Dawn of Mana

Lore & Background

Dawn of Mana follows a young hero, Keldric, as he journeys to close a portal to a land of darkness opened at the base of the Tree of Mana. The game incorporates the Havok physics engine, with gameplay centered on grabbing and throwing objects and monsters to panic enemies before attacking with a sword and magic. Keldric grows more powerful within each area but resets to base abilities when entering a new zone unless difficult extra challenges are met. Unlike many predecessors, the game lacks cooperative multiplayer.

Reader's Guide

Dawn of Mana was designed, directed, and produced by series creator Koichi Ishii, with a script by Ryo Akagi based on a story by Masato Kato, and music led by Kenji Ito. It is the final game in the series developed in-house by Square Enix. Critics praised the graphics and music as beautiful and lush but found the leveling system annoying, combat controls difficult and frustrating, and the story trite. The game sold 229,000 copies in its first ten days in Japan and over 410,000 worldwide by the end of 2008, making it a moderate commercial success.

Did You Know?

• Dawn of Mana is the first 3D game in the Mana series.
• The combat system, called the Mono system, is based on the Havok physics engine.
• The game does not feature any cooperative multiplayer component, unlike many of its predecessors.
• It is the final game in the Mana series to be developed in-house by Square Enix.