While Square's Seiken Densetsu series continues to this very day, it's the two SNES / Super Famicom outings on which the franchise arguably built its enviable reputation. Seiken Densetsu 2 – better known in the west as Secret of Mana – is one of the finest RPGs ever made, while its sequel has only been held back from global acclaim by the fact that it was sadly never localised outside of Japan. That changes with the release of Collection of Mana, the western localisation of the Seiken Densetsu Collection which launched on Switch in 2017 in Japan.
This pack includes the first three titles in the franchise – the 1991 Game Boy original and the aforementioned 16-bit outings – as emulated by the experts at M2, the studio responsible for the Sega Ages 3D series on Switch as well as Konami's recent Castlevania and Contra Anniversary Collections. The involvement of M2 should be enough to put to rest any fears that this might be a hack-job on Square Enix's part; the emulation is utterly flawless throughout. Each title includes a music test which allows you to appreciate the gorgeous soundtracks outside of the games themselves, as well as screen filters to ensure you get the best view, either on the Switch's screen or your television. Save states are also included for those times when you can't reach an in-game save point, and multiplayer is possible on the SNES games thanks to those lovely detachable Joy-Con controllers.
The franchise debut – known as Seiken Densetsu in Japan, Final Fantasy Adventure in North America and Mystic Quest in Europe – arrived early in the Game Boy's life and features enjoyable (if rather lightweight) action RPG mechanics which actually pre-date the likes of Zelda: Link's Awakening. The visuals are quite basic and the storyline is threadbare – even by early Game Boy standards – but the mixture of real-time action and role-playing stats still clicks, even after all these years. It's a gentle introduction to the core mechanics of the Mana series, and despite its obvious simplicity compared to what would follow, it certainly has plenty of charm.
Surprisingly, out of the three games presented here, the Game Boy entry is the one with the most screen options; you can play in black and white, with fullscreen and windowed variants, and there's also a Game Boy Color filter which adds a spot of vibrancy to the visuals. However, the best screen filter, in our opinion, is the one which replicates the lurid green display of the original Game Boy, complete with visible pixels. It's so convincing we were immediately hit with a strong sense of nostalgia; the only thing missing is the blurriness when objects are moving. Toggling through these screen modes is a simple case of tapping the ZR shoulder trigger, but you can't change the border artwork or opt for a black surround, which some may find disappointing.
Released in 1993, Secret of Mana is arguably the most famous entry in the franchise, at least outside of Japan; heck, it's probably the reason you're so keenly reading this review – if you haven't already excitedly downloaded the collection, of course. Even today it remains a true 2D masterpiece, with gorgeous visuals and one of the best 16-bit soundtracks ever committed to silicon, courtesy of Hiroki Kikuta. Offering hours of gameplay and some of the most memorable moments in the history of the SNES, it's a game which surely needs no introduction; it has been re-released numerous times since 1993 (including a smartphone port and a rather divisive remake on PS4) and is one of the games you can play on your Super NES Classic Edition.
While the storyline in Secret of Mana is still pretty basic and there plenty of silly moments (such as your character's ability to travel over the map by being fired from a cannon), there's no denying the classic status of this game. Even the rather ropey combat – which is an odd mix of real-time and turn-based mechanics – can't dent its appeal. During battle, you're free to move around and swipe at enemies, Zelda-style, but you'll often find that your attacks don't register because your enemy is executing their recovery animation. Other times, your attack seems delayed because it has stacked on top of another attack from one of your AI-controlled companions. Add to this the fact that your actions are bound by a recharging gauge (you can attack at any time, but your blows will be weaker without a full charge), and it feels even further away from Zelda's more immediate gameplay; it's really not what you could call an elegant combat engine, but it's not enough to totally sink the game, and the innovative 'ring' based menu system still feels fresh, at least.
Speaking of AI companions, one of the big selling points of Secret of Mana was that you could enrol a pair of friends to aid you in your quest. Using a second controller (or, if you had one, a SNES Multitap), up to three people can control the main trio of heroes. This element is neatly replicated here thanks to the Switch's Joy-Con controllers; no matter where you are in the world, that second Joy-Con can be detached and handed to a pal for some welcome local co-op gameplay. With a massive quest to undertake packed with memorable locations, gorgeous music and a really nice sense of progression via level-ups and enhanced items, Secret of Mana remains a solid-gold classic.
Finally, we have Seiken Densetsu 3 – or, as it now officially titled in the west, Trials of Mana – the 1995 epic which would surely have followed in the esteemed footsteps of its predecessor in terms of global acclaim had it seen release on the SNES back in the day. With improved visuals, multiple playable characters and three different storylines to explore, it's a truly stunning piece of work – which makes us insanely pleased that it's finally available in the west in an official capacity. The localisation is great, too – so much so that it makes the English script for the other two games included here look rather poor in comparison.
