Heroes of Mana
Score: 90% ESRB: Everyone 10+ Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Square Enix Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 Genre: RPG
Graphics & Sound: You got RPG in my RTS! No, you got RTS in my RPG! Mmmm, good. Heroes of Mana is the latest installment in a ridiculously long storyline. After all, does Square Enix do it any other way? Some other title lines from Square Enix have their good and their bad moments. I was always leery of long-running games anyway, so I was happily surprised. The Mana series may not be as well known as the Final Fantasy series, but it definitely has its fan base. A mention of its name can bring the inner geek out in the most surprising game players. Rooted all the way back to the late 80's, this Final Fantasy spin-off has actually garnered itself positions in many reputable top 100 lists. Does this latest iteration hold up? The look and feel takes you back to the 16-bit days. That isn't the fault of the game, its just that the power of the DS can only go so far. It looks great, again though the way everything is done on-screen reminds me of days and designs gone by. I don't know if this is on purpose as the game's chronology would actually make it a sort of prequel. No matter, it is an older design look that plays and feels right at home on the DS. It is great to hear several different pieces in a short period of time. One of newest complaints I have in DS games is when you hear the same music over and over in long games. Happy to not have to preach about that here. If music for RPG's from the early 90's or even until now, for that matter, had a specific style then Heroes here is a prime example.
Gameplay: Heroes of Mana doesn't break away from any of the preconceived notions of what a game like this is meant to be. You, of course, have control of everyone in your party, but you assume the main protagonist's role of Roget. An eager, strong warrior, Roget has a seedy and unknown heritage. Well, duh! I guess if it isn't broke as a plot point, don't fix it. During a reconnaissance mission, you are attacked by the enemy. You and your party must defend yourselves, only to learn that your own military has seemingly used you as a decoy to lure forces away from their capital. An overly vicious attack on the capital throws you in the path of your own countrymen. Fighting to survive and end the cruelty to innocents by your own country, your enemy quickly becomes your ally. Expect several deep, though maybe predictable, story points to push you through the game. Battle style is important in RPG's. Instead of an encounter-based system where you flash to turn-based attacks, Heroes uses a real-time point and attack method. I am extremely happy not to see multiple pop-ups and static fights, but I wasn't thrilled with the A.I. pathing. Since this is a real-time game, you have to rely on your "point & click" movements to get to the enemy before he gets to vulnerable units. The A.I. pathing doesn't always agree with you, though, and that can be annoying. So, why did I go through the old Reese's peanut butter cup commercial at the beginning of my story? Well, this actually is a good hybrid of both. On the RTS side, you will have to collect and manage your resources. Then, of course, on the RPG side, level up and strengthen your characters as you travel through the story. Your ship plays a huge part for your party, not only as transportation, but it also houses the vital production houses for your summonable units and other vital resources. Take care of your main characters and your ship all will be good.
Difficulty: Heroes of Mana and games of the like are not designed to be monumental challenges. They have their difficulties like any other game, but as is the case with Heroes, it is more driven toward the story. You really don't even need to worry about the drops or treasures after fighting, as it is automatically available at the end of the mission. Your overall progress is tallied and a score is assigned with your available items found during the mission. The challenge of the game is less about the battles and more about having the best troop balance to handle the challenges of the level. If I had to label the balance of RPG elements to the RTS elements, it is heavy in the RTS end of the spectrum. Being successful is based more on the collection and use of resources than on a strategic battle plan.
Game Mechanics: In Heroes of Mana, you play between two genres of games that lean heavily toward real-time strategy. So as is par for the RTS genre, you will collect two different resources. Gaia and Treant provide these resources and will be collected by your Rabites. Units in battle have a "Power Balance." There are four summonable filed units. These units are constructed from the building units inside the ship. This balance is quite simplistic. A ground unit will do twice as much damage to a missile unit and receive half the damage; on the flip side, he will do half the damage to a heavy unit while taking twice the damage. Each unit has a weakness and a purpose. Use them to your advantage, but be aware that there is only so much resource in each level. Each of the individual characters also have their own ranges and areas of attack. With the fog of war, don't be afraid to spread out your units to get a better view of what is happening on the field of battle around you. As you guessed, though, don't get spread so thin you cannot get units to an area to defend them if they need it. If you are looking for a unique RPG to spend some time with on the go, then Heroes of Mana is right up your alley. So in the beginning, I asked if this game could stand up to its many past iterations, and I say definitely yes. It is a rock solid RPG with several vital and well balanced RTS elements.
-WUMPUSJAGGER, GameVortex Communications AKA Bryon Lloyd
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