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Visions of Mana returns to series roots, but is yet to flower into a truly original experience

I have quite distinct memories of SNES classic Secret of Mana, despite not playing it too much. It's the visuals that s…

It's the visuals that stick in my mind: the bright greens of its forest environments, the electric yellows and pinks of its cute plant and bug enemies, and of course the colossal tree and its tangled roots seen in the game's iconic box artwork. The character designs are lovely and hark back to the pixel originals | Image credit: Square Enix Oyamada admitted it was "a sort of surprise almost" to see the Final Fantasy series move further into action combat, but considering advancements in technology it's "a very natural thing to happen". "That's something shared across both franchises but when it comes to Final Fantasy, I've always felt they position themselves as more of the cooler, edgier and stylish series, whereas Mana has always paid more attention to depicting the natural warmth and radiating a feeling of kindness from the characters."

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