The impressive 'Triangle Story' system means that this positively dwarfs Secret of Mana in terms of sheer scope, and elsewhere Square has improved the game in practically every single way you could imagine. Combat, while similar, has been enhanced dramatically and now flows a lot more smoothly than it did before; instead of waiting for your weapon to recharge after an attack, your blows (which have a degree of auto-targeting) always have the same power; the key difference here is that subsequent attacks fill up a separate gauge which, when full, allows you to execute a more powerful special move. Furthermore, your AI allies are smarter and less inclined to get stuck behind scenery or wander off in the middle of a tense fight.
Visually, this is perhaps one of the finest games to ever grace Nintendo's 16-bit system, with detailed characters and backgrounds which look like genuine works of art. Kikuta's soundtrack, too, is sumptuous; while it will naturally lack that all-important pang of nostalgia for those of us who only knew the previous game, there's no denying that this is top-tier musical artistry; it's incredible to think this is the work of non-CD console, too. Oddly, there are only two screen options available for Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana – fullscreen and windowed – with the former stretching the image out to give the best view. Personally, we prefer the windowed option. It's a shame that a CRT scanline option wasn't included here, especially as it exists in M2's Konami retro collections.
Conclusion
When you consider how many titles Konami is packing into its Anniversary Collection packages – and that their retail price is almost half what Square Enix is demanding for the three games included here – it's impossible to not question the value of Collection of Mana. However, there's no denying the fact that Secret of Mana is one of the finest console RPGs of all time, and even though it's readily available elsewhere, playing it on Switch is like wrapping yourself up in a warm and familiar blanket; it's just right somehow. We could argue that Secret of Mana is merely the appetizer for the real star of this collection: Trials of Mana. It's nothing short of a masterpiece and finally getting the chance to play it officially in English is a landmark moment for SNES and RPG fans alike. Sure, there's the temptation to wait for the upcoming 3D remake – also confirmed for Switch – but if you're serious about this genre then it shouldn't take our recommendation to convince you to part with your hard-earned cash. What you've got here are two of the finest examples of the genre, accompanied by a third likeable entry which is also well worth a look. When you consider the many hours of top-notch entertainment on offer, the price is very nearly a steal.
Comments 145
I'll grab the physical release once it hits Australia.
Call me crazy, but I'm really keen on the Game Boy game. In fact, virtually any Game Boy game on a Switch cartridge will compel me to spend unjustifiable amounts of money.
I'm also happy for the very patient fans who now have an official localisation of Seiken Densetsu 3.
Your move, Nintendo. cough Mother 3 cough
im excited to play the physical release in august. im wondering if i should play the snes version of secret of mana first? because i still have the ps4 remake sealed
Now I'm really excited to get this.
Knowing that it's M2 that handled this, that completely squashes any worries about input lag woes or other emulation problems.
Already played Secret and Trials of Mana some time ago in PC. Good games indeed. If you can, give them a chance.
And now give me that Trials of Mana Remake! I want it so badly!
@Silly_G it was one of my favorite GB games too. Great little adventure.
SE, where's my CT/FFIV/V/VI collection? Pretty please :)
(You can just stick CT in with the FF games and leave CC on the heap where it belongs, tyvm)
@Damo
Downloaded this just this morning. I want to jump straight into Secret Of Mana, but will I be missing any back story if I skip the GBA game for now? Are their stories linked?
I am rather disappointed right now because I have previously bought the Japanese physical edition, but now that the game is released in the West, there is no patch available to download the English version...
Can't wait to check out the Trials of Mana remake. Compared to the previous Vita and PS4 remakes, it looks like it has actual EFFORT put into it.
@Ooyah FFA establishes the lore of the Mana Tree, so some plot elements of SoM might make you go, "... Huh?" without that context, but it still tells a (mostly) coherent story. The actual characters from FFA aren't involved in the plot.
@Ooyah No, they're all self-contained stories. You can play them in any order.
My apologies in advance...I only have time for a brief scan of the article but I was wondering if there will be a physical release of this in North America.
I'm trying to decide if I want to buy this digitally so I can play it now and not have to swap game cards between this and another game....or wait for the physical release at the end of the summer in August. Usually I prefer physical because of box art but 3rd party games on Switch have really lazy box art. There's usually just a white page on the inside sleeve, no art at all. I mean Square did nothing for Final Fantasy X/X2 or Octopath Traveler on Switch so it's safe to assume they won't with Collection of Mana. I have a 400GB memory card so I'm not lacking memory space. I don't know. Thoughts from the community?
@Hordak End of August, 2019 there will be a physical release. Trying to decide if I want to buy digitally so I have it now or wait until then.
I just can’t get into most JRPGs with spiked haired heroes and their teams of misfits. They all look exactly like Final Fantasy including their melodrama nonesense.
Price is too high for just 3 games.
