Everyone choose Angela in their first run, and I understand why. But I took Hawkeye, Duran and Riesz (however Angela will be my next protagonist on second run).
I play a lot of rpgs and I really appreciated the 90’s simplicity & quirkiness of this remake. First mana game I’ve played and I 100% it. Had a blast with it.
Definitely will be picking this game up in the near future. I played the demo and really enjoyed it, it’s nice to jump into a JRPG that isn’t always a 50+ hour commitment.
I purchased a physical copy of the super Famicon game to justify a fan translated ROM I've had for years. When I heard about the Mana Collection, I was thrilled that finally it would see western shores. I played through Trials demo and was gifted the full game. It really is a treat so far and because of my familiarity with the source, I've boosted the difficulty to hard.
3:46 that was honest! i did the same, although on my next playthrough there wont be no angela, she is just too overpowered. i will play it through (at least) 3 times, to get all the ending dungeons, but riesz will always be in the party ;)
i really hope they give secret of mana 2018 the same treatment some day, maybe part of a Mana Collection sometime in 2021/2022? Trials of Mana was perfect (for a low budget game), Mana 2018 could really benefit from the better graphics, but most importantly the music! Trials music was perfectly remastered and kept the nostalgia intact, i (nearly) never switched back to orginal sound, but i played Mana 2018 entirely with the original soundtrack, the only really good track of mana 2018 was "a wish" playing in crystal forest, all the other tracks were like you put it butchered
I am new to this channel and Trials of Mana, so this may be a stupid question. Would you buy Trials of Mana or Collection of Mana? Did you say Trials of Mana is on Collection of Mana?
Trials of Mana is on the collection but it’s the original SNES version not the remake. I guess it would depend on if you like classic or modern games more. I would pick up the remake personally but it’s up to your tastes.
Dunno why I've never got the notification to this video... :/ I've been interested in this game since the demo and I still have it on my radar. Sadly, I didn't have time to pick it up due to FFVII and P5R... I'm definitely looking forward to playing it this summer after Xenoblade Chronicles and my exams x)
As of writing this comment, there are two games on XBox Game Pass. This and Starfield. I had more fun playing this game for 1 hour and a half than I did with 10 hours of Starfield. Not as many bugs, it is straightforward, and it has content and quest that doesn't feel like a grind to do to excuse the open world it has. Character's are colorful and not horrible to look at. Really shows a bigger budget and studio isn't always better.
I've played the original in Japanese so your rating it as better than the original feels to me like high praise. I always planned to get it eventually - timing was the only issue.
Not gonna lie, I was looking forward to this game and stopped playing. I just can't get into it. The story and progression just made me roll my eyes so many times. It seems to consist of just running from one checkpoint on a map to another to random NPCs (that sometimes look totally identical and bland) and having a totally arbitrary and inconsequential conversation simply so you can go to the next checkpoint, then backtracking again later and repeating until you can move on.
As opposed to modern games that have you running from one checkpoint on the map to another across largely empty open worlds? It was refreshing to play a game with a lean story, rather than overcomplicated, overacted nonsense (see: Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Kingdom Hearts 3, etc...). As Shelf said, it feels great to play a game that's this straightforward.
@@RicochetForce I can handle old-school. I love games like Mario RPG, Chrono Trigger, FF6 and Many PS1 and Saturn RPGs. The checkpoints in this game are often totally arbitrary. For example in one town I had to talk to a random generic villager who said absolutely nothing story related to progress, then I had to talk to another completely generic villager WITH THE EXACT SAME MODEL who also said a generic thing to progress. Its like the developers thought "geez they should really need to do more to progress. OK just put some way points on random NPCs that should kill a minute or two"
@@TheGamingShelf hehe I'm playng on hard but took angela, hawkeye and duran all dark path lol, there have been some difficulty spikes here and there, but pulling though
giant open world game is the same give u a quest that u already experience on other open world games rinse repeat at leasy in jrpgs the system are deep
Which 3 characters will you choose for your party?
first time playing, chose angela, duran and hawkeye, all dark path on hard mode, been missing having a healer but pulling through
Everyone choose Angela in their first run, and I understand why. But I took Hawkeye, Duran and Riesz (however Angela will be my next protagonist on second run).
Angela cuz she's cute, Charlotte for Healer, and Duran for tank when Angela finally uses magic
I play a lot of rpgs and I really appreciated the 90’s simplicity & quirkiness of this remake. First mana game I’ve played and I 100% it. Had a blast with it.
Awesome! Who were your favorite characters?
The Gaming Shelf Hawkeye and Angela for sure lol
Definitely will be picking this game up in the near future. I played the demo and really enjoyed it, it’s nice to jump into a JRPG that isn’t always a 50+ hour commitment.
Exactly! Sometimes it’s okay for a game to be short.
I purchased a physical copy of the super Famicon game to justify a fan translated ROM I've had for years. When I heard about the Mana Collection, I was thrilled that finally it would see western shores. I played through Trials demo and was gifted the full game. It really is a treat so far and because of my familiarity with the source, I've boosted the difficulty to hard.
I’m sure having played the original increases the enjoyment for sure. And yeah game is definitely easy, worth playing on hard.
This game feels so much like ys 8. The main party members. The combat, exploration and even low budget visuals feel so similar to ys.
I think Ys 8 is a better game top to bottom but I can see the similarities.
Actually it reminds more of Dragon Quest done as an ARPG.. Falcom & SquareEnix have distinctive styles that are different from each other..
I enjoyed this game more than i thought i would, simple combat and story were really enjoyable. And like you i started with angela, duran and riez
Yeah I agree, simple isn’t always bad.
