Seiken Densetsu ECHOES of MANA", an action RPG for smartphones, will be released tomorrow! The original story with the world of past titles and easy 2D battles are appealing!

In the spring of 2022, the smartphone app "Seiken Densetsu: ECHOES of MANA" will be released. This title is the latest in Square Enix's iconic RPG "Seiken Densetsu" series, and features the world and characters from past titles.

This time, I had a chance to experience this title before its release, and I will present a review of the world view and battle system. Please note that the author played a version of the game before its official release, so there is a possibility that some of the specifications may differ from the full version.

The protagonist travels through a world of memories in search of the "Seiken" (sacred sword).

The main character in this title is the player himself. In order to save the "Tree of Mana," the source of all life, the player, together with "Hitsuji," a being sent by the goddess, will explore various worlds in search of the "Holy Sword. In the process, they will travel through the various worlds of the "Seiken Densetsu" series.

Many characters from "The Legend of the Seiken" appear in this title. Amanda from "Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden" and Randy, the main character from "Secret of Mana," are among the characters that fans will be familiar with. Although I did not complete the entire storyline, I found that the storyline in this test play was not particularly based on knowledge of the previous titles, at least not to the extent that if you know how the original story unfolded, you will notice minor differences with this title.

Since the player is the main character in this work, it is not necessary to know anything about "Seiken Densetsu". The world that the player first visits is also original to this work, perhaps to make it as easy as possible for beginners to enter the "Seiken Densetsu" series, which has a long history.

From the second chapter onward, many worlds based on themes from the series appear. While beginners can enjoy the game, it can also be enjoyed by fans of the series who know the previous "Seiken Densetsu" games, as they can reminisce about the past.

The characters are depicted using illustrations in the dialogue parts and 2D models in the battle parts, and their faces and bodies move with great precision at every turn. In the conversation part, the characters fall down when attacked by enemies or are startled by sudden events, and in the battle part, they run or jump depending on the type of attack.

Easy 2D action with flashy special moves

In this title, players advance through quests, repeating conversations and battles. In battles, the player moves the character in any direction by swiping anywhere on the screen, and taps the icons on the right side of the screen to perform the corresponding action. The basic battle strategy is to use normal attacks by repeatedly tapping the largest sword icon, and to mix in "skills" as needed by tapping the smaller icons around it. There are no complicated commands to enter, and the game is very easy to play.

Characters and enemies have attribute affinities, and depending on their affinities, the damage they inflict on the enemy will change. Note that only the enemy is affected by attributes; there are no disadvantages to the player.

The maximum number of party members is six. For each of the three characters fighting in the field, one sub-member can be assigned. Although only one person can be in control at a time, the other members fight automatically and can be switched between the sub and main members at any time. In other words, all six members of the party can be controlled as desired. Switching between characters is very reassuring when you use too many skills and run out of MP, or when your HP is running low and you are about to lose the battle.

A special gauge accumulates each time a special move is used, and once it has been used up to three times, an "extra-large spirit magic" can be used. This is a trump card that goes beyond special moves, allowing the character to inflict massive damage on a wide range of enemies. The type of gauge that accumulates changes depending on the attribute of the character who uses the special move. The performance of the extra-large spirit magic also changes depending on the attribute ratio at the time the gauge is full.

Both special moves and extra-large spirit magic are big moves, but the gauge required for special moves accumulates rapidly by damaging enemies, and using special moves with the gauge that has accumulated will lead to the preparation of extra-large spirit magic. The speed of the battles, of course, was exhilarating, as was the feeling of dispatching the enemy.

However, the difficulty level of each quest is a bit high, probably due to the powerful techniques available. It was not uncommon for the player's character to be pushed to the brink of combat failure if he or she attempted a quest at a level lower than the recommended strength indicated beforehand. We hope to get out of a pinch by utilizing skills and changing team members. Another option is to level up your characters through simple quests.

On the other hand, the game also offers a variety of features for those who are not good at action games. The game is equipped with a fully-automatic function, which is common in social games, and all normal attacks, skills, and special moves are performed automatically. In addition, quests that have been cleared once can be replayed. The number of times you can complete a quest is unlimited, or you can specify the number of times you want to complete a quest, and you can also set up the use of items when you run out of stamina. By combining these features with the full-automatic mode, leveling up and item collection can be carried out smoothly even when there is not much time available.

The bosses have high attack power, and if you are seriously hit by a big move, you will be pinned down in an instant. The range of the attack will be displayed just before the attack, so move away from the spot immediately!

Boost your character's abilities with Memory Gems and Mana Boards!

Characters are equipped with equipment and systems that increase their abilities. One of them is "memory gems. These are like equipment that can be attached to a character to raise the status of the equipped target. In the "Mana Board," players can also increase certain abilities in exchange for gold or silver coins.

Memory Gems have "Assist Skills" that strengthen the equipped object with specific effects, as well as levels of extra-large spirit magic. The higher the level of the oversized spirit magic, the higher the performance when activated.

Armor familiar to RPGs can also be equipped. Three pieces can be attached to the head, torso, and legs, plus three accessories. Each piece of armor can be strengthened individually, and when certain combinations are matched, additional effects can be activated. Players can choose to focus on performance, even if the armor is unevenly matched, or they can combine equipment based on the set effects. The best part of the game is to consider the compatibility of the equipment.

In addition, by using characters of the same rarity as the character as materials or by using a special item called "Orb of Awakening," the rarity and level limit of the target character can be raised. There are many elements that can improve the performance of characters, including memory gems and mana boards, so even if the rarity of your favorite character is low, you can recover as much as you want by strengthening it. As a social game, gacha is an unavoidable part of the game system, but it is nice to know that there is plenty of room for growth for the characters you already own without having to rely on gacha.

While the game's style is designed to appeal to fans of the series by introducing the world and characters from past titles, it also includes a number of player-friendly elements, such as fully-automatic gameplay, a lap-around function, and memory gems and mana boards that can be used to enhance characters in detail. We recommend this title equally to those who are familiar with the "Seiken Densetsu" series and those who are just starting out with this title.

(Text: Natsuyoshi Natsuyoshi)

Information on the title
Seiken Densetsu: ECHOES of MANA
Genre: Action RPG
Compatibility: iOS/Android
Price: Free for basic play (with item charges)
Distribution date: Spring 2022
Planning and production: Square Enix Co.
Planning and development: WFS Co.

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