I can't see myself paying $40 for this collection digitally since I have all three games available one way or another...but the physical is a must-buy.
Picking up a physical version once it comes out.
Never played the gameboy one and I'm looking to finish the other 2 endings of trials of mana.
I ordered the physical like a nervous twitch. I was crying tears of joy at this announcement (and how nice does the remake look!?!)
So no black backgrounds?! What about tv burn in 🤦♂️🤦♂️
Pre-ordered the physical version.
I don’t get the «it’s too expensive» angle. If it was simply a rehash of old games we’ve seen a million times before, sure, but Square Enix actually had to translate Trials of Mana for this release. I’d say that alone is worth at least a $20. (And a good game is a good game, no matter how old.)
I don't think the price is that high. If you would have to get original SNES games i'm sure you would have to pay a lot more. You get a great collection and you all still moan. lmao
@Silly_G I'm pre-ordering from Canada. It's a limited physical release, it may not get an AUS release.
But no way am I spending $60 AU without having the cartridge and gorgeous boxart!
@DarthFoxMcCloud Thank you, my friend. I'll be waiting until August.
" it's impossible to question the value of Collection of Mana"
I question the value of collection of mana. I'm also not sure the author got this proofread.
@DarthFoxMcCloud The download is only 330MB, I say go for it.
Wow this review rolled out quick! I’ll be picking this up soon.
I actually think this price is fair here... these games (well two of them at least) are classics and one of them has never been (legally) playable in English. I have to imagine there is at least 30-50 hours of gameplay here which seems reasonable for $40 to me. I plan on getting this in a few weeks for a long haul flight to Asia snd cannot wait to complete all 3!
Great Review BTW
Let’s hope this does well, prompting Square Enix to release more collectons. How about translating Final Fantasy V and releasing the three SNES Final Fantasy games? Or the first six Final Fantasy games? Or Dragon Quest NES-SNES collection? Or Chrono Collection?
No CRT/Scanline = No buy
It is just stupid to not give that option!
At that price I will wait for the 3D remake. I am a Nintendo fanboy but gullible Switch owners are being ripped off again.
@Sinton Final Fantasy 5 was translated years ago. It has been released on PSone, GBA, PC, Wii Ware, PC, Mobile phone, PSN and more.
And that price is the reason I emulate. There has been an English translation Rom for years
I'm sure the reason why so many people complain about the price is that it would've been unlikely to cost that much on VC even with the new translation of one of the games. Personally I'm only paying this much because I preordered the physical version without any additional costs.
I'm happy about the different language options so I can play the third game in English and the second in Moyse, and maybe I can rope my sister into multiplayer again.
I think there was a remake of the first game, so... maybe we get a remake collection when the new Trials of Mana comes out?
Been playing secret now. After that i play trials of mana, then finish off with final fantasy the adventure at some point. This will be my first time playing thru these games so Im happy to finally get the chance.
All 3 games are good games but this entire collection is a lazy collection. Though I love the new English translation for Seiken Densetsu 3 (Trials of Mana), it's difficult for me to get use to the new English translation especially when I got so use to the fan translations on my Super NES repro.
Also it's a lazy collection cause Square Enix did nothing with any of the games, Trials of Mana is still a 2-Player game rather than 3-Player unlike the second game especially when you realize fan hackers were able to patch a 3-Player Mode for that game already. No unlockable secrets or hidden goodies is also quite disappointing, I say just wait for a price drop or if Trials of Mana is the only game you care about just wait for the remake instead which I hope may eventually get a 3-Player co-op mode.
@CupidStunt It was, but none of those were the original SNES version, rather an «enhanced» PSone version if memory serves me right. But that means the text is there for them to plot in.
Seiken densetsu 3 is one of my favorite games of all time, it's exactly what a sequel should be, and it's superior to legend of mana in every conceivable way.
The price is rather high yes, but for me it's worth every single penny just to be free from the roms.
I already pre-ordered the physical release, and i worry i might not hold out and just buy the digtal version just to avoid waiting. I really can't help myself, the game brings me joy.
Also, pick Riesz!
@bolt05 I hope you preordered from either Best Buy Canada or EB Games, not Square's US store and that abhorant shipping cost. I told @Damo yesterday, but he didn't bother to update the original story. Same deal with Gonintendo... Why look out for your readers...? 🙄
https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/collection-of-mana-switch/12601643?
https://www.ebgames.ca/Switch/Games/768784/collection-of-mana
Alright based off a Google search I found scanned images of the Japanese box art and there's some really nice interior artwork. So I've decided to go physical since the Japanese front cover is the same as the English one. This gives me hope that the interior artwork will be present in the English version as well! Pre-ordered from EB Games Canada!
I never knew it was known simply as Mystic Quest in Europe. In North America that was the name of that lame 1992 SNES RPG Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest.
@Damo
That's great to know. Thank you!
