Video Games

Review: TRIALS OF MANA (Nintendo Switch)

Square Enix gives us another JRPG, this time in the form of Trials of Mana. When the legendary Mana Tree is withering, it’s up to a group of heroes to save it.

Right from the start, the player finds the main reasons why the game has such high replay value. The game gives the player access to six different characters, with their own set of skills and origin. With these six characters, the player chooses three of them as their playable characters.

In essence, the story is the same no matter who the main character of your choice is. However, the key difference is the beginning and the end due to the fact that the “big bad” is not the same for every lead. There is also the factor of interactions, which differs depending on the player’s own trio.
Another aspect that gives the game worth replaying is its class system. This class system works like a tree, where you follow a branch through your evolution. Trials of Mana‘s combat system are quite simple. It occurs in real-time, with the player controlling one of the characters (though they have the means to switch if necessary) with the other two get¨s controlled by the game for you.

Even with these comments in mind, there is still an elephant in the room to address. If you want the best voice acting possible, choose the Japanese voice work. While there are few that do a good job, the majority of them come off as first-timers with no direction. Like the English voice work, the dialogue come off as it’s written (be it badly translated or not) from a writer(s) who makes fanfic writers come off as J. R. R. Tolkien.

With all that said, Trials of Mana is a game that is worth acquiring. It’s not a masterpiece of its genre, but it is a fun game that gives you a ton of replay value. If you don’t own a Nintendo Switch, Trials of Mana is also available on PlayStation 4 and PC.

Latest posts by Isak Wolff (see all)

Co-host of the Amateur Otaku Podcast. A writer of many things. Loves everything nerdy from anime/manga to comics and video games. Fire Emblem is the greatest of all time.