‘Visions of Mana’ review: An unsettling journey towards hope

‘Visions of Mana’ is available on PS5 (reviewed), PS4, PC, and Xbox Series X|S. A review code was provided by the publisher.

NOTE: Some early-game spoilers ahead.

Visions of Mana is a strange entry into the Mana series of role-playing games. Functionally, it is similar in many ways thematically and stylistically to previous titles, but it carries itself differently.

If most Mana games have a tinge of hope in them — of rebuilding worlds or protecting them — then Visions of Mana carries the same bit of whimsy (from the art style) and gravitas (from the themes and story), but it’s mixed in such a way that media-conscious folks will likely start off unsettled.

Maintaining prosperity

Val, the first protagonist we meet, has a big job ahead of him. He’s the soul guard, and as the title of his job implies, he’s essentially guarding the soul of the “alm,” a person chosen by the fairies to perpetuate prosperity throughout a town by offering their soul to the mana tree.

A beggar’s mana tree, if you will, requesting alms from the people to sustain itself.

Now, I could have said that the alm sacrifices their life to sustain the mana tree and prevent calamity from befalling the world’s various towns — it’s essentially the same thing, of course. But the two definitions of this duty are not mutually exclusive, and whereas some games or media might look at this cynically — the seedy reality of the world at large, one might exclaim — the game takes these alms as beacons of hope and treats the idea of alms as a necessary, yet much revered, journey for those chosen.

And it’s quite a journey to get from your town to the mana tree. You’ll escort your fire-aligned town’s alm, your best friend and long-time lovey-dove Hinna, alongside a band of other people — some who are willing alms and some who are accidental or seemingly reluctant to bear the task on their shoulders — taking on monsters and bosses and all sorts of things in a cheery manner.

Rewarding class-based systems

The game use elemental vessels as a means of providing characters with a progression path and character classes and visuals befitting a change in fighting style.

For instance, Val can become a wind-infused rune knight with a greatsword or, perhaps, become a lance-and-shield wielding tanky fighter using a different elemental vessel. Equipping an elemental vessel introduces new ways of fighting, and also different attack speeds, skills, and strengths and weaknesses for each character you meet along the way.

Combat feels simple to start, but does ramp up somehow in complexity as you progress, making all that effort worthwhile. It’s a great concept, and one I enjoyed fiddling around with even as I continued the unsettling journey.

An easily-distracted person’s worst nightmare

The game also suffers a bit from something I’d like to call “distraction syndrome.”

Namely, collectibles are easily visible on the game space, and chests and other special things are also noticeable on the game’s minimap. This makes the urge to dilly-dally a bit of a problem if you’re like me and easily distracted by shinies.

And there are a lot of them. Aside from collecting loot from chests, the game eventually introduces you to side quests you don’t necessarily have to take, but that dole out rewards that seem enticing to earn and distracted by.

As I said: Visions of Mana, while impressing upon you a sense of urgency with the storyline, is also an easily-distracted person’s worst nightmare.

The journey beckons

Now I’m not sure how far I am from completing the game. My game time has been strangely padded by traipsing around and seeking the the aforementioned side quests and shiny distractions, as well as map exploration — from vertical double-jump climbs to trying to find hidden nooks and crannies.

It’s a great time when you forget the time constraints, but it’s also a way for me to sort of disconnect from the unsettled feeling of dread I have mentioned at the beginning of this review.

All that said, I’m excited to keep playing and seeing what else is in store for soul guard Val and the alms.

My only hope is that Visions of Mana will ultimately stay true to its thematic formula — that even in the depths of despairing about mortality, there is hope to be found not just in the destination, but in the journey as well. – Rappler.com