First of all, the "ring command" system featured in Secret of Mana will make its return in the newest handheld installment. The system will be used via the DS's touch screen, enabling players to control the menu in a swift, easy fashion.
Perhaps the best additions - not to mention the most interesting - are the two new characters being introduced into the cast of Children of Mana, both previously from Secret of Mana. The Dwarven blacksmith who originally assisted with weapons, Watts, is now said to be a wanderer from a foreign country and apparently a noble within the world of Children of Mana. There's also Moti, the dancing shopkeeper from Secret of Mana who has somehow transformed into the elder of Illuja Island - the hometown of the latest game's heroes. Famitsu magazine has confirmed that both characters' roles will be of more importance than they were in Secret of Mana.
Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana is due out in Japan this winter. Although Square-Enix has trademarked the title in the US they've yet to give any word on a North American release date.
Source: RPGamer
Posted in: Square-Enix News