Review for Collection of mana. Game for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 11/06/2019
If you think of the most classic type of role-playing games made in Japan of the 90s, many will recall the turn-based formula of the various Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, etc., considering that of Action RPGs mostly a drift of the modern times. Yet this sub-genre already in those years was full of titles that have become classic, and some of them have given way to sagas that have made the history of the genre. Among these there is certainly What (known in Japan as Seiken Densetsu), overlooked by many and best known by a minority of enthusiasts.
By dint of experiments, Square Enix seems to have understood that by aiming exclusively at modern titles it leaves a host of fans of its golden days dry-mouthed, and for this reason it seems willing to rebalance its line. After the well-deserved success of Octopath Traveler (whose Conquerors of the Continent prequel is coming soon), the announcement of a new Bravely and Oninaki from Tokyo RPG Factory in the pipeline this summer, it seems that RPG lovers old-school have found their place in the market. In this context, the announcement of the release of Collection of Mana (not exactly out of the blue, as we had anticipated), a collection already released in Japan in 2017 and finally localized for the West.
Curated by M2, a studio now more than expert in the conversion of 8 and 16-bit classics on current platforms, already responsible for the various 3D Classics, Sega Ages and more recently Castlevania Anniversary Collection, this Nintendo Switch collection of the first three titles in the Mana series has tremendous historical value for any fan of the genre. But above all it contains a small masterpiece never landed in the West until today: Seiken Densetsu 3, which after over twenty years receives its official English title of Trials of Mana.
But let's go in order and see what this Collection of Mana contains.
Final Fantasy Adventure, or the name taken in the USA of the very first Seiken Densetsu (Mystic Quest in Europe), is a Game Boy title that is strongly inspired by the first The Legend of Zelda and adds role-playing elements to it. For the time, it was a fairly ambitious title, also because the protagonist was often accompanied by a battle partner controlled by the game's AI, not exactly an everyday thing. However, it must be said that hasn't aged well at all, mostly because of the cumbersome controls and rough hitboxes.
For this reason the absence of Sword of Mana, a remake for the Game Boy Advance that brought improvements on all fronts to the original title, and would have made its use less tedious.
Secret of Mana is the second chapter of the saga, the first to come out for SNES, and is one of the most popular action RPGs for the console and in general. The difference with the predecessor is evident, from the less anonymous story to the colorful and incisive art design. It also had the great advantage of involving a party of three characters, and if you wanted it was It is possible to play with two other friends simultaneously; this feature, which eradicated it from the limit of the single-player, was replicated on the Switch via Joy-Con.
Despite being revived with a 3D remake in early 2018, Secret of Mana is still very enjoyable today in its original version and an authentic milestone of its era.
So we come to the highlight of Collection of Mana, that is Trials of Mana. As already mentioned, this title arrives in the West for the first time in more than twenty years, and its absence was a real crime, given that it is a a small masterpiece that has remained largely unknown due to the language barrier. It is no coincidence that several years ago some fans created an English patch that allowed you to enjoy the game through emulators. Despite the delay, it is however appreciable that Square Enix has still decided to invest in an official translation, especially since it is a game with a substantial script; translation operations of old games are not at all common nowadays.
We can finally enjoy (legally) this pearl of great value in an understandable way. Trials of Mana at the time took it one step further than Secret of Mana. A clearly visible progress from the graphical aspect, among the best ever seen for a game for SNES, and perceptible in the more refined gameplay, with a system of classes deeper than in the past, and improved controls and AI. Above all, ben's introduction was exceptional six different characters selectable for a party of up to three. Depending on the main protagonist chosen, the story follows a different path, a feature that gives the game a very high replay value.
Technically, the M2 work is more than satisfactory and the games run smoothly. The best way to enjoy them is in portable mode, since in extended mode on a very large screen the pixels undergo an understandable "stretch".
For each title a music player has been added that allows us to enjoy the songs of the soundtrack outside the games themselves. Some visual filters have also been added: while for the two SNES games we only have the choice between the original ratio and an extended mode, for Final Fantasy Adventure it is possible to choose the black and white format, the Color filter, and the green scale one. characteristic of the original Game Boy, but with better definition pixels. You can also save the game at any time, which is perfect if you don't have time to reach the classic save point.
Unfortunately, the additions to this collection stop there. It is not possible to change the frames on the sides of the screen (not even with black bands), and no kind of extras have been added, not even on the genre of the digital book seen in Castlevania Anniversary Collection.
The addition of the manuals would have been much more useful, especially with regard to Trials of Mana which does not exactly have a simple and intuitive formula. Suffice it to say that already at the release of the Japanese version of Collection of Mana, players complained about the lack of a reference manual, so much so that Square Enix had to upload one to its official website and add it to the game via an update. Too bad he hasn't (yet) thought about doing the same for the Western version.
Collection of Mana has the advantage of containing titles of great historical value for the saga, and of the action RPG genre all. The two titles for SNES in particular are enjoyable and still valid today. It is therefore a compilation recommended for any fan of the golden age of 16-bit, in particular for the presence of Trials of Mana, so far closed to our market. Despite the undeniable quality of the titles, it is impossible not to notice that the price of € 39,99 is not very adequate for a collection with such small extra contents, especially when compared with the € 20 of the various Konami collections, and with the perspective of the 3D Remake of Trials of Mana coming next year.
► Collection of mana is an Adventure-Action game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 11/06/2019
