Trials of Mana

About Trials of Mana

Trials of Mana (1995), Seiken Densetsu 3 in Japan, is Square's Super Famicom sequel to Secret of Mana, an action RPG of six heroes, three intertwined plots and light-or-dark class changes that stayed in Japan until 2019.

Trials of Mana in Depth

From a top-down view, three party members fight monsters in real time; control can switch between them at any time, the others run by AI, and a second player can join. At the start the player picks three of six heroes and the one to lead, and the others appear as non-player characters. Each character uses one weapon type plus magic, and attacking fills a gauge for special moves. Spells, equipment and items are managed through the Ring Command, a circular menu that pauses the action. At each level up the player chooses which statistic to raise, and at level 18, at a Mana Stone, each character can take a Light or Dark class, with a second change at level 38 if the right rare item has been found. A fast calendar gives each weekday an elemental spirit that strengthens its magic, and day and night change enemies and events; Kevin becomes a werewolf when fighting at night, and a black market opens only after dark.

The three pairs of heroes, Duran and Angela, Hawkeye and Riesz, and Kevin and Charlotte, each have their own villains and storyline, chosen by the first character picked. As Mana fades, schemers try to unleash the Benevodons, eight monsters the Mana Goddess sealed in Mana Stones, and the heroes must claim the Sword of Mana from the sanctuary of the dying Mana Tree.

Making Trials of Mana

Series creator Koichi Ishii designed the game, Tanaka directed it and Tetsuhisa Tsuruzono produced, with character art by manga artist Nobuteru Yūki and music by Hiroki Kikuta, who again worked almost around the clock and made his own instrument samples. Production began in 1993 with a long period of prototypes; the team scrapped what it had built for Secret of Mana to make a more action-oriented game, layered the graphics to get as close to 3D as it could and filled the cartridge to capacity, cutting a volcano boss for time. Ishii said its theme was "independence", and Tanaka kept the story light.

Square released it in Japan on 30 September 1995. Famitsu rated it highly, a little below Secret of Mana, and later reviewers praised graphics among the best on the Super Famicom and Kikuta's score, while finding the AI companions and Ring menu clumsy in combat and the stories clichéd. It finally reached the West officially in 2019 in Collection of Mana, and a 3D remake followed in 2020.