The game that really stick with you often have one thing in common: a world that you enjoy spending time in. Even games riddled with issues can distract you for dozens of hours if you simply want to exist in that world. Even among RPGs, few games can match the sheer joy and whimsy of Trials of Mana — a game that feels like you just stepped into a Ghibli movie. Luckily, the game around exploring that world is actually incredibly good as well. With Trials of Mana finally coming to Xbox Game Pass, players have a rich new RPG that’s perfect for a lazy weekend at home.
Trials of Mana, originally released in 2020, is actually a remake of the third game in the Mana franchise, which released on the Super Famicom in Japan in 1995. Unfortunately, the original version never saw a release outside of Japan, until much later in 2019. But by all regards this remake is practically a different game — fleshing out the characters and story, redesigning the world in 3D, and overhauling the combat system.
