Summary
Square Enix’s 2024 may seem sparse, but it’s full of hits for fans of many franchises.Final Fantasy 7 RebirthandFinal Fantasy 14 Dawntrailhave satisfiedFinal Fantasyfans, andDragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remakeshould do the same forDragon Questplayers.SaGa: Emerald BeyondandRomancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Sevenshould help grow theSaGafandom, as shouldVisions of Manafor its own series. Lastly, the Mistwalker-developedFantasian: Neo Dimensionwill be a treat to long-time Square Enix fans in general. If that’s all for this year, then it will have been a year well spent, especially ifVisions of Manaproves worth the wait.
Arriving at the end of August,Visions of Manastands apart from these other Square Enix RPGs in one aspect, and that is its series’ current relevance.Manais a veteran name in the RPG space, with ahistory stretching back toFinal Fantasy Adventure, akaSeiken Densetsu, in 1991 for the Game Boy. However, despite arguably being the first long-running Square Enix action-RPG franchise, its name doesn’t hold the same reverence asFinal FantasyorKingdom Hearts. Unfortunately, that can be explained by the last mainline console entry,Dawn of Mana, launching back in 2006, soVisions of Manahas something to prove if it wants to do itsMananame justice.
Square Enix Needs To Redouble Visions of Mana’s Marketing Efforts
Visions of Manais in an inherently better spot than past entries owing to it being a brand-newManatitle, instead of a remake likeTrials of Manaor a remaster likeLegend of Mana. It also sports a visibly higher budget than both titles, with expanded gameplay, polished visuals, and a larger world being evident right away. Assuming nothing goes wrong at launch, thenVisions of Manacould be an easy lock for theManaseries’ most accessible game, which is great for the newest entry. Square Enix shouldn’t leave that to chance, however.
Visions of Mana Needs Attention, And Quickly
Over the past year,Visions of Manahas had a steady marketing campaign, but its announcements had a tendency to miss nearby gaming news events. In the last month leading up to its launch, Square Enix shouldunderscoreVisions of Manabefore and during Gamescom to maximize public awareness as much as possible. With multipleManareleases in the preceding years andTrials of Manafinally making it to Western shores, it feels likeVisions of Manacould be theManagame that hits it big, especially if it follows the example of its most successful peers.
Visions of Mana Has A Path Toward Western Success Charted For It
Franchises likeFinal FantasyandKingdom Heartsare still both thriving and riding on the successes of games long past, while otherSquare Enix RPG franchises likeOctopath Travelerare gradually building their followings. One particular RPG franchise has been around longer than the rest, but only achieved worldwide success with its most recent major outing, and that franchise isDragon Quest.Dragon Quest 11launched in 2017 in Japan and 2018 everywhere else, but expandedDragon Quest’s reputation beyond its typical Japanese market. It isn’t the only example in recent years, either.
New Games From Old RPG Franchises Have Room To Grow
Other long-running RPG franchises likeMonster HunterandPersonahave achieved mainstream success within the last decade thanks to some of their most recent titles being their biggest hits yet.Monster Hunter WorldandPersona 5benefited from stronger global marketing without sacrificing their core appeal, a traitDragon Quest 11shared andVisions of Manashould strive to reproduce. If Square Enix can aggressively advertiseVisions of Manain what little time it has left, then it should naturally benefit from its refined, accessible mechanics and broad action-RPG appeal to finally put theManaseries on the map.
