogo do começo ao fim, pra mim ele era perfeito, e ainda o é. Só que até hoje não sei como a gente ia saber que precisava montar o mapa do jeito certo sem seguir um guia pra desbloquear o true ending.