Trials of Mana Mobile Review, Impressive Classic JRPG Remake!

GAMEFINITY.ID, Bandung City — When it comes to porting video games from PC and Console to Mobile, we can say that Square Enix is the most intent on doing this. Following Final Fantasy VIII Remastered and SaGa Frontier Remastered, SE also released a 3D Remake of Trials of Mana on mobile platforms.

Hearing the steps that Square Enix took, we were quite impressed and did not expect that something like this would happen. Not without reason, the movement that Square Enix did was fairly fast considering the Trials of Mana Remake which was just released last year.

In August 2021, Square Enix said that sales of Trials of Mana were higher than expectations which was a positive sign for the continuation of the Mana Series.

Now we can optimistically say that the real quality and modern RPG experience is within the grasp of your smartphone. Then, how exciting is Trials of Mana Mobile? If you are interested, please see the article below.

Overview

Also known as Seiken Densetsu 3, Trials of Mana was first released in 1995 as a JRPG game for the SNES platform. This game is a sequel to Secret of Mana (1993), thus making it the 3rd in the Mana Series. Then in 2021, Square Enix officially launched the 3D Remake for Trials of Mana on Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, and PlayStation 4 platforms.

Fun Facts : At first, the first game from the Mana Series was a spin-off from Final Fantasy entitled “Mystic Quest”.

This game tells about 6 protagonists with different backgrounds. They are on an adventure to find the Mana Sword with the aim of ending the protracted conflict in the world.

After knowing briefly about Trials of Mana Remake Mobile, let’s continue to the review segment below.

Storyline (8/10)

If you are familiar with JRPG games, especially the classic Final Fantasy produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi, you will find some similarities in the story concept of Trials of Mana. This is indeed natural, because previously the Mana Series was part of the Final Fantasy spin-off itself.

You will be in the position of a young man who is chosen to save the world from chaos. The good news is, you are free to choose your background through the character you choose. Each of the characters is named Duran, Angela, Kevin, Charlotte, Hawkeye, and Riesz. They have a variety of different adventure goals, such as gaining power, taking revenge, saving lovers, and even proving themselves worthy of their mother who feels burdened by her child.

Once you determine your character, you will meet other partners over time. Then they will get to know each other and share their vision of their adventure.

Like RPGs in general, you are then chosen by fate to become a hero who will solve all conflicts in the world. Together with partners that you find over time, you will help each other and adventure together to find a sacred sword called the Sword of Mana.

Gameplay (9/10)

Considering that this game is a direct port of the Console and PC versions, the gameplay of Trials of Mana is certainly very exciting and fun compared to many other mobile games.

Before you play, you will be given a choice of 6 characters with different skills and stats. You are free to choose 3 characters to form a party that you will play during the game.

This game does not carry a turn based combat system, but action combat that makes you more free to move when you are fighting. You can attack with basic, heavy attack, skills, to magic depending on the character you choose. In addition to the mobile version, you can also use the auto combat feature that can facilitate your grinding process.

As the level and strength of the party increases, you can also change your character to a higher class. To do this, you need to meet certain conditions and interact with objects called Mana Stones.

The boss fight in Trials of Anywhere is very exciting and challenging. Especially if you play in difficulty hard mode, some bosses will be quite tormenting for your party. You need the right timing to attack, dodge, and heal yourself and your party. If not, you may need to restart the fight from the beginning.

In exploration, this game has a linear concept and is not too broad. But the good thing is, the available maps have an attractive design and are not empty. You may interact with puzzles, find hidden items, and also get to enjoy beautiful views of the city or other places.

Uniquely, Trials of Mana also applies a gacha system. But calm down, the gacha here is good and profitable for players. Every time you visit the inn, you can plant a plant to produce random useful items that can facilitate your adventure process.

Visualization (9/10)

Although the graphics of this game are downgraded from other platform versions, Trials of Mana Mobile still looks quite comfortable to the eye. By carrying out the cartoonist and colorful art style, it can give a happier psychological impact.

From the design of the characters, buildings, coloring, and other aspects, they combine harmoniously to form a cheerful atmosphere. For example, some monsters that look funny will not scare you, but feel exasperated.

The graphics offered are also very good compared to many other JRPG competitors on mobile. Unfortunately, some texture resolutions in the environment in the mobile version can look low resolution. But it is not a problem that is too bothersome and you will be distracted with other satisfying aspects.

If you want to play this game, I recommend using the graphics rules between medium or high. Because, when you use the low rule, the resolution will be compressed as low as possible which will interfere with your playing comfort.

Control (8/10)

I admit, this port is quite good at adjusting its controls with touch devices. Unlike the previous Final Fantasy VIII Remastered port, which only had the impression of “emulating”, Trials of Mana had a different impression. Square Enix gives a higher effort by providing direct touch features on interactive menus and quite good control adjustments.

It’s just that, for the placement of the combat control, it takes a little adjustment with its unusual placement. Like jump, dodge, or to use skills that require you to swipe a button. However, it makes the UI simple enough so that it doesn’t interfere with the view when playing.

One more thing I need to mention, Square Enix has not provided compatibility with external bluetooth controllers so far. You are forced to play just by touching the virtual controller on your smartphone screen.

Audio (9/10)

Square Enix has succeeded in providing quality audio that makes Trials of Mana more lively and imaginative with the essence of classic game audio being preserved. You can choose from two types of music that run in the background, namely classic versions and remakes. This can be a preference for those of you who want to feel more nostalgic or adventure with new sensations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_nXtDfcMYM

I was really excited to play when I first opened the menu and believe that an impressive adventure awaits before my eyes. That’s true, with the expressive nature of classical music, it makes me feel like I’m in the same world exploring to find the Sword of Mana full of emotion.

Optimization (8/10)

Unlike other platforms, Trials of Mana on the mobile platform provides a few variations of graphics settings to match the performance of the smartphone you have. You can adjust the graphics settings from low, medium, and high. Not too much, but it’s quite helpful for those of you who have middle-end and lower devices.

Unfortunately, this game is locked to 30 FPS only. This will be very annoying for those of you who have sensitive eyes and are used to video games with 60 FPS or more.

Addictive (9/10)

Trials of Mana Mobile offers a fun and real console gaming experience on mobile. The variety of content offered by this game also makes it not enough to play once in a lifetime, but you can replay from NG+ or try adventures with characters you haven’t played before.

I myself am often even motivated to open the application of this game many times. Trials of Mana on mobile has its own charm when you see it in the app drawer.

In addition if you’re the type of player who likes to explore, you can also struggle to find lil’ Cactus through the various kingdoms that exist. The more lil’ Cactus you find, the more rewards you can get.

Advantages vs Disadvantages

To simplify things that have been reviewed in the previous points, let’s fix the advantages and disadvantages of Trials of Mana Mobile.

Excess :

Very exciting and fun gameplay
Cheerful visualization with high-quality graphics
Worth to replay
Good mix of classical music
Port with good effort by SE

Deficiency :

Does not support external controller
Limited to 30 FPS only

Conclusion

Trials of Mana Remake remains one of the JRPGs that deserves to be watched in the modern era. Square Enix’s attention to their old classic JRPG to suit the modern gaming era is a huge relief. No need to have a console or PC, now you can even enjoy the remake of this legendary JRPG on your smartphone.

To conclude this article, I will give rating score of 8.7. I recommend this game for those of you who want to experience the classic JRPG with a more modern sensation on your smartphone.

If you are interested in playing Trials of Mana Remake on mobile, you can buy it in the playstore via this link.

Video game player and RPG enthusiast.

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