Tianeea, AKA the Fire Village, holds a festival every four years to choose alms that will travel with soul guards to the Tree of Mana and offer their (the alms) souls in return for the flow of mana power to be rejuvenated. Val has recently been given the title of soul guard and he brings his longtime friend Hinna to the festival where the Faeries choose the alms, only for Hinna herself to be chosen as the Alm of Fire.
Today's trailer introduces Palamena and Julei. Young Palamena is a powerful person: she is the Queen of Illystana, Capital of the Deep. She gained the throne following her father's death, and has since been juggling social expectations and turbulent politics with the care of her even younger brother. Julei is a sproutling, currently in charge of watering his sleeping companions in Verdeus Borough. He's so bored with the same old routine, until Val and co. come into his life.
There are five playable characters, and if you want it is possible to create your own three-person dream team from choosing amongst them. Those who don't participate will still receive the same EXP, which should keep everyone balanced. Palamena specializes in long-range magic attacks; Morley is great with quick-paced, close-range battles; Val is good at melee (no surprise for a starting character); Careena supports the party with buffs and area-of-effect attacks; and Julei supports the party with healing and regenerative abilities.
The game is available for consoles as digital/physical standard editions, a physical Collector's Edition, and a digital Deluxe Edition. The physical editions are available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series worldwide; Europe, Japan, and Asia will also get a physical PlayStation 4 release. The physical Collector's Edition is available only through Square Enix. It contains a copy of the game, a Ramcoh plush, an art book, a soundtrack, and a collector's box. Purchasing the Digital Deluxe Edition will get you a copy of the game, 24 hours of early access (if you pre-order), a Mana-themed costume set (outfits for Val, Julei, Careena, Morley, and Palamena), and a Mana Series Background Music Bundle that lets you use these 26 tracks in-game.
Developed and published by Square Enix, Visions of Mana will be released for PC via Steam/Microsoft, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Xbox Series on August 29.