Visions of Mana: release date window, trailers, gameplay, and more

By Jesse Lennox February 3, 2024

After 15 years, the next mainline entry in the cult classic Mana series has finally been revealed. Starting out as Mystic Quest or Final Fantasy Adventure in the West, the Mana games stood apart thanks to their unique approach to inserting action into the JRPG formula. Since it has been dormant for so long, many fans had long given up hope for any form of sequel. The announcement of Visions of Mana has gotten older fans excited, but it shouldn’t be ignored by those who have never touched a game in this series before. There’s a lot to see and secrets to discover, so let’s break down everything we know about Visions of Mana.

Contents

Release date window
Platforms
Trailers
Gameplay
Preorder

Release date window

Visions of Mana doesn’t have a specific date just yet but is slated to arrive in summer 2024.

Platforms

Val touching some glowing green spirits. — Square Enix

You can take part in this epic adventure on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. This is the first time the series has ever been on an Xbox platform.

Trailers

Visions of Mana | Announce Trailer

The announcement trailer showed very little aside from the new 3D art style of Visions of Mana, as well as several environments and some quick bits of the combat. We see some massive boss battles, as well as fights with the main character, Val, alone and with a party. What we know of the plot so far revolves around Val’s friend being chosen as an alm. An alm is a person chosen to travel to the Mana Tree to restore the flow of mana. Val volunteers to be their Soul Guard, tasked with protecting the alm during their journey.

Visions of Mana | Xbox Developer Direct 2024 Gameplay Reveal

The Developer Direct gameplay reveal took us behind the scenes on the game at the studio, plus gave a deeper dive into the gameplay.

Gameplay

Val slashing cute rabbit enemies. — Square Enix

The action-focused styling has been ramped up in Visions of Mana. You will be running through environments and engaging with foes with standard attacks, launchers, and magic spells seamlessly.

To help you get around, pikuls have been introduced as mounts to help you travel the massive maps. These are big creatures that combine features of a Yorkshire terrier, pangolins, and even Anubis from Egyptian mythology that you can ride and even ram through enemies with. Visions of Mana doesn’t have a fully open world but will have small loading sections between larger hubs.

A key feature in combat will be Elementals, described as items with unique properties. By using each Elemental against the proper foe, you can exploit weaknesses and unleash flashy ultimate attacks.

Preorder

Val running toward a village below a volcano. — Square Enix

Until Visions of Mana has a clear vision of its release date, no preorders will be available. The best you can do for now is add it to your wishlist to be notified or check back here for the latest updates on the game.

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The original Hollow Knight was first released in 2017 and was immediately recognized as one of the most impressive entries in the Metroidvania genre, indie or not. The immaculate hand-drawn art style made even the dank, drab world full of bugs known as Hollownest a truly endearing place to explore. Combined with the tight platforming controls, light Soulslike elements, satisfying upgrades, and cryptic story, Hollow Knight soared to the top of many critics' and players' favorite games lists.

Team Cherry, the three-person team behind Hollow Knight, didn't stop there. The team continued working on the game for the following year with four pieces of DLC that expanded the game's world and added new enemies, bosses, quests, and game modes. Initially planned as yet another piece of DLC, Hollow Knight: Silksong, originally called Hornet, became so large that Team Cherry decided to make it a full sequel. The development of this new entry has been as mysterious as the world it is set in, with many important questions still shrouded in darkness. As we wait for our next dive into the world of bugs, here's everything we know about Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Release date speculation

Gaming

Visions of Mana will have the series’ largest world to date, producer says

A red haired figure stands with his clenched fist raised in Visions of Mana

The Secret of Mana is one of my favorite games of all time.

Square's blend of traditional RPG elements with real-time action was remarkable, and the story of unlikely allies forging bonds and taking on an empire is equal parts epic, heartfelt, and hilarious. It was the second title in the Final Fantasy spinoff series that is known as Seiken Densetsu in Japan, and it became the hit that spawned over a dozen games and millions of copies sold. Despite that success, the series has laid dormant for 15 years, with no new mainline entry released in that time. That changes this year with Visions of Mana.

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Visions of Mana paints a promising picture of the RPG series’ return

Red-haired girl with horns and dragon wing in Visions of Mana

The vibrant settings and character designs in Visions of Mana instantly alerted me that I'd be knee-deep into fantasy, riding on the back of a giant black wolf into the grassy plains of Fallow Steppe. A lush landscape welcomed me as I chatted with my teammates on top of my mount and tussled with little woodland monsters.

I had this experience at this year's PAX East, where I went hands-on with a demo of the upcoming RPG. I never played previous Mana games, but I have enough experience with RPGs and real-time combat to name it one of the most gorgeous, action-packed games I played at the show. The shiny open-world and slick combat I experienced point to a strong comeback for the Mana series coming later this summer.