Visions of Mana Producers pushes back on Western Influences.

[@MugenLord]

Can we trust the producers word at face value, or should we just wait and see?

[@matthewpipes018]

Always have that side-eye

[@kennycai8695]

I say keep the guard up, cause Stellar Blades already proves that publishers can still twist the proverbial arm to influence decisions. Kind of hard to push back against someone holding the purse strings, to be honest.

[@hyrulegend9786]

I'd like to say they'd keep their word, though we've been burnt to many times lol I'd say wait & see, I'd love for them to keep it unique & Japanese & not westernize it 💩. Have a wonderful day bro! 👊🏻😊

[@NetBattler]

Imma gonna be skeptical after all this is the square enix we're talking about,they could betray the fans at any moment. Not to mention the localizers also have the potential to butcher the game with their stupid self insert

[@lloydgush]

Trust bu verify.

[@ChrisMS0815]

Trying to appeal to western audiences is how we ended up with bad box art Mega Man.

[@NetBattler]

At least it's becoming a meme in the Megaman franchise but yeah it hurts...

[@oriongear2499]

TBF, It can be swapped out for the Japanese Box Art Mega Man.

[@Re-PhantomZero]

At least back in the 90s it was mostly bad box art, changing names, bad location, censorship... Hell it was the same thing actually 😂.

[@zero705]

Turning rice balls into donuts too lol

[@ChrisMS0815]

@@zero705 Not even, they just called rice balls donuts.

[@AlphonsoFrett-xz6pi]

I painfully miss old-school video games

[@firgy.maretendy]

we all are

[@Vynne96-jg7er]

Same

[@NetBattler]

JRPG fans would agree with you

[@Re-PhantomZero]

I don't, i still play them every day, I'm actually playing class of heroes anniversary edition, it's from the good old days of the PSP and i recommend it for first person dungeon crawler fans. Also get retroarch you can play every old game you want once you get the hang of the app, retroarch is the best thing ever for a gamer.

[@BlackShinobi86]

So do I.

[@Whit3WolfXArcadia]

Classic dark jrpg with no western influence sign me up

[@Amalvipls]

>dark bro, its fucking mana

[@Truth-Justice-Freedom]

Yes! If they go WOKE , they will be BROKE 😂. DON’T bend ur knees!

[@Douglas628]

Hopefully this is a sign that Square Enix and their ethics department will stop to actively get in the way of their developers.

[@Re-PhantomZero]

I'm selling a bridge on mars, it crosses a giant beautiful river. If you are interested i can make you a very good price for the bridge.

[@JimC1984]

I dont believe his words till day 1 launch stellar blade taught me that

[@enkiduthewildman]

Day 7 We can wait a week to see how the localization is butchered, or if the first patch has censorship.

[@ryanrichko]

Was going to say the same thing. Trust in this industry is completely gone.

[@yumyumeatemup]

Ever since i was a young boy, i and many others in my generation were practically raised on a steady diet of Japanese games coming out of places like Nintendo. We didnt turn our noses up at these games because they came out of japan! Rather we embraced them BECAUSE of their quirkiness, a quirkiness intrinsically linked to their "Japaneseness". Mario is such a bizarre game when you really stop to think about it, and yet its iconic in the gaming industry. I dont think for a second that you get a game that is anything like what Mario is if it ends up being made in the west during that time period of early gaming. Because most family friendly entertainment companies coming out of the west were all chasing Disney's tail and doing their utmost to emulate what they did. Mario works because its Japanese. Squaresoft games, Tecmo games, Konami games, Capcom games, and on and on and on ALL WORK because of the Japanese perspective and culture that goes into making them. Take that away, or worse, have it emulate western developers way of thinking and all you get is a grey sludge of samey crap with no way to differentiate or stand out within the gaming landscape. I 100% support the Mana producers thoughts on this and am very much looking forward to Visions of Mana as a result!

[@ericfrancisco6615]

Well said friend. As someone who grew up on import games and early anime from Japan, we appreciated that uniquely Japanese aspect to their media. But ever since it became mainstream, we get unwelcome guests trying to impose their skewed values onto Eastern developed games. It's time for them gtfo, and leave foreign media alone. Let them maintain their unique cultural identity.

[@hungerxhunger2548]

​@@ericfrancisco6615No people should do whatever makes the most money. You can appeal to others without compromising yourself much.

