The Game That Disappeared

[@pridefulmaster1390]

Just one note about Square Enix possibly dropping mid range games: the President clarified a few months ago that they’re still going to make those B range games. There just won’t be as many. Likely a response to how they released so many mid range games in Fall 2022. Which is good, because a world without those mid range games is not a world I want

[@BEARDYDUCK]

They released so many mid-budget games only to price them at $60 and release them all within a two month timeframe.

[@ProvostZarakov]

Yeah it's 2 steps forward 2 steps back i swear a c-suite hates mid range games and is trying to kill it by any means necessary

[@greenhowie]

Um, it's possible they sunk a ridiculous amount of money into NFTs, which impacted funding for the entire company. Plus all the money lost on stuff like Chocobo Kart and the Final Fantasy hero shooter. I feel sorry for their development teams.

[@pridefulmaster1390]

@@greenhowie it didn’t impact funding across the entire company. I’ve read their financial briefings and while it probably did impact some things, it’s not to blame for this shift in releases. NFT’s suck, but they’re not at fault here

[@GR4V17Y]

The president of the United States of America said this, I was there

[@nachoolo]

I legit love Visions of Mana. It is an extremely budgeted Jrpg, but you can plainly see that its devs poured their hearts into the project. The game is legit the most beautiful rpg that I've played in a while. Even if by the tail-end of the game you start to see the rust, I still 100% the game for a reason.

[@Trauson]

NGL... as soon as you said "Sacrifice to the Elements and GF" im like... Wait a minute... This is Tales of Symphonia all over again.

[@raptorskilltor4554]

@@Trauson or the first mana game

[@shawnnbits]

Final Fantasy X

[@TheBatmanMan1]

3:44 don’t tease me man - PLEASE give Radiata Stories some love one of these days.

[@TyGuy9001]

I wish that I was eloquent enough to say how much I love your thought process about both games like this, and the games industry as a whole. KBash continues to show his amazing wit, and heart in everything he makes. Thanks for continuing to make amazing stuff, and thanks to the community that support KBash! I always try to watch through all the names at the end, y’all rock, I honestly wish I could give more.

[@EduSolsa]

This, Tales of Symphonia and Final Fantasy X are all games about taking your girlfriend to be sacrificed and find a way to break the system, each with their own spin. I wonder if there are othera stories with this theme that I don't know.

[@andyblargextra]

LET'S GO TALES OF SYMPHONIA.

[@skunthundler]

There's like a million billion untranslated visual novels out there so I'm sure there's probably a couple hundred with this plot.

[@elsamarks8477]

I am Setsuna!!

[@shawnnbits]

I am Setsuna does this too i think

[@shawnnbits]

​@skunthundler great answer. Water is wet.

[@heeeyyy2947]

I've been so excited for you to cover this- and with a copy from Square Enix no less- way to go bud!

[@andyblargextra]

I'm so wildly happy you mentioned Secret of Evermore in the first 35 seconds. It's one of my all time favorite games from my childhood.

[@dragamation3266]

15:55 oh hell yeah 1:00:05 yeah thats kinda the feeling i got from the demo. Its Mana but blended and poured into a modern safe game mold, and was kinda down for it, but not enough that i was willing to once the dev situation came out And like other folks have mentioned, indies are a good place to find the more daring games, and they need our support now more than ever

[@DerekSquirreltail]

I was having a conversation recently trying to explain why I have an attachment to the Mana series. It's always weird to talk about, because for a lot of the games, it's hard not to just go "Yeah I mean this combat system is a train wreck, and the dungeons aren't interesting, and the story isn't anything special, and--" but eventually I cut myself off, pull up a video of the Crystal Forest from Secret of Mana, and just said "But doesn't this look like such an amazing world to get lost in?" I think growing up with Secret of Mana taught me that it's totally fine to fall in love with a game for that reason. To just get lost in the fact that they put so much attention to detail into the design of the world and characters, and that can make an extremely meaningful experience in and of itself. Even if all the other elements don't totally come together, I would much rather live in a world where it can still leave that impact on me.

