Visions of Mana is the first new mainline entry in Square Enix’s Mana series in over 15 years, so naturally it has attracted huge attention from modern-day RPG fans and retro game enthusiasts alike. As is tradition with Square Enix games, a demo for Visions of Mana was released ahead of the game’s official August 29 release. That said, this Visions of Mana teaser plays by slightly different rules than most Square Enix demos. If you’re wondering if this action-RPG is right for you, then the demo will let you get a taste of the game’s world and combat mechanics.
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What content is included in the Visions of Mana demo?
After a brief cutscene, the Visions of Mana demo will start you and your party in a short, linear path through an icy field. This acts as a tutorial, and you’ll work your way through some basic platforming challenges as you familiarize yourself with the game’s mechanics.
Afterwards, the party will arrive in a wide open field, which introduces the Pikul mount for the party to ride on. This section features collectibles to find, side quests to complete, and even an optional battle arena against some relatively high level enemies. That said, none of these diversions are required to advance the story.
Finally, the demo includes a town where the party can purchase new equipment, take a few more side quests, and chat with some friendly NPCs. A handful of story events will occur here, which will eventually culminate in the party boarding a boat. After a prompt appears warning you that you’ve reached a point of no return, the party will face off against a Kraken boss battle. Once you defeat the naughty octopus, the demo will end with a few story sequences to conclude this chapter of the adventure.
How long is the Visions of Mana demo?
If you aim to clear absolutely everything the demo offers, it should take a little over two hours. If you skip past the open field section, you can probably cut the total runtime in half. It ultimately depends on how much you want to dig into the game’s mechanics, especially if you play with the options to customize your party.
Does progress from the Visions of Mana demo carry over to the full game?
No…for the most part. The demo begins shortly after the start of the game, so it doesn’t function the way that, say, the Dragon Quest X or Final Fantasy XVI demos do. That said, if save data from the demo is present on your system when playing the full game, you can obtain three bonus weapons for Val (the game’s protagonist) once you reach Chapter 1. Note that these are common weapons that you can also obtain through standard play.
Do you need to beat the demo to get the bonus weapons in the full game?
No. There is no prompt to save the game upon completing the demo, so it doesn’t seem like your actual progress affects whether you qualify for the extra weapons.
What are some tips for the Visions of Mana demo?
While the demo for Visions of Mana isn’t hard, necessarily, you may need to take a few minutes to adjust to the game’s combat system. The Mana series typically places as much of an emphasis on its RPG systems as its combat. This means you’re rewarded for learning your active character’s combat mechanics, customizing your party members’ behavior in battle, and stopping the action to cast spells and use items.
Case in point: The protagonist Val starts as the Rune Knight class, which is the best damage dealer available in the demo. However, Val won’t really feel powerful until you unlock the Horizontal Slice skill, which unlocks a three-hit combo. To maximize your damage, wait for openings to attack, and then hold down the attack button to wallop enemies.
By upgrading your party’s Elemental Plots, you can also buff Val’s attack and crit stats by using spells and elemental enchantments. You don’t particularly have to worry about MP conservation in the demo, so go all out against tough enemies. Don’t neglect to use your Elemental Vessel by pressing R2 for some extra crowd control, and once your CS gauge in the bottom-left is charged, you can press L2 to unleash a devastating super move.
Finally, if you’re still having trouble, feel free to rush towards the town once you enter the open field area. You can purchase equipment upgrades that significantly increase your party’s power, and you’ll find side quests that will point you back to the open field. Or, if you’d rather save all this questing for the full game, you can skip ahead and experience the Kraken battle. The choice is yours.