Adventures of Mana

 PlayStation Vita
Adventures of Mana Image
Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 25 Ratings

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  • Summary: Enshrined atop Mt. Illusia, high above the lofty clouds, stands the Tree of Mana. Drawing its life energy from the boundless celestial aether, the sentinel grows in silence. Legend holds that he who lays his hands upon its trunk will be granted power eternal - a power the Dark Lord of GlaiveEnshrined atop Mt. Illusia, high above the lofty clouds, stands the Tree of Mana. Drawing its life energy from the boundless celestial aether, the sentinel grows in silence. Legend holds that he who lays his hands upon its trunk will be granted power eternal - a power the Dark Lord of Glaive now seeks to further fuel his bloody quest for domination.

    Our unlikely hero is one of countless gladiators indentured to the Duchess of Glaive. Each day, he and his ill-fated companions are dragged from their cells and bade to fight exotic beasts for the amusement of the Dark Lord. If victorious, they are thrown back into the dungeons with just enough bread to tide them over until their next match. But a body can only take so much, and it is never long before the weary captives succumb to their cruel fates.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Game Rant
    Jul 5, 2016
    80
    Adventures of Mana is a short, enjoyable, and addictive little trip back to the humble beginnings of handheld gaming and the wildly popular Mana series, and the improved graphics and dedication to reproducing the original game’s feel are evidence of this.
  2. Multiplayer.it
    Jul 11, 2016
    80
    Adventures of Mana is likely the best version for the first installment of the Mana series. but the PlayStation Vita port is not as good as it could be.
  3. Eurogamer Italy
    Sep 9, 2016
    80
    Quotation forthcoming.
  4. Everyeye.it
    Jul 12, 2016
    66
    Quotation forthcoming.
  5. SpazioGames
    Jul 11, 2016
    65
    Adventures of Mana worked better on mobile devices than it does on Playstation Vita, because broken AI, framerate issues and repetitiveness are minor problems if you only play for fifteen minutes per session. You may want to give it a try just for the dreamy soundtrack.
  6. Push Square
    Jul 4, 2016
    60
    The role-playing genre has come a long way since 1991, but that doesn't mean Adventures of Mana should be cast aside. The simplicity of its gameplay makes it a nice portable snack, and as a faithful remake of a Game Boy title, it's hard to fault – just don't expect to get too excited over this dusty old quest.
  7. Hardcore Gamer
    Jul 13, 2016
    50
    The issue with this Vita version as that the publisher just decided to bring that same exact version over without tailoring it to fit the platform. Many can look past this and enjoy a better looking, but faithful recreation of Final Fantasy Adventures, but we as gamers should expect better.

See all 18 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. LastResource
    Jan 14, 2023
    10
    worth it and glad to play this game again. so much memories and nostalgia within this spin off game in the series.
  2. Clarkr13
    Jul 17, 2018
    9
    Having played the Both the original Final Fantasy Adventures back in the day and Secret of Mana on the NES I can tell you this definitely hasHaving played the Both the original Final Fantasy Adventures back in the day and Secret of Mana on the NES I can tell you this definitely has the feel of a mana game and is worth the purchase. Like the Secret of Mana reboot for the PS4 this is not nearly as hard as the original. In fact if it suffers from anything it is being too easy. I cleared the game in about 13 hours with no grinding (something one expects from a JRPG) and while I am not dissatisfied I do thing there could have been a bit more strategy involved in the fighting mechanics especially the boss fights. I more or less cleared every boss (including the final boss) by just equipping the appropriate weapon and then going to town while spamming cure.

    The ease of the game aside I loved the game. The story is very familiar if you have ever played a final fantasy / mana game but it holds up well and as a Vita moible game Im very satisfied with the final product. I have heard some people criticize this game because it is a remake of Final Fantasy Adventures (Gameboy) and not Sword of Mana, which was a remake of Final Fantasy Adventures for the PS1 that had many story updates, new characters, and allowed for the player to choose two different gendered characters to play as. While Sword of Mana would have been a good game to remake I am not going to hold that against Adventures of Mana. This is a good remake of a specific game and I love it as it is not as I wish it could be.

    In conclusion: 9/10 Must buy    … Expand
  4. acoolguy
    Mar 27, 2020
    8
    It may look like a cheap mobile game from screenshots, but this is actually a solid remake of Final Fantasy Adventure. The music and gameplayIt may look like a cheap mobile game from screenshots, but this is actually a solid remake of Final Fantasy Adventure. The music and gameplay are modernized while remaining faithful to the original, the menus are improved, and the graphics look pretty nice on Vita thanks to the game running at native res and 60fps.
    It's a basic game, but still enjoyable if you played it growing up or want something similar to the original Legend of Zelda with some Final Fantasy flair.    … Expand
  5. DanielcoXZ
    Jul 22, 2020
    8
    Its a good game if you like this geder. In special the music its a very good experience. If you want a old school RPG this game its a goodIts a good game if you like this geder. In special the music its a very good experience. If you want a old school RPG this game its a good option. The game have many passage secret, this can difficult the progress if you are not used to solving puzzles… Expand
  6. DMcGee2288
    Jul 11, 2016
    7
    It doesn't quite feel like a Mana series game. It doesn't quite come off as a Final Fantasy type game, either. However, Adventures of ManaIt doesn't quite feel like a Mana series game. It doesn't quite come off as a Final Fantasy type game, either. However, Adventures of Mana (AKA Final Fantasy Adventures) is all-in-all a passable PlayStation Vita RPG. For older gamers, it is very nostalgic of years back when we were gaming it down on SNES or Gameboy. Heck, it even was a Gameboy game released originally back in 1991, and then re-released in 1998 for the United States.