[@pyrelis8384]

I'm glad they're staying true to their roots. I can't wait for this game to come out, I'm buying it ASAP. Final Fantasy Adventure was the first RPG I ever played on my dad's old Game Boy. I found Legend of Mana at a game rental place when I was in middle school and I got Sword of Mana on my GBA in high school. I recognized the jingle and the story felt familiar, I finally realized it was Final Fantasy Adventure and I discovered Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3 english translation via ROM emulation. (I've since bought both games, I felt bad) I got Dawn of Mana and Children of Mana and was sort of let down by both, but this series has been with me since my childhood. I'm so invested in it!

[@spooderman6522]

I wish more game makers and producers would share Oyamada's notion.

[@Zeburaman2005]

Attacking colourful games and trying to disparage them as childish is so 2009. I was hoping we had left the “50 shades of brown castle” era behind us, but what can you expect from an industry that tried to gaslight its audience into believing DmC: Devil may Cry had “shakespearian writing”?

[@WildDogGamerBoy]

I like DMC, but yeah, the writing in that game sucks. Then again, who buys a hack and slash game for the story? 🤷

[@zero705]

I wish the aesthetic of most top down arpgs wasnt run down castle or decayed forest

[@theatheistbear3117]

DmC: Devil May Cry was good though. And it was the VA first Lilith that said this, not the actual developers.

[@Zeburaman2005]

I didn’t mean it to be a comment on the game’s overall quality, rather as one of the earliest examples of the Western industry and journalists coming together to disparage Japanese/Asian games development philosophies as inferior and/or inadequate. A further example would be the God Of War reboot’s Kratos actor saying the story “was a real script and not just a way to get into battle”, as if great or outstanding stories (i.e. Legacy of Kain series, Silent Hill, System Shock 2, etc.) in video games were a recent trend somehow.

[@theatheistbear3117]

@@Zeburaman2005 If you meant that it was just the journalists and not the devs (in the case of DmC at least), then yes, that’s exactly what happened. The West nowdays is too busy making games into movies and disregard the gameplay as secondary at best and not the main draw of the medium. I had this argument awhile ago with a friend of mine who was perplexed that I like novels which are very emotionally driven like Wuthering Heights but dislike games that are story focused (except Visual Novels, which I don’t consider games but their own medium). I responded by saying that when you read a book, you’re looking for good writing. I go to that medium because I want what it’s good at. I don’t want books to be filled either action scenes because books are terrible at delivering them, from my experience. Meanwhile games have the defining trait of the medium being the gameplay. I don’t care about your terrible story, I’m here to play a game, and if that’s bad, I’ll go play something else. Personally, I think that games don’t really have any great stories. Competent, but not great. I know that sounds snobbish as hell, and my friends have said that my standards are way too high for all media. I’m personally fine with that, given it’s not my reason for enjoying the medium anyway. I see nothing wrong with games having a plot that’s just a grade above an excuse plot to give the players a reason to do things in the game (Vanquish being a great example of this).

[@Kagril]

Square enix with their ethics department has destroyed the company,i will take this with a grain of salt because we have been lied before,if i see a fully Japanese game uncensored its a day 1 buy for me

[@yogiwp_]

I'm totally 100000% behind games catering to specific audiences. Maintain your fanbase and let it grow organically.

[@Birdhouseart]

Square tends to let the western fans of Mana starve when it comes to the content for the franchise. I wasn't fond of Dawn and Children of mana while fun on lasted for what felt like 5-7 hrs and was done. The 3d remake of Trails was the right push the franchise needed and I can't wait for Visions. Every screenshot and video that I see about the game makes me wish that it going to be release the next day. As long as it keeps the elements that make franchise itself, there's no need for that western touch for it. Afterall we don't get a lot of the games from the franchise so we shouldn't have any influence on it.

[@ainbo9022]

Square Enix will still tone down their character you'll never see a character like Angela again.

[@BlackShinobi86]

True.

[@uzairkhan7166]

It doesn’t matter

[@vert3823]

I'll believe it when I see it. Also, to this day, Squenix still hasn't properly translated the name Seiken Densetsu. They just localize the names into X of Mana and eventually, they're going to run out of names. It would be like if Final Fantasy VII did not undergo a naming correction and was released as Final Fantasy IV in the west back in 1997. They've made it hard to keep track of which game is which. For a long time, English speakers called Seiken Densetsu 3, Secret of Mana 2 because they didn't know what to call it. This is what happens when you don't properly translate things.

[@karnagefails333]

Yeah Mugen, I'm 100% done with Western games pretty much. They know many people are. That's exactly why Stellar Blade was sabotaged. Edit: #FreeStellarBlade

[@AscendantStoic]

Now he got my attention, definitely keeping an eye on that game.

