Square Enix shows off Visions of Mana at Xbox Direct 2024

Featuring adorable new monsters

Square Enix teased more Visions of Mana at the first 2024 Xbox Direct, following its surprise reveal at The Game Awards. Monster designer Koichi Ishii returns and led the team in taking classic Mana monsters from pixel critters to fully-realized 3D models, and they’re absolutely adorable.

One of those is the Pikul, Visions of Mana’s special mount. This furry little – well, pretty big actually – dog-like monster ferries you around over land, so you can explore more quickly.

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Ishii went over a few other monsters and pointed out how he strove to make them reactive and even frightening in certain situations. The designs are definitely excellent, but it’s hard not to go “awwww” when you see a 3D Rabite, even if it is trying to kill you.

Ishii and the rest of the team didn’t let much else slip about Visions of Mana, though they did tease a few bits about combat. The series’ traditional Elementals are back, and they shake up how you approach battles. Elementals take the form of weapons and items, and each comes with its own unique combat style.

As for what’s next, it sounds like Square Enix sees Visions of Mana as a crucible for the series’ future. Square Enix said that, after deciding on the visual style, the team set to work coming up with dozens of new ideas for how you can play, fight, and exist in Visions’ world.

Visions of Mana launches sometime in summer 2024 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.