Square-Enix  is the go-to publisher if you want a JRPG to lose yourself in. Back in 1991, one of these game I so happened to lose myself in was Final Fantasy Adventures on the original Gameboy. This game was titled with the Final Fantasy name, but the game play was completely different from original turn base battle system FF is known for. Instead, the game took you and put you on an adventure with the Zelda: Link to the Past style.  Later down the line, due to its popularity, Square-Enix  used this title to spawn the Mana series.

Adventure of Mana is a remake of the Final Fantasy Adventure title. When I heard it was going to release on mobile and PSVita I was stoked to play! Then I asked myself, can this game bring back that same element it had when I was a kid? Will I still lose myself and want to dedicate that time again to a game I played before?

Audio/Sound
Adventures of Mana now has a remastered soundtrack and includes the option to switch to the original soundtrack I grew to love from the original game. This was a strong point and made the game feel like I was revisiting this world rather than playing a remastered version. Every swing of your sword, axe, and other weapons translated very well to both the remastered and original soundtrack. In my opinion, this helped me progress through the game and brought on the nostalgia. The only downside, the original music tracks are still the same length so you will notice the songs continuously looping, which could draw away new comers.

Graphics
Going from 8-bit to polygons is one of the best options for a remastered game. Adventures of Mana does this especially well with all original characters, creatures, structures, and weapons. The game looks awesome as a remaster, but the game looks like it should be on the PSP instead of the PSVita. Graphics look dated and not up to par with the standard games. It is still pretty cool seeing Adventures of Mana in 3D, but a lot of new players might think this game is out-dated.

Gameplay
In Adventures of Mana, players will find themselves on a journey collecting items, weapons, and armor, but players will also find themselves getting lost on the map and unable to continue the story until the player reaches the correct marker. This game will not hold your hand. Although the gameplay is awesome, it is not a polished remake. With over four hours of gameplay and tons of items to help you through the story, players can find some occasional glitches and freeze ups.When you level up, you have the option of where you want to build stats. Whether it is more health, mana, or strength, players will find themselves grinding to level up. This is fun, but the downside of it is that enemies are sometimes over powered, and the monsters ,as well as your attacks, are really clunky which makes it difficult to level up for the first half of the game. The clunky movements was something the original did not have and stops it from being a good remake.

If you can look past all of that, Adventures of Mana is a solid, but not perfect, remake. It was a good attempt. Veterans of the older a must have title, but as for newcomers, it’s a pick-up.