Today’s Xbox Developer Direct had a surprise guest appearance from a third party. Square Enix cut into the stream to show off more of its upcoming Visions of Mana, and confirm a Summer 2024 release window.
The unannounced guest made its appearance directly after Obsidian and Ninja Theory’s presentations, to share new details about the next entry in the Mana series. This will actually be the first entry in the series to hit Xbox consoles, so today’s appearance on the stream was a bit of a surprise, to say the least.
Much of Visions of Mana looks like Square Enix building on the foundations of its Trials of Mana remake. Fully 3D action-RPG combat, with a bright, colorful look is fitting for the Mana series, after all. But the show-stealer for me was the pikul, a dog-like companion the player can ride around on.
The pikul apparently started out as something of a mix, incorporating both Yorkshire terrier and a pangolin. I love the pikul, and will protect the pikul, and prevent any harm from befalling the pikul.
New visions
Square also talked a bit about its musical score, which will have 100 songs total, and adapt as the player enters combat. It’s a really cool effect to hear in practice, and I’m really intrigued to hear it play out in the overworld once the RPG is out.
It’s really cool to see the Mana series get this kind of push. A decade ago, the idea of a new Mana game getting shown alongside the likes of an Indiana Jones title and Avowed would’ve been wild. It really does seem like Xbox is courting a wider range of third-party developers. And man, Visions of Mana is looking solid.
We’ll see if the series still has that action-RPG magic when Visions of Mana arrives in Summer 2024.
