One subplot may see you searching for a lost dwarf deep inside a mine, while another may see you shrinking yourself down to the size of a mouse to interact with a Kokiri-like race of small, elvish creatures. You decide your party when you start a new save and you can only pick three of them for that run, which means you'll need to undertake several playthroughs if you want to see everything that the plot has to offer.Īs your group goes from town to town in search of whatever McGuffin the plot requires, there are usually small subplots that play out in that town to give it a bit of a ‘chapter’ feel. Contained within this premise, then, are six characters you can choose to play as, each of which has their own sub-plots and stories. The main premise is that the fabled Mana Tree, which houses the spirit of the Mana Goddess, is withering away, and the chosen hero must retrieve the Sword of Mana from the tree’s roots to save the world. The multi-threaded narrative of Trials of Mana has its roots in the original Super Famicom release – an approach that was quite ambitious for its time – yet the setup still holds its lustre today, offering up a diverse story that requires a couple of playthroughs to adequately see in its entirety. Somehow, it all comes together remarkably well, making for an enjoyable, beautiful, and content-rich RPG that adequately represents its legacy while innovating in some key ways.

Certain elements – such as the simplistic storylines and environments – give away that this project is based on a game from decades ago, while other elements – like the brand-new combat and progression systems – are clearly drawn from more modern game design. Trials of Mana is a fascinating project, then, purely in how it feels simultaneously new and old.

Trials of mana review