[@jhyarellesilver8397]

Pressing X to doubt. Stellar Blade as key example, plus Seqenix is involved and more than likely Soyny.

[@CaptainAwesome60]

Kudos to the game producers for crafting such an exceptional gaming experience! It’s refreshing to see a team dedicated to preserving the original essence of their games, ensuring that the influence of western trends doesn’t compromise their unique vision. May they continue to innovate and bring us more of these captivating worlds. Their ability to maintain the game’s integrity, despite the ever-shifting landscape of gaming culture, is truly commendable. Here’s to their continued success and the power of staying true to one’s creative roots!

[@-._____-]

Considering Square Enix's current track record, I don't trust them to not fuck up the game somehow. Hopefully the Vision of Mana devs stay true to their vision and word. An unapologetically, uncensored Japanese game is what we need in current year.

[@Satyr42]

Developers need to stop chasing trends and just focus on making good games.

[@uzairkhan7166]

True

[@skyuru]

Just hope to see some sexy armors like in Trials of Mana Remake w

[@ianal0028]

In this current year if they have something similar to what Angela is wearing the game will be cancelled instantly

[@skyuru]

@@ianal0028 cancelled from a a bunch of weirdos that never play the game lol

[@ianal0028]

@@skyuru Yes, and these are the people game devs feared the most.

[@LuigiTheMetal64]

Pokémon even suffered when it is no longer about Pokémon like being forced to go to school and be stuck in a school uniform that will be clashing with the accessories. The characters are also bad that they look like androgynous emoji generators than sex dimorphic anime characters.

[@kurisu3000]

Still going to be a bait and switch. The Japanese (original) script will censored and altered by Square Enix's Ethics Department.

[@TioNumber124]

localizers gonna ruin it , already mentally prepared for it :(

[@LPetal86]

As someone who's been gaming since 1988, I want to say I 100% agree with the producer staying away from Western influence. That was one of the best things about gaming back in the day, you had Western games and you had Japanese games. You had games from Europe and the United Kingdom. They all stayed true to their creative visions and didn't apologize for what they wanted to be. Nowadays, you frequently see a notion about "there's no way we could make this kind of a game" with today's culture. I say go for it anyway. It's depressing to see what "modern" gaming is offering today. Rehashes and remakes that water down the essence of the original titles. Dumbed down, boring walking simulators that forget that games are supposed to be about fun or interesting gameplay, instead of issuing a fun challenge. Hope the kids and people in their early 20's have access to original old 30+ year old hardware, because that's the only way they're going to play the true, original versions of beloved games in most cases.

[@li0nhart4477]

I never played the Mana series back in the day, i bought 'Secret Of Mana' on the SNES a few months back and am yet to play it. This new one look great and i hope it stays true to the original Japanese vision. I will be buying the physical version of this on Xbox (If it's available). Japanese/Korean/Chinese content is better, games/ movies whatever. Western stuff has gone stale the last few decades. Stellar Blade is awesome dispite the minor censors.

[@Makoto03]

Thats great to hear. Visions of Mana looks amazing and i'm glad it will be untainted by nonsense from the west.

[@laronwilkes4898]

I can't imagine what would need to be censored in a Mana game, as they always seemed very tame to me. Not like it's Shin Megami Tensei with giant p*nis monsters

[@uzairkhan7166]

If only they’re were a action shin megami tensei rpg

[@leandro6956]

It doesn't matter what the producer says, localizers will butcher the game when they get their woke hands on it.

[@vladimirfruitin3118]

good good

[@uninhibition31]

Look at what’s happening to the Paper Mario remaster. They are going to change lines in the dialogue to cater to a niche group.

[@matthewpipes018]

And unsurprisingly, NOA Treehouse has been doing this for years now when it comes to localization. So I already knew certain dialogs were gonna get changed

[@NetBattler]

@@matthewpipes018 Soytendo of America

[@landonhulett2119]

It happened to the Super Mario RPG remake. A reference to Bruce Lee and Valentina making fun of Dodo's weight was removed.

[@matthewpipes018]

@@landonhulett2119 The Bruce Lee line was a copyright issue

[@landonhulett2119]

@@matthewpipes018 I see.

[@AegisKHAOS]

Now is especially important to not let western influence dictate their games and hust stick to what works. Trying to cater to everyone, but especially chasing western trends, is a great way to lose money.

