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InVisions of Mana, you’ll go on a global quest toward the Mana Tree, an everlasting symbol of hope within the Mana series. As the first new console entry in decades, expectations are high, and we’re happy to say that in many ways, Visions delivers. You’ll want to learn the ropes in order to tap into everything that Visions of Mana does well.
Armed with the following tips, we believe that your first handful of hours in this latest well-realized Mana world will be bolstered with enough know-how to coast through content and get the most out of the experience.
The Blue Circles Denote Items
Check your map as soon as you enter a new area. See all those blue circles?The blue circles denote the locations of valuable treasure chests and more, so make it a poitn to follow along with them whenever possible.
Indeed,Visions of Mana marks all chests on the mapfor easy reference. But these circles can also referencefast travel points you’ve not yet interacted with as well as elemental vessel interactions.
The latter is particularly important to keep tabs on because the game cleverlyonly ever adds blue circle markers to interaction points that involve elemental vessels you’ve already acquired. What this means is, itwon’tmark any for vessels you do not yet possess.
All of that is to say,check previous areas' maps once you’ve acquired a new vessel. You may indeed find more stuff to do!
Keep Tabs On The Encyclopedia And Bestiary
Visions of Mana includesnumerous helpful manualswhich will fill up over the course of your adventure. Thebestiary includes valuable data on monsters which you’ve faced, and getting a bead onthe elemental strengths and weaknessescan be helpful for future encounters.
Theencyclopedia charts the characters, locations, and conceptswhich collectively enrich the game’s world. Sometimes, contextual information can be found here thatsheds further light on story beats. Those who wish to fully embrace the lore should never skip these entries!
Some Places Are Temporarily Out Of Reach
For all the blue circles and other quality-of-life mechanisms employed in Visions of Mana’s many environmental maps,you will sometimes come across high ledges that are out of reach, as well asplatforms and pillars that don’t have a clear approach method.
Occasionally, the way forward is simply obscured. Further investigation will get you where you need to go. Butkeep a lookout for elemental vessel interaction spots involving vessels you don’t yet have, as this can often indicate you won’t be able to get up there until later.
We should add thatthere will be blue circles in regional areas known as Ancient Ruins, and for a long time, these are frankly there just to frustrate! You won’t be able to get those treasures until later, and not just because the enemies are so much higher in level.
Time Your Valorflies And Fortuneflies
Valorfliesgrant useful EXP buffswhen you press the requisite button beside them, butthe buffs only last for 60 seconds. The same holds true for theFortuneflies,lucre (money) buffs. It’s a short window of opportunity to increase the threshold of your rewards.
The thing is,enemy groups in Visions of Mana can be rather spread-apart,and it’s easy toaccidentally dispose of any groups relatively close to the valorflies before you engage with them.
Always keep an eye out for these helpful critters. There’s nothing more frustrating than finding a valorfly but spending the vast majority of your minute-long timer attempting to find something to slay.
Play In Performance Mode On PS5
This one’s obviously system-specific, butif you’re playing on PS5, we highly recommend sticking with performance mode. Visions of Mana is still stunningly pretty on performance mode.You’ll miss a few finer details,but it’s nothing to worry over.
The game, at least at launch, can besomewhat unstable at times even on performance mode. Nothing untenable, butoccasional hitches have occurred for us. That said,the frame rate is much stronger overall.
Enabling the graphics modereduces frame rate in ways which can be detrimental to the game’s action-centric battle system, causing frustrating issues with tougher encounters likeelemental aerie trials. It’s best to circumvent this headache altogether.
Side Quests Can Unlock Special Moves
Red exclamation marks in towns reference side quests, which can be initiated by conversing with the quest-giver. The vast majority of Visions of Mana’s side quests are straightforward and take mere moments to complete.
Not only will you get tons of money and other valuables, butsome side quests reward you with new Ability Seeds. These Ability Seeds are, more often than not, tied tospecial battle techniques like Healing Light and Moon Rend.
Although there are eventually other ways to acquire many of these techniques,having access to them as early as possible by completing side quests as soon as they’re availablecan power up your party to a substantial degree.
