Track this topic | Email this topic | Print this topic

Famitsu magazine recently revealed new details concerning the two latest Mana games: Seiken Densetsu 4 and Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana.

The former, according to producer Koichi Ishii, will feature the Havok physics engine used in many recent games including Half-Life 2 and Max Payne 2. The engine will allow for innovative interaction with surrounding environments and objects, giving the feel of a much more realistic world, Ishii hopes. Titles on both the PlayStation 2 and XBox gaming systems have experienced the depth of the Havok engine in the past, as has the PC, but the console on which Seiken Densetsu 4 will be launched has yet to be decided.

Meanwhile, several story, battle and character details from the upcoming Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana have been announced in spades.

The game begins on an island located at the very center of the world, known as Illuja Island, where the familiar Mana Tree has stood since the beginning of time. But an unspecified disaster strikes, killing many residents of Illuja. Three young survivors manage to gather at the base of the Mana Tree, and their adventure begins.

The heroes of the game consist of the following:

• Frick: A young man who, many years prior to the disaster, was rescued by a wandering swordsman who inspired him to learn swordsmanship for himself. Frick's attitude is quite upbeat and cheerful, but his whole family is killed in the disaster on the island.
  
• Tumble: A former dancer and acrobat for a traveling circus, Tumble is very mature for her age, enough to cause others to believe she's much older than she actually is. Both her parents and her brother are killed in the island's disaster.
  
• Pop: A fearless and laid back individual, Pop often speaks and acts before he thinks. Although this leads others to think he's immature, he despises being treated like anything other than an adult. Pop's father dies in the disaster, but his mother passed away years before when giving birth.

The game will once again feature many of the battle traits present in the previous titles. Among the weapons included in Children of Mana, the sword, bow, and flail have been confirmed. The former two will function as normal while the flail will have the added advantage of longer range attacks than the sword and the ability to grapple far off enemies and objects. The length of the main quest itself is estimated to be around 25-30 hours.

Development is currently 60% complete and is scheduled to be finished just in time for its Japanese release sometime this winter. No word yet on a North American release date, but the title Children of Mana has been trademarked by Square-Enix in the US.

(Thanks go out to laszlow for the links)

Source: RPGamer
Children of Mana Details

--------------------

Words of Wisdom:

If something can go wrong, it will.

If anything simply cannot go wrong, it will anyway.

If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong. - Murphy’s Law

Boing! Zoom! - Mr. Saturn

Can I be the first to state that those are the worst main character names ever? I mean, if they weren't so onomatopoeia-y and didn't sound like mascots for some food conglomerate, they might be more palatable (at least to me). The timespan seems relatively short, too--I'm sure that even Golden Sun could boast more playtime than that. Hopefully the length is just an understatement due to the game being unfinished in its intirety.

--------------------

It's gonna be a glorious day
I feel my luck can change

No kidding - the first thought that crossed my mind upon reading those names was of Rice Krispies.

The above length doesn't take sidequests into account since it's just the time spent on the main game. It'll likely be at least a few hours longer.

--------------------

Words of Wisdom:

If something can go wrong, it will.

If anything simply cannot go wrong, it will anyway.

If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong. - Murphy’s Law

Boing! Zoom! - Mr. Saturn

Since when has Square ever used proper names? I mean really.


I'm excited. I liked all SD's prior, so it's worth a look into

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Like SGN, I'm a little put-off by Snap, Crackle, and Pop

Anyways, it is only 60% done, so I'm gonna hold off any more criticism until we get a tad more info

Surprise, surprise! In a highly expected twist of fate, Square-Enix has selected the PlayStation 2 to see the release of Seiken Densetsu 4. I totally betcha no one saw THAT coming!

Of course, there's still no launch date set for the game.

--------------------

Words of Wisdom:

If something can go wrong, it will.

If anything simply cannot go wrong, it will anyway.

If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong. - Murphy’s Law

Boing! Zoom! - Mr. Saturn

Quote (MogMaster @ 26th October 2005 16:02)

Since when has Square ever used proper names? I mean really.

Proper names, huh? Ye mean names like Edgar, Cecil, Gus, Maria, Edward, etc.? Yep, since when indeed . Really, though, as long as the game provides the option to rename them, their names could be Bubba, Bo-Bob, and Brain for all I care (had to throw those in for memory's sake,heh).

I really enjoyed Secret of Mana (and perhaps I'll get around to SD3 one of these days) so it's good to hear the series is still going on strong .

--------------------

Console RPG Cliches