This is the first mana game I have ever completed, I like the game but as I was playing through the game I felt like I just wanted to get to the end
Interesting. Which party did you choose?
My party was Duran, Angela and Charlotte
3:46 that was honest! i did the same, although on my next playthrough there wont be no angela, she is just too overpowered. i will play it through (at least) 3 times, to get all the ending dungeons, but riesz will always be in the party ;)
Haha that’s awesome. I can’t resist cute anime girls, what can I say 🤪
Fantastic review! Loved how you split the review into different categories and presented everything well. Subscribed!
Thank you so much and welcome to the channel 😄
i really hope they give secret of mana 2018 the same treatment some day, maybe part of a Mana Collection sometime in 2021/2022? Trials of Mana was perfect (for a low budget game), Mana 2018 could really benefit from the better graphics, but most importantly the music! Trials music was perfectly remastered and kept the nostalgia intact, i (nearly) never switched back to orginal sound, but i played Mana 2018 entirely with the original soundtrack, the only really good track of mana 2018 was "a wish" playing in crystal forest, all the other tracks were like you put it butchered
So many great Jrpgs coming out right now, do you plan on playing Sakura Wars also?
Playing it right now and really enjoying it! Will try to get a review out in the next few weeks.
I am new to this channel and Trials of Mana, so this may be a stupid question. Would you buy Trials of Mana or Collection of Mana? Did you say Trials of Mana is on Collection of Mana?
Trials of Mana is on the collection but it’s the original SNES version not the remake.
I guess it would depend on if you like classic or modern games more. I would pick up the remake personally but it’s up to your tastes.
@@TheGamingShelf I really appreciate your quick reply and kindness at not making fun of my ignorance. Have a great day!
Of course! Happy to help and answer questions 😄
Dunno why I've never got the notification to this video... :/
I've been interested in this game since the demo and I still have it on my radar. Sadly, I didn't have time to pick it up due to FFVII and P5R... I'm definitely looking forward to playing it this summer after Xenoblade Chronicles and my exams x)
Stupid TH-cam >_< Definitely worth playing. By the time you’re done with those games Trials of Mana night even get discounted. Worth waiting for sure.
As of writing this comment, there are two games on XBox Game Pass. This and Starfield. I had more fun playing this game for 1 hour and a half than I did with 10 hours of Starfield. Not as many bugs, it is straightforward, and it has content and quest that doesn't feel like a grind to do to excuse the open world it has. Character's are colorful and not horrible to look at. Really shows a bigger budget and studio isn't always better.
Really loved this. Was a blast to play.
One of my favorites last year!
I've played the original in Japanese so your rating it as better than the original feels to me like high praise. I always planned to get it eventually - timing was the only issue.
It's on sale pretty regularly lately. Definitely worth it at $30-$35!
@@TheGamingShelf Yes next time it's there I'm snapping it up. I miss the great music!
Not gonna lie, I was looking forward to this game and stopped playing. I just can't get into it. The story and progression just made me roll my eyes so many times. It seems to consist of just running from one checkpoint on a map to another to random NPCs (that sometimes look totally identical and bland) and having a totally arbitrary and inconsequential conversation simply so you can go to the next checkpoint, then backtracking again later and repeating until you can move on.
It’s very old school for sure. It kept pretty faithfully to the original. I can see how some wouldn’t like it.
As opposed to modern games that have you running from one checkpoint on the map to another across largely empty open worlds? It was refreshing to play a game with a lean story, rather than overcomplicated, overacted nonsense (see: Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Kingdom Hearts 3, etc...). As Shelf said, it feels great to play a game that's this straightforward.
@@RicochetForce I can handle old-school. I love games like Mario RPG, Chrono Trigger, FF6 and Many PS1 and Saturn RPGs. The checkpoints in this game are often totally arbitrary. For example in one town I had to talk to a random generic villager who said absolutely nothing story related to progress, then I had to talk to another completely generic villager WITH THE EXACT SAME MODEL who also said a generic thing to progress. Its like the developers thought "geez they should really need to do more to progress. OK just put some way points on random NPCs that should kill a minute or two"
I agree I think it's a bit to bland and the voice acting is okay but kinda eh for me
@@sHART1780lol
I wish you could coop in the game tho
Would be a nice extra but I’m fine that it’s not there. It’s been years since I’ve played anything in local co-op.
Play on hard, and you'll have to do a lot of dodging.
I played about 3 hours on hard and to far it’s not too bad. Then again I have Charlotte and she’s a great healer lol.
@@TheGamingShelf hehe I'm playng on hard but took angela, hawkeye and duran all dark path lol, there have been some difficulty spikes here and there, but pulling though
giant open world game is the same
give u a quest that u already experience on other open world games
rinse repeat
at leasy in jrpgs the system are deep
Did...
Did you just complain that a JRPG was a little Anime-y
OMAE WA MOU SHINDEIRU!
Not a bad thing! The presentation can just be a little whacky at times and it it makes it harder to care about the story
Game is fun but man it’s broken in terms of balance. The game gets easier and easier which is weird.
Yeah it has some odd difficulty spikes but the final boss was a total joke.
I learned from the demo, to set it to hard. Much more fun that way.
So are we going to ignore the fact that this game is heavily inspired by the old Disney animated movies?
Probably! I had no idea.
@@TheGamingShelf It feels like a mixture of the old Disney animated movies and Japanese anime
This game reminds me of ni no Kuni 2 and I wasnt a big fan of that game lol.
I was trying to think of a way to say no to that but that’s pretty spot on in a lot of ways haha
Not from a bygone era.
Played the Demo, didn't like it. the Mana series is overrated, this is coming from a Square Enix fan.
Hey at least you tried it!