Adventures of Mana

Adventures of Mana is a 3D remake of Final Fantasy Adventure that was developed by both Square Enix and MCF and published by Square Enix. It was released in 2016 for iOS and Android and later for the PlayStation Vita the same year. It is considered to be a more faithful remake than Sword of Mana, as it retains the Final Fantasy elements but does not retain the changes that were added into Sword of Mana aside from the Ring Command system.

Story
''Enshrined atop Mt. Illusia, high atop the clouds, stands the Tree of Mana. Drawing its energy from the boundless aether, the sentinel grows in silence. Legend says that he who lays his hands upon its trunk will be granted power eternal–A power the Dark Lord of Glaive now seeks to further fuel his bloody quest for domination.''
 * Title screen

The story follows a young hero named Sumo and a young heroine named Fuji as they go on a journey to thwart the Dark Lord of Glaive and his sorcerer assistant, Julius, from destroying the Tree of Mana and dooming their world.

Sumo has been enslaved within Glaive Castle walls along with several other prisoners to battle exotic beasts to the amusement of the Dark Lord. Having enough of seeing his comrades fall one after another, the young hero decides to escape while the gates are open, only to meet with his Lordship himself accompanied with his mysterious advisor Julius. The sinister duo were discussing a nearby waterfall being the entrance to the holy Mana Shrine. According to Julius, a young maiden should be able to open the path to the hallowed place. As his trusted advisor vanishes in search of the aforementioned lady, the Dark Lord immediately spots the escapee. The young knight tries to flee but is quickly cornered in a dead end, with the ebony clad warlord swiftly disposing of him by sending Sumo falling down a cliff in one sword strike.

The lad miraculously survives his fall and finds himself in the middle of a steppe. He quickly finds a distressed maiden surrounded by mushbooms, which are easily defeated. Alas, the man the young lady traveled with named Hasim, was mortally wounded by the onslaught. He pleads Sumo to escort the maiden named Fuji to a secluded woodcutter named Bogard. The young knight accepts and brings the girl to a remote cabin near a waterfall, where they find an ill-mannered old man. He first dismisses the visitors, but opens up once glancing at the mysterious necklace the maiden is wearing. He rekognizes it as the Mana Pendant, revealing that he was one of the original Gemma Knights who waged war against the Vandole empire. When all hope seemed lost, a peculiar maiden appeared before the knights wearing the very same pendant and led the resistance to victory. He then asks Sumo to bring Fuji to sir Cibba in Wendel, a fellow Gemma Knight, as he might remember more of the fateful battle and the pendant's significance. The old man entrusts his Mattock to the young lad for him to break the rocks inside the eastern cave to make a path to the Holy City.

The hero and heroine exits the cave to find themselves in a bog, which prove itself to be quite tiresome to traverse. The duo decides to rest at the nearby mansion for the night, where Fuji shares her curative magic to Sumo. A sinister voice echoes during the night, claiming to smell the blood of a virgin. Upon waking up, Sumo discovers that the maiden is nowhere to be found. He finds no clue after inquiring at the local butler, but hears from the fellow guests that Count Lee, the owner of Kett Mansion, hides a peculiar item deep within his locked cellar able to reveal one's true identity. He discovers the key to the cellar in a Lizardmen's Nest, and heads to the cave. There he meets a Mysterious Traveler who reveals a rumor stating kidnapped maiden being held in caskets deep within the manor. He accompanies the hero in his search for the prized item, helping him defeat foes with his magic. At the end of the cellar, the adventurers confront the fearsome Hydra guarding the area. Sumo retrieves the Moon Mirror after defeating the serpentine foe, with the scarlet-clad traveler deciding to part ways. Alone again, the young knight returns to Kett Manor this time exposing the butler to his own reflection, revealing him to be a werewolf. The hero quickly slays the beast, pressing onward. Deep within the trap-filled basement, the young knight reunites with Fuji in a room filled with coffins. The duo is about to reach the manor's exit when Count Lee retaliates by transforming into a hideous vampire. The heroes fortunately win the ensuing battle and decide to resume their journey.

Proceeding southwest, the duo at last is able to reach the cathedral city of Wendel, where they meet with Cibba the sage. He immediately recognizes Fuji's pendant as the same one that was worn by a woman who helped the Gemma Knights in times past, and so he directs Fuji to step into the sigil in the center of the room. An ethereal, yet gentle presence manifests before them. She identifies herself as Fuji's mother. The figure then acknowledges that she and Fuji are members of the Mana Clan, and explains that Glaive is once again after the Mana Tree as Vandole was in her time; Fuji is then told she must protect it at any cost, and will go with Sumo to fulfill her mission.

