The JRPG genre is easily one of the most divisive segments of the gaming world. It’s a genre wherein one aspect — whether it be graphics, story, or gameplay — can end up as a positive for one gamer but a negative for another. Buoyed by almost twenty years of nostalgia, Visions of Mana, thus, faces a monumental task: appeal to older gamers while attracting newer ones. Is it up to the task?

Visions of Mana is the franchise’s first entry in almost twenty years. Old players might recognize the name as a spinoff from the iconic Final Fantasy franchise. Despite the age of the series, Visions of Mana features a compelling premise that kept me glued to the game until the credits rolled.

Val, a Soul Guard, is tasked with escorting and protecting Hinna, his childhood friend, as she becomes the Alm of Fire. Now, Alms are no joke in this world. Every village must have an Alm to take to the Mana Tree, lest their village suffers disaster.

While this looks like a traditional “chosen one” story, Alms will ultimately have to sacrifice their lives and souls to the Tree. If that sounds ethically wrong, then you’ve found why the story is engrossing. Most of the story is a “will-they-won’t-they”: Will they realize that sacrificing innocents is wrong? Will Val realize his love for Hinna and stop her from sacrificing herself?

Unfortunately, the same reason for the story’s allure is also its downfall. For most of the story, the sacrificial aspect is played as a given. In fact, it’s an honor for most of the characters. While the game addresses the disconnect in a few plot points, you’ll have to go through a lot of hoops to find satisfaction.

Off the bat, Visions of Mana wastes no time in telling you what you’re in for. Though cutesy, the game’s character design belies an intricacy that the eye can’t pick up on first glance. It’s more than cute just for the sake of being cute.

The environments, however, are a different story. Reminiscent of Genshin Impact, the game’s anime-style characters are dropped into a more realistic world. It’s not the most elegant of results, but it stands out among a field of similar-looking JRPGs in the wild.

What does knock this game down, however, is how NPCs feel the same across different villages. Though you’ll get different flavor text per character, each merchant in every village is practically the same. They even do the same weird dance.

One element that emphasizes the character design is the game’s class system. Rather than keeping characters in just one class, characters can equip an elemental item to change their class. Giving the Luna Globe to Val, for example, turns him into a paladin-like character.

With a number of elemental items and characters, there’s a huge variety of mixing and matching to find the perfect synergy for your team. It’s also a treat to discover what certain combinations can turn your characters into, especially since each combination comes with a Pokémon-like transformation scene.

Combat is much more streamlined than the turn-based system typical to the JRPG genre. Monsters are fought in real time. Plus, other members of your team will automatically attack and help you out. If you’re overwhelmed, you can exit out of the bounds of your current fight and escape.

While fighting regular mobs is already fun, fighting bosses in this game is another level. It’s not as difficult as a Dark Souls boss, but it presents an interesting challenge that requires players to maximize every aspect of the JRPG.

It’s a fun system, overall. However, your teammate’s AI suffers from a lack of direction. Leaving them alone in a tough fight will rapidly deplete their HP. It’s practically a requirement to swap places just to keep them alive.

Visions of Mana features a vibrant world with different ecologies. While one shows off a verdant valley, another will expose players to a harsh snowstorm, among others.

Players can easily get themselves lost in all these different locations. However, the game suffers from a lack of meaningful exploration. Yes, there are collectibles, unlockable chests, and challenges. Unfortunately, they rarely translate to anything meaningful for an open-world game.

Most items found out in the world offer only marginal gains to your character. Others, like the Grizzly Syrup, are currencies that require a lot to unlock anything good. It’s an unfortunate grind that comes with every JRPG.

The lack of meaningful exploration only exacerbates how lifeless the world is. There are numerous set pieces in the outer world, but hardly any truly matter. A side character might pop up once in a house outside the village, but there’s no reason for them to be there. It’s not their house; it’s just where they are.

Playing through the game, it doesn’t feel like the exploration matters at all. Sadly, because a JRPG requires a lot of grinding, exploring is a requirement, whether it’s for more EXP, Lucre, or Grizzly Syrup.

Visions of Mana is a traditional JRPG through and through. Especially because of its nostalgia, the game comes with a premise and a combat system that will keep you playing after you boot it up for the first time.

Unfortunately, the traditional JRPG grind and its tedious exploration puts Visions of Mana in the same limbo as its contemporaries: a divisive experience that will appeal to some players while alienating others.