u/Mana-Dyluck

Tracklist:

• 1. Seize the Sky
• 2. Moonlight Passion
• 3. Proof of Victory
• 4. Mayu-hime
• 5. The Four Inverses Battle 1: Quartet Version
• 6. The Four Inverses Battle 2: Tetra Realm
• 7. The Four Inverses Battle 3: Quartet Requiem
• 8. Two-Winged Princess
• 9. KAGURA (Koyomi's Theme)
• 10. Balordear: Destiny of the Eight
• 11. Reverse of Re;univerSe
• 12. Mayu-hime (Instrumental Version)
• 13. The Four Inverses Battle 1: Quartet Version (Instrumental Version)
• 14. The Four Inverses Battle 3: Quartet Requiem (Instrumental Version)
• 15. Two-Winged Princess (Instrumental Version)

Link: https://www.jp.square-enix.com/music/en/lineup/item/SQEX-11254.html

Link: https://x.com/FinalFantasy/status/2090091773314118119?s=20

I haven't actually played Visions of Mana yet since I only have a Switch 2, but lately I’ve been falling down a massive YouTube rabbit hole with reviews and video coverage. Once you click one, the algorithm just feeds you non-stop.

To my surprise, almost everything I've watched has been overwhelmingly positive. The game looks great, and the combat system delivers. The story is more developed, and engaging than any previous Mana games, and the devs were successful in porting over the Mana essence. A ton of reviewers are calling Visions either the best entry in the series or right up there next to Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana.

So why did the game flop commercially?

If the core game is actually great, what went wrong here? The whole launch sequence was just bizarre:

• The Ouka Studios mess: right as the game launched, NetEase shut down Ouka, the dev team contracted by Square Enix to build it. It didn't go over well. Click-bait article and all. That part of the press coverage sure as heck did not help Visions of Mana sell.
• Weak sales: physical sales in Japan were underwhelming at launch. Famitsu reported around 40k copies across PS4, PS5, and Xbox combined in week one. Square Enix then mentioned in their financial report that initial sales missed internal targets. We don't really have much more data, but the game didn't move enough copies for sure.
• Zero post-launch support: with Ouka dead, any hopes for big bug fixes or polish pretty much evaporated. It feels like Square Enix just swept the whole project under the rug.

My working hypothesis:

1. A terrible demo & bad press: I keep hearing the demo didn't do the game justice by dropping players in without showing off the real depth of the combat system. Pair that with headlines about the studio closing during launch month, and it probably turned off a lot of casual buyers.
2. 20 years of brand neglect: did Square Enix kill the hype by neglecting the series? After two decades of cheap mobile spin-offs, cheap remakes (I'm looking at you Secret of Mana Remake), and inconsistent releases, the Mana brand just doesn't have the mainstream pull of Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest anymore.
3. Ignoring Nintendo at launch: The Mana fanbase has mostly lived on Nintendo hardware lately. Collection of Mana and the Trials remake sold great on the Switch 1. Did Square Enix shoot themselves in the foot by launching on PS/Xbox/PC and not just holding off for the Switch 2 launch?

What do you guys think? Was it terrible marketing, bad timing, or just launching on the wrong platforms? Or do you have other hypothesis?

They have been pretty lavish with Trials of Mana fanart. https://x.com/\_holly0104\_

Link: https://x.com/disney/status/2088459950997848544

Link: https://x.com/FinalFantasy/status/2088279926562832843

Link: https://x.com/FinalFantasy/status/2087917679504208241