Legend of Mana Remastered

The subtle, though tangible tweaks to Legend of Mana’s presentation, coupled with maintaining its core gameplay elements, flaws and all, has achieved something quite brilliant. Playing this game feels exactly as I remember it. It looks the same, plays the same, and reads the same, even though I am acutely aware that it isn’t. There is no question that players would welcome a gameplay experience more refined by better system upgrades to explore this wondrous world, but Legend of Mana remains enjoyable despite this. If you’re patient with the murky controls, can get lost in the mystifying crafting and pet-rearing systems, and embrace the enchanting world and cast, Legend of Mana will leave a lasting impression from a game that plays like little else.

Legend of Mana is a game with a lot of heart that genre fans will enjoy. Great locations, co-op, replayability, as well as memorable quests and characters are just a few of the reasons that more than justify the asking price.

Out of all the Mana games I’ve played this is easily the best one. There are so many reasons to revisit it thanks to how open progression is. Your natural curiosity is rewarded around every turn, and your choices actually shape the world. I can see how my playthrough could differ greatly to that of someone else’s, and I’m excited to continue to revisit it throughout the years. I hope this is the template Square is basing their next console Mana game on, because this is truly something special. Even if it isn’t though, I’m happy enough that the bar for remastering sprite-based games has been raised once again.

Legend of Mana is a remaster that comes loaded with nostalgia to adapt it to current times, but remaining as special and original as in the past. However, its particular way of telling its story might not convince some players.

Legend of Mana is, at its core, a profoundly weird RPG, especially following the Super Nintendo-era Mana games. The nonlinear structure and unique map placement concepts are the foundation of this adventure, to the point where the more simplistic combat is deemphasized. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to PlayStation Mana past, even with a handful of antiquated ideas and nagging frustrations. Legend of Mana is a game I would recommend to anyone hankering for an RPG that’s a little off the beaten path. And even if you just wish this was a bread-and-butter Mana adventure, we can all appreciate the incredible soundtrack.

This Legend of Mana remaster features beautiful visuals, amazing music from Yoko Shimomura, and a lot of quirky old-school weirdness. Mileage will vary with its over-designed mechanics, but the game is charming, unique in its storytelling, and offers some solid quality-of-life additions.

Legend of Mana is a competent port of an odd little game, which is honestly an achievement for Square Enix. The fun of the original is intact, and small quality of life additions help ease the grind of '90s JRPG design. Ring Ring Land doesn't add much, but it doesn't take away either. The Mana series has gotten a lot of love from both fans and Square Enix recently, and this Legend of Mana remaster keeps the brand growing strong.

Legend of Mana was already a fantastic experience when it first released, and this brand new HD release has helped make it all the more endearing. While the unique story structure can make it confusing to approach at first, the brilliant, funny and charming writing cannot be denied.

It won't certainly please veryone due to a peculiar storytelling style and worldbuilding mechanics, but Legend of Mana is still a unique, gorgeous and replayable JRPG that deserved a second chance on modern consoles. Give it a chance if you'd like to try something different.

The return of Legend of Mana is one that many players will appreciate because it is full of nostalgia, improvements and animations that enhance a beautiful story. However, while the remaster is almost perfect in its presentation, it doesn't have enough quality of life additions to be something that you should play urgently.

Legend of Mana: Remastered is a difficult game to love. It's opaque, the plot needs to be pried from its hiding place, and it makes you struggle to enjoy it. If that works for you, it'll work extremely well. There's a lot of depth and replay value buried deep within the cloudy depths. You must want to dig, instead of the more instantly accessible and enjoyable gameplay of Trials of Mana or Collection of Mana. If you're looking to get a feel for the franchise, you should start with one of those other games instead. I'm fond of Legend of Mana, but that fondness is born of nostalgia for the PS1 era. Newcomers need to be willing to put up with all of its flaws and foibles to see the delicious treats beneath.

While I can’t wholeheartedly suggest Legend of Mana to everyone, I would say it’s worth a look if you’re willing to sink time into understanding the mechanics of the game and don’t mind a little aimless exploration. Or, if you’re like me and already knew what to expect going in, you can have a little peace of mind that Square Enix and M2 did a really solid job of bringing Legend of Mana back to life on modern hardware.

Legend of Mana Remastered is a terribly cute and charming JRPG that has both the good and bad qualities of a game made in the 90s.

Legend of Mana will continue to divide, but if you haven't, now might be the time to let yourself be wowed by its enchanting art direction and endearing world.

The Legend of Mana of 2021 is as close to the original version as you could hope for while still bringing this classic original PlayStation JRPG into the modern era. The sprite work is timeless, and the newly redrawn widescreen backgrounds are just perfect. Legend of Mana is a game I just want to look at and absorb into my eyes as much as I want to play it… maybe even moreso, because while combat holds up, the old-school structure of its story makes it a little tougher to recommend unless you’re going to play with a walkthrough guide open on your phone the whole time. I enjoyed my time with Legend of Mana, don't get me wrong, but wandering through its world from one unconnected quest to the next makes reaching the end feel like a very long guessing game – and there’s little or nothing that can be done to remedy that without fundamentally altering the DNA of Legend of Mana.

Fortunately, that means Legend of Mana is getting its own moment on the Switch, PS4, and PC with a remaster. While it doesn’t exactly address every issue present in the original game, it looks amazing and includes some features that might ease frustrations.

On the surface, this game has all the ingredients to make a great RPG. The graphics are gorgeous, the soundtrack is infectious, the combat is approachable yet complex, and there's a ton of replay value. Unfortunately, the disparate pieces don't hang together quite right. Without a strong central narrative, you're left bouncing around for the whole playthrough. And without a comprehensive walkthrough, you'll be doing so for quite a long time.

A faithful remaster of a game two decades old, with all its ups and downs. Poor controls, bad UI and pixelated characters will definitely take some time getting used to, but in return you’ll get a true old-school experience with some very interesting puzzles. [Issue#257, p.62]

Sporting only a few minor upgrades, the Legend of Mana is largely the same game it was over twenty years ago – lots to do, but doesn’t really excel at any one aspect. The story and graphics are still delightful, but gameplay feels unpolished compared to today’s standards. That said, it’s still always great to see older games receive re-releases making them more available to larger audiences.

An UFO in the JRPG genre that is still very interesting for every curious gamer. Too bad this remaster does nothing to fix some of the problems found in the original game.

To a certain type of player, Legend of Mana is likely to be considered the perfect remaster. It touches up the visuals, but not too much. It makes quality-of-life changes, but preserves the original design and difficulty – warts and all. Some may find that preservation detrimental, with this twenty year-old game showing its age – but it does also make this the new definitive way to experience a classic.

This HD Remaster of Legend of Mana is a strange experience, somewhere in-between : with beautiful and wide landscapes, and a brilliant musical score, the game also offers some old and sometime repulsive gameplay mechanics, especially for newcomers. Legend of Mana is still a good '90s game, but it clearly needed more reflection to match today's standards.

It’s easy to see why this was such a polarizing title upon release. There’s a lot to love here, but Legend of Mana can be tiring in how much it likes to play ‘hard to get’. All the ingredients and individual pieces of a strong, impressively innovative RPG are present, but it feels like the developers simply tossed all these ideas in a bag and shook it vigorously, rather than taking the time to lay out all those ideas in a coherent and curated fashion. We’d give this one a recommendation, but only to fans of the genre, specifically those who prefer more experimental titles. If that doesn’t describe you, there’s still a good chance you’ll find something to like about Legend of Mana, but just be aware it may be more of a mixed bag.