Unbeknownst to all, the traveler cloaked in red has been watching events unfold from the shadows and Glaive's forces attack, prompting the man in crimson to escort Fuji to safety. Waves of monsters descend on Wendel, creating enough of a distraction for the traveler to escape with Fuji in tow, after which he reveals himself to be Julius. Stunned and enraged by this apparent betrayal, Sumo scrambles to retake Fuji, but is blasted backwards and knocked out by Julius' dark magic.

After regaining consciousness inside the cathedral, Cibba informs Sumo that Julius brought the maiden to his airship. The sage then gifts the spell of healing before the young knight heads westward. While trying to find a path to Westlake, Sumo finds a strange cave with a face engraved on its entrance. Upon entering, a deep voice emerges from its mouth, immediately spitting the young lad out. Usure what to do, the hero ventures in a neaby cave inhabited by dwarves. There he learns that on of their adventurous brethren made his was into the Forbidden Mines in search of valuable Mythril Silver, the only metal the sentient cavern named Gaia care to ingest. A rusty trolley is said to block the path, however. The young knight finds an Oil Peddler nearby and purchases a tub of Rust-B-Gone.

The young knight locates the minecart upon entering the cave and rubs the oil over the wheels, loosening it. He then hops inside, following a comple maze of rails and levers, eventually falling inside a hole. There, he meets with Watts, the missing Dwarf in search of Mythril. The spry creature glady joins the lad exploring the mines, eventually reaching the Megapede nest watching over a large vein of Silver. The pair teams up defeating the oversized insect, revealing a single chest with a Chunk of Mythril inside. Overjoyed by his founding, the dwarf tells Sumo to come bac to Dwarf Cave where he builds a full suit of armor from the ore. He sells it to Sumo, who rushes back to Gaia and make his way to Westlake.

Moments after exiting the Gaia Pass, Sumo rejoins with Bogard, and both of them team up to find a way to climb on the empire warship currently stationed for refueling. Once onboard, they scout the lower deck, eventually reaching the cell where Fuji held in. Unfortunately, the door won't budge and Sumo is forced to circle around the ship to reach the window trough a narrow catwalk while Bogard stand watch. As the young knight swiftly reaches the other side of the cell, he is immediately caught by Julius while Fuji is lending him her pendant. The devious mage sends a powerful magical blast in his direction, making Sumo lose his balance and sending him plummeting into a secluded village.

He comes to his senses, swearing to have heard Amanda's voice, a fellow inmate while his stay as a gladiator in Glave Castle. He suddenly realises that the Mana pendant he fought so hard to retrieve is missing. He learns from a villager he is in Menos village and he fell through his friend Amanda's house, who rushed into Palmy Desert after caring for him. He also hears of a rare breed of bird roaming the northern woods and decide to investigate. The he finds a nest with a lone egg inside, who immediately hatches into a Chocobo. The young knight agrees to take care of the giant fowl and hop on his newly acquired steed to gather more information about Amanda.

After roaming the desert for a while, he stumbles into a large city named Jadd, where the locals claim that the tyrant leader Davias has locked his mother into a sealed cave nearby. After exchanging a Saurus's Fangs for more information, Sumo learns how to open that cave by looping around two palm trees in an eight figure. The hero makes a last trip to Jadd's old mansion before leaving town and meets Davias, who recalls a young girl heading to the Shifting Sands. Sumo storms out upon hearing this and heads to the sealed sand cavern.

He unearth the entrance to the cave and rejoins with Amanda, who apologizes for stealing his pendant, as Davias said he would release her captured brother Lester after giving him the pendant. She foolishly accepted but the evil wizard turned the bard into a parrot instead. Now, the only way to break the curse is to gather some gorgon tears which is said to be produced by the Medusa deep within those tunnels. Sumo and Amanda agree to pair up during their search for the red-blood tears. They meet the Medusa at the end of the maze, who attack them on sight. The beast is defeated in the end, but not before Amanda being bitten by the foul creature. She explains that they could not gather her tears in time, and she is also fated to become a gorgon herself due to her injuries. She pleads Sumo to kill her before she becomes a mindless monster and to take her tears to change her brother back. Sumo reluctantly agrees and slay his friend while gathering a single tear in a vial before rushing back to Jadd.

