Collection of Mana

It seems that the age of retro game collections is upon us! In recent months and years, we’ve seen compilations for Mega Man, Castlevania, Street Fighter, and Contra. Most recently, and especially exciting for me, is the Collection of Mana. This bundle includes the first three “Mana” RPGs; Final Fantasy Adventure, Secret of Mana, and never before available in the west, Trials of Mana!

As a kid, I was a huge fan of Final Fantasy Adventure. I played through the game countless times but I never got around to playing Secret of Mana. Yes, I know. that’s absolute blasphemy for an RPG fan to say. But it’s true. Needless to say, I’m excited to finally get my hands this collection. Rest assured, all three of these titles are being added to my backlog list for future reviews.

In this bundle, the first two games were faithfully ported to the Switch and the third game received an official English translation. The package also includes a handful of welcome additions like a music player and behind the scenes artwork. One thing that struck me odd is the absence of any of the Final Fantasy Adventure remakes (Sword of Mana for the GBA for example). I guess the goal here is compile the titles as originally released. So with that in mind, I cannot complain too much.

If you’ve been waiting to experience these classic RPGs, this is your big chance. The collection is available as a digital download from the Nintendo online shop.