Let’s be real for a second. If you grew up in the 90s, the 16-bit aesthetic of the Squaresoft era is basically sacred ground. When Square Enix announced they were bringing Secret of Mana PS4 to the modern era, people lost their minds. Some were thrilled. Others? Well, they were terrified. They were scared that the soul of the 1993 masterpiece—that weird, floaty, beautiful action-RPG magic—would get lost in translation. And honestly? They weren't entirely wrong, but they weren't entirely right either.
This isn't just a simple port. It's a full-on 3D reconstruction of a game that originally pushed the SNES hardware to its absolute breaking point.
What changed in the Secret of Mana PS4 version?
The first thing you’ll notice is the look. Gone are the shimmering pixels. In their place, we have high-definition 3D models that look a bit like a high-end mobile game from a few years back. It’s colorful. It’s bright. But it’s divisive. Some fans think the characters look like "Chibi" toys, while others appreciate seeing Randi, Primm, and Popoi with actual facial expressions.
But the biggest shift is the sound. The original soundtrack by Hiroki Kikuta is legendary. It’s haunting. The remake gives you a choice: you can play with the original tracks or a newly arranged version. The new arrangements are... a choice. Some tracks, like "Fear of the Heavens," feel grander. Others feel a bit cluttered compared to the clean, sharp synth of the 1993 release. Thankfully, you can swap them in the menu.
The gameplay stays mostly the same, which is both a blessing and a curse. You still have the Ring Command system. You still have the power meter that prevents you from just spamming attacks. But now, you have full 360-degree movement. In the original, you were essentially locked to eight directions. Now, you can run in circles around a Mushboom. It changes the rhythm of combat more than you’d think.
Voice acting and the script
For the first time, these characters have voices. It adds a layer of personality that wasn't there before. You get to hear Primm’s sass and Popoi’s mischievousness. The script was also re-translated. The original SNES translation was famously rushed—Ted Woolsey did the whole thing in about 30 days. He had to cut huge chunks of dialogue to fit the memory constraints of a cartridge.
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On the PS4, the story breathes. We get "Interludes," which are little scenes where the trio chats at an inn. It makes them feel like a real team rather than just three sprites following each other. You learn about their motivations. You see them bicker. It's a nice touch that rounds out a story that was originally told in fragments.
The combat mechanics: Frustrating or faithful?
If you're coming into Secret of Mana PS4 expecting a modern action game like Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, you’re going to get frustrated. Fast.
The remake keeps the "wait for 100%" mechanic. If you swing your sword at 20%, you'll do almost zero damage. You have to pace yourself. It’s a rhythmic dance. The problem? The hit detection in the PS4 version is occasionally wonky. There are moments where your blade clearly passes through a Rabite, but because of the game's internal logic, it counts as a miss.
Then there’s the magic.
Magic in this game is broken. It was broken in 1993, and it's broken now. Once you level up Popoi’s undine or gnome spirits, you can essentially "chain" spells. You cast Freeze, the enemy is locked in an animation, you cast it again before they can move, and they’re dead. Square Enix kept this. It’s part of the game’s identity. Is it balanced? No. Is it fun? Absolutely.
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The Multiplayer Factor
One of the biggest selling points of the original was the three-player local co-op. You needed a Super Multitap back then. Now, you just need two extra DualShock controllers. Playing this game solo is fine, but the AI is notoriously stupid. Your teammates will get stuck behind walls. They will walk into the path of a Spiky Tiger.
Playing with friends changes everything. It becomes a chaotic, laughing-on-the-couch experience. Note that there is no online multiplayer. This was a huge point of contention at launch. If you want to play with people, they have to be in the room with you. In 2026, that feels a bit dated, but it preserves that "retro" vibe the devs were clearly aiming for.
Technical hiccups you should know about
Let’s be blunt: the launch of this game was a mess. It crashed. A lot.
Luckily, patches have smoothed out the experience on PS4 and PS5. The frame rate is steady, and the blue-screen crashes are mostly a thing of the past. However, there are still some quirks. The pathfinding for your AI allies hasn't really been "fixed" so much as "tolerated." You will still find yourself manual-switching characters just to unstick Primm from a corner in the Gaia's Navel caves.
Also, the UI is a bit of a mixed bag. The Ring Command is iconic, but navigating it with an analog stick can feel slippery compared to the precision of a D-pad. You’ll get used to it, but it’s not the smoothest interface by modern standards.
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Short list of what stayed exactly the same:
- The world map and the "Flammie" drum.
- The weapon leveling system (yes, you still have to grind those orbs).
- The boss patterns. If you remember how to beat the Wall Face in 1993, you know how to beat it now.
- The weird, slightly psychedelic vibe of the Mana Tree.
Is it worth playing over the original?
This is the big question. If you have a Nintendo Switch, you can play the Collection of Mana, which features the original SNES version. So why play the PS4 remake?
It comes down to accessibility. The PS4 version has a mini-map. It has an auto-save feature (a lifesaver when you're deep in the Mana Fortress). It has shortcuts. You can map items or magic to the L1 and R1 buttons. In the original, you had to pause the game every single time you wanted to cast a spell. In the remake, it’s much faster.
It’s a "quality of life" upgrade wrapped in a polarizing visual style.
If you’re a purist, the 3D models will probably bug you. If you’re a newcomer who finds 16-bit games "too hard to look at," this is the perfect entry point. It captures the whimsy. The world still feels huge. The music—if you stick to the original OST—is still some of the best in gaming history.
How to optimize your playthrough
Don't just run through the story. You'll hit a wall at the Spiky Tiger boss if you do. This game expects a bit of a grind.
- Level up your magic immediately. As soon as you get your first Elemental, stay near an Inn and just keep casting. Magic is your primary damage dealer for bosses.
- Toggle the music. Try the remake's music for the first hour. If it feels "off," switch to the original in the settings. Most veterans prefer the original for a reason.
- Use the shortcuts. Map your most-used healing spell and your most-used attack spell to the bumpers. It keeps the flow of combat from stopping every five seconds.
- Watch your power meter. Don't mash the attack button. Wait for the ding at 100%. One hit at 100% is worth more than ten hits at 10%.
The game isn't perfect. It's a weird, charming relic of a different era of game design. It doesn't hold your hand, and it doesn't apologize for its quirks. Whether you're flying on Flammie for the first time or the fiftieth, Secret of Mana PS4 is a trip worth taking, provided you know what you're getting into.
To get the most out of your experience, start by heading into the options menu and setting the shortcuts for your AI teammates' behavior. Set them to "Keep Away" or "Attack Different Enemy" to prevent them from getting nuked by boss AOE attacks. Then, head to Pandora and start the grind for those early weapon orbs; the power spike you get from a Level 2 sword makes the early-game slog significantly more manageable.