Back in the old mansion, the young lad trinkle some liquid into the parrot's beak, effectively breaking the curse. Lester, now back in his human form, thanks Sumo for his deed and asks if her sister is nearby. The hero reveals the truth to the bard and ask if he would join him taking down the evildoer. Lester agrees and the two of them venture into the mansion to reach its rooftop where Davias lurks. The sorcerer instantly transforms into a squid-like creature and engage them into battle. The mage is slain after a grueling fight, but reveals before dying that the pendant is already in his pet Garuda's talons as she is flying across Crooked Boulder toward Glaive Castle. The two adventurers decide to part ways after the bard creates a path to the north by making the poison mist dissipate. He then gives the Book of Silence for Sumo to learn the spell.

The hero journeys along the long and arduous path through Crooked Boulder, defeating countless beasts along the way. He finally crosses a bridge at the end of his trip that immediately collapses upon crossing, hinting that he cannot go back. Entering the fortress, Sumo battles with a fire breathing Chimera after exiting an underground waterway. Upon destroying the menace, he reunites with Fuji and they team up once again in search of the pendant. They end up confronting the Dark Lord atop the castle's highest tower, were the powerful overlord utlimately bends the knee to Sumo's prodigious swordsmanship. The young knight's celebration is cut short though, as he realizes the pendant is a fake and Fuji has gone missing again. He finds the dazed maiden walking aimlessly toward the Great Waterfall where Julius is revealed to have manipulated Fuji into inverting the cascade flow to reach atop Mt. Illusia in order to carry is bloodline's wishes to plunge the world into an era of despair. Sumo tries to prevent the mage from reaching his goal, but the sorcerer's magic proves to be far too powerful for the young lad and sends him flying into the air.

Sumo is seen being carried by his chocobo off to the small town of Ish where he reunites with a bedridden Bogard. The old Gemma Knight explains a young local named Sarah brought him into her house and nursed him back to health. He knew Sumo would be alive since he's the Gemma's last hope, but Sumo doesn't see it that way. He replies he feels like a failure for letting Amanda and Fuji slip away. Bogard trie to reason the young lad, but this only angers him, escalating the argument until Sumo storms off. He meets with Sarah outside, where she confides in Bogard's legs being torn apart due to the fall from the airship. He felt aweful since and told the locals of the last hope being the young knight. She adds that his chocobo is currently being under the Professor's care and he would do best to hurry at her side. The young knight hurries to the Professor's house only to discover his steed sporting new mechanical legs that allows her to glide on water. Sumo then returns to Bogard's side before leaving, with the old man telling his pupil to seek the legendary sword Excalibur that put an end to the Vandole empire. His words lead him to sir Cibba in Wendel.

Without delaying any longer, the young lad hops on his steed and crosses the ocean to the Holy City. There he learns that Cibba went to the snowy kingdom of Lorim after learning of a surge in monsters in the region. The hero decides to set sail to the Frozen Wastelands where he discovers a fortress devoid of life as all of its subjects are encased in ice. The only sentient being left is the King of Lorim himself, telling Sumo that his kingdom is afflicted with a cursed casted by a foul demon called the Marilith living deep within the Cara Mountains to the east. Sage Cibba tried to break the cursed but was quickly engulfed by the Serpents's icy breath. Sumo is now tasked to slay the beast by venturing into the northern mountain range. After a long and grueling journey through an ice cavern, the lad battles with the snake monster and wins, effectively freeing the land of the curse. The kings thanks the young knight and tells that Cibba is here to see him. There the old sage instructs Sumo to go to the Ammonite Coast upstream to reach Floatrocks. He entrusts him with a skeleton key that opens the door to the Subterranean River that leads to the Undersea Volcano, where the fabled blade rests guarded by the mighty Ifrit.

Saddling up once again, the hero crosses the ocean in search of the volcano's entrance. There, he battle with the gigantic Kraken before heading deeper into the lava filled grotto, where he crosses path with the fiery guardian. He slays the demon, obtaining a strange Rusty Sword.

Back in Lorim, Cibba shares that the area around Glaive in impenetrable and that the Dime Tower must be raised again so the path to the Mana Temple shall be accessible. According to the sage, Sumo must venture into the Crystal Desert and find the remnants of the Glaive Empire. Then, he should raise the holy sword in the air to make the structure erect from its sandy grave. He adds that the Professor in Ish might know more about the way to find the Buried Ruins.

