Square-Enix has announced some details and a release date for the 3-D remastered Secret of Mana, one of the most popular role-playing games ever made. The new version, with improved visuals, online multiplayer, upgraded gameplay, and an enhanced musical score, will be available soon for PlayStation 4, Vita, and Steam users.
The original Secret of Mana is included as one of the games in the Super NES Classic, but the new version will launch in February 2018, just in time for the game’s 25th anniversary.
Any dedicated gamer’s list of best Super NES games will undoubtedly include Secret of Mana among the top ten. The beloved 16-bit role-playing game, released in 1993, was a huge hit for Nintendo and spawned a raft of sequels. It followed the adventures of Randi, Primm, and Popoi (although the characters didn’t have names in the original SNES release) in a quest to defeat the evil Thantos in the flying Mana fortress.
Fitting somewhere in the fractured Final Fantasy family tree, Secret of Mana was actually a follow-up to a spinoff named Final Fantasy Adventure for the original Game Boy. A 3-D remake, Adventures of Mana, made a surprise appearance on PS Vita last year.
The Secret of Mana sequel was never released in the U.S., although the recent Japanese launch of the Mana trilogy collection for the Nintendo Switch has fans hopeful for a localized version.
The game was originally developed as a launch title for the SNES-CD peripheral, but after the deal between Nintendo and Sony fell apart, parts of the storyline and graphics were cut out due to space limitations on the SNES cartridge. Many of the featured introduces in Mana, such as real-time battles, were later expanded and used in landmark RPGs like Chrono Trigger and Secret of Evermore.
If you’re a dedicated Square-Enix fan, there will also be a Collector’s Edition available in Japan for the PlayStation version. In addition to the game, the Secret of Mana Collector’s Edition includes a pop-up storybook, three figures, and the soundtrack.