I'll grab the remake of Trials of Mana when that comes, passing on this. While I fondly remember all these old games, they just don't hold up gameplay-wise for me today (with my sole exception being Fire Emblem games pretty much).
Looking forward to the remake though.
@Silly_G
A Mother/Earthbound Collection. I know. I was dreaming of that yesterday. It would be amazing on a Switch cart.
For that price i might as well buy the physical edition.
While i enjoy these games i wish they included Legend of Mana as well...
I’m so tempted by this but I already have so many older games to play through! Also have Secret of Mana on the SNES mini. Switch is the best place to play these long games though, so who knows whether I’ll be able to hold out!
The one thing from the direct that got me excited outside of a new zelda game thats likely 2-3 years out from release.
Would have been a day 1 buy with a price tag in the $20-25 range.
Good time to be a retro gamer, a Super Nintendo fan and a Mana series aficionado. I tick all three boxes!
@Santoria
Europe had that too, it was called Mystic Quest Legend.
It may be just me, but I’m not digging the combat in trials. I’ve probably just played Secret of Mana too many times and that combat just clicks with me better. I find the sticky combat targeting in 3 disorienting and it feels like all the pauses in gameplay from casting/items breaks up the combat flow more than 2. Still super excited to finally play though 3 so hopefully I grow to enjoy it more.
This is WAAAAYY too expensive. Since I have the Snes Mini as well as the GB cartridge and the third game gets a remake, I will sit this one out. 50% sale, them I‘ ll get it. Otherwise I‘ll wait for the remake, thanks!
I already have SOM on WiiVC with 240p and it feels all kinds of wrong to buy a black and white GB game nowadays so I will skip.
@CupidStunt WiiWare only received the episodic FFIV sequel.
@LUIGITORNADO
Lol
Try Dragon Quest. There's some mild end of the world type stuff but the heartbeat of the games feels very authentic and down to earth, and the turn-based combat is solid as a rock.
Always been a fan but never jumped on the 20+year old bandwagon of using the translation patch for the third. I already own a complete boxed FFA(SD1) and I've got all but the box for SOM2 and the official guide as well, yet I still want this. I need to free some time/space knocking off some games, but I will grab this when it goes physical as that'll give me the space i need. And then the total retool/changed perspective play style of the 3D remaster of the third I'd dip on that too if I enjoy the original enough as I think I will.
Western physical release all the way for me. I'm glad it's a nation wide release in North America and not exclusive to the Square Enix online store like Lost Sphear was.
With 2 of the 3 games in collection both having much higher quality remakes, i was disappointed neither one of those remakes have come to switch at all.
I'm one of few that actually liked secret of mana remake. the devs honored nochanges movement across board with game mechanics and it plays like original in just about every regard. they even included option to use original OST so you weren't forced to listen to questionable remixed audio tracks. as for art style questionability. it's no worse than links awakening's questionable art style, which i'll ignore there too for a game that's absolutely fabulous to play.
Adventure of mana is remake of final fantasy adventure and it too looks fantastic and would have been great on switch, as the only way to play it now is actually on mobile. Instead they chose to put black and white gameboy title missing another golden opportunity. that remaster most aren't even aware of being on mobile only and as such has been GREATLY missed out on by many. But hey, maybe their plan is to release collection with all 3 originals, then another collection later with all 3 remasters. make double the cash.
@AG_Awesome
Play on your friend's TV.
Only a steal if you don’t have Secret of Mana virtually untouched on a SNES Classic.
Sorry but this collection should have been half the price. Unless you are a big fan of classic JRPG's I don't see how this could be worth it.
This looks great and I'm happy that it runs at 60fps, but $40 is too much for 3 retro games. If it goes on sale or if I can find the physical edition for a decent price in a few months I'll bite.
Nice. Definitely worth it to me, especially to get to play Trials of Mana.
I have the physical version on order so I'll be ready for it in August. I have never finished Secret of Mana so I might fire up my SNES and see how far I got when I played it a couple of years ago and finish it up. Trails is indeed the main draw of the collection.
I pre-ordered this today. Can't wait to own a physical copy. I have ROMs of all of these but I've never played them, and have been waiting for the right time. I question the lack of a new translation for the first two games (I doubt there are names like Lester and Willy in the JP version of Seiken Desetsu, and it is known that Ted Woolsey had no choice but to make compromises with Secret of Mana) but something about having these relics preserved together untouched on a Switch cart really strikes the right note.
@DockEllisD Nice. Both Amazon and Walmart were much better for E3 deals this year than Worst Buy. I personally grabbed LOZ, Astral Chain, and Marvel UA3 @ $65.
@crudfish I don’t have friends. I guess I’ll just have to suffer burn in on my OLED.
@DarthFoxMcCloud If you want to play it now, go ahead and get digital. Don't worry so much about the slings and arrows from the "Every time somebody buys digital, it's making it so that publishers won't produce physical games for real collectors, and some day they're going to stealth-delete it from your system!" crowd.