Sumo returns to Ish to find the Professor who tells of a powerful magic hidden in a sandy beach up north. The magical grimoire is guarded by a powerful undead foe that Sumo must vanquish in order to master the spell. Fortunately, he succeeds and go back to Ish to tell the old scientist. He confides in Sumo that the entrance to the ruins has been hidden beneath a giant crystal located in the Crystal Desert. After scouting the wasteland for a bit, the young knight blows the entrance open and venture inside.

The ruins are filled with unheard technological wonders and filled with electric traps, but the knight sneaks his way through and slay the Mantis Ant that was roaming the place, opening a path to a sealed chamber. As instructed by sir Cibba, Sumo raises the rusty sword in the air to make the fabled tower rise from the sand.

Inside the ancient structure he meets with a strange automaton named Marcy, claiming to have been left here by the Professor to translate the many tablets inside the tower. The robot offers to accompany the knight in his ascent and the two of them climb the treacherous structure. They face the mighty Garuda on its summit, but the oversized bird is no match against the man and robot duo. Upon slaying the monster, Marcy immediately senses the tower being compromized and is resubmerging. The bridge connecting to Glaive Castle suddently breaking, the automaton pushes Sumo on safe ground, but is unable to propel itself. Marcy tells the knight that it must collect data within the tower until the Professor recalls it, and bids farewell to Sumo. The Dime Tower plunges deep into Crystal Desert again, leaving Sumo to his own devices.

With no other way than upward, the young knight rides the inverted flow of the Great Waterfall to reach the sacred Temple of Mana. Inside, He slays countless fearsome monsters until he reaches the Mana Shrine. He meets the Motherly Figure he met on his first time in Wendel, telling him the many challenges he completed prove his worth as a Gemma Knight. She pleads him to put and end to Julius darks schemes and transforms the Rusty Sword into its former glory, Excalibur.

Unfortunately, Sumo arrives to late as Julius gloats about the ceremony coming to its closure. Julius and Fuji have been wed and the world soon bow down to the might of a new Vandole empire. The masterful magician engages the knight in a duel, firstly by creating clones of himself to disorient the hero. When the wizard fins himself bested, he resorts to tranforming into a demonic version of himself to up the ante. The powerful mage is still overmatched by the power of Excalibur, however and is defeated by Sumo. This breaks Fuji's trance and the two reunite for a brief respite. However, the dark spellcaster has one last trick up his sleeve and challenges the couple in one final fight. He falls for the last time in the end, but destroys the Tree of Mana in its demise.

Awash with desolation, Sumo and Fuji contemplate helplessly as the very source of life is gone from the world. A familiar voice emerges from the void, telling them not to be afraid. While the Tree of Mana is no more, that does not mean another cannot replace it. As the motherly figure and Fuji are seeds of Mana, they can transform into new Mana Trees once the former is destroyed. Fuji is now left with a dire choice: becoming the new holy tree or return to her former life and await the coming end of the world. The maiden opts for the former option and bids farewell to Sumo, reminding him that her heart and soul will live on within her new appearance. Sumo accepts his new Gemma Knight title and swears to protect Fuji from evil. The Moterly Figure's last request is for Sumo to transmit her words of love for her former protector Bogard. Sumo honors her wish and leaves the Mana Shrine.

A new Mana sapling has grown deep within the sanctuary and will once again become the towering Mana Tree. Meanwhile, Sumo is seen paying a visit to a recovering Bogard in Ish, then meeting with Watts in the Forbidden Mines, followed by Cibba in Wendel, and Lester in Jadd. Finally, it the new Gemma Knight finds his trusty Chocobot alongside another Chocobo, hinting at the creating of a new family.

Gameplay
Note: all controls are taken from the Gameplay Manual.

Items
In Adventures of Mana, items can be accessed by the main menu by selecting the Item Ring. The item sub-menu has a maximum of 16 available slots. Items can also be assigned to up to three hotkeys (shared with spells) for quicker access.

There are six types of items: Recovery, Power-up, Navigation, Cash-in, Magic/Attack, & Key items.


