Visions of Mana Demo Released

Square Enix has released the demo on PS4, PS5, Xbox, and Steam.

Visions of Mana is still a few weeks away from release, but fans of the long-running series can give it a chance now thanks to a free demo. The demo is available on all of the game's platforms, including PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Playing the demo will unlock some extra weapons when the full game releases: the Gladius, Falx, and Horn Lance, all of which can be used by Val. The Gladius can be used as soon as Val becomes playable in the full game, while the other two items can only be used later on, when the Wind and Moon classes become available. 

A trailer for the Visions of Mana demo can be found below. 

A lot of demos released over the last few years allow players to transfer data over to the full version, but that will not be the case for Visions of Mana. According to Square Enix "the content featured in the demo has been cut down to make a satisfying demo and progress cannot be carried over to the full game." That's bound to disappoint some Mana fans, as it means they'll have to revisit these areas if they decide to play the demo. If that's a dealbreaker, it should be noted that all of the weapons unlocked by playing the demo can still be obtained through normal gameplay. 

Visions of Mana is the first mainline game in the series in more than 15 years. The series started life on the original Game Boy with Final Fantasy Adventure in 1991, but really started to develop its own identity with the release of Secret of Mana in 1993. Like Final Fantasy, each entry in the Mana series is self-contained, but there are specific elements that are carried over between games. While the Mana series has a long history on Nintendo platforms, Visions of Mana has not been announced for Switch, though rumors suggest it could come to the so-called "Nintendo Switch 2." 

For those that have never tried the series before, the newly released demo for Visions of Mana should be the perfect opportunity to get acquainted with the series, and see if it's the kind of thing that might hold some appeal! The full game will be released on August 29th. 

Do you plan on checking out the demo for Visions of Mana? Have you ever played a game in the series? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!