Party Chat: Trials of Mana – Part Two

Okay, I’m at level 20 of Mana and I’m enjoying the game muuuuch more. Nevermind, just faced Zehnoa – what is this bullshit?

I mean, they telegraph the “gimmick” of the fight in the room prior, but it sucks that they have to include elemental items to communicate something that should be obvious as a result of a good UI/combat system.

One thing I’ll always appreciate abut Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is that they display the enemy’s elemental affinity so you can evaluate whether or not you’ve got the tools to counter it- not so in Trials of Mana, more like “trial and error!”

Please laugh I’m hilarious.

I agree about the weaknesses. Some of the later bosses I used Saber magic on that I thought would most be their weakness, but then it wasn’t and I sometimes ended up healing them instead.

On another note, Kevin’s intro / story setup is way better than Duran’s. It tugged at my heartstrings immediately. I like Duran fine, and he’s great in combat, but the driving force behind his actions is kind of dumb.

That said, Kevin’s whole werewolf gimmick is cool, but not sure how I feel about extra power being gated behind the time of day. I don’t know how significant of a bump he gets for the form, though.

I’ve never found it to be all that substantial, but you DO know there’s a consumable for changing the time of day, right? I’d say it only ever really would “tip the scales” in a boss encounter.

I can see how Kevin’s story might tug at your heartstrings, but honestly, I found Hawkeye’s narrative to be the most fascinating and nuanced. Lots of odd intrigue there and some definite stakes.

I plan on maining him for my last run.

I appreciate the fact the you can play through each of your character’s intros. Especially nice if you don’t plan to eventually main them yourself. Having it as an option, not mandatory, is also good.

Options are always good.

I now see what you meant about that room before Zehnoa. Butt was clenched the entire time last run, blasted through this run.

Is that the trap room? I feel like I cheesed through that room. I had no idea what to do

I really like Hawkeye’s story! I added him to my party generally because thief characters always appeal to me. I ran with Kevin in my SNES run, but Hawkeye is soooo cool. So I have Duran, Riesz, and him.

I skipped his intro knowing I’d be playing him in the third run, but I can’t wait to do that. He does seem cool.

He is currently a part of the bro force, but not the focal point. But I really do love how the scenes have changed from run to run. Many of the same beats, but from different voices/perspectives, and not just the same text overlaid on a different character.

Also, Mad Mallard was my favorite enemy in SoM and it they did such a good job translating it to 3D. All of the enemies, really, but that one always make me laugh. Pretty sure they were in FFA too, but can’t remember for sure

Future Farmers of America??? Sorry, I went to an Agricultural High School.

I can tell by your beard.

I didnt have a beard in HS. I was a wicked punk rocker though.

I have no sense of direction in this game. As in, objective markers are helpful because the actual shape of the world is elusive to me.

The original game took the new larger, open areas and diced them into even smaller sections, and it was even worse. Not to mention it shipped with a game manual the size of an encyclopedia, meaning those that didn’t play it in its original state were sure to be screwed.

I literally just opened the world map for the first time in my eleven hour playthrough. Also, I just realized the days of the week have specific effects?!?

They enhance the associated elements. It can also affect bosses.

…did this game just let me explore the second half with nonlinearity?

Or am I going to have to find these elementals in the order the King gave me?

Definitely a couple sections that can be done in the order of your choosing.

That spot specifically, not sure. I believe it will point you to where it wants you to go but it’s possible you may be able to tackle them out of order, also.

Not bad, Trials of Mana. Not bad.

There’s still time for you to hate it, just like the rest of the Square Enix properties.

I’ll try my hardest, trust me.

Holy hell I want to punch the dude who invented the Tier 3 Class Change system. Why be stingy with which class you can choose? I can understand maybe making people commit to a choice but blocking them off/forcing them to grind for the right to PICK one of the two??

The seed deal is pretty dumb, I agree. And I’m pretty sure you can get duplicate seeds if you’re unlucky.

Part of me likes the fact it is kind of a chore because the reward is so good, but having it behind RNG is dumb.

Just finished my second run, including postgame. It was more fun than the first, especially since Charlotte wasn’t there. Starting my third and final run for the time being now, with the Hawkster leading the charge. At about 40 total hours played at this point.

I know I was pro Charlotte before. I take it back.

Well, I’ve finished my first playthrough. I didn’t really pick up on the “unique antagonists” thing until the late-game, so it seems there’s a bit more unique content to be had with other playthroughs, and some post game stuff, too. Not bad.

…I liked this game.

I can’t believe my eyes.

He’ll just claim he was hacked.

Things I’d recommend for players to do:
1. Make to to check button remaps (I changed my layout. I didn’t like the way the default was)
2. Remove Class Skill Animation. After the first time through battles they make battles take too long.

I changed the dodge/weak attack around I think. Felt more appropriate to me to way. Second the animation skip, even though some of them still have fixed camera segments?

Does help though.

I didn’t find the class skill cutscenes all that bad. It was a nice reprieve from mass healing my partners.