One of the highly anticipated remakes set to come out in 2018 is the Square Enix redo of one of the greatest 16-bit SNES RPGs ever made. I'm talking about none other than Secret of Mana. The game will not only re-release for PlayStation 4 gamers, but Square has recently announced that the game will receive a limited physical release starting this upcoming February.
More specifically, starting February 15th, 2018 gamers will be able to purchase a physical rendition of Secret of Mana for the PlayStation 4.
However, keep in mind that the physical release of the title will be available only in limited quantities. If you live in North America you'll be able to grab a copy from your local GameStop in the U.S. For those of you further north living in Canada, you'll be able to pick up a copy from your participating EB Games boutique. For those of you further south of the border living in Latin America, you'll be able to grab a copy from a select number of participating retailers in the region.
In addition to the limited availability of physical copies for Secret of Mana, Square Enix also announced that those who pre-order the game will receive special costumes for the three characters, including a Final Fantasy-themed Moogle suit for the main character Randi, Primm and for the small sidekick Popoi. Both Popoi and Randi will also receive a full Tiger bodysuit and Primm will receive a two-piece bikini tiger suit.
I don't know if that's really enough to convince some gamers to buy into the pre-order for the game, but the pre-orders will be available for both the digital and physical versions of the game on PS4, and for the digital versions of the game for Steam, according to the website. The pre-order bonuses apparently aren't available for the PlayStation Vita, but at least the game is still available for the portable gaming system.
Yes, I know a lot of PS Vita gamers have complained about not receiving much support from Sony, but Square hasn't given up on Sony's handheld. The Vita version of Secret of Mana is probably why the game's graphics aren't quite up to scratch with other remakes such as Final Fantasy VII or the Resident Evil remake.
As you can tell from the gameplay screenshots, it lacks the shaders and lighting systems that some gamers may have come to expect from newer eighth-gen titles. Of course, turning on the higher-end shading systems would have likely brought the game down to a crawl on the PlayStation Vita.
Even still, for gamers who missed out on the original 1993 release of Secret of Mana for the SNES, and wanted to experience one of the 16-bit all-time classics on their PS4, PS Vita or on PC, you can do so starting in early 2018.
Specifically, if you're the kind of gamer who enjoys collecting physical copies of games for your home consoles, you can be on the look out for the physical edition of Secret of Mana for the PS4 for a limited time starting February 15th, 2018.