[@TheXell]

It hurts to say, but I think my attachment to the series is solely due to the fantastic soundtrack and nostalgia.

[@Tuskumo]

You know what NO ONE TALKED ABOUT THIS GAME at all this year it’s sad 😔

[@prof.laytonfan764]

I would love to play it, but it’s not on Switch so I’m SOL

[@slappygustaverson6507]

Everybody talks about Nightblade, but Val with the Dark Vessel was even more busted. I was one shotting Benovodon's and later the high level side quest monsters with the vessel's burst. It's a giant black hole nuke. I think there's some RNG, but more often then not it was a one shot even with massive level gaps.

[@mrhipshot]

Thank you for making a video about Visions of Mana. I’m only 15 minutes into your video at the time of writing this but you are nailing how I felt in the early game and I can’t wait to watch the rest. I have hardly found any discussions or videos on VoM besides the occasional 10 minute beat on a podcast before they move on to talking about the next game so having an hours worth of this is so refreshing to see. I got all the achievements on Xbox for this game and I can see myself replaying it at some point down the line just to enjoy the world all over again. This game was my introduction to Mana and I’ve gone back and played Legend of Mana and I’ve started Trials. The world has been my favorite part of every Mana game so far, it’s just a joy to live in their world. Nice video!

[@okami473]

15:54 I feel acknowledged and understood

[@Plexicraft]

You’ve gotta be sitting on top of a treasure trove of complete quality videos you’ve already made and releasing them into the wild… …you can’t possibly be putting these together one after another at this pace, right? Right?!

[@yurareigiryu]

It's bold that they went with such a bittersweet ending, I think that is worth some acknowledgement. I'm torn on this game. I want to play it, but It really does suck that the team got canned.

[@user-GuyWhoLikesGames_he_him]

Babe wake up new hour long kbash video!

[@ProjectRedfoot]

Does babe ever get to sleep? Lmao Must be different babes

[@lukep.]

I just beat Visions of Mana last week, I loved it so much. So cute, but also really fun and engaging!

[@wanderversus]

Your content is valuable and the work you do is good.

[@KhaosElement]

Holy shit that ending. "Trying trying to pull some value that I only like okay." That describes my feelings on - what is very likely - the final entry to my favorite series of all time. This one hurts.

[@richardwebster6459]

I bought romancing saga 2 new remake over visions . I was hyped for visions until I played the demo and it just felt meh. Romancing saga 2 is rather unique and was ahead of it's time.

[@FoxLenar]

"Balls shave? Yes or no? You can be the judge!" would make you bazillionaire if you sponsored Manscaped like that.

[@Wandermidget]

I have trouble getting into this series. Can't explain why, but I've always respected the Mana titles. It's such a shame that this series keeps getting treated like this. And with the way Square Enix is acting, this might be the very last Mana title.

[@ArkThePieKing]

It is definitely a series that is not for everyone, no series is. I can see why some of it's design or narrative choice would be a turnoff. If I can ask, what specifically has caused you to bounce off it and which ones have you tried?

[@Wandermidget]

@@ArkThePieKing I genuinely can't explain, and that's what confuses me the most because usually I can explain when I drop titles or series. They're not even long entries either, but I always lose interest about halfway through and just stop playing. I attempted to play Secret of Mana (both SNES and remake), Children of Mana, and Trials of Mana remake. Trials of Mana I even restarted 4 separate times.

[@ArkThePieKing]

@@Wandermidget I feel it. Personally I also bounced off Secret of Mana several times. I would say if you want to give the series another shot (and seriously no pressure) try the 2D version of Trials. I really like the remake, I think it does a lot correct but I think it flows just a little bit better in it's original form. I like the combat a little more, it's definitely harder (still not a hard game but there's actual tension), it's just a bit better of an experience. But like I said no pressure, it's okay to not like a series. I'm not one of those obnoxious fans that insists everyone likes their thing. :)

[@GamerJrdn]

The amount of puns on the game's title was top tier, amazing video as always🎉

[@dannyinthemiddle969]

Should I play this if I enjoyed Granblue Fantasy Relink? I really enjoyed that game and this reminds me of it.

