Visions of Mana will have the series’ largest world to date, producer says

The Secret of Mana is one of my favorite games of all time.

Square’s blend of traditional RPG elements with real-time action was remarkable, and the story of unlikely allies forging bonds and taking on an empire is equal parts epic, heartfelt, and hilarious. It was the second title in the Final Fantasy spinoff series that is known as Seiken Densetsu in Japan, and it became the hit that spawned over a dozen games and millions of copies sold. Despite that success, the series has laid dormant for 15 years, with no new mainline entry released in that time. That changes this year with Visions of Mana.

At PAX East 2024, I spoke with Mana series producer Masaru Oyamada about the upcoming RPG — and much more. Our free-flowing conversation centered on the legacy of Mana, advances in modern games, and how Visions of Mana looks to unite both to create an ambitious new title that seeks to recapture the magic that put the series on the map.

• Visions of Mana: release date window, trailers, gameplay, and more
• Microsoft begins testing Dolby Vision on Xbox Series X/S

So, just to start off: What do you want to accomplish by returning to the Mana series?

It has been 15 years since the latest mainline game launched previously. We hope that his game is something that many longtime fans of the series will be able to pick up and love. As for newer fans, we do hope that this is a game that once they pick up and start playing that they’ll also be able to really understand right away what the core charm of the series is and be able to understand that to the full extent. And so that’s kind of our biggest hope.

How do you decide what makes something a ‘Mana’ game?

In terms of being able to retain that core identity of the Mana series, we felt that being able to express and capture the feeling of the Mana Tree was important, as well realize the graphics for the expansive feel that’s introduced in this game. And what really became a guiding factor for us was actually the artwork that