Trials of Mana, also known as Seiken Densetsu 3 in Japan, is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Super Famicom in 1995. It follows the story of three heroes in a fantasy world as they try to obtain the legendary Mana Sword and stop the Benevodons from destroying the world. The game includes three main storylines and six different main characters, each with their own story. It allows two players to play together. Trials of Mana improves on the gameplay of its 1993 predecessor, Secret of Mana, by adding features such as a time system that changes from day to night and from weekday to weekday, and a variety of character classes that give each character unique skills and abilities.
The game was created by Koichi Ishii, the series’ designer, and directed by Hiromichi Tanaka. Tetsuhisa Tsuruzono produced the game. Nobuteru Yūki, a manga and anime artist, designed the artwork, and Hiroki Kikuta, who composed the music for Secret of Mana, created the soundtrack. At first, the game was only released in Japan, but English-speaking players could play it through an unofficial fan translation released in 1999.
Reviewers praised the game’s graphics as some of the best for the Super Famicom and its improved gameplay compared to Secret of Mana. However, opinions on the story were mixed. Some critics found the overlapping stories interesting and helpful for replayability, but others thought the characters and plotlines were simple and unoriginal. Overall, the game is considered a classic for the Super Famicom.
In June 2017, the game was included in the Seiken Densetsu Collection for the Nintendo Switch in Japan. The collection was released in North America and the PAL region in June 2019 as Collection of Mana, with Trials of Mana included. A 3D remake of the game was announced at the same time and released worldwide in April 2020 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4. The remake was later released for Xbox Series X/S in 2024.
Gameplay
Trials of Mana has gameplay similar to its earlier game, Secret of Mana. Like many role-playing games from the 16-bit era, the game shows a top-down view, where three player characters move across the environment and fight enemies. Players can switch control between the characters at any time; the other characters not being controlled are managed by the computer. The game can be played by two players at once, unlike Secret of Mana, which allows three players. There are six possible characters. At the start of the game, players choose three characters to control and select one to begin with. The other two playable characters join the group later when they are met. The remaining three characters are non-playable characters (NPCs) when they appear.
Each character can use one type of weapon and cast magical spells. The power of spells depends on the character's magical ability and how the spell's element matches the enemy. During battles, attacking enemies fills a gauge that lets players use special attacks unique to each character. When characters earn enough experience points in battle, they level up to improve their abilities, such as strength and speed. Actions like changing equipment, casting spells, or checking status are done using the Ring Commands, a circular menu that appears above the controlled character. The game pauses whenever the Ring Command menu is used. The Ring has nine slots for storing items, and extra items can be placed in a separate storage area that is not accessible during battles.
Players decide how to improve their characters’ abilities when they level up, choosing which statistic to increase each time. A "class" system is also included. When a character reaches level 18, players can visit a Mana Stone in the game world and choose to change the character’s class to either "Light" or "Dark," which gives new skills and improves stats. A second class change is optional at level 38, but it requires obtaining a rare item first. Class changes do not affect the story, only gameplay.
Trials of Mana also includes a calendar system. A week in the game passes quickly, with one day taking only a few minutes. Each day of the week is linked to a different elemental spirit. On that spirit’s day, magic of that element is slightly stronger. Each in-game day is split into day and night. Some events only happen during specific times, such as a nighttime-only black market selling rare items. Enemies in the game world change depending on the time of day, and some may be asleep if approached at night. Kevin, one of the characters, becomes a werewolf when fighting at night, which greatly increases his attack power. Using an inn’s services allows players to skip to evening or the next morning, advancing the game’s clock.
Story
The story is set in a made-up world where Mana is a mysterious but limited energy source. Long ago, the Mana Goddess created the world by forging the powerful Sword of Mana and defeating eight monstrous creatures called the Benevodons—"God Beasts" in older translations—with it. She sealed the monsters inside eight Mana Stones and then transformed into the Mana Tree, falling into a deep sleep. The game takes place during a time when Mana is disappearing, and peace has been broken. Some people are trying to free the Benevodons from the stones to gain great power. The game is not a direct follow-up to Secret of Mana. According to the game's creator, Koichi Ishii, the Mana games do not take place in the same world. Characters and events in different games are best seen as different versions of each other. However, the 2007 game Heroes of Mana is a direct prequel to Trials of Mana, happening 19 years earlier.
