As evil begins to seep back into the World of Mana, it's up to one of our four heroes to take up the Sword of Mana and quell the impending troubles, wary of the dangers which lie ahead and the destiny which is to follow.
Square Enix's lineup for this year has 14 HP and a lot of mana to spare. Oh, and there's a new title for Seiken Densetsu IV... Read on
Masato Kato (Chrono Cross) returns to Square Enix for a try at the helm of World of Mana Read on
So there we go, polymorphism? swerves back into full swing with the arrival of what's presumably the World of Mana brand: a new issue of Weekly Jump reveals that Seiken Densetsu DS is known as "Children of Mana", and that there's also a true sequel on the way to some unannounced main console (presumably this-gen, so PS2 or GC). While Children of Mana is to be a 2d action-RPG in a similar vein to previous entries into the series, the sole screenshot of SD4 depicts a fully 3d world more reminiscent of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, which was pretty Mana-esque to begin with. Children of Mana will hit the DS winter 2006 in Japan (a year to go, yes), and SD4 has no release date. Yet.1
While this much was pretty obvious from the start, World of Mana will in fact be a new franchise based on the revisitation of the universe crafted with the Mana series previously. "The Legend Lives On. Epic new tales in the Mana series are in the midst of being spun. From past to present, and on to the future, the Mana series continues to evolve. Glimpse the many facets of the World of Mana through a multitude of platforms -- glimpses that will soon unfold into an unforgettable fantasy experience. The day you can next step into the world of Mana is drawing near." -- multiplatform, several genres, and probably with online support in some fashion. Aside from the already announced Seiken Densetsu DS, however, platforms for the franchise ar up in the air.1
Gamefront makes note of a recent new US patent by Square Enix in the form of World of Mana, which is presumably either the new Mana game we reported on last year, or perhaps Seiken Densetsu DS, which was confirmed earlier this year. Either way, as E3 is only weeks away, it's safe to assume we'll find out which one it is soon enough.1
