Square, they of legendary RPG fame, have quite a few heavy-hitting franchises under their belt. Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Chocobo GP – eh, whoops, one of those fell into my list off the garbage pile. Apologies. But you get the idea; they’ve a stable lineup of IPs. However, one series that doesn’t get quite as much attention is Mana, a selection of high-flying fantasy adventures across multiple platforms that have cultivated an at-best mixed reputation.
From the initial games in the ’90s, to some 2000s remakes and later attempts at rekindling the brand’s ailing fortunes, it’s had a rocky path and inconsistent commercial/critical value (which perhaps goes some way to explaining Square’s hesitance to throw its full weight behind it). However, the world of mobile gaming is an undeniably lucrative one, and so Mr. Enix is having a crack at bringing this quirky universe to our smartphones. The second crack, after 2013’s iOS-bound Circle of Mana. So…six, seventh, maybe eighth time’s the charm?
What is Echoes of Mana?
As AndroidPolice reports, Echoes of Mana, the new mobile instalment in the franchise, is now available for pre-registration via Google Play. “Last summer, Square Enix celebrated the 30th anniversary of its Mana action-RPG series, announcing (…) a brand-new title in the series called Echoes of Mana.” In keeping with the series’ roots, Echoes of Mana is “a 2D action RPG, and this time around, you’re on the hunt for the Mana Sword in order to save the Mana Tree.” Mind your manas, everyone. Best to maintain good bedside mana, in all mana of situations.
‘Mana’ beginning to not sound like a word anymore notwithstanding, as mobile games go, Echoes looks decent enough. Check out the pre-registration trailer below:
The animation does look rather stiff and tween-heavy, but under a presumably limited budget, it could have been worse. One does hope Square isn’t watering down the value of an IP that could really do with some TLC these days; but given that Echoes is launching free-to-play, with inevitable monetization and microtransactions doubtless inbound, it’s tough to remain optimistic.
Are we intrigued, though? In a mana of speaking.
How about you? Do you have any memories with this franchise? Let us know!
Via, AndroidPolice.