    Being a huge Legend of Mana (easily in my top 3 all-time favorite ps1 games), Sword of Mana, and Secret of Mana fan-- it's good to see where the Mana series all started.

    Why it's a 7?
    Well, lets not kid ourselves. We are half way through the year in 2016. This game is over 25 years old from its initial release date. A LOT has changed since then. Yes, it has good gameplay and yes, it's got a nice soundtrack and a decent story line. The characters are alright. The price is good. But nothing stands out as excellent to be completely honest. It's one of those games you pick it up and you play it for a couple days or so... A week at most give or take... Then, you're done with it. There's like virtually little to no replay-ability. Unless you are a trophy hunter, and you missed a piece of inventory/equipment from your collection, I don't really see the draw to go back and play this game again. Truth be told, there are better games out there for any given specific current gen mobile platform (even cell phones and the sorts). There are even better RPGs. However, if you loved Mana like me or many others, and you are an old gamer, and you love old school RPGs, then this is absolutely a must-have treasure that you can point back at and say proudly-- "Yeah, I played that. I beat it."    … Expand
  7. rq3
    Jun 29, 2016
    5
    Adventures of Mana is a remake of Mystic Quest (or simply known as Seiken Densetsu) from 1991. It's not the first time Square Enix decided toAdventures of Mana is a remake of Mystic Quest (or simply known as Seiken Densetsu) from 1991. It's not the first time Square Enix decided to create a remake of it. Many of bit older gamers probably remember Sword of Mana released on GBA. Some fans might even remember never released in West remake for mobile phones.

    So how does Adventures of Mana compare to original and previous remake? Frankly speaking, not so well. Nobody can deny that game has lots of potential. Let's say it clearly game is still fun to play! Square Enix did great job at scraping all those weird plot changes from Sword of Mana, and returning to roots of Mystic Quest.

    But than... sadly even on Vita it feels cheap. First of all gorgeous sprites (Square Soft had marvelous sprites) were replaced by not so good 3d models. Sword of Mana was more of eyecandy than Adventures of Mana... It such a shame that Square Enix didn't either stick to 2d style or... paid bit more attention to making game look stunning.

    Secondly... it's 1:1 port of a mobile phone game. Square Enix didn't even bother to make option to let players turn off touch controls or at least switching off those gigantic virtual buttons from mobile version. It's OK as an option, it's more than welcomed AS AN OPTION. But leaving mandatory mobile phone HUD on Vita port? It just doesn't work. Vita version deserved a new HUD created from the scratch.

    One of advantages of Vita over mobile phones are what we in gaming industry call "buttons". And many of those in Adventures of Mana are either useless (select, start) or wasted like Triangle, Square and L/R buttons. Both D-pad and analog stick does the same... that's waste of potential button combinations. In game you will find yourself often going to menu just to switch for few seconds either weapon or items/magic...

    Another thing... AI of teammates and monsters.... or rather lack of it. When you see your ally running around instead of using properly magic to attack enemy which far from him... you begin to wonder why he is even there. Enemies running through obstacles which you can't pass... why?

    The last thing I will mention is... enemies appearing on map right beneath you. That's how you will lose most of your health running around on map. You are switching region, start moving than 1-2 second later.... whoops.... enemies are appearing right beneath you making you lose some of your HP. Why? Why not make enemies appear with map?

    If Square Enix paid bit more attention and made a bit better port game would be much more enjoyable. But sadly Adventures of Mana is just a mobile phone app ported to Vita. Things that are acceptable on mobile phones won't pass on console/PC/handheld.

    Than again. Adventures of Mana is not a bad game.... it's simply not good. Everything good about it comes from the original game.... most of bad comes from another Square Enix's poor quality remake.

    If you are wondering whether to buy it or not. You probably should. Just to show support to the system, as Square Enix is well known from ignoring Vita system (I am Setsuna, Type-0 HD yada yada). Just be aware to not expect to much from it. Again game can be enjoyable! It's worth playing, if you never had chance to try out Mystic Quest.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Best PS Vita Game of 2016
7
#7 Most Discussed PS Vita Game of 2016
17
#17 Most Shared PS Vita Game of 2016