On Twitter, Yoshida revealed that he left the NetEase Games-owned studio on October 31st. “We were a new studio, but we were able to release Visions of Mana. I am grateful to the development team and NetEase for their support. It was a very good experience. Thank you all. I am happy to announce that I joined Square Enix in December. I will do my best to make a game that many people can enjoy!”

Visions of Mana launched in August for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It’s the first mainline title for the franchise in almost 18 years and focuses on Hinna and Val. The former must journey to the Mana Tree to serve as the Alm of Fire, while the latter acts as her bodyguard.

Players encounter others en route to the tree, who join their party and fight alongside them. Though each has set classes, they can change them (and corresponding elements) to unlock new abilities and playstyles. Head here for more details. A free demo is also available on all platforms. Whether Yoshida joining Square Enix means anything for the franchise’s future remains to be seen, so stay tuned.

On a personal note, I quit NetEase Ouka Studios on October 31st. We were a new studio, but we were able to release Visions of Mana. I am grateful to the development team and NetEase for their support.
It was a very good experience.
Thank you all.
I am happy to announce that I…

— Ryosuke Yoshida (@YoshidaBeer) December 2, 2024

Players control a new hero, Val, who acts as a Soul Guard for his childhood friend, Hiina, as they embark on a journey to the Mana Tree. Several other characters, like Careena, Palamena, Morley, and Junei, join them throughout, providing unique abilities. However, you can also discover Elemental Vessels to switch classes and stats while wielding different attacks.

The Vessels also grant exploration abilities like pushing heavy rocks with the Gnome Shovel, grappling via the Shade Sight, and illuminating routes thanks to the Lumina Lantern. Touted as having the highest volume of content in the series, Visions of Mana unfortunately doesn’t have co-op multiplayer (though this could change in the future). Stay tuned for more updates in the meantime.

This time, the focus is on Visions of Mana’s world and the environmental diversity that it will boast. From lush forests and grassy fields to icy locales and more, the vibrant world is touting some impressive environmental diversity. The trailer offers glimpses of a number of different locales that players will be exploring, including some of the towns, while also offering new looks at some of the enemies you will encounter. Check out the trailer below. 

Visions of Mana is due out on August 29 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Check out its PC requirements through here. A demo of the game is also currently available.

Some content differs from the game, so your progress won’t carry over. However, players can unlock three weapons for protagonist Val – a Gladius, Falx and Horn Lance. These will become available in Chapter 1 of the game, though you can eventually unlock them by playing.

Visions of Mana launches on August 29th worldwide and sees Val accompanying his childhood friend Hinna to the Mana Tree. They encounter various individuals, some becoming party members like Morley, Careena, Julei, and Palamena, and others providing support without directly participating in combat.

Players can also discover Elemental Vessels that unlock new classes and combat abilities. Head here for more details. You can also check out the PC requirements for the title here.

The Gnome Shovel activates the clay golems in environments to push heavy objects and destroy objects to progress. As an Earth-based Elemental Vessel, it can conjure a dome of rock to reduce damage taken and rain down boulders from the sky on enemies. The Lumina Lantern will reflect damage between linked enemies while illuminating new paths during exploration.

The Shade Sight is Darkness-based and pulls lighter enemies towards you for mid-air combos (or towards them if they’re heavier). It can also create a black hole to pull enemies towards a point, immobilizing them and dealing damage before exploding. Of course, it can also grapple in specific areas and unlock passages.

Check out the trailer for more details on the different classes that each Elemental Vessel confers. Visions of Mana launches on August 29th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Check out the PC requirements here.

Nothing too hefty, as revealed on the series’ official Twitter. Windows 10/11 64-bit, DirectX 12 and 45 GB of installation space are mandatory. The minimum requirements include an AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or Intel Core i5-6400, 16 GB RAM, and an AMD Radeon RX 580, Intel Arc A580 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB VRAM. This is enough for 1080p/30 FPS on the Low preset.

