Kbity
[vidya gaem history] Decided to do some research about the Mana /Seiken Dentsetsu series now that Visions of Mana has been formally announced and I'm surprised at how weird and complicated it is.
Kbity
So everyone knows that Secret of Mana for the Super Nintendo is technically Seiken Densetsu 2. So where was the first one? So the first one was released outside of Japan as The Final Fantasy Adventure, which seems weird, right?
Kbity
The gameplay is so unlike Final Fantasy at the time, but sure, why not.
Kbity
But in Japan, it was called Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden, meaning it's technically a side-story or spin-off of the Final Fantasy series
Kbity
in Europe, this game is called Mystic Quest... which is also a Final Fantasy game for the SNES
Kbity
So when it came time to release Final Fantasy Mystic Quest/Final Fantasy USA in Europe, the game came to be known as Final Fantasy Mystic Quest Legend
Kbity
Which is also weird because there's the Final Fantasy Legend games on Ganeboy.
Kbity
the Final Fantasy Legend games on GameBoy are A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SERIES
Kbity
This was how the world outside of Japan got introduced to the SaGa series
Kbity
The US and Europe wouldn't actually taste the SaGa series until Saga Frontier on the gorram Playstation.
Kbity
The Final Fantasy Legend came out in 1989. SaGa Frontier came out in 1997
Kbity
this is a mess.
BruberryMuffin
Oh yeah. Games that started in Japan and were migrated to the US and Europe were bizarre.
Kbity
So anyway, back to Mana/Seiken Densetsu. There is a Seiken Densetsu 4 called Dawn of Mana in the US (sorry, Europe) which released on the PS2.
Kbity
it was received very poorly, which is wild because the previous games in the series were very well-received, especially Seiken Densetsu 3 (which would be later released in the West for the first time under the name Trials of Mana), which was very ambitious for its numerous playable characters
Kbity
BruberryMuffin
the early localization days were wild
BruberryMuffin
I mean. They're still wild.
Kbity
true, but thanks to the internet, people are way more savvy about the differences now
BruberryMuffin
They've renamed Yakuza games starting from the newest one on.
Kbity
Also, Fun Fact, Seiken Densetsu 3 did not receive a Western release until 2019 where it officially received the name Trials of Mana. A full 3D remake of this game came less than a year later
BruberryMuffin
Officially. <.<
Kbity
BruberryMuffin
I'm so happy that the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series is finally starting to be popular in the West
Kbity
It felt like such a sleeper series until Yakuza Zero and Kiwami
BruberryMuffin
Yes!
Kbity
but since then it's launched to incredible heights.
Kbity
DANNY TREJO IS IN THE NEW YAKUZA GAME
BruberryMuffin
njlsafhlsdfh
BruberryMuffin
Oh man.
Kbity
Sure, he'll do just about anything, but still, that's wild
Kbity
I also admire Trejo's commitment to being the bad guy and always failing. That's (I believe) a clause in his contract. If you cast him as a villain, he has to fail, because he doesn't want to be a bad influence
Kbity
Getting off track again. So Seiken Densetsu/Final Fantasy Adventure was eventually remade for the Game Boy Advance under the name Sword of Mana.
Kbity
There were also a number of "spin-off" games that carried the "Mana" title but aren't proper sequels. You might know them as Legend of Mana, Children of Mana, or Heroes of Mana
Kbity
There were also a number of Mobile spin-offs as well
Kbity
but it's wild that since Dawn of Mana on PS2, 28 years later we're finally getting a real proper Mana game... potentially
Kbity
so considering the weird, fractured past of the series, what the hell does that even mean???
Kbity
Some games are single player, some multiplayer, but they all at least seem to be ARPGs
Kbity
but what it means to be a "Mana" game... I don't think we're anywhere near finding out.
Kbity
I don't even think that Squeenix actually knows
Kbity
other than a vague aesthetic that sets it apart from Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and whatever other series in this genre they have going on
Kbity
So Visions of Mana might be our first look into what they actually think a Mana game is outside of the bones of the long-dead ones
Kbity
and that's my weird video game rant for the evening. Thank you for your participation in my journey of apparently wanting to hate myself in the morning because it's almost 3 am and I have to work at 10
Ligaratus
manifests in here to cape specifically for Legend of Mana
PolyaMixedNuts
I only heard it talked about, not saw it, for years (I had a college roomie who loved it), so until like 2010 I thought it was Second Ansetsu