There are other people who already bought it digital, so that die is already cast.
I'll wait for it to hit physical media mainly because I have 20% off through Best Buy with GCU, plus having a physical copy will allow for lending to friends. Maybe Konami has spoiled us with reasonably priced $20 compilations, but I feel that would be a more reasonable price while also being a steal of a deal. At least it's not the price gouging of Capcom re-releases on Switch.
@JayJ Most retro-hardcores are fans of 2 genres above all : JRPGs and Shmups.
So yeah.
Yeah, not spending $40 to access the single game that I don't already have access to. I paid $80 to access 21 SNES games (including one of the titles in this collection), so what in the world makes them think 2 SNES/1 GB game is worth that much?
Maybe this will be picked up on a sale that is at least 50% off, but otherwise I will see if the remake is more reasonably priced.
@bolt05 : It is coming to Australia. JB is currently taking pre-orders.
Edit: And so is EB.
All the comments about the price make me wonder how much people would be willing to pay for an official English release of Mother 3 at this point. Nothing over $10?
@Nico07 It’s up for preorder on Best Buy. I locked my copy in for $32.
just wish they included digital manuals/artbooks. I shouldn't have to google item effects. I'm enjoying it, don't get me wrong. But the collection is kind of bare bones in comparison to other collections that have released in the past few years
I bought it straight after the E3 direct and haven’t looked back. All 3 games are stone cold classics. My only annoyance is that whilst Mystic Quest is very playable, it’s still a Gameboy game and only really there for nostalgia purposes. Including the much improved GBA remake Sword of Mana or the iOS remake Adventures of Mana would have been a better swallow for modern audiences.
Maybe they’ll release them separately? I’d happily pony up for either games and if Square Enix want to get serious, Legend of Mana from the PS1.
@HikaruKitsune I mean if you are a hardcore fan it sounds like that is totally the kind of person this is aimed at. Can't imagine anyone else being excited to drop $40 on this.
I liked Secret of Mana, but saying that it's one of the finest RPGs ever is very, very much of an overstatement - one that only somebody with a great amount of nostalgia for it could say.
I played it "back in the day" - actually around 2005 when I was 13 - and really liked it. I could never get incredibly far, because my copy was in German, a language I couldn't speak, but I really liked it.
A few years ago I got to play the game properly on the Wii VC, and actually completed it, and while I still liked it, it just had too many flaws to truly be great. Hit detection is iffy, many areas feel incredibly unfinished or unutilized (especially in the second half), the system for magic levelling is just bad (you either spam every magic for hours on random enemies or they will remain weak for the entirety of the game), the bosses are laughable once you have enough spells, and the last few weapon upgrades are absolutely useless, as you can only get the necessary things in the final dungeon by very rare enemy drops (and sometimes you even need more than one), and even if you happen to find one, you have to backtrack possibly from the very end to the blacksmith and then again back to the end of the last dungeon. Oh, and it's incredibly hard to find anything while flying, and there isn't even a minimap if I remember correctly.
@Joekun
If they packaged them like this as a collection I reckon there are plenty of people who would pay $40 to have all three Mother games together — this is the way to go. I hope someone over at NOA can see that. It's a tired topic, but tere's really no excuse not to release Mother 3 at this point. They sensor all kinds of things. If they need to change some magypsy sprites (and maybe that uncomfortable scene in the hot spring...) would it really be such a big deal?
@HikaruKitsune Huh? I consider myself a pretty hardcore retro gamer, and while I really like both genres, neither of them are my favorite.
Looks awesome but I think I’ll summon all my willpower and wait for the Trials of Mana remake. I had a french copy of Mystic Quest when I was a kid and (somehow) finished it and I’ve also finished Secret of Mana (what a game) so really it’s all about Trials for me
@Joekun Yeah I locked in my copy of the Mana Collection at Best Buy when the page was available.
As far as Mother 3, I've been halfway tempted to pickup a fan port to the GBA but with all of the talk around the game I'm sure it will show up at some point. Nintendo has already released Earthbound Beginnings, and I would assume Mother 3 is likely down the road. For a standalone game I would think $10-$20 would work well for me. But I would also love to see a collection release with Beginnings, Earthbound and Mother 3 possibly for $20-$40.
I'll keep an eye on this one, but I've got one of these games already thanks to the SNES classic, so it's going to take a steep sale to get me invested. Unless I play Secret of Mana and love it so much I've got to have the other games... I've never actually played any of these before. ^_^'
Bit too much for 3 roms.
I'm also in the minority when I feel that Secret of Mana isn't even great. That combat system just felt awful to me. FFA is great though.
