During today's Nintendo E3 2019 Direct, the legendary company officially revealed Collection of Mana, which contains the first three games in the Mana series and is now available on Nintendo Switch. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the release of Collection of Mana is that it marks the first time that the third game in the franchise, Seiken Densetsu 3, has ever been available in the U.S., now under the title Trials of Mana, but it seems that Nintendo has further plans for this 24 year old game.
Specifically, it was revealed that a full HD remake of Seiken Densetsu 3, which will also receive the title Trials of Mana, is Switch-bound. This information was announced with a brief Trials of Mana trailer, which was shown during the Nintendo E3 2019 Direct, and it gives fans a sense of the updated visuals and gameplay that will be featured in the remake. For those that have played the 2018 remake of Secret of Mana, these upgrades may look quite familiar indeed.
Additionally, the Trials of Mana E3 2019 trailer pins a release window on the game. While not as specific as an exact Trials of Mana release date, players can now look forward to getting their hands on the remake in "early 2020." Certainly, this detail will be further clarified in the upcoming months.
For the uninitiated, Seiken Densetsu 3 was released for the Super Famicom in 1995. Developed and published by Square, Seiken Densetsu 3 has become highly revered, despite the fact that it has never been officially released outside of Japan, and the announcement of Trials of Mana, both as part of Collection of Mana and as an HD remake, is certain to excite those that have been waiting for an official English language version of the game.
While the remake of Secret of Mana was met with lukewarm reception, it seems that Nintendo has decided to get in on the act of offering HD remakes of the Mana games. Hopefully for those that are excited about the release of Trials of Mana, responses to this remake will prove more positive than they were upon the release of the Secret of Mana remake.
Trials of Mana is in development for Nintendo Switch and releases in "early 2020."
