Trials of Mana

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 144 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 106 out of 144
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 144
  3. Negative: 24 out of 144
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  1. RuriGokou
    May 6, 2020
    5
    I've never played the original on the SNES so I only have my knowledge of playing this game. Honestly I had much more fun playing Secret of Mana (original and remake) than this game. Just want to throw that out there too.

    Anyway, I'm writing this after finishing only one playthrough. I honestly didn't like it as a whole. I started the game off on hard mode, but got SO tired of how basic    I've never played the original on the SNES so I only have my knowledge of playing this game. Honestly I had much more fun playing Secret of Mana (original and remake) than this game. Just want to throw that out there too.

    Anyway, I'm writing this after finishing only one playthrough. I honestly didn't like it as a whole. I started the game off on hard mode, but got SO tired of how basic enemies are just given more HP. Bosses do pose more of a challenge though. I like how bosses are ultra huge and it gives you the sense that this is a boss enemy. But because of how the basic enemies are damage sponges, I got very tired of the game play. It's just one button mashing encounter after another.

    Everyone says this game has great game play too, but I don't see it. Maybe I made a bad party? But it's just mash the one button to win. I had a lot more fun playing Secret of Mana because you could just easily walk by enemies and choose who you want to fight. Not to mention you had a lot of different weapons that you could fight with.

    The types of areas you travel to are also very boring. Mostly just open natural areas like forests, caves, and more forests and caves. What happened to the temples, dungeons, castles, and fortresses from Secret of Mana? The graphics aren't very good, and seem like some kind of Chinese mobile game. Also, what is with the textures taking time to load?

    Something I love about Secret of Mana is the music. I keep coming back to its soundtrack even after many years. But the music in this game isn't very memorable. Many of the same tracks are used over and over again. There is no way I could tell you this song went with this area or the other one. But in Secret of Mana, all the tracks are used for a certain place and theme. So each song is memorable.

    Finally, the story. I know this game is originally from the 90s, but the plot is just a long series of plot devices. At least in Secret of Mana it had a more clear goal. But this game just has too many heroes and villians, and plots going on. I just couldn't get into the story. It's just your typical bad guy wants to rule the world thing.

    Overall, I enjoyed it more than Final Fantasy 7 Remake. I gave that a 4. But, I'd have to say SE just isn't what they used to be anymore. Pick up this game if you're looking for something classic JRPG.    … Expand
  2. Dubeau
    May 23, 2020
    7
    Trial of mana is a cute type of ARPG. The story is on the border line generic, with a fair emotional ending. The graphics are superb but they lack a variety of expressions. The animations feels robotic when a character talks. The fighting is the most interesting part. It' s very smooth and easy to control. The power's upgrade is ok but not extremely deep. There is no crafting of any kinds.Trial of mana is a cute type of ARPG. The story is on the border line generic, with a fair emotional ending. The graphics are superb but they lack a variety of expressions. The animations feels robotic when a character talks. The fighting is the most interesting part. It' s very smooth and easy to control. The power's upgrade is ok but not extremely deep. There is no crafting of any kinds. Changing classes is dubious and barely interesting. The worst of this game are the loading screens. They are so many of them. Example: the ending is a succession of 9-10 loading screens between small sequences of 30-60 secondes. Yet they can push a credit sequence of 12 minutes without interruptions. So, horribly optimized on that end. The sounds are really good, and very nice music. The voice overs are unequal. I give it 75%. It's a quality game, but some poor design choices didn't elevate it. The game lasted around 22 hours on easy.… Expand
  3. Acguydance
    Apr 29, 2020
    7
    A classical, fun and casual, welly remade B-Class JRPG to enjoy with your kids at home.
    ---
    One of the famous JRPGs back in the 90's (until the original sequel killed the whole franchise but that's another story). The game sticks to its root with a totally refreshing graphics compared to its SNES version, packed with a collection of the remixed old good JRPG styled BGM, a tweak in the    A classical, fun and casual, welly remade B-Class JRPG to enjoy with your kids at home.
    ---
    One of the famous JRPGs back in the 90's (until the original sequel killed the whole franchise but that's another story). The game sticks to its root with a totally refreshing graphics compared to its SNES version, packed with a collection of the remixed old good JRPG styled BGM, a tweak in the battle and character build system. The story itself is simple and clear: The bad guys are doing bad things and the heroes are out to stop them.

    Combat system is simple and pretty straight forward. Do not expect the game to have a DarkSouls level difficulty because this one is very casual compared to those, in a good manner.

    The game is not long, about 20 hours per run, but in order to watch all 6 heroes' ending, you may want to replay the game in a NG+ mode. There are also quite a few contents that would urge you to repeat the game.

    Although the graphic looks outdated and empty compared to the others out there, its at an acceptable level.

    If you like simple plotted games, or if you want to try out how an old JRPG feels, you may want to consider to give this a try.

    P.S. Wanted to give this a green 7.5 but there isn't an option to this. too bad.    … Expand
  4. GabFire
    Aug 9, 2020
    6
    Não consegui gostar desse jogo, joguei até cansar e perceber que já vi jogos com propostas idênticas bem melhores, eu via futuro no ''Trials of Mana'', agora só vejo regresso.
  5. Sephirot14
    Jun 20, 2020
    5
    Juego con un buen sistema de combate y buena música pero su historia tipica y aburrida y sus personajes planos hace que sea insufrible.
  6. Stromaire
    Dec 28, 2020
    6
    Remake graphics is nice, class system is good, the only bad thing in the game is the voice acting, should have done better to better support the story of the game

Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Best PS4 Game of 2020
62
#62 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 54 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 54
  3. Negative: 1 out of 54
  1. GameMAG
    Sep 21, 2020
    80
    If only Square Enix dropped subpar English dubbing and instead focused their efforts on more polished visuals and multiplayer modes, the game could have been a perfect remake.
    Read full review
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 24, 2020
    80
    One of the most beautiful JRPGs of the 16-bit era finally got an excellent remaster. [Issue#304]
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Jun 4, 2020
    70
    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]
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