History VideoGame / TrialsOfMana

''Trials of Mana'', long known as ''Seiken Densetsu 3'',[[labelnote:note]]聖剣伝説３, lit. ''Holy Sword Legend 3'', but stating the name in romanji to denote its unreleased-in-English status was common from 1995 to 2019[[/labelnote]] is the third game in the ''VideoGame/WorldOfMana'' series. It was released for the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Super Famicom]] (though pointedly ''not'' the Super Nintendo) in 1995. ''Trials of Mana'' was infamous for being the first ''Mana'' game to [[NoExportForYou not receive an international release]], though {{fan translation}}s did exist via UsefulNotes/{{emulation}}. An official export was an incessant request from fans for over two decades; on June 11, 2019, twenty-three years, eight months and eleven days after the game's release in Japan, ''Trials'' in its original 16-bit form was announced for official release worldwide in English, French, German and Spanish as part of a CompilationRerelease (''Collection of Mana'') on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch--to be followed by [[VideoGameRemake a full-3D remake]] on April 24, 2020 for the Switch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, and [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Windows]] PC. The remake was then brought to UsefulNotes/{{Android|Games}} and UsefulNotes/{{iOS|Games}} devices on July 15, 2021.

->''When the world was shrouded in darkness, the Goddess of Mana drew forth the Sword of Mana to smite the eight Benevodons, monsters of destruction.''
->''She sealed the horrors inside the eight Mana Stones, bringing the realm back from the brink.''
->''Weak from rebuilding the world, the Goddess changed into a tree and fell fast asleep for years.''
->''However, the forces of evil sought to free the Benevodons to gain control of the world.''
->''They started a terrible war to further their plot and destabilize the kingdoms. Peace was at an end.''
->''Mana itself began to disappear from the world and the Mana Tree to wither...''
--> --OpeningNarration

** Many of the location names follow a format that uses a title followed by the place's name in the fan translation. Castle City Jad ([[SpellMyNameWithAnS officially translated as]] Jadd Stronghold), Grasslands Kingdom Forcena (Valsena, Kingdom of the Plains, in the official translation) Magic Kingdom Altena (Altena, Kingdom of Magicians, in the official translation), and Sand Fortress Navarre (Nevarl Fortress in the official translation), to name a few.

** [[spoiler:The Sanctuary of Mana is always daytime on the first visit, before the mid-game dungeons. After playing through the unique final dungeons, it is always night.]]

* AscendedGlitch: In the SNES version of the game, you could use a special hammer you got in the story to shrink your party, then use it again to go back to normal. As the game only allows for one negative status effect at a time, this would cancel any prior negative effect and cure your entire party of whatever ailment they had. While this oversight was fixed in the remake, the developers gave you a moogle icon upon beating a bonus boss, which allows you to do the same thing only with the moogle status effect. The thing is, you have to beat the game to even challenge the boss that has it and it has no practical purpose, thus the icon mainly exists as a nod to the fan's clever use of the oversight.

* BraggingRightsReward: The 2020 remake grants a few very powerful chain skills, but only after accomplishing a great feat like defeating the {{Bonus Boss}}es. At least the skills carry over to NewGamePlus, so they're useful there.

* BonusBoss: Ladies and gentlemen, allow us to introduce to one of the best villains to have ever graced a ''Mana'' story. A monster whose legendary viciousness and severe lack of remorse have left him miles ahead of even the most celebrated of bad guys. He’s cute, he’s fluffy, he’s going to pluck out your eyes with a rusty penknife…it’s the '''Black Rabite'''! Boasting the highest amount of HP you can have in ''Trials'', there's a reason the final boss theme plays when you enter his cave. Sadly, this boss was only approachable in the Duran/Angela storyline, and in an easily-missed crawlspace, to boot. The remake makes the Black Rabite available to fight on all storylines, which allows for more interesting party configurations and strats.

** Defeating the Black Rabite gives the "Obsidian Power" skill, which reduces the MP cost of all spells to zero in battle for the equipped character. But the Black Rabite is Level 83, has the game's strongest skills by far, and is the game's hardest BonusBoss. In order to fight it, you have to have beaten the final dungeon of your main character's story leading up to the last dungeon that all characters share, outside post-game. By the time you're strong enough to defeat the Black Rabite, you won't really have anything left to use that new skill on.

** In the original release, you could only fight the [[BonusBoss Black Rabite]] with Duran or Angela leading. (The remake allows any team to fight it, however.)

* '''Charlotte''' is the only character who doesn't have to leave for Wendel, because she already lives there, with the Priest of Light as her adoptive father. Her friend, the young priest Heath, is sent to defend the stronghold of Jadd, which the beastmen are planning to invade; he is captured by the beastmen and then ensorceled by Goremand, and Charlotte resolves to rescue him. A ChildMage WhiteMage, Charlotte also has the VerbalTic of "[=uwu=]" ElmuhFuddSyndwome in the official translation.

* FakeDifficulty: the clumsy lock-on controls in the 2020 remake result in this. Bosses typically have a ChargedAttack that doubles as a BreakMeter and TimedMission: either you beat up certain things that have a distinctive dark blue HP bar over them within the appointed amount of time, at which point the boss Breaks, or it shoots off its attack. Towards the end of the game, the game will start switching to cinematic FixedCamera positions (the FinalBoss), there are too many mobs crowding the area, and/or the "certain things" will start ''moving''. The end result is that you cannot Break the boss because the game ''does not let you'' target the things you need to damage. If you don't have AreaOfEffect Class Strikes or Moves, your remaining option is ForcedLevelGrinding.