Dawn of Mana
| Dawn of Mana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Square Enix |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Designer(s) | Koichi Ishii (producer) Masato Kato (scenario) Kenji Ito (composer) Tsuyoshi Sekito (composer) Masayoshi Soken (composer) Junya Nakano (composer) |
| Series | Mana series World of Mana |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Dawn of Mana, known in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 4 (聖剣伝説4, Seiken Densetsu Fō, lit. "Legend of the Holy Sword 4") is an action-adventure game developed and published by Square Enix for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is part of Square Enix's World of Mana compilation that also includes Children of Mana, Heroes of Mana and Friends of Mana. The game was released on December 21, 2006 in Japan and was released in the US on May 22 2007. There are currently no plans to release this game in PAL territories.
Gameplay
Dawn of Mana utilizes the Havok physics engine seen in Half-Life 2 that allows the player to greatly interact with their 3D environment.[2]
Game elements seen in Dawn of Mana are quite different from Mana games of the past. While it can be classified as an action RPG, a more appropriate description is action/adventure due to the lack of RPG elements in the game. Dawn plays very similar to Kingdom Hearts in terms of design and style. The main difference lies in the Havok physics engine, which is used for the Mono system.
Dawn of Mana is structured into Chapters, each with 5 segments except for Chapter 8 (6 segments). There are 8 Chapters in total and upon the completion of one, the player is graded on their performance. The player may opt to do the Chapter, or segments of a Chapter, again in the Main Menu after beating it. Also, Keldy's stats and equipment are reset to 0 and Level is reset to 1 upon entering a new Chapter. This method of progression is constant in all Chapters.
Features such as using equipment or crafting items are not found in Dawn of Mana. Items are not available for stocking purposes and are used immediately upon grabbing them. The Shop feature seen in other Mana games are limited to non-battle items such as music tracks and movie clips. The only types of tools that Keldy can equip are Ribbons, which enhance Keldy's combat performance. Keldy can gain the use of special arrows blessed by the Mana spirits found in the game. These unfortunately cannot be carried over upon starting a new Chapter.
Emblems, which are the only equipment that Keldy can use, are gained through various methods. Emblems can be unlocked by meeting grading requirements in the game, bought at the Challenge Arena Shop using the monetary value of Lucre, or beating optional and rare enemies. Ribbon functionality ranges from simple stat boosters to strengthening Keldy's basic abilities. Keldy's basic actions include the ability to roll, guard, run, and jump. Keldy's offensive actions utilize a sword, whip, and slingshot. Keldy can also use magic from the fairy Faye to aid combat through 7 spells.
Dawn of Mana has a Challenge Arena mode. In this mode, the player undergoes up to 32 challenges to defeat a set of enemies within a certain time period. The player can opt to fight alongside Pets, which are obtained through eggs found in the game or bought at the Shop. The Challenge Arena can be utilized in the Main Menu upon beating Chapter 2. The Shop can only be accessed here as well.
The recurring air transport of the series, Flammie; is this time not obtained, per se, as there is no world map; however, Flammie is present in the game as the Guardian of Illusia, the central island of the world. Keldric obtains Flammie's help after a certain chapter in the game. Since there is no world map, Flammie's use is drastically reduced, however, his presence in the game is notable.
Mono system
Dawn of Mana sports the Mono system. This system is essentially a high degree of environmental interaction offered by the Havok physics engine. With Keldy's whip function, the player can interact with almost any object seen in the surrounding area. The objects are used to Panic enemies, which is necessary as it is the only way to obtain stat boosting medals. Hitting an enemy will result in a counter appearing over their head, which induces Panic status. In this status, enemies are completely defenseless and more damage can be dealt to them. If the counter raises beyond 99, the enemy will be in full Panic and a gold crown replaces the numerical counter. Defeating an enemy in this state yields a greater stat boosting medal.
Plot
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A village in the land of Illusia is attacked by the Lomarian king Stroud. Some residents of the village, named Keldy and Ritzia, try to go for help, but they are captured before they can get far. Stroud is looking for the key to Mavolia, a land of darkness sealed away for centuries. Keldy and Ritzia are able to escape to go for help; soon after, they meet Faye, a spirit child, who joins them for the remainder of the game. Unfortunately, Ritzia is soon recaptured by Stroud.
Before Keldy and Faye can rescue her, Stroud uses her to unlock the door to Mavolia, which is hidden in a tree. The energy from Mavolia causes anyone around the door to turn into an evil monster. To escape this fate, Keldy and Faye flee Illusia. They soon learn that if the door to Mavolia is not closed, the whole world will be consumed by the darkness spreading from Mavolia. They return to Illusia to stop this from happening.
They confront Stroud, who has been mutated by the energy of Mavolia. After he is defeated, Keldy and Faye learn that the only way to seal the door is to kill Ritzia, who has also been mutated. After an epic battle with Ritzia, she is killed, the door is sealed, and Illusia is restored.
Voice Cast
- Sam Riegel - Keldric
- Laura Bailey - Medusa
- Darrel Guilbeau
- Kyle Hebert
- Christopher Sabat
- Patrick Seitz
- Travis Willingham - Stroud
Development
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg?lang=en){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
Audio
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Ryuuichi Sakamoto performed the theme song of the game. He and Kenji Ito worked on the soundtrack as well
One of the tracks "Rising Sun" can be listened on the Official NA Website of the game
Reception
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Reviews praised Dawn of Mana's graphics, music, and character design, but found fault with the unreliable controls and awkward camera. Many reviewers were disappointed that despite being the first numbered entry in the Seiken Densetsu series in several years, the game abandoned the action-RPG gameplay style of previous titles. IGN called the game "passable," noting its poor leveling system and radar but also the beautifully rendered graphics.[3]
References
- ^ Jordan Jackson (October 9th, 2006). "Mana Gets Panicked, Goes Mobile". RPGamer.com. Retrieved 2006-10-10.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|year=(help); External link in|work= - ^ Theo Litowski (October 19, 2005). "Seiken Densetsu 4 Gets Physical". RPGamer.com.
{{cite web}}: External link in|work=|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Haynes, Jeff (May 22, 2007). "Dawn of Mana Review". ign.com. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)