|
|
Game Information
|
Preview
|
Review |
Screenshots |
Forum |
»Children of Mana
"Mana-mah-wha?"
Ah, the Mana series (or Seiken Densetsu, as it’s known overseas).
Starting life here in America as Final Fantasy Adventure, it’s probably
the most unorthodox of Square’s popular RPG series (in the sense
that it’s not a turn-based RPG). And despite not being nearly as
popular as Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger, it still holds a cult
status in the gaming world, akin other second-string series like
Darkstalkers or Puyo Puyo. Unfortunately, Children of Mana lacks much
of the spirit of its namesake, instead feeling like a generic
dungeon-crawler/action-RPG.
'Tis a tale of long ago, when the Mana Tree was newly born. Illusia
Isle located in the middle of a sea in the center of the world. Above
it towered the great Mana Tree. I'm sure you've heard many stories
about the Mana Tree and the Sword of Mana. The story you're about to
hear tells of the only time the holy sword ever dared to defy Mana.
At least that’s what the game’s intro says. At the start of the game,
you can choose between four characters - Ferrik, a young swordsman (the
well-rounded character); Poppen, a young mage orphaned during a
horrible disaster (powerful magic, but weak defense and melee attacks);
Wanderer, a wandering merchant and member of the Nikita tribe,
(powerful defense and melee attacks, but no magic), and Tamber, a
16-year-old dancer who lost her family during the disaster, (swift but
weak attacks). You can also customize them, by changing their color
schemes (game sprite only, their profile pic remains in the default
coloring) and renaming them. All four characters live in Mana Village,
a village set around the fabled Mana Stone, and in close proximity of
the fabled Mana Tower.
In terms of gameplay, Children of Mana is somewhat like a cross between
a dungeon-crawler and an action RPG. Basically, you navigate through a
variety of dungeons (not randomly-generated ones, mind you - they’re
always the same. Yawn), battling various monsters, collecting items and
leveling up your character in preparation for what awaits you at the
end of each dungeon. However, there is a neat twist that makes up for
the dungeon’s eventual predictability, particularly the fact that in
order to advance to the next floor, you have to find a mystical item
known as a Gleamdrop, which is hidden somewhere on the floor.
Fortunately, the bottom screen provides you with a hint to find this
item, not to mention a radar (map that shows the location of various
enemies), and a meter which shows you what level you’re at and how much
more experience you need to level up. At the end of each dungeon, is a
boss battle, putting you face-to-face with gigantic monsters and
mythical creatures.
But don’t fret, Children of Mana offers several enhancement features.
First off are the eight elementals, each composed of a different
element which ranges from fire, ice and earth to holy, dark and
moonlight). During each dungeon, you’re allowed to carry one of them on
you. By using a few MP, you can summon your selected elemental to
either perform an attack on various monsters and enemies, or by walking
up to them, they can provide you with a beneficial status enhancement
which ranges from healing to charging your weapon with their element to
even making your character invisible. Next, we have the Gem frame
system. At the beginning of the game, you’re given an item called a Gem
frame, which allows you to equip gems, which are found in the dungeons.
These gems enhance your powers in various ways, ranging from simple
stat boosts to powering up your weapons and giving them new abilities.
Many gems can be found throughout dungeons, but others must be obtained
by means of fusion. Granted, this isn’t anything new (the Navi
Customizer system of MegaMan Battle Network comes quickly to mind), but
it’s a nice feature nonetheless. Another awesome trait is that your
character can wield two weapons at a time. Your primary weapon can be
used with the A button, while the secondary weapon is assigned to the Y
button. Again, this is nothing new, but it still adds something to the
gameplay.
I do have a few gripes about the gameplay though. First off, there’s
the whole menu set-up. It shows up on the touch screen, and it is
optimized for such use. However, it lags quite a bit, especially
because I’m used to faster menus which use the actual buttons and
because things look a bit odd at certain points. Then there’s the whole
lack of options when you’re in the dungeon - for instance, you’re not
allowed to equip new items as time goes on, and the only items you have
access to are healing items. And then there’s the fact that most items
can only be equipped or used when your character reaches a certain
level. Overall, my biggest gripe would have to be that, quite simply,
this game doesn’t feel like a Mana game. It feels pretty generic in
many ways, not that that in itself is a bad thing, but I was expecting
a little more than this.
The graphics in this game are pretty much average when it comes to the
actually gameplay. I mean, the actual character designs are okay, but
the overworld character sprites are pretty run-of-the-mill. The
backgrounds, on the other hand, are quite nice. Same thing goes for the
cutscenes, which are pretty well-rendered, though there is some
pixilation on some of them.
The sound in this game follows suit with the gameplay, actually. The
music’s okay, but there’s nothing that really stands out as memorable
or catchy; same goes for the sound effects. Another disappointing
factor in the sound department would be the lack of any voice acting
whatsoever, but I guess it’s somewhat forgivable considering that not
many DS games feature it.
As far as replay is concerned, there’s a little bit. I mean, each
character offers a different experience in the game. But the best
reason I could see for coming back would be the multiplayer, which
allows you and up to 3 friends to fight through dungeons as a team. In
the end, all I can say about this game is this: it’s not a bad game, it
just doesn’t live up to the legacy that the Mana series seems to evoke.
Oh well, here’s hoping that Heroes of Mana is much better.
Article by: Wolfdogg
Posted on: Apr. 3rd, 2007 |
|
|
|
Review Recap |
| Gameplay |
| Not exactly inspired, but nothing terrible. Menu navigation sucks, though. |
 |
|
|
Graphics |
| Great FMV cutscenes, but the in-game graphics aren’t very impressive. |
 |
|
|
Sound |
| The music and the sound effects are okay, but the lack of even minimal voice acting is disappointing. |
 |
|
|
Replay Value |
| Eh, I guess the four different characters give it some merit, but the only lasting value I can see for this game is if you have at least one other friend with a copy. |
|
|
|
Comments |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
