Trials of Mana

In a sense, it's an ideal remake, holding tight to the core of what made the original game (and the Mana series as a whole) so compelling to so many people at the time, while bringing a novelty and freshness to attract neophytes like yours truly.

Fans of the series will still be able to glean some enjoyment from seeing a classic title brought into the modern age, but everyone else won’t have much reason to dive into this flawed remake.

Trials of Mana is a great remake of a 16-bit classic, but its 16-bit roots are often hard to ignore.

That easy recommendation comes qualified with several elements that don't work nearly as well, from dull and hodge-podge storytelling to bewildering progression systems. Seeing a historical curiosity through the lens of a mostly modernized action-RPG was enough to pull me through the experience despite my quibbles, though, so there's certainly still life in the world of Mana.

Trials of Mana is definitely an improvement over the Secret of Mana remake, but it still comes with many of the same problems.

The inventive and memorable story of the original game blends perfectly with the flashy new real-time combat system, and while muddy textures and a lack of co-op prove to somewhat sour the experience, this is still a stellar action RPG remake that anyone can get a kick out of.