[@Cleanframe]

Just Platinumed Visions Of Mana and this game's Post Game/New Game + was the stand out to this amazing game👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@ryell0913]

Man that short clip of Radiata Stories brought back so many memories

[@Supercohboy]

23:36 This gives me 80s-He-Man vibes, but as an anime furry. Wild, what a time to be alive

[@jordanclock]

11:00 Along the same line, I had to break out Cheat Engine to make the game run at full frame rate at all times. The 30FPS limit in cutscenes is completely unneeded, they work just fine at 60+FPS.

[@DonutSwordsman]

Mega beautifully written ending and really wrapped up the whole video. Id love a video literally just on that topic and some of your nostalgia towards them good af b games. God hand anyone?

[@backlogburning]

Hell yes, new KBash. One video closer to him starting a series on Kiseki. I hope.

[@elsamarks8477]

I found Mana on the Switch. It’s still the only console that I own and that means I’ve missed this gem this year. Which is a shame that it didn’t sell amazingly! I have to wonder if there are more than a few of us. OR MARKET CONDITIONS

[@zachfutv9986]

I saw radiata story clips in the first 5 minutes. That game was my Jam. If someone bought me that as a gift I would cry.

[@Animus_Altia]

It's a great hidden gem. The only real flaw in retrospect to me is the incessant battle grunts and screams for every single attack you perform.

[@plabcentral630]

God mana is up there for me as one of my favs. I always need good music, and mana delivers.

[@ArkThePieKing]

I really enjoyed Visions. There were a handful of gripes I had (way too many soulless side quests, class balance, FUCK the Benevodon of water) but all in all I had a wonderful time with it, it had some great story beats. The one thing it did that I am genuinely shocked you didn't touch on is the absolutely toothless plot twist that SOMEHOW the choice to sacrifice the Alms was the choice of the people despite literally all the evidence of the world saying otherwise but especially the fact that the Alms are CHOSEN by the elementals. It just flat out does not work in the context of the story and was very, very obviously written in to keep the mascots of the series in a positive light.

[@biancaarmstrong5097]

I like the Mana Series. It's like a hidden gem of the series. I always wanted to play Seiken Densetsu 3/Trials of Mana when I saw from HCBailly's let's play on his channel. I was excited that the game that was onced a Japan only game that got a fan translation was now coming worldwide as part of the Collection of Mana for the Nintendo Switch. Then, when I heard Trials of Mana is getting a remake, I was excited. Yes the Trials of Mana remake has some flaws but hey it's really good and a much better remake than Secret of Mana remake. If you wanna know my favorite characters are in Trials of Mana it's Kevin and Charlotte. I love those two dorks and they have been my favorites to use.

[@raptorskilltor4554]

Tbh I blame the fact that it’s not on the switch where the trials of mana remake founded success in the first place

[@jtscorecrystal]

This fully.

[@yanakipang]

i like RPG , and i dont care about how combat , story and graphic, i like the depth of customization and how i do my build , so for me this game is the best.

[@Randomaccount9470]

Finally JRPG Content why I subbed 6 years ago

[@Minusoh]

Aw damn I wanted to play Visions but haven't gotten around to it yet. Gonna put this video on the backburner for now but commenting for the algorithm 👍

[@bobvella7228]

could only watch the first section, don't have a machine that can play visions yet, freaking loved the trials remake and got the collection and legends in my backlog

[@ProjectRedfoot]

I just found a glitch earlier today in THUG2 I have never seen lol

[@EloahAloha]

16:43 omg i laughed so hard and suddenly that i think i strained my neck 😂

[@Nomadsword]

"...the weird grabby thing from DmC Devil may Cry, only without the red/blue Simon says gimmick..." soo the Devil Bringer from DMC4

