Gamer's Outpost LLC

by Ron Ruwell

Square Enix is home to treasure troves of classic, wonderful video game properties that go sadly unrecognized in the modern age. I’ve always been more partial to Brave Fencer Musashi and Parasite Eve, but by and large, the most popular of these untapped franchises are SaGa and Mana, the company’s third and fourth oldest RPG series’. Square Enix has teased fans with whispers of revivals in recent times, and one could be upon us within a week!

A new teaser site from the Japanese publisher shows the countdown of a single week and a curious saying in Japanese that roughly translates into “The legend will be revived.” The word “densetsu,” meaning “legend” in English, can also be found in the Mana franchises Japanese title, “Seiken Densetsu,” meaning “Legend of the Holy Sword.” Many fans point to this as the most likely culprit, and I am willing to believe them.

Square Enix has hinted at attempts to get back to its JRPG roots over the last year, and what better place to start than its most beloved “lost” series? It has already made a small comeback with Rise of Mana, a free-to-play smartphone game which has a better reception than most others, and it has even been confirmed for a PS Vita port. It is unknown if this is the revival Square Enix is hinting at or not, but why release a countdown clock for something that is already publicly known?

If we see an original game, it will fulfill series Producer Masaru Oyamada’s wish to please the Mana fans “who’d like to sit back and enjoy it (on home console).” If not, well… what else is new?

I’ve learned not to get my hopes up too high over Square Enix’s numerous countdowns, but this is one I think will pan out in our favor. If not a new Mana game, it should be something that will please Square Enix’s longtime fans. If that happens, then we can continue to hope for a localization and that Square Enix finds it in itself to continue tapping those RPG roots once more.

See you in a week, hopefully with good news!