The Mana series is one that man JRPG fans hold close to their hearts as the starting point to the love for video games. However after Seiken Densetsu 3 in 1994, the franchise has gradually slipped into relative obscurity.
During an interview with Mana series producer Masaru Oyamada, DualShockers had the opportunity to ask about the future of the series and whether we will get to see a new entry. Here is what he told us:
Personally, after I took up the role as the Producer of the Mana series it has been our goal to create a new title in the Mana series. With that said, there has been this period of time that an entry in the Mana series hasn’t been released. We’ve decided to remake the Adventures of Mana and Secret of Mana in order for people who have played the titles to get to know it once again as well as give players who are new to the series an opportunity to experience the game and get everyone up to speed.
Oyamada-san has been working on the Mana series as well as other Square Enix titles for a number years before becoming Producer and beginning work on the remake of Adventure of Mana. Also, the team seems to be anticipating current hardware trends. When asked about bringing possible future Mana series titles to Nintendo Switch, Oyamada-san’s response was promising:
“Considering the amount of passion people have for the platform, it will be hard to remove it as a release option for any future projects.”
He also went into detail about why he wanted to become the producer of the Mana series after creator Koichi Ishii left Square Enix. He grew up with the series and ended up working for Square Enix later in his life. Working closely with Ishii-san, the development team wanted to bring Final Fantasy Adventures to the mobile market, but Ishii-san ending up leaving Square Enix and Oyamada-san decided to stay on the project and bring the remake to PlayStation Vita and iOS/Android devices.
In conclusion, his “ultimate vision” as Producer is to bring a new Mana title to market.
Be sure to check out our full interview with Oyamada-san soon here at DualShockers. Also, you can enjoy our preview of the most recent build as well as a video of the gimmicks in the Moon Palace.