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. anfabio
    Jan 13, 2021
    4
    I tried to like this game with all my heart. I love old good RPGs and I was excited to play a classic I never had the chance.
    What a disappointment!
    Th gameplay is sooo boring. ALL characters are sooo generic. They didn't even created more than 2 or 3 models for each area. It's sooooooooooo repetitive. The story is bad. The characters are bad. The grindind is still there. I played    I tried to like this game with all my heart. I love old good RPGs and I was excited to play a classic I never had the chance.
    What a disappointment!
    Th gameplay is sooo boring. ALL characters are sooo generic. They didn't even created more than 2 or 3 models for each area. It's sooooooooooo repetitive.
    The story is bad.
    The characters are bad.
    The grindind is still there.
    I played 25 hours and, at the final dungeon I got to fight recycled bosses I knew couldn't go on.
    Smash buttons, win the fight, cure your party, repeat. I cannot play JRPGs that stick to the old boring formula ever again.
    Only thing I can say that's good are the cute graphics and the reasonable music.    … Expand
  3. JinIzanagi
    Jun 10, 2020
    3
    The character design is good, map design is good, but that's all.
    Battle is too easy and simple enough to make you boring.
    And this was the biggest disgrace, the direction of the cut scene and event scene are horrible. It's like made by an elementary school students, it's so childish.
    The original version of SNES wasn't artless as this remake.
  4. Ryuzakura
    May 15, 2020
    10
    Only those who played the original can appreciate the good work done on this remake. The nostalgia of it all is such a bliss to wander in again. The music, artwork and enhanced game features cannot be talked about enough. Thank you Square Enix for this beautiful release.
  5. Amanodel
    Jun 9, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This remake is a disaster. I thought the secret of mana remake was almost perfect. It was the same game, even using the original maps. My biggest complaint was that they fixed a bug. So I was incredibly excited to learn that this game was likewise getting a remake. I have a copy of the original that I still play and it's amazing. So I preordered this and as soon as i turned it on I was let down. They changed names, not just Lize to Reisz which was a translation error to begin with, but other names too. I picked Kevin and right away started noticing that the changes continued. Lugar no longer existed. The death jester looked terrible. Battle was way too easy. They changed stats. You can only take your stats up so far. But when you do then you unlock bonus stats pushing higher than it would have been if they let you pick your own build. When I got Carlie, or Charlotte as she's now called, the game became unplayable. You can't make out anything she's saying from the stupid speech impediment they gave her. And if the game wasn't already too easy, you'll level up way faster for no real reason. You also no longer have item limits, which is good since you'll never have a need to use them. This was a waste of money for what should have been a slam dunk. This version is garbage.… Expand
  6. Valtiel86
    Apr 27, 2020
    9
    This is wonderful game for fans of classic JRPGs. By taking the story, characters, and design philosophy of the original and combining it with a modern take on combat and cutscenes, Trials of Mana manages to be very faithful to the original while still feeling fresh. The game is a joy to play, and the multiple characters and large amount of character customization makes it highlyThis is wonderful game for fans of classic JRPGs. By taking the story, characters, and design philosophy of the original and combining it with a modern take on combat and cutscenes, Trials of Mana manages to be very faithful to the original while still feeling fresh. The game is a joy to play, and the multiple characters and large amount of character customization makes it highly replayable. And of course the soundtrack is amazing as well.
    I do have a few minor complaints though. The missing multiplayer is unfortunate (though understandable), and the difficulty is fairly low even on hard mode. A few story scenes could have also benefitted from a retooling, as the characters make some bone-headed decisions along the way (looking at you, Riesz). But considering how good everything else is, it's easy to forgive those flaws. If you like JRPGs then this is definitely worth picking up.    … Expand
  7. awokengenius
    Apr 24, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A fun game which isn't too demanding. My biggest worry for this game was that it was going to be too easy, this isn't the case and It gets harder as the game progresses. Love the music, the art style is colourful and bright, cartoony but doesn't bother me. Characters are fun, the voice acting isn't the best out there but overall I enjoyed it and found it somewhat charming. Combat isn't too bad, I've heard complaints that it is too simple but with my team Rune Seer (magic dps), Liege (heals and debuffs) and Starlancer (team buffs) it has been going great. Though the AI could be better.

