Trials of Mana

Trials of Mana is the third installment of the Mana series, developed by Square under the direction of series creator Koichi Ishii. Larger and more complex than the previous installment for the Super Famicom (Secret of Mana), the game takes place in a new world where, once again, the Mana Tree is under threat from an ancient evil thought sealed away. Players choose three from among six heroes as the chosen wielder of the Mana Sword and their two companions on the journey to claim the holy blade and preserve what remains of mana power.

The game itself gained notoriety for its introduction of a class system as well as its difficulty and replayability when it was first released in 1995, drawing the interest of a team of dedicated fan-hackers led by Neil Corlett, after Nintendo reportedly refused to release an official English version for the Super Nintendo. The Corlett project was released in the year 2000. However, no further details in reference to the game were available for 16 years.

With the Japanese release of the Collection of Mana anthology to Nintendo Switch in 2017, Square Enix began working on its official English translation, citing strong fan demand. The project culminated in a complete port of the anthology for worldwide audiences in June 2019. Square Enix further announced that a full 3D reboot of the game would become available early 2020; but even with a near-complete demo version circulating in established trade shows, the company pushed the release of the reboot from February to April of the same year.

Names
Because of its outward similarity to Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3 was often called Secret of Mana 2 within early fan communities, such as those established in Usenet newsgroups and on small fansites that comprised much of the Internet around the time of its release. This, however, proved to be less enduring than using the original Japanese name. Square Enix's choice of "Trials of Mana" has its roots in consultations between present Square Enix teams and Kōichi Ishii himself. Ishii is said to have suggested "Trials of Mana" with a twofold purpose: first, to represent the individual sagas of the six heroes; and second, to use the Latin prefix tri- to refer to the game's ordinal position as the third in the series.

Synopsis
In a time before the world was created, a great war was being fought between the Mana Goddess and eight fearsome beasts born of the elements, the Benevodons. In a dramatic final stand, the Goddess drew her sword and subdued all of the creatures, sealing each one in one of eight Mana Stones she had fashioned. She then set about her task of rebuilding what was destroyed in the war with the Benevodons. Weary from her labors, the Goddess set her sword—the Mana Sword—at her feet and transformed into the Tree of Mana. Her resting place would henceforth be known as the Sanctuary of Mana, where she remained undisturbed for countless years. The Mana Stones were divided among the great kingdoms of the world; at one time, these kingdoms understood the Stones as objects of great power, and that to use that power would come at the cost of the life of a person who sought as much. However, the peace is broken when mana power begins to weaken years later, prompting the kingdoms to war for control of the Mana Stones and, by extension, the Sword of Mana believed to grant the wishes of its bearer. As this takes place, the sudden shift in mana power rouses a group of faeries to seek out the Priest of Light in the Holy City of Wendel for his aid. Many faeries are too exhausted to pierce the veil between the Sanctuary and the mortal plane, except for one, who survives the crossing but collapses near the town of Astoria. She must find herself a host to bond with, or she will perish. Six heroes, each connected to the conflicts now taking place, will join the Faerie on her mission to protect the Tree of Mana.

Players will select one of the six heroes to become the Chosen of the Mana Sword in addition to two other heroes to serve as companions of the Chosen in one of three intertwined stories unfolding before them. Choosing two heroes of the same story will allow the player to experience said story in greater depth than choosing one hero from each story.