At today's Xbox Developer Direct, Square Enix made a surprise appearance to show off Visions of Mana, its upcoming action RPG that will bring the Mana series to Xbox for the first time in the franchise's over 30-year history. And Square Enix brought a new release window with them: summer of 2024.
New footage shown today gave a longer look at Visions of Mana's creatures, exploration, and combat. Series creator Koichi Ishii came on screen to talk about the game's roster of returning fan-favorite monsters, such as the Rabite.
He also introduced a new creature: A Pikul. Conceived as a cross between a Yorkshire Terrier and a pangolin with some elements inspired by the mythological Anubis, Pikuls are big fluffy dog creatures that the player can ride around the world on, and can use to charge into enemies.
Later, we got a look at combat, which includes aerial melee combat and mid-air attacks, as well as assists from series-staple Elements through certain items. Finally, we got a taste of Visions of Mana's music, which includes 100 songs composed by a number of individuals who have contributed to the series in the past. Music will transition dynamically between exploration and combat out in the world, as well.
Visions of Mana is coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC in summer of 2024. It was first announced at The Game Awards last year, and stars a hero named Val on a quest to protect his childhood friend on her journey to rejuvenate mana.
You can catch up on everything else shown at today's Developer Direct in our roundup.