    The story isn't going to blow your mind or make you have some kind of realisation. Well.... maybe that you shouldn't expect too much ;)

    Happy they've remade this game as now I'm interested in the series, it has been a chill experience. Oh @Square if you happen to read this please add some rings that prevent you from levelling as it is too easy to overlevel before you reach your third class. Free dlc? Then make there sell value 0.    … Expand
  8. Mistoltean
    Apr 25, 2020
    9
    This game is a faithful remake of Seiken Densetsu 3, one of legendary Action-RPG in SNES era that unfortunately never left JP other than fan translation.
    Unlike FF7R, no change/deviation by the director on his whim. This game deserves "remake" in the title than FF7R.
    However, since it follows the trend of the RPG in 27 years ago, it might not be for everyone in modern time. The story is    This game is a faithful remake of Seiken Densetsu 3, one of legendary Action-RPG in SNES era that unfortunately never left JP other than fan translation.
    Unlike FF7R, no change/deviation by the director on his whim. This game deserves "remake" in the title than FF7R.
    However, since it follows the trend of the RPG in 27 years ago, it might not be for everyone in modern time. The story is very simplistic and the gameplay is easy to learn but hard to master.
    Replay value is one of its best strengths as you can play 24 different 2nd class.
    I will say 10/10 for old-time fan and 8/10 for newcomers, hence 9/10 score overall.    … Expand
  9. steven213
    Apr 24, 2020
    10
    Despite of some flaws in the cutscene, the remake of TOM manages to make a great balance between the original and modern games. Particularly, the fluidic combat system is a huge improvement compared to the original, giving players a very engaging and entertaining experience. The character progression and exploration of optimizing character skillset and combination further push the gameDespite of some flaws in the cutscene, the remake of TOM manages to make a great balance between the original and modern games. Particularly, the fluidic combat system is a huge improvement compared to the original, giving players a very engaging and entertaining experience. The character progression and exploration of optimizing character skillset and combination further push the game experience to another satisfactory level in the mid-late game.… Expand
  10. Climhazzard101
    May 7, 2020
    10
    This is what a remake should truly be like.

    Paying tribute to the original while maintaining the best parts of the original intact. See and learn Square Enix for next FF7R!! Gorgeous colorful graphics and possibly one of the best soundtracks in any RPG full of catchy tunes that you cant stop listening to. Gameplay is fun and addicting, quick and easy to pick up. It is fast paced, action    This is what a remake should truly be like.

    Paying tribute to the original while maintaining the best parts of the original intact. See and learn Square Enix for next FF7R!! Gorgeous colorful graphics and possibly one of the best soundtracks in any RPG full of catchy tunes that you cant stop listening to. Gameplay is fun and addicting, quick and easy to pick up. It is fast paced, action oriented with a touch of strategy through elemental exploitation.

    You have six different characters with their own background and motivations, which encourages multiple playthroughs. Tons of customization and abilities for your party. Sure, the story isnt great but it is really irrelevant. I found it to be entertaining at least. English voice acting isnt the best either but you can always choose the japanese.

