Collection of Mana - Nintendo Switch

(Note: this review was written by the son of the owner of this account, which was utilized primarily for the prime shipping.) The collection of Mana is (as implied by its very title) a compilation title containing the first three games in the "Mana" (or Seiken Densetsu aka Legend of the Holy Sword) series, with the third entry, Trials of Mana, being released in the West for the first time having been previously exclusive to Japan (and emulation users). The Mana series, like Final Fantasy, is generally unconnected between the entries with the only consistencies being the series themes of a Mana Sword, a Mana Tree, a Mana Goddess, and an everlasting fight against the forces who wish use the power of Mana for their own diabolical means. What makes this series unique besides its themes are its gameplay stylings which, back in the early 90's, were flag bearers in the Action-RPG genre. All actions happen in real-time, but time can be paused via the menus (which utilized a ring/clock-esque user interface) in order to assign items to use, weapons to equip, and magic to utilize. The only exception to these general rules in the first game, Final Fantasy Adventure, which was the progenitor of the gameplay loop that would be later on improved and perfected by later installments such as Secret and Trials. Adventure (first remade in the early 2000s as Sword of Mana, and later with a more 1-1 remake called Adventure of Mana for PS Vita, IOS, and Android) plays similar to Zelda, with the special system being that the longer you wait and let the bar at the bottom charge, the stronger your attacks will be. Besides this, the main character gains experience and money like a regular RPG but moves and attacks in real-time. For the time, the story is a tragic tale about a boy's struggle against an evil empire and how the people of the lands are adversely effected by the Empire's desire to control the life force of the land, the Mana itself, and the magic it fuels as well to solidify their grip on the populace. While somewhat basic today, the story beats are still impactful and can even lead to excitement for those who continue on through the series to the first remake, Sword of Mana. The second installment is arguably the most well known, lauded, and celebrated in the series: Secret of Mana. Released two years later on the Super Nintendo (and after numerous development changes and issues, having been originally envisioned as a more action-based Final Fantasy 4, before being renamed Chrono Trigger, and finally Seiken Densetsu 2/Secret of Mana. Special props go to Nasir Gebelli who ensured it was programmed properly.), Secret of Mana tells a similar tale to its predecessor, about a small group against an evil Empire, but this time players are not alone or accompanied by temporary companions, going through the adventure together with a girl and a Sprite child. The transition from the Gameboy original to the SNES provided an ample boost to the technological side of the game series, introducing the Ring/Clock-esque menu u.i. Along with a gorgeous and vibrant pallet for players to visually enjoy as they play. Besides that, weapons are individually upgraded and acquire unique side effects which make most of the weapons useful in their own way. As stated before, it does follow a similar set of story beats as the first game, but it isn't afraid to put in its own unique contributions, from the surprise at the start to even fighting a certain jolly fat man in the artic. It has something of a more casual tone, but it does have its serious story beats within it. Lastly, we come to what can be argued is the star of the collection despite how beloved Secret is: Trials of Mana. Released only in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 3 in 1995, the collection marks the first official way that Western gamers (and others of course) can play the game, though an unofficial English translation did exist in emulation circles (which was the only way people who did not understand Japanese could play it for a long time). Trials was hyped for years following Secret of Mana's release, first being hinted in Nintendo Power as "Secret of Mana 2" before simply never being mentioned again for English speaking/reading gamers. This taste of "what could've been" and what little they could gleam of its reception in Japan led to a dedicated fan base who, when SNES emulation was made easier and roms could be decompiled and looked at, immediately went to work to translate it for all to enjoy. The hype and praise for it couldn't have been more well-earned due to the quality of the game, which improved just as much on Secret as that did on Adventure. Starting off, visually you can finally see the true aesthetic that the series would take on and maintain to this day in its graphics, further refining from the more cartoony sprites of Secret to what can be called the "Mana aesthetic" which looks fantastic to this day due to how high quality the work is. Second, unlike Secret, you have six characters you can choose from, all of which have their own unique story beats and (depending if you chose someone who has similar beats such as Duran and Angela or Charlote and Kevin, or if you just chose three characters unrelated to each other then the story will focus on the main character you chose at the start) abilities. You will have a three person party like Secret, but can choose who you'd like to have by your side like Duran the Warrior, Kevin the beast man, Angela the sorcerer princess, etc. But unlike Secret and Adventure, you no longer have to wait for the bar to fill up to attack at full power, you always will attack at full power and now, the bar represents a special bar which, when filled, will let your controlled character attack with a unique attack. Besides the gameplay, the story will follow a general "stop bad guys from misusing Mana" but the foes you face and the story beats you witness will be unique depending on who you chose at the start: Duran and Angela face the Darkshine Knight and the Scarlett Wizard, Hawkeye and Reisz face Isabella, and Kevin and Charlotte face off against the Deathjester, all with their own unique bosses and end boss. Besides the games themselves, the collection adds some special features to help cover the older design aspects in these games, with quick saves and loads for player convenience, language settings, game versions to choose, and display choices as well. Alongside these welcomed features, comes one addition that will certainly delight: soundtrack listening. You don't have to beat the games nor even go into the games themselves, just select the game you want to listen to and press X to listen to the legendary OST's of the Mana series which, no matter if it was on the Gameboy or Snes, were high quality and enjoyable to listen to. I cannot state enough how fantastic these games are and, though 40 dollars may seem pricey for three older games, these games and the experiences they give are more than worth the price for admission.

