Legend of Mana HD remaster is coming to Steam

Square Enix has taken an unusual approach to bringing its old Mana RPG series into the 21st century. Secret of Mana was a remake of the 1993 original that retained its old topdown view while introducing a new—and very divisive—3D art style. Then last year it remade Trials of Mana in an even more dramatic way, reimagining the 1995 Japan-only instalment as a modern third-person action-RPG.

The publisher is taking yet another approach with Legend of Mana: the original 1999 PSX exclusive is getting a comparatively rudimentary HD remaster. That's no bad thing, because as we saw with Secret of Mana, polygons are no match for gorgeous pixel art.

The HD remaster is coming to Steam on June 24, which will be quite the month for long-absent classics to hit PC. As the trailer above demonstrates it really is very light of touch, but with an art style like that it's hard to argue. Along with the remastered graphics, the soundtrack has been rearranged and the Ring Ring Land mini-game will be available for the first time outside of Japan.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.