Xbox gamers, who have long been starved for Square Enix’s biggest titles on their platform of choice, are finally “eatin’ good.” The Japanese publisher has begun to fulfill its recent commitment to “aggressively pursuing a multiplatform strategy,” which includes Nintendo platforms, PlayStation, PC, and Xbox. While Square Enix has made similar promises in the past, often followed by awkward handshakes, it was the release of the company’s 14-year-old MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox consoles last March that officially solidified the company’s improved relationship with Xbox. With hints of Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Remake potentially on the way, the partnership has only grown stronger.
In the wake of this milestone and a well-timed stealth drop by Square Enix at last month’s 2024 Tokyo Game Show, the publisher has continued this goodwill towards Xbox players. Trials of Mana, Legend of Mana, and the much-celebrated Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster were all simultaneously dropped for Xbox gamers to enjoy.
Additionally, Trials of Mana and Legend of Mana were launched directly into Xbox Game Pass, making both titles free to play for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers on console and PC. As one of the many Xbox gamers who missed out when Trials of Mana first launched on PS4 and Switch, I was eager to finally give this remake of the 16-bit original a try.
“The three-storyline, six-playable-character approach of the original Trials of Mana still feels novel in 2024.”
Trials of Mana is a 3D remake of Seiken Densetsu 3, the third installment in the Mana series. The original was never localized for the West, much to the dismay of fans like myself who adored its famous prequel, Seiken Densetsu 2 (known here as The Secret of Mana) on the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo. Therefore, Trials of Mana (2020) is the only “official” way to experience the story of the original game with either English voiceover or subtitles, which will likely be a driving factor for Mana series fans picking it up on Xbox if they haven’t already done so elsewhere.
While not new, the three-storyline, six-playable-character approach of the original Trials of Mana still feels novel in 2024. It adds several hours of replay value for players who want to experience all three narratives to their respective conclusions. At the start of the game, players choose one of the six characters as the main protagonist, along with two secondary characters. Each of the three storylines features a different villain and a distinct narrative tied to specific character pairings. If one of the secondary characters shares the same plotline as the main hero, players are rewarded with a more involved narrative featuring those two characters.
In terms of visuals and audio, Trials of Mana on Xbox is nearly identical to the 2020 PlayStation 4 release. Fans of the franchise who have been waiting for more Mana and Square Enix games on the Xbox platform will likely be pleased with the presentation, provided they aren’t expecting anything beyond what the PS4 version offered. However, it’s unfortunate that neither the original Super Famicom version nor a 16-bit “de-make” in that style is included, as seen in Dragon Quest XI—which could have also brought back the 2-player multiplayer mode.
In his 2020 review of the PS4 release, my colleague Liam mentioned Trials of Mana’s overhauled combat system, which introduced necessary changes to accommodate the Mana series’ long-awaited move into 3D, such as jumping and targeting enemies. While these changes are logical, I found the battles far less enjoyable and more chaotic compared to the franchise’s 2D entries like Secret of Mana. This may be due to the absence of co-op multiplayer, which was once a staple of the series.
Playing Secret of Mana in 3-player co-op on Super Nintendo with my younger brothers was a highlight of our gaming memories. The ability to experience the game together allowed us to divide tasks and focus on particular enemies or weak spots. In contrast, Trials of Mana is a solo experience that requires the player to manage all the action, which, while challenging and rewarding for some, isn’t as fun as playing with friends.
Some of the gameplay decisions in this remake are odd for a modern 3D game. There’s no block or parry mechanic, so much of the combat involves rolling around between attacks to avoid enemies. Additionally, the button for interacting with objects or NPCs is the same as the jump button, leading to frequent, awkward moments where you’ll jump in front of NPCs or collectibles if you aren’t positioned just right. While these quirks are faithful to the 2020 release, after four years, it would’ve been nice to see some improvements in the Xbox version.
“Trials of Mana is a solo experience that requires the player to manage all the action, which, while challenging and rewarding for some, isn’t as fun as playing with friends.”
Voice acting in Trials of Mana is largely subjective, but in my opinion, whether you play in English or Japanese, the acting is painfully bad. Charlotte, the half-elven character, is the worst offender, with her overly forced child-like accent being grating both in dialogue and subtitles. If poor voice acting is a dealbreaker, I strongly suggest avoiding Charlotte as a party member, which will relegate her to NPC status and limit your exposure to her dialogue.
Even with Charlotte mostly sidelined, Trials of Mana’s fairly dull narrative is made worse by slow-paced cutscenes with long shots and sluggish camera pans. The dated character animations would feel more at home in an early Xbox 360/PS3-era RPG than in a 2020 remake, especially one re-released four years later. Skipping cutscenes is possible, but the lack of warning prompts makes it easy to accidentally skip entire conversations rather than just speeding through a sentence.
As someone who has long anticipated the Mana series’ arrival on Xbox, Trials of Mana is ultimately a disappointing case of “be careful what you wish for.” It’s the same “cute RPG” we saw on PS4, Switch, and PC four years ago, which is great for Xbox and Square Enix fans who just want a faithful port. However, it feels even more out of place now than it did in 2020. A 16-bit “de-make” with local co-op could have made this release feel more relevant, and releasing it as DLC across platforms would ensure no one missed out.
For Xbox fans, four years is a long time to wait for a bare-bones port of a Mana game. We deserve better, especially at a $50 USD digital-only price. On the bright side, if you have Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, you can try it out at no extra cost and decide if it’s worth the money—or waiting for a sale.