This collection includes the first 3 games in the Mana series on a physical cartridge. Essentially, this series is Final Fantasy meets 2D Zelda. This collection is an excellent way to play these game again, or to play them for the first time. So far, I've played all the way through Final Fantasy Adventure and started Secret of Mana. FF Adventure was alright. Not an amazing game, but for a Gameboy release it was pretty good. Similar to The Legend Of Zelda Link's Awakening. However, I'd only recommend playing this game if you're into that kind of thing and can withstand old and sometimes poor game design. It's not a terrible game at all, but definitely the worst out the three games included in this collection. Next is Secret Of Mana. For most people, this SNES game is going to be one of the main reasons for purchasing this collection. So far, I haven't played enough of it to truly review it, but from what I can tell 5+ hours in, it's a good game. It improves on almost every aspect of the first game. The soundtrack and art style are specifically outstanding. The combat is an improvement over FF Adventure, but it takes a little getting used to. And there are a few little things that get on my nerves like the weird options for text boxes and less than desirable hit detection. Again, I can't speak for the game as a whole since I haven't played all the way though yet, but from what I can tell it seems like a great game. Finally, Trials of Mana. This is the first time this game has been localized outside of Japan. I haven't played it yet, but most people seem to agree that it's even better than Secret of Mana. From what I can tell, it also has a great soundtrack and art style. The combat looks improved as well. Probably also a very good game. Other than those three games, the collection doesn't have much else to offer. It does have a soundtrack player, save states, and a few video filter options, but other than that, nothing. I would have liked to have seen maybe the inclusion of scans of the original game manuals. Especially for older games, a lot is explained in the manual, so it's kind of important. Because of this lack of extra features, a lot of people have claimed that the 40 dollar price tag of Collection of Mana is too high. I would disagree. Yes, it's pretty much just three 90s RPGs slapped onto a Switch cart. However, each of these games are 20-30 hours long. There's a lot of content here. And, despite these games being older, that doesn't automatically devalue them. Sure, games have progressed over time, but it doesn't mean these older games aren't still worth money. It would cost a lot more than 40 dollars to purchase each of these games individually, even today, so the 40 dollar price tag isn't that bad. Also, I was able to preorder the collection for only 30 dollars or so on sale, which is about 10 dollars a game. That seems pretty fair to me, especially when you take into account that this is a physical release, so that costs extra to manufacture, and they went through the trouble of translating Trials of Mana into multiple different languages, which is costly and time consuming. So in the end, what you're looking at is a simple collection of 3 good Action RPGs that is well worth the money and will provide you with a good amount of play time. If you're interested, you'll probably enjoy it, especially if you like Final Fantasy and The Legend Of Zelda.

This is a nice package of Mana games on the Switch. It is packed with (on 1 cart): 1.) Final Fantasy Adventure (Game Boy release) 2.) Secret of Mana (Super Nintendo Release) 3.) Trials of Mana (Super Famicom release - 1st time this has been released in English!) The Mana series are legendary and are a must have for any gaming fan. If you are not a fan of RPG or action RPG style games, you may not enjoy these as well. They are definitely worth the price of admission for playing through at least once. Trials of Mana plays in a mode with a smaller box around it. It is black and white like the original Game Boy title. I was pretty excited to play Secret of Mana. I haven’t played that in awhile and couldn't wait to dig into it again. The most exciting title though (in my opinion) is Trials of Mana because this is the 1st time it’s released in English. You can play 1-3 players in couch co-op on the Switch OR on the go with additional controllers. This is also pro controller compatible. For collectors: No manual is included. This is common for Switch releases ... but for this title it would’ve been cool to have one or at least a collector’s Edition with Steel book or something. Mine came with the reversible cover sheet. TLDR: This is a must have for all “Mana” fans. This collection will provide hours of fun and is worth the full price. I highly recommend Collection of Mana for the Switch! There are more gaming discussions at the site in my profile. Feel free to join!

Three great classics in one. This was at the top of my list to purchase when I acquired a Switch.

Having played the mana games when I was a kid. It’s a nice collection all in one game collection.

Super deal for three games!

Coletânea com três jogos iniciais da série mana. O primeiro saiu para game boy classic, os outros saíram para Super Nintendo, sendo que o Trial of Mana só havia sido lançado no Japão até então e se chamava Seiken Densetsu 3, agora renomeado no ocidente depois de vinte anos do seu lançamento original.

Great buy as you get three great classic games together. It has a quick save and quick load system.

I used to play Japan version Secret of Mana 2 on super nintendo. The action RPG gameplay was awesome during the time of release. Too bad I was not able to understand the story when I was a kid. I am grateful that this collection is made with English. The control is still smooth as usual. The characters still have same stupid behaviour throughout the game. Definitely a good buy for any switch player. Looking forward to finish the game and move on to Trial of Mana.

Es un buen juego, me gusto que tuviera todos los clasicos, se recomienda.