    All in all, this is a masterful remake and tribute to one of the best RPGs of the SNES and a great way to experience a game that many have not played.    … Expand
  11. PillClinton
    Apr 24, 2020
    9
    Its amazing.been waiting for this game for a while now and can safely say it is almost everything I wanted it to be minus some issues like the voice acting.
  12. cerukm
    Apr 24, 2020
    10
    This is a remake done correctly, as charming as the original, the story isn't original but it's easy to follow and still holds it's weight. The voice acting is kind of bad, but most fans of the series will be using Japanese voices regardless. A faithful remake through and through.
  13. daviduthebisd
    Apr 24, 2020
    10
    Never played a game like this since years.. made me feel like a child again!
  14. Chickenman130
    Apr 25, 2020
    9
    What an incredible remake. The voice acting is really well done and the combat is much much more fluid. I’m upset the multiplayer got taken out but they really made this a lot more accessible. A bit easier than the original but I don’t have any other complaints besides those. Will post full review after I finish the game a couple times :)
  15. np0p0
    Apr 24, 2020
    9
    Pros: Faithful remake with gorgeous graphics, gameplay, and fun and engaging story. A huge improvement to the original combat system with tons of cool tweaks and character progression. Full of 90’s JRPG tropes which should please most fans of the genre. Character design resembles Dragon Quest. Colourful environments with tons of exploration and combat to keep you busy. Cons: -Voice actingPros: Faithful remake with gorgeous graphics, gameplay, and fun and engaging story. A huge improvement to the original combat system with tons of cool tweaks and character progression. Full of 90’s JRPG tropes which should please most fans of the genre. Character design resembles Dragon Quest. Colourful environments with tons of exploration and combat to keep you busy. Cons: -Voice acting may not be its shining point (note: YOU CAN TURN THIS OFF OR SWITCH THE LANGUAGE - not a big deal)
    -No multiplayer (original had multiplayer)
    -Needs a bit more polish gameplay-wise as it is quite faithful to the original game in such a way that Secret of Mana was, however this isn’t necessarily a “bad” thing. Overall this deserves an 8.5 with the potential to be improved to a 9 due to some polish needed in areas of voice acting and gameplay. The colourful and inviting atmosphere the game presents coupled with an interesting story that encourages multiple playthroughs with charming characters and a highly engaging combat system with a small learning curve. ENJOY!    … Expand
  16. TylerUki
    Apr 25, 2020
    10
    This game is the best.
    The voice acting of the characters is very disappointing in the English version, but that was resolved by making it Japanese.
    It may be a very vicious problem for those who don't understand Japanese, but even if you don't understand the language, it is recommended that you make it Japanese. The Good . Attractive character design. 3D models that faithfully    This game is the best.
    The voice acting of the characters is very disappointing in the English version, but that was resolved by making it Japanese.
    It may be a very vicious problem for those who don't understand Japanese, but even if you don't understand the language, it is recommended that you make it Japanese.

    The Good .
    Attractive character design.
    3D models that faithfully reproduce the character designs.
    Action battles that even beginners can enjoy!
    Meticulously calculated level design (best compared to the original version)
    Attractive class design
    The BGM is as good as the original

    bad
    The event scenes are not good.
    The camera causes screen sickness.
    The dash is slow.

    I wouldn't say that I would recommend this game to everyone, but it's definitely one that I would recommend.
    It won't be a good fit for people who want a game like Dark Souls or Sekiro.
    However, I believe that a remake film should be made exactly like this one. Therefore, I'm going to give it a 10.    … Expand
  17. Juniialex
    Apr 24, 2020
    10
    This game is amazing, great music good characters a lot of fun things to do here
  18. 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
  19. MortBoon
    May 3, 2020
    10
    Better than I hoped, great remake.
    I really think the art style fits really well even if it's not the highest quality. The music is a joy to listen to, really well done. The voices are quirky and charming, kind of bad in a good way. The controls are perfect. Story is fun and classic.
    Actually having more fun with this than the FF 7 remake. My favorite purchase of the year so far.
  20. Ed16
    Apr 30, 2020
    9
    I liked this game, despite the cons below, it delivers fun and satisfaction, 9 out of 10. I had an experience of playing two JRPG in the past: FF7 Remake and Dragon Quest 11, so I compared it to them. Consider this game mostly as action RPG, despite the ability to pause the game and make the order. It's kinda similar in that sense with FF7 Remake, but I used it much less often.
    I played    I liked this game, despite the cons below, it delivers fun and satisfaction, 9 out of 10. I had an experience of playing two JRPG in the past: FF7 Remake and Dragon Quest 11, so I compared it to them. Consider this game mostly as action RPG, despite the ability to pause the game and make the order. It's kinda similar in that sense with FF7 Remake, but I used it much less often.
    I played with the party: Angela (mage), Duran (fighter), and Charlotte (priest), kinda classic. It took me about 25-30 hours to complete the game fully on hard difficulty.