I don't understand why they didn't include the GBA remake it's the game that got me into the Mana series. Why is there so much hate for that game it's really beautiful and has that amazing Mana charm. Having Legend of Mana in the collection would have been a nice touch with all the recent PS1 games coming to Switch. I'm really hoping we get a Legend of Mana and Chrono Cross remakes soon, they would look gorgeous using the DQXI engine.
When i first saw the price, I was like, I can't do it. Took a day to mull it over, love this series, decided to do it.
Already spent hours running around Seiken Densetsu 3 in English with my daughter, which meant a lot to me to be able to do. Zero regrets with my purchase.
@DarthFoxMcCloud
Besides whether you're a fan of the box art or not, these are classics in my opinion, and personal favorites. So I'd absolutely want a physical copy, even more so since it's said to be a limited release.
Wish they included Sword of Mana instead of Final Fantasy Adventure. I still plan on grabbing they physical release though.
Does SoM only have two player support or did you guys just skip over the native 3-player support? You only mention using a single Joycon.
@retro_player_22
I’m really glad you mentioned this. Not many people know Seiken Densetsu 3 (trials of mana) in this collection is only 2 players. Despite the existence of a 3 character party and the fact you made that a rom hack is available for 3 players.
M2 are excellent retro port wizards but it’s unfortunate that they couldn’t add the 3-player option to Trials of Mana.
And hate to break it to you: but as of now, Square has confirmed the remake for Trials of Mana is only 1 player for some stupid reason.
https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/552835-trials-of-mana-wont-have-multiplayer?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=trials-of-mana-wont-have-multiplayer
Yes, there is a lot in there. But not 40 bucks worth, no.
You can love these three games as much as you want, in the end it's still 2snes roms and 1gb. VC was expensive on 3DS but even at that high rate, it goes : 10 + 10 + 5 = 25€.
If quality = higher price, then how much would BotW or Smash Bros be worth ?
Really excited for this but am waiting until August for the physical release.
Couldn’t resist, forked over the small boatload of cash and jumped into Secret of Mana via that M2 emulation magic. One of the few RPG’s my brain can get into
I'm really only interested in Seiken 3,so it's difficult to justify the price for me. However, I want to support things like brand-new translations for games that never made it west, and I've definitely spent $40 on worse/stupider things... I'll probs end up downloading a couple months when I get bored with Mario Maker 2 or the rest of my backlog.
Picked it up and can't put it back down, specifically Trials of Mana. It's been roughly one year since my last playthrough, so it's the perfect time to jump back in! I'm also curious to see the official translation. It only took 20 years!
@Santoria Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest is not lame, it's an awesome beginner's RPG. Though the game is simple, it doesn't bombard you with tutorials every time something new happens unlike newer games these days.
@blackice85 I went and pre-ordered the physical edition based off the scans of the Japanese box art. Since the front is the same as the english front cover art, I'm hoping the insides are the same too. Such beautiful artwork makes me wish we were getting an artbook with this! Here's the website I used for the scans. https://www.mobygames.com/game/switch/seiken-densetsu-collection/cover-art/gameCoverId,407999/?fbclid=IwAR0gBXX5y2s1ASghjq2Nf7bDUnn-Pco1I26fuSGW_A7Bw-EdTx76p5ZLj9A - I'll just play Secret of Mana on my SNES Classic/Mini until this arrives!
Already pre-ordered the (limited) physical version of the square-enix website! This is a must have.
@Santoria in Europa that "lame" FF game was Just called Mystic Quest and as a 10yo barely english speaking kid, i enjoyed it very much! I didn't even know that was my first Final Fantasy game till a couple years ago. After i had played 1-6 emulated (never released in Europe back then), 7,8,9,10,12, and 13 already. Mystic Quest was a great introduction into RPG's back then.
@Turbo857 Damn that really sucks then, hopefully their effort in creating it as something new is worth it otherwise not making it as a multiplayer game the way it was meant to be won't go that well with fans. In an action RPG where there's a party system like this, not being able to let other players join the fun is just stupid imo.
@Gowtu_Games It was called Mystic Quest Legend, not Mystic Quest. The name is taken from both the Game Boy Final Fantasy games (which never made it to Europe). Mystic Quest taken from Seiken Densetsu (Final Fantasy Adventure) and Legend taken from SaGa! a.k.a. Final Fantasy Legend.
Does the localization for Trials of Mana give some hope of a localized Mother 3?
nah it should be £20/$20 not £35/$35
Gotta pay for that translation!
People complaining about the price need to shut up. Trials of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 3) has never been released in the US and they had to translate the entire game for the west. Considering how massive the game's script is (six characters, six scenarios, tons of different dialogue to account for), I'm extremely surprised that they put in this kind of effort to begin with. Not only that, but we're extremely lucky this Collection came out at all, it was looking like a Japan exclusive for a long time due to SD3's inclusion. The alternative I was expecting was Secret of Evermore being thrown in as a replacement for SD3, which would have been far easier to do and would make sense considering that we got Evermore pretty much in place of SD3. That's not to say I would not have liked to have seen other Mana games included (Sword of Mana would have been nice, along with Legend of Mana) but this is a fantastic collection overall.
