While we still don’t have solid news on whether Rise of Mana will reach western shores, and adding to recent news that Rise of Mana will be expanded to the PS Vita platform, we now have video proof that the characters from Secret of Mana are due to be playable in Rise of Mana.

You can see some previews of the 3D models for the characters in this presentation video.

Between now and August 10th you can get Secret of Mana for iOS for about 50% the usual price, so go grab it if you haven’t done so already.

Not only that, but a number of updates have been made to the game, such as added MFi controller support, an improved virtual stick for those without controllers, new high resolution UI elements, a fix for the long-standing bug with the background music, and support for retina and 4-inch displays.

To top things off, for those with Android devices, we’ll see a version of the Mobile Secret of Mana hit Android OS this Autumn (only took, what, 4 years?).

Thanks to manaman for the heads up on some of these items.

In a few days the OST for Rise of Mana, the latest mobile installment of the Seiken Densetsu series, will be released. It includes one track from Yoko Shimomura (Legend of Mana, Heroes of Mana), one track from Hiroki Kikuta (Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3), and a couple from Kenji Ito (Final Fantasy Adventure, Sword of Mana, and more). Most tracks are courtesy of Tsuyoshi Sekito, who contributed to the soundtrack of Dawn of Mana for the PS2.

You can hear some previews of a number of the tracks here.

I have to mention though that one of Itoken’s tracks is a piano arrangement of Rising Sun. Again. Really? Seriously, how many more times?

StrafeFox over on YouTube does a very nice job of producing game reviews and retrospectives on his channel, and he has brought his most recent one to our attention on the forum. Very slick visuals and narration, even bringing to the table a little fact I wasn’t aware of (Nasir’s Visa woes).

Go check it out and subscribe to his channel for more retrospectives.

If you are the owner of a device that’ll support it (Requires iOS 4.3 or later, compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch), Secret of Mana is currently on sale over on the AppStore for $3.99 (or local equivalent).

The game features upgraded graphics, the same OST that you remember from the SNES classic, on-screen controls, and multi-language support.

A trailer for the upcoming mobile freemium Seiken Densetsu game has been released:

In addition to the trailer, the official site for the game reveals that the intended launch of the title will be soon on iOS, and Summer 2014 for Android.

Perhaps more interesting is the arrival of the soundtrack on April 23rd.

You can also pre-register your e-mail address for the game on the official site, and by the looks of things this will give you some benefits on game launch (which you’d otherwise, I guess, have to grind for or fork out money on micro-transactions).

It’s another sad day in the news, I’m afraid.

The most recent issue of Famitsu magazine reveals that Rise of Mana, the trademarked name as filed by Square-Enix last year, is to be a free-to-play mobile game coming to Android and iOS with the increasingly popular and loathed in-app purchases.

It hasn’t been too long since the Dungeon Keeper franchise was ported to a mobile freemium app, and that received extremely negative criticism directed at EA, and with very good reason from personal experience (because I can’t criticise something until I’ve tried it myself, and yes, it is as bad as everyone says).

From Siliconera:
According to the magazine report, the protagonist of the game fell from the heavens and landed on earth, and seems to have been made into a body that is half angel and another half demon.

The basic weapons are made of sword, spear, and bow. The magazine also reports that up to eight players will be able to play together in real-time action. The game’s new system will also involve the ability to switch between angel and demon modes according to your situation.

This all makes me incredibly sad, and gives me little hope that the series will ever be given the love it deserves. No doubt I will try this game out for myself and see what the end product is, but I’m not looking forward to it.

Source – Siliconera and Sinobi

Awesome Games Done Quick is a speedrunning marathon organised every year to raise funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. This year, StingerPA and Yagamoth will be running Secret of Mana as part of the marathon, and if you donate during the run you’ll also have the chance to win some Secret of Mana cast perlers, Spectrum of Mana artbook and CD collection, and Secret of the Spirits Giclee print.

The run starts at 15:20 GMT on January 8th (10:20 EST), and clocks in at under 3 hours (the current world record is 2:04:23 by StingerPA, one player using two controllers any% category).. Tricks used include switching weapons to overmax the charged attack, getting early GP by selling the magic rope, and, if I recall correctly, skipping the Mana Holyland.

You can check this run out and more on Twitch.tv, and you can find the full schedule of runs, which starts today at noon, here.

Since donations get read out live on air, why not give us a shout-out. 😉

If you miss teh urn, don’t worry, they will all be available for download and streaming after the marathon has finished.

Let’s help make cancer a thing of the past!

“Spectrum of Mana” is a remix album of the 1993 classic “Secret of Mana.” The entire soundtrack has been lovingly reworked and reimagined by a team of almost eighty musicians. From jazz to metal, symphonic orchestration to funk rock, “Spectrum of Mana” is sure to provide something enjoyable for every fan of the game.

Head on over to Spectrum of Mana’s page to stream or download the album, which has been split into 3 CDs. You can also order physical copy of the pack.

You know what I’m going to be listening to tonight. I’ll post some impressions at some point later.