    Pros:

    - Nice-looking graphics
    - This game is less complicated and routine in terms of RPG, item, fight gameplay system then FF7 Remake and DQ 11, but still, they are things and to think and care about, and I liked it.
    - It's easy to play and it is quite dynamic both in terms of fights and story evolution. It's not hard to complete the game even on hard difficulty, but that's ok, I perceive it as a game feature, it's simpleness.
    KQ11 had also easy fights, but that turned out to be a fat minus, because of turn-based combat. Make fights simple and fast (in terms of time) or difficult and long, but not easy and long.
    - The game has end game content (do not skip end titles), including new game plus. Since they are six characters to play with, it seems to me that the second walkthrough won't be very repetitive and routine, if you will choose another three to play with.
    - The exploration element of gameplay, a search of treasure chests, and other items are fun. Maps are not complicated and scenes are diverse.

    Cons:

    -AI of allies is far from perfect in terms of evading of the boss attacks, I had situations where they die many times on bosses with massive AOE damage, they simply got all damage from boss attacks. That was very annoying. Allies from FF7 Remake do not suffer so much in boss fights. Few times, I had a situation when I had to kill boss alone with most of his HP remaining, with one character, Duran, which I control myself. My allies just died constantly and were kinda useless.
    I assume, If I hadn't got a healer in the party situation with bosses maybe even worse.
    - There no range attackers in this game and mage (Angela) is like a weak fighter with spells. Until the end of the game, Angela was not very useful at all. Duran was simply outvaluing her easily with his saber attacks. But in the end, when her spell damage became massive and mana problems were not so severe, she became a brutal force.
    - Most boss fights are less dramatic and interesting the FF7, though some of them are good and interesting. Many of them have the same mechanics of generating some bodies (columns, statues, spheres, etc) which you have to kill fast, or they will deliver a massive and hurtful AOE attack. Repetitive.
    - It's not obvious, how the stats system works, for example, how 1 point in luck affects my crit rate or 1 point in stamina affects health (does it?), aside from abilities. It's like a black box when u put points in stats but you do not fully realize how it will work out.
    - I didn't like the idea of farming of class items for switching to 3rd class, that was kinda annoying. I wanna switch right after level cap! As a consequence, my mage class, Angela, was not switching till 48 level, because I hadn't got the necessary item. No fun.
    - Most of the time mobs respawn in the locations after several minutes of their death, I do not like that feature in games.

    P.S. I hadn't played the original.    … Expand
  21. Melkiades
    Jan 30, 2021
    10
    Trials of Mana es mi modelo de JRPG perfecto. Lo tiene todo: personajes carismáticos, combate sencillo de acción directa, exploración, variedad de entornos (aldeas, cuevas, montaña, etc) y una BSO excelente. Uno de los grandes exponentes de la era dorada del rol japonés, rehecho de una forma que podría ser más ambiciosa; pero que, aun así, ofrece un memorable resultado.
  22. wJamesmci
    Apr 24, 2020
    9
    Hey look everyone Square Enix *can* make a complete remake of a game without making it episodic and milking their fans to death :)
  23. xiaolinstyle
    Apr 30, 2020
    3
    The writing in this is garbage. Gameplay is ok but if you want to care about your character and not scream at your tv constantly about the absolutely ridiculously stupid decisions they are making, don't play this trash.
  24. Gamingking007
    Apr 25, 2020
    10
    Stunningly unexpected beauty! This was a pretty big wow moment for me as the melding of the old and new has really created something beautifully unique but still has its roots where square Enix has always stolen my heart ,!JRPG! Unique , beautiful and very cute characters !
  25. esperic
    Apr 24, 2020
    10
    The game feels more enriched than the original, with added features and a revitalized combat system. MUCH MUCH better than the Secret of Mana Remake. A remake done correctly.
  26. SkySmartyNL
    Apr 25, 2020
    3
    Technicaly this game is 1 or 2 generations behind scedule.
    Textures loading too slow, even during the cutscenes. Combined with the very limited renderdistance it looks just awkward.
    All in all graphicly so disturbing that the fun is missed.

