Trials of Mana

Back in 1995, Trials was unparalleled in its adaptability, even when it came to its story– you choose a party of three out of six possible characters to take on a journey to restore the sacred Mana tree and hopefully stop wars breaking out between different factions. Some parts of your characters’ backstories will overlap, leading to shared experiences. However, despite new additional lines, interactions between characters can feel random, and the dialogue doesn’t hold up for a modern game. The English voiceover, too, strongly varies in quality. A win for fans, Trials Of Mana nonetheless proves not every game ages well. [Issue#176, p.74]

Trials of Mana seems to be a solid case in terms of its control system and the availability of characters, each one with its own beginning and ending point, but some anachronistic choices in design and presentation manage to overshadow its benefits. It remains an old classic, but is presented in a much better way.

As awful as the acting is though, it’s not enough to completely ruin Trials of Mana. If you’re a fan of JRPGs you’ll find a lot to like here. It looks great, it’s easy to play, and it’s not the longest slog in the world – you’ll see the credits roll in about 20 hours. Sure, there are a few frustrations, but it remains true to the Mana series and overall provides an enjoyable – if a little uninspiring – adventure for fans of the genre.

Trials of Mana was a very, very good JRPG... 25 years ago. This remake retains some enjoyable features of the original but fails to jump on the new century wagon.

Quotation forthcoming.

It may be a full 3D remake of a classic action RPG, but Trials of Mana sticks rigidly to the structure of the original game. As a result, its storytelling and characters are one-note and largely forgettable -- hampered further by awkward cutscenes and dodgy English voice acting -- but its nicely paced gameplay feels surprisingly fresh in a time when modern RPGs have a tendency to drag on for hundreds of hours. What's more, its simple but smooth and effective combat system makes for some moreish action. All in all, Trials of Mana is a delightful throwback.

Trials of Mana is a lacklustre remake of a masterpiece from another era. It's nothing special, but old-fashioned JRPG fans might appreciate it if you turn a blind eye.

Beyond the bewildering decision to exclude multiplayer (and some truly awful characters), Trials of Mana is a very basic action RPG that might be good for kids or newcomers to the genre. Playing the game isn’t unpleasant, though it puts up very little fight for experienced players. Know what you are getting into, turn your brain off (and the character voices down), and you may enjoy cruising through its very surface-level gameplay for a weekend.

Fans of the series will still be able to glean some enjoyment from seeing a classic title brought into the modern age, but everyone else won’t have much reason to dive into this flawed remake.

Monotonous and listless remake of a Super Nintendo classic with a flat combat system, loveless game world and bland story.

This remake does recreate the world of Trials with a wondrous, effervescent glow, but that doesn't make up for the clumsy presentation. If you've played the game before and are fond of it, or don't mind the remake's storytelling style, this may be an interesting means of seeing the game in a new light. The combat is fun even if the progression system hamstrings it early on, but the update does more to hold the game back than to breathe new life into it.