Visions of Mana
Secret of Mana is an all-time favorite of mine. I’ve been waiting for a sequel to live up to the series’ SNES-era hype ever since. Visions of Mana is not a top-three Mana game, but it’s still a surprisingly good one. Solid combat and a vibrant if somewhat empty open world are propelled to the next level by wonderful music, old-school dungeons, and a great class-based progression system. Visions of Mana’s uniquely whimsical world was a breath of fresh air that reminded me how much more there can be to modern RPGs than grim sci-fi dystopias, modern schoolyard grinds, and classic medieval dragon slaying. It’s a shame the team behind it, NetEase’s Ouka Studio, was shut down as soon as the game shipped, but I’m hopeful it’s not the last we’ll see of this new era of Mana after the game’s director, Ryosuke Yoshida, joined Square Enix this month. — Ethan Gach
