When was the Visions of Mana release date? The first game in the Mana series in over 15 years was initially announced at The Game Awards 2023 by Square Enix, with more details about the game arriving during a surprise guest spot in the Xbox Developer Direct 2024 in January. Visions of Mana finally launched in August 2024.
Described as “an expansive, vibrant adventure across a semi-open field,” Visions of Mana has truly returned to its action-RPG roots. Here, we take on the role of Val, “a curious and carefree young man who lives in the Fire Village of Tianeea.” Here’s when the Visions of Mana release date was, as well as everything you need to know about the anime game before you get hands-on.
Visions of Mana release date
The Visions of Mana release date was Thursday, August 29, 2024. The game launched on PC via Steam, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
The story follows the Faerie, who visits regions every four years to choose alms, people who must travel to the Tree of Mana, a place that controls the world’s vital flow of mana. Along for the ride is Val and his childhood pal, who is chosen as the Alm.
Now Val acts as the Soul Guard to his friend to get her safely to the Tree of Mana, fighting all sorts of enemies – including fan favorites such as Rabites and Lullabuds – in party-based combat.
Visions of Mana trailers
The initial announcement trailer shows Visions of Mana’s bright and colorful world, with Val traversing different environments from small villages, rolling green hills, and snowy mountains. At the festival, Val’s friend is picked by the Faerie to make the long journey to the Tree of Mana, and we can see them cutting down various enemies, like animated toadstools.
We saw a lot more of Visions of Mana during the January 2024 Xbox Developer Direct stream. We got confirmation that the game deviates from other RPGs by having a more action-orientated combat system, something teased during the boss fights in the announcement trailer. Elementals were confirmed to be returning to the series, and you’ll need to invoke them in order to cast spells to defeat foes.
We also learned about Pikuls, who are summonable creatures that you can use to traverse the open world. One that we see during the footage is a black wolf that the player can ride. Koichi Ishi, creator of the Mana series, also designed the Pikuls, taking inspiration from “Anubis from Egyptian mythology,” as well as having elements of Yorkshire Terriers and pangolins.
The game includes music from previous Mana series composers and a transitional score that changes seamlessly when you move in and out of combat. According to Masaru Oyamada, producer of the Mana series, “Visions of Mana boasts an astounding track list of 100 songs in total”.
Visions of Mana gameplay
On August 27, 2024 the Square team took to YouTube to live stream around 45 minutes of uncut gameplay from the game – the best way to check out for yourself if the game’s worth grabbing outside of the demo (more on that below).
In March 2024, we got a trailer showing off previously unseen gameplay mechanics. In combat, you can switch between the three party members, each with their specialties. Careena is a mage-like girl with wings who can cast smash away at foes alongside her dragon friend or cast spells to aid her allies. Val slashes with a massive sword, while another ally, Morley, uses his sheer speed to overwhelm enemies with massive combos.
Val uses abilities to get around, such as a flying skill that lifts him onto a nearby ledge, or a giant bubble that encases him and lets him breathe underwater. Characters can also jump over gaps to overcome obstacles such as large holes.
Another boss was revealed in that same trailer, this time a huge praying mantis wearing armor and gauntlets. Val slashes at its thorax to seemingly break it, but it seems spell users also freeze it to the spot with the power of the elements, which causes it to be inactive for a short time.
Visions of Mana demo
Ahead of Vision of Mana’s full launch, Square treated us to a free Steam demo featuring Val, Hina, Careena, and Morley. Though Hina isn’t a playable character – she offers passive support from the sidelines – you can switch between the other three as you wish.
In typical demo fashion, you get to play through a small portion of the game, with the characters set to level 10. This isn’t a section pulled directly from the game, though, and has been tweaked. At this point, all of the basic mechanics of the game have been unlocked, so you can experiment as you wish. The demo ends with a boss battle, but we won’t spoil what that entails.
As a bonus for making your way through the demo, you’ll get three weapons that will transfer over to the full game – the Gladius Sword, Falx Greatsword, and the Horn Lance.
And that’s all you need to know about when the Visions of Mana release date was and what to expect from the story and gameplay when you jump in yourself. For more great upcoming games, consult out guide. If you’re after something else to play right now, then read up on the best RPGs on PC.