The Moon Palace, one of my favourite locations from the original game, was terrifying and beautiful, hovering in perpetuity above a star-speckled void here, its atmosphere is cheap and childish, more like a nursery playmat than an endless expanse. Gone is the majestic presence of the Mana Tree at the apex of the Pure Lands, replaced with an oversized piece of stretched-texture broccoli. Gone are the shady canopies of Matango that made it feel like a hidden paradise. Less successful are the remake’s environments, which strip away much of the subtlety and mystique of Mana‘s memorable locales. Randi, Primm, and Popoi sport clean, attractive designs, with primary colours that make them easy to distinguish in the heat of battle. In retooling the game for a modern audience, a move from 2D pixel art to 3D models was a given, and I do think that they faithfully reflect the original game’s aesthetic.
Of all the ways Secret of Mana differs from its SNES ancestor, its visual overhaul is the most hotly contested. Secret of Mana (2018) – image for this review provided by Square Enix.
