Here's a look at the Trials of Mana demo

Trials of Mana, the upcoming remake of the 1995 Super Famicom title Seiken Densetsu 3, has a free demo out for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Steam.

You’ll be able transfer your save data from the demo into the full version of game. Only the beginning of the story is playable and characters’ level is capped at 7.

We gave the PlayStation 4 version a spin in the video below:

After the introduction, you’ll choose one of six protagonists, then two from those same six as your companions. While you only start out with your protagonist, the other two will eventually join your campaign.

Making the jump from 2D to 3D has worked well in Trials of Mana, which is largely due to how the combat has been retooled to work in this new space. You can use R3 to lock on to enemies and maneuver around them, using light and heavy attacks where the timing is appropriate. Aerial attacking and dodging flows well, including an air-to-ground move.

You can build up a meter below your health and mana gauges as you attack – this is reserved for Class Strikes, abilities compatible with a character’s current class. They can be assigned to the right shoulder button and face button and deploy instantly, triggering a small cutscene. Items can also be bound to the left shoulder button’s shortcuts, of which there are a healthy variety. Just as in the original game, opening the ring menu for each character pauses combat to allow for the selection of a specific item.

Training will allow you to spend points accrued when you level up to boost stats or learn abilities. You can train in five disciplines: Strength, Intellect, Luck, Stamina, and Spirit. Depending on the points you invest, further abilities are unlocked.

Hiroki Kikuta’s soundtrack has been arranged in a way that feels faithful to the original’s sound font. It should be noted that you can switch between the original and arranged soundtrack from the Options menu, as well as toggle Japanese and English voice acting.

If you have a Nintendo Switch and are craving more, you can play the original Trials of Mana, newly-localized as part of Collection of Mana.

Trials of Mana is currently scheduled to release on April 24 for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.


About the Author

Tony Garsow Tony joined Nova Crystallis in 2015, and has spent more than a decade writing in the Final Fantasy community. He also contributes to the Nova Crystallis Twitch and YouTube channels, where you can watch select gameplay highlights, previews, and streams.

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