The story follows three main groups of characters. Duran and Angela fight the Crimson Wizard and the Dragon Lord. Hawkeye and Riesz oppose Belladonna and the Dark Majesty. Kevin and Charlotte battle Goremand and the Masked Mage. The main story depends on which character is chosen first, but more interactions and dialogue happen if both members of a pair are in the party.
Duran is a mercenary swordsman from Valsena, a kingdom of the plains. His father, Loki the Golden Knight, died in a battle with the Dragon Emperor, and his mother passed away from illness soon after. One night, Duran was on guard duty at Valsena’s castle when the Crimson Wizard attacked, killing soldiers and defeating Duran. After recovering, Duran vowed to become the greatest swordsman and seek revenge against the wizard.
Angela is the princess of Altena, a kingdom covered in ice. Unlike others in her kingdom, she has little magical ability. Her mother, Queen Valda, uses magic to keep Altena in a constant spring, but the spell weakens as Mana fades. To power the spell, the queen and the Crimson Wizard plan to take Mana Stones from other lands. However, using the stone’s power is deadly. When the queen forces Angela to use the stone, she runs away and decides to become a strong mage to earn her mother’s approval.
Kevin is the half-human prince of Ferolia. His father, Gauser the Beast King, is angry with humans for mistreating his people. Goremand, a powerful figure, helps the king by showing him Kevin’s ability to transform into a werewolf after killing Kevin’s best friend. When Kevin confronts his father about this and the king’s plan to attack the human city of Wendel, he is banished from the kingdom. Kevin seeks revenge and wants to find out what happened to his human mother and his friend Karl.
Charlotte is the half-elf granddaughter of the Priest of Light in Wendel. She is an orphan cared for by a cleric named Heath. When the Priest of Light senses evil in Jadd, he sends Heath to investigate. Charlotte follows Heath and witnesses Goremand abducting him. She decides to go on a journey to save him.
Hawkeye is a thief from the desert city of Nevarl. His guild’s leader, Lord Flamekhan, suddenly declares Nevarl a kingdom. Hawkeye confronts Flamekhan and learns he is being controlled by the witch Isabella. Isabella kills Flamekhan’s son, Eagle, and frames Hawkeye for the murder, forcing him to flee.
Riesz is the princess of Laurent, a mountainous kingdom. Two ninjas from Nevarl trick her younger brother, Elliott, into disabling the kingdom’s protective winds and kidnapping him. Without the winds, Nevarl attacks Laurent, killing its king. Riesz escapes and searches for her missing brother.
The story begins in different locations for each character. Except for Charlotte, the main character is told or decides to seek help from the Priest of Light in the Holy City of Wendel. They arrive in the city of Jadd after Beastmen invade. The Beastmen escape at night because of their werewolf powers. On the way to Wendel, the main character—now including Charlotte—stays overnight in Astoria and is awakened by a bright light. A tired Faerie from the Sanctuary of Mana appears and chooses the main character as her host, urging them to go to Wendel.
At Wendel, the Faerie interrupts the main character’s explanation of their problems to the Priest of Light. She reveals the Mana Tree is dying, and the Sanctuary is in danger. The Priest explains that if the Tree dies, the Benevodons will return and destroy the world. He tells the main character that, because the Faerie chose them as a host, they must travel to the Sanctuary to retrieve the Sword of Mana from the foot of the Tree. This sword can restore peace and grant wishes if drawn before the Tree dies. However, opening the Sanctuary’s gate requires great power. The Faerie lacks the strength, and the ancient spell to unlock the gate using the Mana Stones takes the caster’s life. The stones’ guardian spirits, however, can open the gate if their powers are combined.