Recommended requirements include a Ryzen 5 3500 or Core i5-8500, 16 GB RAM, and a Radeon RX 5700 XT, Intel Arc A580 or GeForce RTX 2070. It’s enough for 1080p/60 FPS on the High preset. The requirements for 4K or higher frame rates are unknown, but stay tuned for updates.

Visions of Mana launches on August 29th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Check out some more extensive gameplay here.

Presenting the PC specifications for #VisionsofMana.

See you August 29th! pic.twitter.com/63yAXOEYXK

— Mana Series (@ManaGame) July 26, 2024

This time, the hero is Val, who journeys with his friend Hinna to the Tree of Mana. They’ll encounter several other party members, including Careena, the Oracle of Wind, and Morley, the Radiant Sword, who employs a katana. Two new characters – Palamena, Queen of the Deep, and Julei, Woodland Custodian – are also revealed for five playable characters.

The Elementals allow each character to change to different classes, gaining new combat abilities. Characters like Hinna, Careena’s beast cub Ramcoh, and Aesh, curator of the Dark Archives, can also provide support during battle. Head here to check out more combat and exploration gameplay. Though it doesn’t have co-op at launch, series producer Masaru Oyamada promises “highest volume of content” in the series.

“Please look forward to an update on the release date and more information on this title soon.” The Summer Game Fest Showcase sounds like a good bet, but it’s also possible that an announcement will be made during the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9th. Visions of Mana appeared during the Xbox Developer_Direct 2024 last January, so Microsoft may have the marketing rights.

Visions of Mana is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC. The story revolves around Val and Careena as they journey to the Tree of Mana. They encounter other characters along the way, and players can equip different Elemental Vessels to change their classes while also gaining unique movement skills. Though it won’t have co-op multiplayer, it promises the highest content volume in the series. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming days.

New information for Visions of Mana will be revealed soon.

Please look forward to an update on the release date and more information on this title soon. pic.twitter.com/d9ffWbTJBA

— みどり (@MbKKssTBhz5) June 2, 2024

Introduced in 1993 with Secret of Mana, co-op has been a staple for many mainline entries. Speaking to PC Gamer, producer Masaru Oyamada confessed that Secret of Mana’s co-op “really stood out” and “left a strong impression.” Naturally, he explored incorporating it in Visions of Mana.

“When we were proposing this game internally and discussing what it should be, we actually had that discussion on whether we should incorporate a feature like that. As things kind of developed further internally, we had discussions on the various things you can do through a multiplayer mode, but also some challenges a multiplayer mode introduces.”

“Having multiple players could also affect the overall field design and the tempo of the playing experience. However, when I think about the series and look towards the future, I really do cherish and have fond memories of being able to go on one single adventure with your friends and clear things together. I know what that experience is like, and I do want to consider being able to implement features like that in the future.”

Oyamada feels that once the team can address “some of the technical issues,” fans can “experience that element of the Mana series too.” He also revealed that Trials of Mana (2020), a remake of the original that also lacked co-op, served as the foundation for Visions of Mana from the start of its development phases. While the former never received co-op support, there’s still hope for the latter.

Visions of Mana launches this Summer for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC and promises “the highest volume of content” in the series. Check out the latest gameplay here.

The trailer ends with the player, now an adult, gazing upon a billboard for Visions of Mana, the next mainline title in the series. Its story revolves around Val, who accompanies his childhood friend Careena to the Tree of Mana. Throughout the journey, they party with characters like Careena, who hales from Longren and fights with Ramcoh, a sacred beast cub, and Morley from Etaern, whose hometown was destroyed in his youth.

Though each character has unique skills, they can change to classes like Rune Knight, Dancer, Nomad and Aegis by equipping different Elemental Vessels. The Vessels also have unique effects like the Luna Globe stopping time or the Sylphid Boomerang creating wind currents, aiding exploration.

Developed by Ouka Studios, Visions of Mana is out this Summer for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Series producer Masaru Oyamada promises the “highest volume of content you can enjoy within the series”, though its playtime can change “depending on the player’s pacing.” Check out some more gameplay here.