 * Recovery items are used to restore Sumo's HP and/or MP or remove a status aliment. Most of them can be either bougth in stores for a relatively small fee or be found in treasure chests left by regular monsters.
 * Power-up items can temporarily increase one of Sumo's stats, such as STR or DEF. They can only be found in specific monster drops and should as such be only used during tough battles.
 * Navigation items can help Sumo traverse a dungeon by opening locked doors or breaking rocks or cracked walls. They are inexpensive and can be found in most stores, so the player should always stock up on them.
 * Cash-in items are only used to sell to merchant for a fixed price. They are only dropped by a few enemies and thus can be hard to come by.
 * Magic or Attack items are replicas of spells learned in books with a finite use, just like other items. They are relatively rare since only few enemies can drop them upon death and only specialized magic shops sell them.
 * Key items are story-related and cannot be sold to a merchant. Most disappear after their use during the story, but a few stays in the inventory.

Weapons


In Adventures of Mana, weapons can be accessed by the main menu by selecting the Weapon Ring. The weapons sub-menu has a maximum of 16 available slots.

There are six types of weapons: Swords, Axes, Sickles, Chain-Flails, Spears, & Maces. Each of them have a different overworld use & MAX attack.


 * The Sword can be used to slash enemies and has no overworld use. Sumo starts with this weapon at the beginning of the game.
 * The Axe slays enemies and can be used to chop down trees and thorns. This weapon can be bought for 150 GP at the Swamp Shack.
 * The Sickle has a circular range unlike most weapons and can cut off ferns. It can be found in a chest in the Marsh Cellar.
 * The Chain has a very long reach and can attach to poles, allowing Sumo to be pulled over. This weapon can be found in a chest in Kett's.
 * The Spear has a long straight reach but has no overworld use. This weapon can be bought for 1,150 GP in Menos.
 * The Morningstar has a circular range and a straight throw combo, and can crush rocks and pots. This weapon can be found in chest after defeating the Cyclops.
 * The Mattock is the only weapon that has a limited number of uses after which it breaks. It behaves the same way as a sword slash, but can be used to break rocks and pots, just like the Morningstar. Its usefulness drops once the layer obtains the Mornigstar.

Armor


In Adventures of Mana, armor can be accessed by the main menu by selecting the Armor Ring. The armor sub-menu has a maximum of 16 available slots.

There are three types of armor Sumo can wear: Helms, Armor, & Shields.
 * Helms boost Sumo's defense albeit at a lower rate than their matching suit of armor. The also don't have any side effects compared to other gear types.
 * Armor raise Sumo's defense typically more than helms. Some even have additional effects such as reducing elemental attacks.
 * Shields function differently than other gear types, as they do not raise Sumo's defense, rather blocking incoming attacks, such as throwing knives, spears, etc.

Enemies
Like most Mana entries, regular enemies roam the overworld and dungeons. Some can inflict status aliments upon contact, such as poison, or by casting spells. Slain enemies will generally respawn once a screen is exited.

A sizeable amount of enemies can drop treasure chests upon death containing an item.

Of the 72 kinds of enemies in Adventures of Mana:
 * 28 drop recovery items
 * 23 do NOT drop items
 * 9 drop attack items
 * 7 drop power-up items
 * 6 has a chance of dropping either of two items (one commone and rare drop)
 * 5 drop cash-in items
 * 4 drop navigation items
 * 2 drop end-game equipment, the Samurai Helm & the Samurai Armor respectively
 * 1 drops a key item, the Saurus Fangs

Development
The idea for the game came from the producer, Masaru Oyamada, who wanted all Mana games to be playable on modern platforms for the series' 25th anniversary in 2016. Initially there was some argument at Square Enix about whether the remake should be done in 2D or 3D; they chose 3D, as it was thought to be easier to control on smartphones and because it could be used as a base for potential future Mana remakes.

Reception
The game has received positive reviews, with reviewers giving particular praise to the visuals and the music.

Trivia
Sumo is the target of numerous villainous attacks during the adventure, typically sending him falling down in exaggerated ways that would surely be fatal realistically. The hero is seen experiencing a perillous fall:
 * Near the beginning during his escape when the Dark Lord strikes him with his blade.
 * During Glaive's assault on Wendel, when Julius sends a fireball toward Sumo (a minor one).
 * While exploring the Forbidden Mines, Sumo falls into a hole while riding the minecart.
 * As he is about to rescue Fuji on the Airship, Julius flings a fireball at him, sending him plummeting.
 * After Sumo slays the Dark Lord, Fuji opens the path to the Temple of Mana while Julius blasts Sumo into the air.

Excluding cannon travel, this might have ushered a semi-recurring easter egg throughout the series, as other protagonists have been known to survive deadly falls, like Randi from Secret of Mana, possibly the entire cast of Trials of Mana, or Keldric from Dawn of Mana.