Visions of Mana Is Far From Revolutionary, But It Should Still Be a Rock Solid Action RPG | Push Square

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2020's Trials of Mana remake showed us that the series' classic formula can be adapted into a full 3D adventure — and Visions of Mana clearly intends to push things forward. A brand new instalment in Square Enix's longstanding franchise, Visions seems to retain the fantastical charm of its predecessors, while also expanding the boundaries of what we've typically come to expect from a Mana title.

Based on our time with the game's demo version — which you can download right now from the PS Store — we're confident in saying that this one's got potential. Purely in terms of scope, Visions seems surprisingly ambitious, offering up vast, open world-style environments and sizeable towns that actually feel quite busy. It's obviously been a long time since an all-new Mana release, but so far, this instalment presents a fairly modernised take on the property.

Having said that, the storytelling is still very Mana. The overarching plot involves a pilgrimage to the titular Tree of Mana — a recurring goal in just about every prior title — and the main characters are pretty damn dry. Protagonist Val and his childhood friend Hinna are just about the most generic do-gooder duo you can imagine, and honestly, we'd be shocked if they end up offering any notable depth in the full game.

Fortunately, their surrounding party members appear to be a little more intriguing. The cat-featured Morley is your calm and collected type, while Careena, a chirpy priestess, brings some much needed bite to the group. The hope is that as more heroes join Val's cause, fun character dynamics and interactions will carry the otherwise basic narrative.

Visions doesn't want to abandon its old school storytelling roots — and there's nothing necessarily wrong with that — but we do wonder whether that's the right call when it comes to hooking new players.

Moving on, we do really like the aforementioned scope of the game's outdoor areas. The demo gives you a rather large spread of land to explore, and it certainly