Previously I had said I wasn't going to try any of the AAA games and I already violated that rule because I have a soft spot for the "Mana" games that goes all the way back to one of my favorite games that was on the SNES. Square-Enix is one of the largest studios in the world so this is definitely in violation of my standards of only going for indie publishers but I just couldn't resist.
Trials of Mana is, in a shell, just like the original Mana game from the 90's but with vastly improved graphics, quite honestly too much in the way of cinematics, and a pretty decent game overall despite being extremely simplistic and very reptitive.
Back in the olden days of gaming, Square kind of revolutionized the RPG genre by creating one of the very first games where you were controlling 3 characters at once in a live action battle sequence where the AI actually friggin worked for the most part, and I'm happy to say that with this release they didn't re-invent the wheel and instead just built on that system with better music and graphics.
I'm kind of surprised that Squenix managed to pull this off because I have a love/hate relationship with that company seeing as how they have managed to damn-near destroy the Final Fantasy franchise by constantly tweaking the gameplay system to the point where the games aren't even fun anymore.
Trials isn't perfect by any means but at least they simply evolved the system that they established all those years ago instead of attempting to re-vamp it and end up fucking it up in the process.
Some might say that this style of play is outdated but as a somewhat casual gamer, I really enjoy what they have done here. You control only one member of the party at a time and with the other 2 players that happen to be in your party at any given point in time will just assist you or attack however you program them inside of the settings. If you want one of your support characters to simply avoid combat and focus on healing, that can be done. You can set someone to all out attack at all times, even if it is to their own detriment.
When a character gets killed it really isn't that big of a deal because reviving party members mid-fight is something that can be done from a paused drop down menu. you'll need to leave enough time for the revive item or spell to be cast but this is normally easily accomplished.
Combat is simplistic even at bosses and some players might come to the conclusion that it is a little bit too easy. Even bosses don't really pose much of a challenge well into the game. In this regard the game can be seen as being boring since combat does get to be very repetative. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing in the case of Mana because while it is simplistic, the animation, sound, and necessary button-combinations are easy to remember and fun. Unlike in the original game from the 90's, the AI on your computer controlled cohorts is actually quite intelligent and they rarely do something stupid like get trapped in a corner during battles.
I played this for 7 hours or so and I was entertained for most of it although I will say that there is entirely too much dialogue and cutscenes that interrupt the gameplay. This should come as no surprise to anyone that is familiar with Square-Enix titles though, since they are very well-known for doing exactly that. It isn't really my cuppa when it comes to that, but at least a vast majority of it is skippable.
A simple throwback to the early days of gaming, Trials of Mana is an easy game that I think will appeal to most casual players and even children although for hardcore gamers I think that the difficulty level is going to be way too low for the game to remain entertaining to them.
I would actually be surprised if most people end up completing this game because it is quite long and the gameplay rarely deviates from just spamming attack all the time since you are very limited on MP throughout the entire game. Also, it should be pointed out that the AI of your companions borders on suicidal so be prepared to be constantly reviving them.
Games played so far in my trip through all the "Extra" games on Playstation Plus
- Windbound (survival game with rogue-like elements - not recommended)
- Magicka 2 (top-down humorous multiplayer hack and slash-sort with immense spell system - maybe recommended)
- Tearaway: Unfolded (charming casual 3D platformer with inventive graphics and gameplay designed for all ages - recommended for casual players)
- Spiritfarer (casual simulation / resource-management style game with an extremely good story - recommended for all)
- Observation (point and click survival sort of... interactive game of sorts set in space - found it very boring after just one hour and do not recommend)
- Gabbuchi (simplistic puzzle game that I feel is better suited to mobile devices. Not recommended on consoles)
- The Messenger (8-bit style action/platformer that is a throwback to original Ninja Gaiden. It's simplistic fun. Recommended)
- Megadimension Neptunia VII (typical JRPG with some adjustments made to combat for uniqueness. Could be fun and I lukewarmly recommend for someone willing to dedicate 50 hours to a turn-based RPG)
- Monster Jam: Steel Titans 2 (monster truck racing game that will appeal only to people who are already fans of the sport - not recommended for any other people)
- Entwined (Visually appealing rhythm pace game that is very easy to pick up but gets repetitive after 30 minutes or so - recommended for anyone that can get it for free.)
- 2Dark (8-bit graphic survival horror/stealth hybrid. The game becomes extremely difficult really fast and therefore failed to hold my attention - not recommended)
- Virginia (interactive-cinema...not really a game and it is over in a couple of hours. Not recommended)
- Trials of Mana (simplistic action RPG that will definitely appeal to the casual gamer that is a fan of old-school RPG combat mechanics - recommended)