The Mana series has always been something of a second-string role-playing game from Square Enix. Despite Secret of Mana being one of the best RPGs on the SNES, subsequent games have been a mixed bag, and for more than a decade, the series has consisted of remakes, ports, and mobile spinoffs. Now, the series is back with Visions of Mana, its first original title in nearly 20 years. Early looks at the game seemed to offer what Mana fans have been waiting for — a game that honors the past while bringing the series into the future — but after all that time, it still seems firmly stuck in the past. There’s a fine line between invoking nostalgia and feeling dated, and everything from its dull story and lifeless world to its uninspired combat puts the latest entry in the Mana series firmly on the wrong side of that line.
