Visions of Mana gets new gameplay trailer
During yesterday’s Xbox Developer Direct, Square Enix shared new details about Visions of Mana, releasing a brand new trailer to show it all off. The developer showcase featured series Producer Masaru Oyamada and Creator Koichi Ishii as they unpacked some of the gameplay expected when it releases this summer.
In Tianeea, the Fire Village, everyone is preparing to celebrate the coming of the Faerie and the naming of an “alm.” Every four years, alms from around the world are chosen to travel to the Tree of Mana and rejuvenate the flow of mana power. A soul guard is also chosen to ensure the alms’ safe pilgrimage. Val is one such guard.
On the day of the Faerie’s arrival, Val brings his childhood friend to the festival. As the sun falls beneath the skyline, all the spectators wait with bated breath, hoping to be chosen as an alm. The Faerie finally descends before Val’s friend, appointing her the Alm of Fire.
The villagers bid them both farewell, praying for their success as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
The mix of gameplay and behind-the-scenes footage showed off Visions of Mana’s combat, which includes the new aerial combat system taking players “to new heights during battle and enable physical attacks with weapons and magic attacks mid-air.” A returning feature to the series is the Elementals, which assist players during battles via a form of specialised items, with each weapon producing a different effect during combat depending on what element it is, hoping to provide fast-paced and flexible fighting.
The Visions of Mana trailer also showed players a new type of companion known as the pikuls, which are damn adorable! They’ve taken inspiration from animals and mythology and will help players traverse the map as they explore the beautiful world of the game. The soundtrack will feature a track list of 100 songs at launch, with all songs being composed by those who’ve worked on the Mana series before, such as Hiroki Kikuta, Tsuyoshi Sekito, and Ryo Yamazaki. Visions of Mana will also include an adaptive music system which will “allow players to seamlessly transition from map exploration into battles and heighten their sense of urgency through the arrangement of background music which will change the moment players enter or leave combat.”
Visions of Mana will be launching in Summer 2024 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Steam. You can watch the new Visions of Mana trailer below:
