World of Mana spanning multiple platforms

  • By Hirohiko Niizumi, GameSpot
  • Posted Jul 31, 2005 9:28 am PT

Square Enix's long-absent RPG franchise will be making its return.

CHIBA CITY, Japan--The Mana series, also known as Seiken Densetsu, has been one of Square Enix's major franchises since the company's humble beginning. Although a new game hasn't been released for nearly five years now, the company announced at E3 that it was reviving the series with the launch of a new project named "The World of Mana." Square Enix didn't reveal details on the project back then, aside from a "polymorphic content strategy" that will be used in bringing it to its audience. This refers to a method of taking an original concept and developing it simultaneously across multiple media, including novelizations, film, games, and other products, such as manga.

During the Square Enix Party in Chiba, we learned that Square Enix also plans to expand its new Mana game across multiple platforms and multiple genres. A pamphlet provided to the press included a two-page announcement for the official launch of the project:

"Our staff are working hard to bring the world of Mana to everyone in various genres and platforms. Please look forward to the Mana series from now into the future."

This promo material also presented an illustration of a house surrounded by nature, and it commented that gamers can expect new stories surrounding the Mana tree, which will feature "unique characters, and environments drawn with a soft and smooth touch."

Square Enix presented visitors to its event with a short trailer for the official announcement of the project's launch, which surprised viewers with its dynamic presentation. Running for a short 30 seconds, the trailer started with a scene where a flock of red birds is flying above a forest.

"It began long ago when the Mana goddess turned herself into a tree to look over the world," read a line of text that appeared on the screen, hinting that the new project will inherit the worldview of the series' original GBA release.

After the words disappeared, the screen zoomed out from the forest, revealing a small area of a colossal tree, which was the tree of Mana. The tree then zoomed out of view even more, and its details faded away, turning into the official logo for the World of Mana project.

No specific release date was announced for The World of Mana. While you wait, however, check out the logo and illustration of the house in the game's screen index.

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