[@dragoonofdeath8033]

Was able to beat the ruins at lvl 30 which was right before i got julie so was avle to build a pretty cool combo of val flame knight dragon girl on gnome for buff de buff and the mage had like a half second casting time from seeds. Truly liked this game but i can see the faylts as well i just hope we see more mana titles legends is one of my top 5 games of all time

[@Zino_blade]

Brother I was so hyped for this game, but then the second day the game was out and they announced that the dev studio was shut down I had like no interest in buying it anymore. Probably still gonna play it in the distant future

[@buttqueef9900]

Stupid fucking reason to not get it. Especially considering how many studios have made Mana games. Your loss

[@BenOlsberg1995]

As a cat owner, I can confidently say that this game has immense playability from my perspective since one of the playable party members is an anthropomorphic katana wielding cat person.

[@willuigi64]

This game looks extremely appealing to me. I thought so once I saw it in the Xbox showcase. Sadly I’m just playing other games.

[@krischan736]

Hmmm i was wondering whether to get the new visions but hearing about the studio closing did make me a bit hesitant

[@ArkThePieKing]

It's still worth it. The art has been made and the decision was not made by Squeenix, it was the Chinese parent company that did it. I have problems with a lot of what Squeenix does but this one genuinely wasn't their fault. The damage has been done, you might as well pick the game up and enjoy it.

[@Kirusei]

Babe wake up, new Kbash video dropped!

[@whoisslade45]

I’ve never solved “palm trees and eight” 😭😭

[@AleyForReal]

im liking these new video styles

[@Sylnir]

Baaaabe! New KBro video! Lezgo!

[@Cidriel]

I was sitting here wondering why the video was doing something weird with screen tearing on my 120hz display and what do you MEAN you uploaded at FIFTY FRAMES PER SECOND

[@michaeldychiao13]

I cant wait for Kbash to talk about Metaphor... if he does. I hope he does...?

[@kaemonbonet4931]

I agree with everything said in this video but ill add the dialogue is so painful, you've got to play it in a different language so you can pretend it's good. To be clear, the voice actors are great. Its the words they have to say which are the problem.

[@badpiggy4177]

oof That last segment kinda got me

[@PowerfulMint]

That end speech. Damn...

[@YunierViada]

I must have ugly cried like 3 times playing this…😅

[@windyearle]

I just kind of find all anime-styled RPGs the same these days. Visions of Mana and Tales of Arise are wholly interchangeable, for example ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@danteshollowedgrounds]

The title alone speaks volumes but great video though.

[@walinton]

IMO, Trials of Mana is a better game than Visions of Mana. Visions of Mana was a disappointment, and I was looking forward to playing it after Trials of Mana Remake. But, I had no idea Visions would be THAT bad. Graphics are obviously better, but the gameplay/story is worse. Xeen Inc. did God's work with Trials of Mana Remake and Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven. Really great games.

[@mikedelgrande5296]

I’m an OG fan and I truly wanted to love Visions but, I only somewhat enjoyed it. The art direction and graphic were incredible, I’ll give them that. I even loved all the characters. My problem is with the story beats and narrative direction. Spoilers- The way and timing that Hinna was killed was so obnoxious that I immediately stopped playing the game. I went off and played a completely different game, came back to Visions weeks later and finished it. The game somewhat redeems its deplorable writing in the final 1/4 of the game and makes it slightly more tolerable. But good god man, what an incredibly dumb way and time to kill off a character. You do that towards the beginning OR towards the end. Doing it smack dab in the middle of the game leaves a horrible taste in my mouth and casts a miserable shadow over the rest of the journey.

[@rafresendenrafresenden.1644]

That sounds like a personal problem, you can kill a character at any moment there are no rules for this stuff.

