Visions of Mana producer Masaru Oyamada recently conducted an in-depth interview about the upcoming game and touched on how it will reach new Western players.
A screenshot from Visions of Mana (2024), Square Enix
Speaking with Automaton, Oyamada was asked, “Do you have any plans as to how you’d like the Mana series to reach out to Western gamers in the future?”
He responded, “I get the feeling that many people who picked up Secret of Mana (1993, Seiken Densetsu 2) at the time it came out were young like I was because I regularly receive feedback from people who play the latest entries through the lens of their childhood experiences with the series. I hope that as they grow older and become parents, they will recommend the Mana series to their children and tell them about how fun it is.”
“The unique atmosphere and design might make some people feel that it is a bit ‘childish’, however these are the strengths of the Mana series. Rather than changing these features that make the Mana series, I hope that new players will come to like these games that have been popular in Japan for a long time for what they are,” he added.
A screenshot from Visions of Mana (2024), Square Enix
In a follow-up question he elaborated, “ I think the visuals of the Mana games are a distinctive characteristic, therefore it is best to deliver the game based on the developers’ creative vision. For example, there are many different types of characters in the Mana series. I think the fun of the game is encountering this mysterious world and its inhabitants and because of that, we don’t have a strong focus on a particular audience.”
“However, we do work on the game while bearing in mind that the Mana series is loved by fans from all over the world,” he said.
A screenshot from Visions of Mana (2024), Square Enix
This idea of staying true to the franchise was a theme throughout Oyamada’s interview with Automaton. Earlier in the interview he was asked, “Were you conscious of broadening the title’s appeal in the sense that a difficulty level similar to other games in the series might put players off? Did sticking to a gentle game design overall conflict with its identity as an action game?”
He responded, “Not as such. While some games aim to be challenging, there are few titles nowadays that are designed to be accessible to various players, so we decided to make Visions of Mana so that it was accessible to all types of players, including newcomers to the series and genre.”
He explained, “There were people who said: ‘Why don’t you make it more stylish?’ or, ‘Why don’t you have big flashy moves?’ but if you ask me, I personally don’t think that’s what the Mana series is about.”
A screenshot from Visions of Mana (2024), Square Enix
Next, he was asked about how the concept of ‘Mana-like’ formed the foundation for Visions of Mana. He explained, “That’s right. Of course, my perspective as a fan of the Mana series became a benchmark for the game.”
“As this is the series’ first new title in a long time, I wanted to make a game that would be a faithful addition to the series and encompasses everything that makes a Mana game unique,” Oyamada asserted.
A screenshot from Visions of Mana (2024), Square Enix
To this theme, Oyamada also informed RPG Fan, “As we have developed Visions of Mana, it has been 15 years since the last installment, so for me personally, when I see that long legacy of the series, I wanted to incorporate things I personally loved and what fans loved about the series. So, in that sense, we have bits and parts of all the past games, so all the past titles have influenced the making of this game.”
When asked about elements from past Mana games that he’s incorporated into Visions, Oyamada said, “I’m actually very happy that you’re able to feel the presence of the past games in this game too. When it comes to myself, I have always been a very big fan of the Mana series. So, on my end, when I was creating visuals for Mana, I really wanted to pack in all of what I felt were the best parts about the past games.”
A screenshot from Visions of Mana (2024), Square Enix
He elaborated, “That might be things like from Secret of Mana, when the weapon changes were introduced as a feature, or things like from Trials of Mana, where class changes were introduced. And from Legend of Mana, you know, when you were able to interact with curious creatures and different species, right? Those were all things that came to mind.”
“On a personal level, I always really wanted to be able to take journeys, take users and players on this grand journey across the world. From that perspective as well, it’s really important for me to be able to create a field that is incredibly expansive. And to also create a variety of different lands and regions for people to explore,” Oyamada asserted.
A screenshot from Visions of Mana (2024), Square Enix
Visions of Mana is expected to arrive on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and PC via Steam sometime in Summer 2024.
As noted by Oyamada above, the game is the first mainline entry in the Mana series in 15 years. Back in January, Square Enix revealed a first look at the game’s gameplay and revealed it will include a new aerial combat system.
What do you make of Oyamada’s comments regarding how Visions of Mana will appeal to Western gamers?
That’s all well and good, but Square’s Ethics department will make sure to remove anything that’s problematic from the game.