If this had been Mother 3, people here would be flipping out and throwing money at the screen.
Nope. I will wait until the physical release. Forty dollars for a digital download of 3 very old games is too much. At least with the physical cart I can blame the "Switch tax" and somewhat justify that price.
40 bucks for 3 great games is a steal, I have never played any of these games so this is pretty much a must get, I love my action RPGs.
Apparently they butchered Charlotte in the translation. So I'll definitely wait for a huge sale since I can play this for free and with a better translation at any point in time
The castlevania collection has 8 games for $20, contra has 10 games for $20, the snk collection has the arcade and home console ports of all its games including the Japanese and international games all in one collection for the same price as the mana collection so that's easily 20 games if not more for $40! For this collection $10 is more reasonable, if it was vc it would cost around $20 that's half of the current asking price.
@Fazermint You're not the only one, I didn't like the combat system in Secret of Mana either. I was playing in single player though so maybe it's better if you have two other human players.
I don't get complaining about the price. I'm not going to pay it because I have no interest in these games but it is what it is.
People pay what they want for games and Square games go on sale quite a bit. It's worth it to some to pay the full price. I paid full price for FfVII and IX and X and XII and will for VIII as well probably.
Fans are willing to pay.
For context, the Japanese collection released at a retail price of ¥5182 ($47.80 according to Google’s conversion rate) in 2017. It’s now available on Amazon for ¥4227 ($38.98).
Translation costs for the third game aside, it’s never been set at bargain bin prices, and it was unlikely that the Western release was going to be either.
No doubt there’s some meaty RPG action in here and fans who choose to sink their time into these games will get their money’s worth, though it might be off-putting to those in the ‘curious to see what the fuss is about’ camp who might have splashed out a little less on a whim.
Either way, value or otherwise, the current pricing shouldn’t be too much of a surprise given the game’s Japanese price point have been known for two years. It’s not as if the West is being specifically ripped off.
Secret of Mana is one of my all time favorite RPGs and I'd like to play the sequel on the Switch, but theres no way that I'll pay $50 for it. When it hits the sales I'll definitely buy it though.
@Damo Does Trails have the multiplayer option like the Repro Carts do or is it purely a single player game?
@Alucard83 SE isn't selling you 2 SNES carts and a Game Boy cart, they are selling you roms.
@retro_player_22
Agreed. It's indeed pretty stupid. I don't think I've ever seen a 1 player exclusive remake created for an original multiplayer game. We'd never see a single player remake for a Diablo or Gauntlet. Not gettin' my money until they announce a multiplayer patch in. Til then, it's time to look for a petition and maybe create one if none exists.
I've never played the collection, so I'll grab it down the road, but I can't justify paying $40 for it now, with so many games coming out. I'll wait for a sale or see if the physical edition makes its way over here.
As noted in the review the battle system isn’t good and it’s what you spend 50% of your time doing.
Chrono Cross should get a remaster as well as FFVIII.
@Nico07 Isn't GCU dead?
@saintayu Fans will pay, but that is a small segment of the market. More probably would pay if the pricing was more realistic. As for the translation, Trials of Mana was announced as a remake, so the translating was happening either way. It doesn’t justify price gouging, although that is a Square-Enix specialty too.
I had played the fan translation years ago, so I figured I owed Square money now that it has an official translation. This is a collection I am going to put many more hours in than some full price new games I could mention.
Now bring on Terranigma to the North American audience, Square Enix!
@Silly_G they are now, cool. They weren't when last I looked. Already put a preorder down on links awakening LE.
@EVIL-C can't preorder from best buy or eb from another country, at least not easily. Won't accept an Aus address or credit card. I use Video Games Plus in Canada.
Value for money has nothing to do with affordability. If you can't afford something you don't buy it, maybe save up for it and get it later.
But value for money is different, it usually means you can afford it but is is worth the asking price? Rather than what you are willing to pay.
This game review suggests it is over priced but worth it. In other words poor value for money.
Sales people start high. Knowing they can lower the price later and call it a discount rather than say it was over priced. I noticed this quite a lot in the eshop, a good example is the over priced Resident Evil games.
Recommending an over priced game, even by its high score is encouraging this practice.
Seeing as how I haven't played any of these games in my 36 years of life, I think I can wait 2+ months for the physical release. I pre-ordered it from Amazon (along with 10 other E3 games haha). Hard to believe the physical is the same price as the digital. I guess SE is really banking on that stealth drop getting lots of people excited. I see the Japanese collection here in South Korea a lot and I was always jealous.
Yeah, rather expensive, but great games. I ordered the retail version and can't wait to receive it.