    Sorry, this does not belong in 2020.
  27. Ploppy0
    Apr 25, 2020
    2
    The game is hideous and a technical shame!

    -Texture are incredibly low res and flashy... The warm and soft color palette of the 2D 16bits is nowhere to be seen. -3D assets are straight out from a low budget mobile game... SQUAREENIX probably outsourced that remake in China again. -The engine doesn't handle lighting, while it's a low poly game... I'm not asking for RTX but at least    The game is hideous and a technical shame!

    -Texture are incredibly low res and flashy... The warm and soft color palette of the 2D 16bits is nowhere to be seen.
    -3D assets are straight out from a low budget mobile game... SQUAREENIX probably outsourced that remake in China again.
    -The engine doesn't handle lighting, while it's a low poly game... I'm not asking for RTX but at least something from 2010 era...
    -Not a SINGLE light cast shadow, everything looks flat.
    -Animation are bad, and makes fight dull, movement feel like if your character is on Zero G.
    -Character hairs look like helmet ploped on the top of their heads.
    -Physics doesn't exist.
    -The environment doesn't scale with the characters, tiny doors, big wall, small trees, nothing make sense.
    -The cutscene are boring without any single directing effort, style or presentation.
    -The dialogue are written for toddlers and by toddlers.
    -The US dubs are awful, the Japanese one are ok but very caricaturing/childish.
    -NO COOP/MULTIPLAYER

    The only 'good' thing is chill feeling of old school RPG, but everything else is trash, knowing that Trial of Mana/Seiken Densetsu 3 never shined by his story.    … Expand
  28. Syfin
    Apr 24, 2020
    10
    Супер ремейк. Намного интереснее фф7. Сделали отличную графику и главное переработали боевую систему. В оригинале она мне не понравилась.
  29. t2daino
    Jul 6, 2020
    0
    As someone who has only played Secret of Mana 1, 2 and Legend of Mana, I can honestly say that I enjoyed this game a lot. The characters have simple but interesting stories. The gameplay is very fun and reminiscent of FFVII Remake in that you have to constantly change between your characters in order to be effective in battle. The musical score is amazing, which is expected of SquareAs someone who has only played Secret of Mana 1, 2 and Legend of Mana, I can honestly say that I enjoyed this game a lot. The characters have simple but interesting stories. The gameplay is very fun and reminiscent of FFVII Remake in that you have to constantly change between your characters in order to be effective in battle. The musical score is amazing, which is expected of Square nowadays and I love the fact that they included the original 16 bit soundtrack. Which you can change to at any moment throughout the game. The game does have multiple endings which lends to its high replayability. The only thing that bothered me about the game was the voice acting. There were time when it would be so cringey that I would have to hit X to skip it. It was very obvious that the voice acting budget was lower than usual. All-in-all this was an above average game for me and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of lighthearted action RPGs.… Expand
  30. tec
    Jun 19, 2020
    8
    A gorgeous game and a solid remake! Seiken Densetsu 3 was originally released as a SNES game but never made the jump to the west. People had to get the japanese version, or a fan translated rom to enjoy this good game but finally after years square decided to remake it into a 3d world with a bit of extra stuff. In very basic terms this game is a action adventure rpg, you fight troughA gorgeous game and a solid remake! Seiken Densetsu 3 was originally released as a SNES game but never made the jump to the west. People had to get the japanese version, or a fan translated rom to enjoy this good game but finally after years square decided to remake it into a 3d world with a bit of extra stuff. In very basic terms this game is a action adventure rpg, you fight trough encounters, reach a town, prepare for the next section and repeat. The only gripe i have with this game is that they couldn´t implement a coop multiplayer like in the original game.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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]
See all critic reviews »