[@LuigiTheMetal64]

Japanese products being Japanese products is why people worldwide love the stuff in the first place. Removing what is Japanese takes away the appeal they have, making them boring and bigoted to people. There is already US stuff available in the US. Never censor in any way. Never restrict artistic freedom, especially like trying to make fantasy like reality.

[@theshadowman8801]

He doing what tales of arise should have done. Now the real question is can it deliver gold or silver.

[@uzairkhan7166]

Who knows

[@uzairkhan7166]

Maybe paltnium

[@calvinmatthews1527]

Gotta admire Oyamada, sticking to what he knows despite everyone else says is commendable. As for FF7 Rebirth, while far from a bad game, they certainly went overboard with its budget. Square doesn't deserve this, but it'll be a learning experience.

[@Suikojunkie]

Perfectly said

[@jonathangebert3006]

I've been a fan of the series ever since I played Legend of Mana way back on the PS1. Glad to hear the creator not willing to cattery to, so called, western principles. Really looking forward to playing the new game.

[@jinraigami3349]

Will support such developer all day.

[@grein545]

That’s nice, I’ll wait sometime after release to see if that’s true. You’re still working under Square Enix after all.

[@Linklex7]

I’ll believe it when I see it.

[@APOLLOPATRIOT]

I rather Stick with Russian and South Korean games ❤ 🇷🇺🇰🇷

[@TheLeadElite]

The trial of Mana remake was really fun. Sure it had issues, but it seemed like most of the issues stemmed from a low budget or an inexperienced dev team members rather what we usually see (corporate tone-deafness or outright spite of the customer base). Visions seems to have a bigger budget, but with that comes with more visibility and increased likeliness for Commiefornia localizers to butcher script like with Eiyuden Chronicle

[@StratumPress]

Congrats on your indie comic universe!

[@MugenLord]

Thanks!

[@markone6626]

Keep your eyes open they may change it.

[@YoukoZuki]

It is not about the producer's vision. It is about the localizer. And Square-Enix's track of localization choices has some "pretty" spots. Everything will sound good until you see a few Internet slang throwing around in the dialogue text because localizers feel like it.

[@monnarkh]

never hear of this game but it's Square Enix so... Let's not jump in just yet and hope the producers can actually keep their game intact.

[@carbonjohnson6414]

So hyped for VoM.

[@DC-FGC]

I honestly don't care where they get their inspiration as long as the game is A) recognizable a Mana title, and B) good. Though I'm pretty sure this has to do more with the Stellar Blade(and similar) stuff you mentioned. I'm not even sure what would need to be censored as even the raciest characters like Angela are so chibi-ish you can't really take their skin-showing seriously. That said, I'm really looking forward to Visions. It looks like they learned good lessons from Dawn and the Trials remake, so the combat they've shown looks like a lot of fun. And the character designs, vibrant colors, environments, and enemy designs look absolutely stunning. I'm currently playing through some of the older games in anticipation, as I'm sure a lot of fans are. Already beat Legend for the first time, and am currently alternating between Secret and Sword and working my way through those, with plans to play through the Trials remake again with different characters once I finish those 2.

[@sterlingdavis8244]

Hopefully he is not foolish enough to cave to Western pressure, far too many devs have made that mistake and destroyed their games and series' identity by trying to cater to a VERY vocal minority of neo-puritans who have no fun nor joy in their lives and thus, try to drag everyone down into their depressive mire as misery only loves company. It's POSSIBLE this is a bait-and-switch, but he could also be genuine. I am hoping he isn't pressured to compromise his artistic vision because of social pressures, or the corporate suits, though.

[@alexdbz0077]

I dont think ive every played the Mana series but I love Jrpg Game so I'm definitely looking forward to this game! Good on the director for not bending the knee it hurts people's creativity in the long run! Also glad Mana is coming to Xbox🥰

[@Castapher]

This is great for developers. Because they can make their game from their own original vision and thus... Developers can just make a DLC western cosmetics to comply the western audience. its totally optional if people want to buy it or not. I am with the mind that the developers should tackles the audience by giving them options (DLCs) and turn them into profit. I love the MANA series, and every series need money to sustain their existence. I would just buy all DLC's (western/eastern/whatever) to support the developers financially. Without money, this series is dead. We all should support the developers. Thats my 2 cents.

[@uzairkhan7166]

I don’t care how they do it as long as they do the English dub faction on it then I’m down they whatever they have and how they do it as long they stay true to the franchise. Then that’s all I care about

[@enkiduthewildman]

Don't pre-order Don't buy day 1 We can wait a week to see how the localization is butchered, or if the first patch has censorship.

