"Secret of Mana," the pioneer in the "Mana" series, known as "Seiken Densetsu" in Japan, is getting a full-blown remake in high definition (HD) coming out next month. The HD remake will have eight new features not previously found in the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) version.
"Secret of Mana" is a Japanese action role-playing game developed by Square Enix, originally released in 1993 for the SNES. It jump-started the success of Square Enix and pioneered the "Mana" franchise of video games, continuing with multiple titles on multiple devices.
The series originated as a two-dimensional action role-playing game, one of the first to successfully merge turn-based role-playing game mechanics with real-time action movement. The game has traditional role-playing game elements with character stats, equipment stats, and a damage system in the form of numbers, but incorporates a real-time action movement and attacks.
The "Mana" series of games continued with these mechanics, but later on switched to a fully three-dimensional design. The series has seen continued success throughout the years with titles such as "Legend of Mana" on PlayStation 1, "Sword of Mana" for Game Boy Advance, "Children of Mana" for the Nintendo DS, "Dawn of Mana" for the PlayStation 2, and various ventures into mobile video game applications for Android and iOS.
There has been discussion on whether there will be a release on the new Nintendo Switch later on. According to IGN's interview with the remake's producer, Masaru Oyamada, Square Enix has no plans for release on Nintendo Switch for now, but will continue to monitor player demand and might consider it in the future.
Square Enix announced the development of the remake last year in August for PlayStation 4 (PS4) and PlayStation Vita (PS Vita), with its official release coming this Feb. 15.
