Trials of Mana Remake Preview: How It’s Different from the Original

While the Final Fantasy VII Remake is bound to be one of the year’s biggest games, it’s not the only remake from publisher Square Enix coming out in April of 2020. Trials of Mana is a full 3D remake of 1995’s Seiken Densetsu 3, a Super Nintendo game that wasn’t ported for Western audiences until the 2019 release of Collection of Mana for Nintendo Switch. Now, the game formerly known as Seiken Densetsu 3 is getting a proper HD remake with Trials of Mana for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. At a recent press event in New York City, we got to play the first two hours of Trials of Mana on Nintendo Switch, and came away impressed at how faithful it is to the original while simultaneously updating numerous elements to feel fresh in 2020.

Like the 1995 original, Trials of Mana allows players to choose one main character and two companions out of a pool of six heroes. The story will change depending on which characters are chosen. For our demo, we chose Angela, the princess of Altena, an icy and warmongering kingdom. After experiencing betrayal at the hands of her own mother, Angela flees the kingdom and seeks the wisdom of the Priest of Light. Along the way, she runs into Charlotte, who is just as insufferably annoying as ever, though fans of the original surely wouldn’t have it any other way. Charlotte is a teenage half-elf, but since elves age slowly, she’s essentially an obnoxious teen in the body of an precocious child, and she’s long been the butt of many jokes on behalf of the Mana fan community.

The demo encompassed the first steps in Angela’s adventure, as well as a brief flashback to Charlotte’s origins, and ended with the first boss battle, a memorable fight against the Full Metal Hugger, a giant enemy crab. Throughout our time with Trials of Mana, we encountered numerous elements that weren’t present in the original game, from the obvious visual differences to subtle changes in combat. Here’s How Trials of Mana Remake is Different from the Original.

Upon starting the demo, the most obvious change is aesthetic. The entire game has been rebuilt from scratch in a new 3D engine, and the classic 2D sprites of yore are nowhere to be seen here. Unlike the oft-maligned 2018 Secret of Mana remake, the new visuals aren’t placed atop the old gameplay foundation; the entire game has been redesigned to account for the new visuals; most immediately, the ability to fully control the camera using the right analog stick is nothing short of a revelation. Areas feel more wide to accommodate this change, and areas like the Rabite Forest feel more lively and less like a series of green corridors. Visually, Trials of Mana doesn’t try to chase after the epic visuals of something like Final Fantasy VII Remake, but instead lands somewhere in the late PS2 era, with bright colors and expressive character models securing something of a timeless, if somewhat lo-fi, visual style. Meanwhile, the changes to movement and camera control go a long way towards shedding Trials‘ SNES roots, giving it a much more modern feel. One change that is sure to get some fans riled up is the addition of waypoint markers on the map, which always lead players to the next destination in the main quest. The original was much more of an open experience, and the inability to truly get lost in the world will either be seen as a boon or a detriment, depending on one’s point of view. Even with all the modern touches, Trials of Mana is still chock full of familiar elements; fans of the original will be happy to learn that the shopkeepers still inexplicably dance all the time.

While not every line of dialogue is fully voiced, Trials of Mana is full of dramatic, in-engine cutscenes that showcase dynamic camera angles, a wide range of animation, and tons of voice acting. It’s not the type of thing that’s cutting edge in 2020, but it’s leaps and bounds beyond the original, and certainly much better than the cutscenes from the Secret of Mana remake. The art direction, especially, helps these scenes really pop off the screen. Again, it’s not far beyond what one might see in a high-end PS2 game, but it’s important to stress that the lo-fi tech feels very much like a deliberate stylistic choice, and not a cut corner. The voice acting, however, is very hit or miss. While Angela’s voice actor did a good job at conveying her youth, feelings of betrayal, and dogged determination, the voice actor for Lumina sounded like a caffeinated office worker and Charlotte sounded… Well, actually, Charlotte sounded as exactly annoying as one can reasonably expect.

Combat in Trials of Mana is Enhanced From The Original

Cutscenes are one thing, and walking around town is another, but where Mana games truly shine has always been in combat. Trials of Mana is recognizable as a Mana title, but the enhancements made to the fighting systems go a long way towards modernizing the dungeon crawling action and mixing up the methods players will use to conquer enemies and bosses. Battles happen much faster overall, without any of the cooldown periods that made the original Seiken Densetsu 3 feel almost tun-based. The new combat is almost as fast as something like the original Kingdom Hearts, but not quite as frantic or button-mashy. Positioning on the field is still very important to avoid attacks and target weak points, especially during boss battles.

Taking a cue from the underrated PS2 title, Dawn of Mana, Trials features leaping slashes and downwards thrusts, which are necessary when dealing with airborne enemies, who must be brought to the ground before they can be hit with regular attacks. This is in contrast to the original, which didn’t have any jumping in combat. Overall, the combat in Trials of Mana makes the right choice in evolving the series, rather than merely evoking the original Seiken Densetsu 3.

Trials of Mana is instantly recognizable as a remake of Seiken Densetsu 3, but it only takes a moment of hands-on gameplay to understand how a countless multitude of changes can add up to make Trials feel like more than an upscaled SNES port. Trials of Mana is more than a tribute to a 25-year-old game; it’s the next evolution in the Mana series.

Trials of Mana releases for PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch on April 24, 2020. A free demo for the title will be available starting March 18.

About The Author

Zak Wojnar
(946 Articles Published)

Zak Wojnar is a writer from New York City. He’s covered everything from video games and movies to maple syrup and deli business. Thanks to Screen Rant, he’s discovered his newest passion, interviewing artists. He takes great joy in letting film and gaming legends tell their own story and share their passion for their art.
Zak’s first memory is going with his dad to Tower Records and buying the VHS boxed set of the original Star Wars trilogy. Over the next decade or so, those tapes would be completely worn out through overuse. When he’s not preparing for the next big interview, he can usually be found sitting too close to the TV, either re-watching Miami Vice or The X-Files, or getting lost in a video game.
Zak has bylines at Game Informer, Muscle & Fitness, PopCultureGalaxy, Men’s Fitness, Cheese Connoisseur, and Deli Business (see, that wasn’t a joke before!), among others.
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