[@LuigiTheMetal64]

Even I know it is tempting. I remember getting the Manaphy Egg early in Pokémon BDSP's release. Right now, it is a good thing you can get the Illusionary Pokémon through normal gameplay in Legends: Arceus.

[@IaconDawnshire]

With the current garbage that's going on I'm sitting and waiting this out

[@ChiiBomb]

I think that’s great unless it’s lollipop/child p3do lore. Then don’t sell your game in the west if you don’t like we don’t want that

[@Mia-kl9xv]

❤

[@shinkoyangi9417]

We will see... Sony promised stellar blade will not be censored. And it's censored. I never believe anymore studios say it won't be censored, it won't be Woke. Of course it will be! Si I never preorder anymore because lying of every studios!

[@bigt4135]

Good

[@groguwolf9321]

Flammie better be up in dis byitch

[@hxntaiguy3318]

Japan should keep their stuff Japanese, since that what makes them great and what makes people get them.

[@corey2232]

It's ironic, because this is what Western fans have been asking for, yet Square Enix seems hellbent on trying to appeal to an audience that doesn't want this. Dragon Quest that drops turn based battles & is more "dark & mature?" Who's asking for that?

[@randallgoeswhere]

This is very good news. We don't play jrpg's for western influence.

[@Xhalo1183]

I worry because they have so many hurdles that they have to overcome. Sony will screw them if it is PS5 exclusive. Even if they keep it the way they want it , you still have the localizers who will ruin it. The venture capital for large projects practically requires you to employ some level of DEI, either in house or outsourced. I'm looking forward to it but I will probably wait and see and I won't be buying it from Sony regardless. I have a personal boycott against them after all the bull they pulled with small studios. Haven't bought anything since PS2 era because of it.

[@streamingomegamegatronuspr7755]

Old game is better than mordern trash and west devs sucks

[@dz4265]

Square Enix and pokemon went woke. Square was always secretly woke since 7.

[@MANNY100123]

I'm afraid I have trust issues now lol... Might pick this game up later on (if it isn't ruined by some western bs of course!)

[@Jazzmigo]

For years now i first watch lets plays and look up reviews bevor i even cosider to buy the game. If i even get a smell of real life politics or virtue signaling im out. My baglog of old games is big enouth to play for years.

[@WRDend]

Yet all of their characters and worlds look 100% European 😂

[@NetBattler]

Just because they took inspiration from it doesn't mean they are pandering to westerners....

[@SuperRamos619]

Bro, you contradict yourself. First you say, you are creating something and others dont like it, that's on them. The FF7 Remake team creates something they wantes to do, and you out hear saying that should do something different that their audience wants.

[@MugenLord]

Bro FF7 Remake is a cash grab, and a trend chaser. The Audience don't want it, if it did then FF7 Rebirth should be breaking records in terms of sales, but Rebirth has sold even slower than Remake and FF16. Square Enix just reported 22.1billion Yen loss.

[@fiftyfive5459]

still a bit concerned that Sony America will force push them to put woke thing in the game when release. after Stellar blade incident I will never buy game and Sony console again. PC is the way to go.

[@Neil.02]

Good, stop trying to cater to people who won't bother RESPECTING you.

[@alundrajehuthy1801]

Great! Then day one patch censors everything and adds tons of western shyte... rings a bell?

[@Hrotriks]

0 westernizing I say... they tried the same in the 2010s and it didnt worked.

[@RottenTanuki]

Who gives a fuck, if he does or not you're just gonna buy it if he does or not

[@ChrisMS0815]

Why are you so angry?

[@headshotmaster138]

What are you talking about?

[@NetBattler]

So you don't care if the localization team ruined the game? That's very selfish if you ask me.

[@RottenTanuki]

@@NetBattler I do, of course I do. That's why the frustration. Didn't buy FF7R didn't buy Stellar Blade. they only listen to money DO NOT SUPPORT THEM. It's really good MugenLord is bring light to these issues but then he turns around and buys all that shit. If he can't do it what do you think an out of touch normie is going to do?

[@ChrisMS0815]

@@RottenTanuki I have an issue with the censorship in Stellar Blade and I bought it too, I don't know why you expect everyone to boycott a game they are looking forward to. I don't even know what the issue was with FF7 Remake/Rebirth, it was great game and a far better one than FF16 at least.

[@luisdominguez4967]

Love the purm bro

[@MugenLord]

What perm?

[@nyotengu4893]

Can't wait to play this game 😎