After traveling across the world to gather the spirits, meet other party members, stop invasions by Nevarl and Altena, and discover the powers of the Fire and Water Mana Stones, the main character attempts to open the Sanctuary’s gate. The first try fails, but the second succeeds. The Faerie realizes the gate opened because someone else released the power from all the Mana Stones. The characters enter the Sanctuary and claim the Mana Sword. They learn their enemies—the Crimson Wizard and the Darkshine Knight for Angela and Duran; Malocchio and Isabella for Riesz and Hawkeye; or Goremand and a mind-controlled Heath for Kevin and Charlotte—have defeated the other main enemies. The enemies capture the Faerie and demand the Mana Sword in exchange for her freedom. The trade happens, and the enemy receives the sword. The Mana Stones shatter, and the Benevodons are released.
The characters must now defeat the Benevodons before they can destroy the world. After doing so, they realize their enemies have gained more power from the Benevodons. The main villains—the Dragon Lord for Duran and Angela, the Dark Majesty for Hawkeye and Riesz, and the Masked Mage for Kevin and Charlotte—absorb the sword’s and Benevodons’ power to become a god. The Mana Goddess blocks some of this power. After defeating the villains’ followers, the characters confront the main enemy but fail to stop them from destroying the Mana Tree and eliminating all Mana from the world. The Faerie then fuses with…
Development
Seiken Densetsu 3 was created by Koichi Ishii, the series' original designer. Hiromichi Tanaka directed the game, and Tetsuhisa Tsuruzono oversaw its production. Tanaka had previously worked on several games for Square, including designing the first three Final Fantasy titles. Nobuteru Yūki, a manga and anime artist, designed the characters based on Ishii's ideas. Development began in 1993, with the team spending a long time experimenting and changing designs. As new console hardware was about to be released, the team could not delay production or keep the game a secret, as they had done with Secret of Mana. They also faced challenges keeping staff, as many were needed for other projects like Chrono Trigger and Romancing SaGa 3. Programmers were especially in demand, and Tanaka said he had to "fight" with Hironobu Sakaguchi to keep them on the team. A downloadable demo was released on July 1, 1995, for the Super Famicom's Satellaview broadcast system.
The game was originally meant to be a continuation of Secret of Mana, but the team discarded all previous work and started over to make Trials of Mana a more action-focused game. The team aimed to create graphics that looked close to 3D, with artists working together to design multiple layers. Some unused monster designs from Secret of Mana were reused in Trials of Mana. The final game was very large, using the full storage space of the Super Famicom cartridge. A planned boss in the volcano dungeon was cut due to time constraints.
The game's theme is "independence," meaning the characters support each other by sharing their problems. The story stayed light, influenced by Tanaka and Yūki's artwork. Each character was designed for both gameplay and story purposes, with unique traits. Duran was serious and heroic, while Hawkeye was his opposite. Kevin was added as a character who could transform. Charlotte was cheerful despite a difficult past, similar to Popoi from Secret of Mana. Angela acted selfishly because of her mother's neglect, and Riesz's story focused on her feelings of loss after her mother died young. The artwork used soft colors to look like a picture book. Tanaka created much of the story, but limited changes were made due to hardware and time constraints.
After its release in Japan on September 30, 1995, the game was called Secret of Mana 2 abroad, even though a preview in 1995 used its original name. The preview mentioned six characters, a calendar system, and a game world larger than Secret of Mana. It also said the game could be played by three players, not two. Square planned to release the game in North America in 1995, but a second preview in 1996 said the release was canceled due to programming issues.
Before 2019, Seiken Densetsu 3 was only available in Japan. Retro Gamer said translating the game would have been expensive, and competition from newer consoles made it less profitable. Nintendo Power also said a North American release was unlikely due to technical issues. Brian Fehdrau, a programmer for Secret of Evermore, said the game had software bugs that made it hard to release. In 2020, Masaru Oyamada said the game's size left no space for translation data.
Some fans mistakenly believed Secret of Evermore was released instead of an English version of Seiken Densetsu 3. Secret of Evermore was made by a new team at Square's Redmond office, and no one from that team worked on translating Seiken Densetsu 3. In 1999, a fan translation project led by Neill Corlett was completed and shared online.
