Children Of Mana

Posted Jan 19, 2007 by Doug Buel

Updated Mar 28, 2007 at 04:23 PM

System: Nintendo DS

Publisher: Square Enix

Reviewer’s rating: D

ESRB rating: Everyone 10+

Game type: Role-playing game

Kind of like: “The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past,” but not nearly as good

Best feature: Weapons have several different capabilities.

Worst feature: Enemies are extremely redundant.

The bottom line: “Children of Mana” may have some appeal for completists, but we can’t figure out for whom else.

It has cutesy graphics that seem aimed at a younger audience. It has way too much talking, though, for an action game or for a kids’ game. What action there is can be very repetitive, and the gameplay isn’t very deep. It’s as if the game is badly aimed at several different targets.

This series, which includes “Secret of Mana” and “Legend of Mana,” has always been a little, shall we say, indistinct. The games have worked differently from one another, so they almost constitute a series in name only.

In this game, you enter dungeonlike areas, beat down creatures that get in your way and fight a boss at the end.

You have several different weapons, each with a dual use. The sword, for example, deflects enemy projectiles or stabs foes. As another example, the bow fires arrows or puts enemies to sleep.

You also have a magical guardian spirit. We found this a diversion that doesn’t necessarily help you, especially when fighting the bosses.

The story often consists of someone telling you to go here or there and save everyone, leaving you to mash buttons to hurry through the dialogue.