Dawn of Mana
What's it all about?
The legends of the Sword and Tree of Mana have been told in many games, but nobody has known where they came from... until now. Dawn of Mana promises to give us the nitty-gritty on the origins of the sacred sword and the plant that is the source of all life energy. And there's something about magical spirits and a Mana Goddess, too...
What's the big deal?
Square's Mana series hasn't been all that hot lately, but Dawn of Mana looks like it could be the return to form for which fans have been clamoring. A fully 3D action-RPG set in a huge and beautiful world, Dawn of Mana makes use of advanced physics programming that allows objects to interact with each other realistically. This opens up some great gameplay potential. You can smash through walls, trees and boulders, light grass and plants ablaze with a spell, or send an enemy flying with a hard blow to smash into others around him. Sounds good to us!
How does it stack up?
The combat in Dawn of Mana looks to be the game's main selling point and from what we've seen so far, it's got the potential to be truckloads of fun. Sweetening the deal are gorgeous visuals that really show what the PS2's capable of. We're just hoping the story will be as good as the action and the graphics.
