After a 15-year hiatus, Square Enix‘s Mana series makes a triumphant return with Visions of Mana, signaling a new era with significant changes. Masaru Oyamada some pivotal annecdotes about the game’s development journey.
A burning question emerged regarding the potential inclusion of cooperative multiplayer in Visions of Mana, as well as its role in the future of the series. Oyamada reflected on the influential legacy of Secret of Mana, highlighting how its multiplayer co-op mode left an indelible mark on players.
As the team navigated internal discussions during Visions of Mana’s development, they pondered the idea of integrating a similar feature into the game.
While Secret of Mana pioneered cooperative play in the Mana series back in 1993, subsequent titles like Trials of Mana, Legend of Mana, and Children of Mana have continued this tradition to varying degrees. As Visions of Mana charts a new course for the series, the prospect of multiplayer integration sparks intriguing possibilities for the franchise’s future direction.
Oyamada revealed that the 2020 remake of Trials of Mana, despite being singleplayer-only, had a significant impact on the development of Visions of Mana. He expressed how his team perceived Trials of Mana as laying the groundwork for a fresh addition to the Mana series right from the inception of its development phases.
Reflecting on Trials of Mana, Oyamada noted that there were ideas and features they aspired to implement but couldn’t at the time. It remains to be seen whether any of these concepts will surface as DLC or serve as inspiration for future multiplayer Mana games.
Of course, this speculation hinges on Square Enix’s continued commitment to producing mid-budget titles.