After the Japanese release of the Seiken Densetsu Collection for the Nintendo Switch in 2017, Square Enix noticed interest from overseas. Western teams suggested including the original title in the remake. To translate the game, Square Enix revisited the Super Nintendo Entertainment System's development environment with help from Nintendo. The Switch's larger storage made translation easier. Work on the English and European versions took about a year. Koichi Ishii wanted the remake's title to include the number "3," and Square Enix chose "Trials of Mana" because it refers to the characters' challenges and includes the word "tri." The localized version, now called Trials of Mana, was released in 2019 as part of the Collection of Mana.
The music for Seiken Densetsu 3 was composed by Hiroki Kikuta, who also made the music for Secret of Mana. Kikuta handled sound selection, editing, effects, and data encoding himself. He worked almost 24 hours a day, creating a soundtrack he described as "immersive" and "three-dimensional." Instead of using standard MIDI samples, Kikuta made his own to match the Super Famicom's hardware. The soundtrack has been praised for its quality.
Reception
Because the game was only available in Japan at first, most English reviews were published years after it was released. One English review from 1995 in GameFan magazine, which covered imported games, gave the game a high rating. The Japanese Famitsu magazine also gave it a high rating, but slightly lower than Secret of Mana. A Brazilian magazine called SuperGamePower praised the game at the time, saying it had some of the best graphics on the SNES. Later reviews, after a fan translation was made in 2000, also gave the game high ratings. Reviewers praised the graphics, with 1UP.com calling them "absolutely gorgeous," noting that the game was made near the end of the SNES era, before 3D graphics were used. RPGamer’s Chris Parsons and Cubed3’s Adam Riley both called the graphics "awesome" and compared them to PlayStation RPGs. A preview from Next Generation magazine, written after the game’s Japanese release, said the detailed graphics "put most recent 32-bit RPGs to shame." Nintendo Life’s Corbie Dillard noted the game had some of the best graphics on the SNES and highlighted the unique visual styles of each area. The game’s music was also praised. Nintendo Life’s Dillard called it "spectacular from start to finish," while Cubed3’s Riley said it was "one of the most sonically pleasing" during the SNES era. RPGamer’s Parsons said the music was "done well." Next Generation also praised the soundtrack and how it connected to the Secret of Mana soundtrack.
Most reviewers gave the game high ratings for its gameplay, though some had issues with the combat system. Nintendo Life’s Dillard said the gameplay was as good as Secret of Mana and had "a more strategic feel." 1UP.com and Cubed3 reviews mentioned the day and time system as an interesting feature, but 1UP.com said the combat was "not quite as tight" as in Secret of Mana. Next Generation noted that flaws in Secret of Mana’s combat were fixed and praised the boss battles, but said computer-controlled characters lacked tactics, leading to chaotic battles. JeuxVideo.com also noted improvements in the combat system but said battles could become messy. RPGamer’s Parsons criticized the Ring system, saying it was hard to use during actions, making boss fights stressful. JeuxVideo.com also mentioned this issue.
Reviews of the plot were mixed. Some praised the ability to choose different main characters, which improved replayability, but Cubed3’s Riley said the story could be confusing. RPGamer’s Parsons noted that unchosen characters’ motivations were unclear, leaving plot holes. Famitsu praised the replayability of the branching story. Next Generation called the multiple storylines an innovation but said they were attached to a "magic-and-monsters fantasy-formula" plot. 1UP.com said the plot was not very engaging and had clichéd characters.
Nintendo Life’s Dillard called the game "easily one of the best RPGs of the 16-bit era," while 1UP.com said it "very likely would have become a fondly remembered classic" if it had been officially translated into English.
Remake
A remake of the game, using the official name for each region, was announced at E3 2019. It was planned for release worldwide on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC in early 2020. The game was released globally on April 24, 2020. A version for Xbox Series X/S was later released in 2024. Production of the remake began in 2017. The goal was to keep the original game’s spirit while updating it with 3D graphics and improved gameplay features. The remake did not include the multiplayer mode from the original game.