Closing Comments
In the end, youre either going to love or hate Children of Mana. Hardcore gamers expecting to get a sequel to the popular Secret of Mana series from the days of the Super Nintendo are going to be let down purely based on the dungeon crawler design of the game. For fans of games like Blizzards Diablo, or repeat gamers that enjoyed Sword of Mana despite its harsh criticism and apparent downsides, Children of Mana is a keeper. The action is solid, the amount of character customization is definitely robust, the amount of side quests and bonus missions to partake in will ensure players that the adventure isnt over too quickly, and the game is simply beautiful on an audio/visual level. As far as hack-n-slash RPGs go, Children of Mana is one of the best weve seen on a handheld, and for dungeon crawler addicts Square Enix has definitely hit the spot. It has its downfalls, such as a lack of diversity on side quests and a few nagging multiplayer issues, but the overall product is definitely one to pick up if youre looking for a button-mashing, action-intensive role playing experience on DS. Grab a few copies, your three bestest buds, and enjoy.