@bolt05 Ah yeah, I didn't realize you were from Australia. VGP is great; they're like the Playasia of Canada.
Ordered it from the SE website the moment it was available. So glad they didn't go digital only...
@Don Nintendo did already localized Mother 1 a.k.a. EarthBound Beginnings so it all depends on the sale of that one. Hopefully Nintendo re-released that one for Switch cause not many people bought the Wii U and making that one a Wii U exclusives here in the west will be disappointing as the Wii U was discontinued way too soon.
@tseliot GCU is dead for anyone that doesn't have an existing membership. It's likely that Walmart or Amazon will put this on sale around release though.
@AceMcGyver65
Dude, YES! I would kill for a collection of games in that series. Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma. Heck I'd pay just for Terranigma. I enjoyed that game so much on an emulator that I went and bought the Japanese version for my collection.
@retro_player_22
I’m hoping the fact that Square Enix went out of their way to localize Trials of Mana will motivate Nintendo to follow their footsteps and localize Mother 3.
40 for 3 games? What a steal! Not as good as the 30 in 1 game collection vol. 1 though.
@Onion It has always baffled me that Terranigma was only released in EU and AU. It makes absolutely no sense. I mean, I was happy, since I am from EU, but man did the US miss out on that one.
It is obvious that maaaaany people enjoy the Switch's retro library, and I am guessing that Collection of Mana will sell well. It would be downright silly of Square Enix NOT to do a Collection of Souls or whatever. I, for one, would love to play Terranigma again. I sold my SNES cartridge and I am not really into PC Emulation.
Finally a reviewer mentions pricing!
Because I don't see it listed in the review, but when it comes to Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana, there are 4 options each when it comes to display mode.
Stretched, no filter (at least on my tv this causes like Randi's eyes in Secret to be two different widths due to the not quite exact pixel size)
Pixel-Perfect, no filter (smaller, but perfect sized pixels)
Stretched, filter (adds a slight, guessing bilinear filter, fixes the uneven pixel issue from the other stretched mode, but very slightly blurs the image)
Pixel-Perfect, filter (Same as other Pixel-Perfect, just with the filter.)
As for the worth of the package, I can understand the disappointment on the price, I kind of wish the collection had like box art and original manual scans to accompany the music player, but considering I emulated the crap out of Seiken Densetsu 3's fan translation years ago, I had to buy this to support the official release and own it legally.
@GameOtaku Translation costs money as others have said....and Seiken Densetsu III is a legendary game also. The price is a bit high I understand but is totally worth it also if you're big on good RPGs.
Edit: I would recommend you and others pick it up on a sale or something. I'm going to be doing the same thing.
@Turbo857 But then the perspective of the game will have to change back to top-down and it will defeat the point of the 3D Remake....which is to look pretty.
@SNES64DD
Kid Dracula also cost money to translate as this is the first time the nes/famicom game has come west. It's gameboy outing we did get was different. So yeah konami (konami of all companies) translated it and bundled it with more than 3 games for $20!
@GameOtaku I think a part of it is so they can fund staff to make a remake.
@DarkLloyd why is it sealed? It's not rare. Is this a casual form of bragging, otherwise known as a humble brag? Did you lose a device to cut the cellophane wrapping that plastic case up? Use a pen or your finger, kinda like sex.
I put many many hours into my Super Famicom , Kenji did fantastic work on soundtrack for the game, Is i the orignal available on Switch in the Outside Japan region? I took elements from the way Sword only comes out in such of the way it does into my Death Stranding project as an option inspired by Sword of Mana, a lot of inspiration comes from many old games.
Edit : My English typing is rusty to say least , and keyboard layout is very different from the phone I owned prior, it seems to change have a delay on some websites, But i am In Japan so maybe this is why. Sorry to inconvenience anyone. I am new to this after love for Super Mario Maker 2, and how it let's anyone become a type of Dev. worker to a degree it is revolutionary, Nintendo is wonderful, I hope for a Zelda type game. It is okay to be critical on my typing I always try to improve in life and never settle.
If I make any Steve Green-"Wanna Go Back To Egypt"-manna jokes will anyone get them?
The upcoming 3D version will be fine for me!
I have Secret of Mana remake and am waiting for Trials of Mana remake. So, no. How about porting Dawn of Mana instead? It didn't even release in Europe.
just got it on sale from amazon last week. cant wait to play mystic quest again one my fav all time GB games
Wonderful collection of my favorite games growing up! Thank you for the glowing review and really hoping more people really give these games a chance! The price has dropped quite often and I highly recommend giving them a shot!
@Swoltacular You are in luck it's now half off in EU sale!
Bought this and cannot believe they didn't add a black border option 😳 ! The static artwork is super distracting AND bad for your OLED TV. Wrote to the SE customer support, it would be such an easy fix (just another toggle option for the ZR button). But of course they won't.
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