Legend of Mana (1999)

Legend of Mana, originally released in Japan as Seiken Densetsu: Legend of Mana, is a 1999 action role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the PlayStation. It is the fourth game in the Mana series, following 1995s Seiken Densetsu 3.

Set in a high fantasy universe, the game follows an unnamed hero as they restore the land of FaDiel by creating the world around them and completing a number of interrelated quests in order to restore the Tree of Mana. While incorporating action role-playing elements from the prior games in the series, such as real-time battles, Legend of Mana has its own distinct style of gameplay. Most notably, it gives the player the ability to shape the worlds structure through the Land Make system, generating regions and quests in a non-linear gameplay system rather than a strong main plotline. Legend of Mana was directed by series creator Koichi Ishii, designed by Akihiko Matsui, and produced by veteran Square director and producer Akitoshi Kawazu. The game had high sales, selling 400,000 copies in its first week of release and 700,000 by the end of 1999. Reviews were less positive than for prior games in the series. Critics gave considerable acclaim to its vibrant and colorful hand-drawn graphics and soundtrack by Yoko Shimomura, but were critical of the lack of a clear main storyline, stating that it left the game feeling disjointed. The game was re-released as a part of both the PlayStations and Square Enixs best-sellers lines. It was released as a PSOne Classic in Japan and North America.