[@mikedelgrande5296]

@ @ it’s more of a personal preference than a problem. The timing just made the rest of the game unenjoyable. Ultimately I still enjoyed the game once I got back to playing it, but I didn’t love it. If you are going to kill a main character at a poorly timed part of the story at least make it earned. Her death felt cheap. I don’t have a problem with characters dying if it makes sense. For example, all character deaths in Metaphor were extremely well written. They didn’t feel cheap and scribbled in for shock value. They added something to the story immediately. Hinna getting “tricked” into being murdered in the most obvious way possible felt like a gimmick.

[@jacobmonks3722]

Mana is such a beautiful series. I wish I had the means to play Visions of Mana, but alas, the only modern console I have is Switch. I think that's honestly the biggest mistake with this game, without even knowing the actual substance.

[@kitestar]

The franchise only fumbled because of that _identity crisis_ on the gameboy all those years ago

[@MarmaladeMaki]

I played the demo for this and i didn't hate it but considering backlog and alternatives: why would i drop full prices on this, when i could get Elden Ring or infinite wealth or Metaphor. Iam sure it's an alright game but there is a long list of games i would rather play. That being said: i have no feelings towards the Mana series.

[@shiina4826]

new kbash

[@Mick2K]

What was your favourite character and why was it Morley?

[@blackdragoncyrus]

Please play the Trails series.

[@dominance666]

Completely unrelated but have you ever thought about an infinite undiscovery video?

[@gowary]

3:52 Radiata Stories teaser!? 👀

[@downwithfun]

LETS GOOOOOO

[@FuzzyG13]

what the FUCK was that sound at 37:40

[@artosbear]

Remember Xenogears

[@corneiluspumpernickel720]

THE GOAT!!!!!

[@_shivers]

It's nothing new though, It's just what Square Enix does.

[@jr637-1]

Has Mana gone *woke* ?!

[@thecstineman]

Voting with their wallets is such a hard fucking phrase

[@blackdragoncyrus]

Scalebound disappeared.

[@GrumpySylveon]

FINALLY YES YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[@lrodrigues7488]

Another mana video!

[@morebird4318]

Radiata Stories when?

[@vodkaffee4856]

1:00 evergreen legend of zelda? Really? In his last game link aimt wearing much, and im not complaining

[@greenbeanmachine9002]

Again asking Kbash to play the Trails series, Specifically Trails in the Sky!

[@shiina4826]

newer trails fan here, i 10000% second this

[@vivilover9409]

the entire time u talk about the plot im just thinking this is just final fantasy 10 again

[@nunothedude]

I love u bash

[@ODD17Ymusic]

K bash! I see you cut your hair 😅

[@tommytimmy9742]

Look, it's not that bad. I think people need to either discover more games, or spend less time on twitter or smth. Like, ok, any big company is gonna make AAAA popular slop, it's been like that for 10 years or more, I don't know how can anyone look at anything bigger, than Devolver Digital and expect them to publish anything less safe than a plastic spoon. So, that's INDUSTRY side of videogames, right? Like, the 80-90% of all the buzz on your favorite flavor of doomscrolling, aka "social media". But that's not all that capital G Gaming (Jesus Christ) has. The remaining 20-10% is indie, and indie goes strong, they do all the brave and challenging stuff you mention. And I don't care if it's not a part of a big IP or published by a big company, screw them. But equalizing gaming and industry in this context makes all that indie passion and hard work mean so much less. Like "so what if you made the most daring game of the decade? You're not published by Square Enix, therefore you're not a part of a conversation". And that's sad.

[@GrumpySylveon]

54:50 AAAAAAAA

[@imogenmangle]

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOO KBASHHH

[@buzzy-ears]

TWELVETH!

[@lykos9836]

kingdom hearts is serious?

[@Dougwalker-oz9zt]

Very, one could say it's serious business

[@stoop..kid..]

Butt stuff

[@EliasCassab]

37:40 why

[@gtafan110010]

so weird to see a genshin rip-off like this being talked about

[@willuigi64]

Why’d you upload in 50fps? lol

[@valentinecure329]

😞

[@jamilfrost6217]

Kbash upload, I click.

[@brule1763]

I've never played and never will play this game, but I always enjoy the videos