Ladies and Gentlemen: we got ‘em. It took decades, but we finally have a Mana remake that is unquestionably a tremendous game to play even if its original version is still available. Trials of Mana 3D is a goddess-send, and an excellent direction for the Mana franchise as a whole.
Trials of Mana 3D
Aka Seiken Densetsu 3: Trials of Mana
2020
Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox X|S
What is this again?
Trials of Mana was “Secret of Mana 2”, and it expanded on practically everything that made that game great (“practically” because the world needs more three-player games, not less). It has six available characters with three wholly separate plots/paths, and a gorgeous fantasy world to explore. And now it’s 3-D!
Does it look any better?
Not only are these graphics “more”, but they are also “better”. Environments have been expanded to the point that there is a world beyond the borders of the play area (check out some scenic mountains in the stream), and everywhere you actually can play is a delight.
Is the gameplay improved?
The plot is the same, but the gameplay is a whole different ballgame. Aside from being a 3-D action title (that includes jumping!), the “basics” have been expanded through abilities and chain abilities further developing options during combat. And the game is built for these abilities, so do not expect a Super Mario RPG Remake situation where the new skills blow everything out of the water. Oh! And you can reallocate skill points and classes, which is a major improvement over OG Trials of Mana’s standard of “choose a class change with zero context and hope for the best because you are stuck with it forever”.
Could the gameplay have been improved more?
You now have full, 3-D movement available in gorgeous environments… but the environments are fairly boring to explore. You can find treasure chests and (all-new for this game) Li’L Cactus hiding around, but these sprawling environs hide absolutely nothing on the Z-axis. Why jump when there is never a reason to leave the ground?
Any additions to the game?
Practically too many to list. There is an entire extra chapter at the finale that sees the main baddie of Dawn of Mana returning, and that demands your characters earn an all-new, all-powerful fourth class change level. Kevin the Annihilator is ready to handle the first time in the franchise that Dark Witch Anise has been in a good game.
Any localization upgrades?
This version of Trials of Mana was released within a year or two of the first official release of Trials of Mana stateside. So the scripts and naming schemes are remarkably similar.
Any retroactive upgrades?
In addition to Anise kicking around, Heroes of Mana is acknowledged in an “it exists” way, as the titular Heroes of that title are the often-possessed and/or imperiled parents of ToM starting trouble across the world. However, no explanation for when the Beast King got swole as hell is offered.
Is it worth it?
Yes. The only downside to Trials of Mana 3D is that it is such an expansion of Trials of Mana, it more than doubles the length of the game. This is not great for punchy psychological thrillers where you are exploring haunted towns, but it is ideal for a game that could use a few dungeons that are more than “just walk through these hallways”.
Anything else?
Untouched quote from the Mana Wiki: “Angela no longer sleeps in the nude.”
Even Worse Streams Presents The Mana Franchise
Night 11
Trials of Mana 3D
January 7, 2025
Random Notes:
- We are starting with a recap of previous Trials streams, and it will not induce seizures in fanboymaster, BEAT, Cassandralyn, and/or Chromes. Progress!
- So fanboymaster played a demo of this at PAX in 2019. It was memorable enough to stand up to the memory of playing Final Fantasy 7 Remake for the first time, so congratulations to the little Mana that could.
- “I am reasonably certain you would be hit with a Dudley Death Drop.”
Time for storming the castle! I briefly cover some of the extra content we already missed in this version of Trials of Mana, so if you want to hear more about Mana games after these eleven weeks, give that a listen.- Sonic Heroes: the game that never figured out how to do anything.
- Hyrule Warriors is about the most special soldier in the Hyrule Army and the godling that loves him.
- All early Sega games are fake and portrayed by actors. Or something.
- Caliscrub joins after Chromes breaks Chromes.
- No child wants to be a crab with anxiety.
- “Known in Japan as Riz-Zoawd.”
- Riesz is featured in this section, so we briefly talk about Million Arthur: Arcana Blood, the fighting game where she inexplicably guest-starred along King of Fighters’ Iori.
- Chromes has been drawing a Wally smoking weed, so we must address Dr. Dilberito.
- As we shrink down to enter a mini village, we discuss Final Fantasy 3, Final Fantasy 3j, Grandia Extreme, and Gilgamesh.
- Caithness sneaks in as we are reviewing Tetsuya Nomura, Akira Toriyama, and Tite Kubo character designs.
We reach the Gusthall, which includes a few “acrobatic” situations that were not available in the original game. Jump over that wind, young werewolf.- As we fight Harcypete, we revisit Scott Pilgrim. Chromes has just read it for the first time!
- And we wrap up with a long, lingering loss to Zehnoa, the Demon Door. But don’t worry! We’ll beat the crap out of all opponents next week!
Next time on Manapiece Theatre: Visions of the end.