''Visions of Mana'' is an upcoming

action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre. Definition The games emphasize real-time combat where the player h ...

published by

Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...

for

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, it was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North Ame ...

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

, and

Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X/S are home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. They were both released on November 10, 2020, as the fourth generation Xbox, succeeding the Xbox One. Along with Sony's PlayStation 5, also released in November 2020, t ...

. It is the fifth main title in the ''

Mana According to Melanesian and Polynesian mythology, ''mana'' is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have ''mana''. They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being a ...

'' series and is scheduled for release worldwide between Q2 and Q3 2024. First announced in 2021, it is the first mainline game in the series to be released since ''

Dawn of Mana ''Dawn of Mana'' is a 2006 action-adventure game for the PlayStation 2. It was developed and published by Square Enix. It is the eighth game of the ''Mana'' series and the third entry in the ''World of Mana'' subseries, following the release of ...

'' in 2006, and sees the return of series designer/director

Koichi Ishii , sometimes credited as Kouichi Ishii, is a video game designer perhaps best known for creating the ''Mana (series), Mana'' series (known as ''Seiken Densetsu'' in Japan). He joined Square (video game company), Square (now Square Enix) in 1987, wh ...

, producer Masaru Oyamada, and composers

Hiroki Kikuta is a Japanese video game composer and game designer. His major works are ''Secret of Mana'', ''Trials of Mana'', ''Soukaigi'', and ''Koudelka'', for which he also acted as producer and concept designer. He has composed music for seven other game ...

Tsuyoshi Sekito is a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician who has been employed at Square Enix since 1995. As a composer, he is best known for scoring ''Brave Fencer Musashi'' (1998), '' Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children'' (2005) and ''The Last ...

, and Ryo Yamazaki.

Gameplay and plot

''Visions of Mana'' is set in a fantasy world where players take control of Val, a young man from the Fire Village of Tianeea. When his childhood friend is chosen to go on a pilgrimage to the sacred Mana Tree, which controls the flow of mana throughout the world, Val is charged with accompanying on her as a protector or "soul guard". Like other games in the series, the title is an action role-playing game featuring real-time combat with enemies who inhabit the game's environments. The game features "semi-open world" areas made up of large maps the player may freely explore while advancing the story.

Development

The game was first announced in June 2021 as an unnamed console ''Mana'' title during the series' 30th anniversary stream broadcast. Square Enix registered a trademark for "''Visions of Mana''" on December 7, 2023 for Europe and Australia, and revealed the first trailer for the game during

The Game Awards 2023 The Game Awards 2023 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2023. It was the tenth show hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of The Game Awards, held with a live audience at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, Californ ...

the following day along with a projected release some time in 2024. An expanded look at the game as well as release window was announced during an Xbox Developer Direct in January 2024. In January 2024, Producer Masaru Oyamada revealed that he was interested in creating a new mainline ''Mana'' game when he became the new series producer ten years earlier, but stated he was hesitant since the long gap between the last title may have diluted fan interest. After releasing a number of remakes and re-releases over the next few years, Oyamada became confident in producing a new entry, particularly after the positive reception of the 2020 remake of ''

Trials of Mana ''Trials of Mana'', also known by its Japanese title is a 1995 action role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Famicom. It is the sequel to the 1993 game ''Secret of Mana'', and is the third instal ...

''. Series creator, director, and designer

returned to the franchise with ''Visions of Mana'', having last worked on 2007's ''

Heroes of Mana ''Heroes of Mana'' is a 2007 real-time strategy game for the Nintendo DS. It was developed by Brownie Brown and Square Enix and published by Square Enix. It is the ninth game of the ''Mana (series), Mana'' series and the fourth entry in the ''Wor ...

'', and oversaw the transition of the original monster designs of the series to 3D. He is joined by composers

, and Ryo Yamazaki, all of whom have contributed music and arrangements on previous ''Mana'' titles.

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{Mana series Upcoming video games scheduled for 2024 Action role-playing video games Mana (series) video games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation 5 games Role-playing video games Single-player video games Video games developed in Japan Windows games Xbox Series X and Series S games Xeen games