Legend of Mana Remastered Review
Some games just don't age well. And as much as I hate to admit it, Legend of Mana is one of them.
If you cast your mind back to 1999, when Legend of Mana first released on PlayStation, it's easy to see how some of its systems were stand-out. There's no one set path to follow through the game, for example. By placing down map tiles, players can chart their own journey, visiting areas in almost any order and uncovering a variety of stories to play through. These stories are random and unconnected, with no single overarching narrative. For an RPG, it's an unusual and noteworthy choice.
21 years later, with the release of Legend of Mana Remastered, that lack of a set path is still a novel feature, but one that doesn't exactly add anything. In fact, the disjointed nature of the narrative strands detracts from the experience. With no real story to follow, it's hard to truly care about your character and the people they meet on their journey. Yes, your character remains consistent - they'll level up, learn new skills and get new equipment as you progress, just as they would in any standard RPG - but when you're jumping from one random story thread to another, it feels as though nothing is worth investing in. In a fleeting moment, that story will be done, and you'll be on to the next.
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It's hard to fully condemn Legend of Mana Remastered, because the original game's choices are unusual, and some players will certainly find merit in its hands-off approach to steering the gameplay. Others, however, will undoubtedly find the lack of direction infuriating. So, Legend of Mana Remastered won't be for everyone then. Its combat and lack of engaging narrative holds it back, but its soundtrack - both the original and rearranged version - is truly a standout feature.
Score: 6/10
