After 16 years, Visions of Mana brings back back original creator Koichi Ishii for a return to its action RPG roots

The recently revealed Visions of Mana is bringing back series creator Koichi Ishii as well as veteran composers Hiroki Kikuta, Tsuyoshi Sekito, and Ryo Yamazaki.

Ishii's last Mana game was the 2007 RTS Heroes of Mana, and although it's unclear exactly what role he's taking for Visions of Mana, producer Masaru Oyamada revealed in tweet that he's "worked closely with us to reimagine the familiar monsters, including the iconic rabites, for this latest installment."

Kikuta, meanwhile, was the main composer for the 1993 SNES game Secrets of Mana and has worked on the series all the way through the 2020 remake Trials of Mana. Sekito's decades-spanning career dates back to the late '80s and includes credits on Metal Gear Solid 2: Solid Snake, the PlayStation version of Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 7 Remake. His work on the Mana series started with 2006's Dawn of Mana and goes up to the 2018 3D remake. Meanwhile, Yamazaki has credits on 1999's Legend of Mana, 2001's Final Fantasy 10, and 2007's Heroes of Mana.

Revealed during The Game Awards 2023, Visions of Mana is the first mainline entry in the legendary JRPG series in 15 years, and it's described by publisher Square Enix has a "return to the series' action-RPG roots." The stunning debut trailer looks like it could be setting up Mana for a similar revival to Dragon Quest, which mounted a triumphant comeback in 2017 with one of the best JRPGs ever, Echoes of an Elusive Age. There's even a scene in the Visions of Mana trailer where the hero is on a boat fighting off a a giant octopus attached to the front, and if that isn't Dragon Quest core, I don't know what is.

Visions of Mana is due out sometime in 2024 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, and PC.

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