Legend of Mana

Legend of Mana is an RPG that was originally released in 1999 for the PlayStation and garnered a wide following as part of Square’s Mana series of games. The fourth installment of the series, Legend of Mana was, understandably, quite a head-scratcher for many fans of the previous games as it didn’t feature a linear storyline. Instead, it opted to focus on a narrative centered around a multitude of side quests and a world that you quite literally create.

the Legend of Mana Remaster is a strong return for the classic title. Even if some elements haven't aged well, it still maintains its novelty all these years after its release. So long as you have the patience to look past said flaws – and a walkthrough handy for all the points where its design isn't clear – you won't be disappointed with this touched-up fantasy adventure.

The Mana series has been incredibly popular every since they first appeared in the 90s. A series of JRPGs featuring adorable characters and classic top-down perspective and RPG elements have won over fans for decades. Legend of Mana is the fourth game in the series following Trials of Mana, and was originally released back in 1999 from publisher Square (now Square Enix). After over twenty years, Legend of Mana has been fully remastered and made available for modern consoles. Fans of Mana, r...

Legend of Mana is a weighty, yet unique RPG that returns to bring western audiences another look at a forgotten gem.

Legend of Mana is as it's always been: an alluring puzzle of an RPG.

A string of miniquests without a cohesive core, Legend of Mana is likely to disappoint fans hoping for a new action RPG classic, but it will entertain those just looking for a good time.

For the most part, the Mana series is fairly straightforward. You master various weapons, recover the power of Mana in its myriad forms, and save the day. Legend of Mana is slightly different. So much so, in fact, that I’m not sure where to start. The graphics are beautiful, the soundtrack is excellent, and the controls are fairly intuitive. On the other hand, massive chunks of the game are completely obfuscated by design. Without constant access to a walkthrough, you’d need at least a couple of full playthroughs to really figure out the finer details of this curious action RPG.

For better or for worse, Square Enix wanted to make sure the Legend of Mana HD remaster was as close to the original as possible. Thankfully a beautiful world and good story help make up for the lack of guidance or varied combat. It may not be the most welcoming to newcomers, but fans of the original are in for a wonderful trip down nostalgia lane.

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 desc...