For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlayStation 4 version of Visions of Mana from Ouka Studios and Square Enix.
The series is famous so i have heard of it but it's not a series i've played much. i think i bought a recent remake, or played it a little via PlayStation Plus, but i don't know the overarching story of it all. so essentially, i'm going into this "fresh".
The game's PSN Store Page does a good job detailing what this demo is and what it's designed to do. it's a shame the game itself couldn't get that across whilst we played it. but it does try so if you don't check out the store page, you'll get some basic idea that this isn't exactly the retail version of the game and that it contains select moments from the start. i've included at the start of this video the store page so you can check out the extra information.
Starting the demo, it's clear that this is a good looking game. the demo tries to info dump too much information before letting us continue and then more info gets dumped. It's a demo that's designed to show off fighting, traversing, the graphics, the characters, but not in a cohesive way that we would naturally get from the retail version. essentially, it's a bit of a mess and i had to just try, explore, and use some common sense to navigate the whole thing.
Visions of Mana is clearly a good looking game. everything is bright and colorful but not really in a distasteful way. the world, the people, and the animals all seem to work. the music is a little subdued and could be a little louder, and i think i did right by lowering the sfx sounds. it does feel like it came from a near final version of the retail game, there are very few technical issues with it.
I would go so far as to say that after playing this demo i think it would be fine to get the PS4 version. it doesn't feel like a lesser version. loading doesn't feel long, the controls feel solid, and even the draw distance is respectable. the only issue that i had with the demo were some bad shadows on character faces and one or two things not finished loading in even tho the loading screen had gone and gameplay had started.
it's difficult to comment on the fighting. the demo ends with a tough boss battle, but because it's a demo designed to showcase the game, i can't say whether i didn't die because i was good enough or because i just couldn't. it seemed chaotic and difficult at times to pay attention to health and mana. but thankfully my team mate A.I seemed good enough to help me, help each other, and do meaningful attacks.
I would recommend people try out the demo for Visions of Mana. not only because you get some items in-game a little early, but because there's still more to do in it. i didn't do any sidequests, and yet by the time i got to the boat i had maybe 3 i could've done. the open world area is massive and well worth exploring. It's also a good demo and i do think it does a good job showcasing Visions of Mana. i think having a trailer or artwork at the end for those who finished it would've been a smart move, but as it is it's a good showcase for the game. after playing the demo, i would think about getting the retail version of Visions of Mana. i'm intrigued by some of the story elements brought up, but overall i had a good time playing it.
