Square Enix quiet on 'World of Mana'

By Tom Bramwell Published 19 April, 2005

It's been registered, as has a logo, but other than that we'll have to wait and see.

Square Enix has registered "The World of Mana" with the US Patent & Trademark Office, sparking rumours that the renowned developer plans to revisit its Mana line of action-oriented RPGs.

Indeed, it seems highly likely, particularly given the inclusion of a logo for the game featuring the familiar sight of the Mana tree - inside a diamond shaped crest bearing "The World of Mana" name.

Square Enix has declined comment on the mark's registration, but that hasn't stopped eager fans trying to guess what it's up to. PSP, DS, next-gen, another cross-platform media effort ala Fullmetal Alchemist - there are lots of ideas.

The last time Square Enix released a Mana title, it was the relatively poorly received Sword of Mana on Game Boy Advance. But the series' pedigree has long since been established, with many action-RPG fans holding Secret of Mana on the Super Nintendo in high regard.

Mind you, Secret of Mana's insistence on six-letter character names is responsible for this writer's online handle. Indeed, yours truly might well be doing something completely different were it not for that. So, in some respects, it's got a lot to answer for.

We'll have to wait and see whether Square Enix's prepared to answer for its World of Mana registration, but one would imagine that, with E3 just under a month away, it's something we might well learn more about in the coming weeks.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (15) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #1 7 years ago

    Oh, oh, oh!

    /drools in anticipation

  • Roamer #2 7 years ago

    Not exactly big news, but hey - it might just mean *something*.

  • Scimarad #3 7 years ago

    Interesting new, though from a purely selfish perspective I hope it isn't on the DS.

  • Pirotic #4 7 years ago

    Wahey, lets hope it does the series justice unlike the GBA game :p

  • Cyhwuhx #5 7 years ago

    .::: And this time, Squeenix, DO NOT forget the co-op multiplayer!

  • Galvanizer #6 7 years ago

    Either for the DS or GameCube!

    Roll on E3! :-)

  • Blerk #7 7 years ago

    Don't worry - it won't get released in Europe anyway!

    Surely it's 'Squenix'? 'Squeenix' has too many Es. Sounds like the noise small animals make when you crush them underfoot.

  • Blerk #8 7 years ago

    Either for the DS or GameCube!

    Your optimism never fails to amaze me, Galv.

  • Roamer #9 7 years ago

    Whichever console it's released on, it's good news. My bet is on the DS, hopefully with some wi-fi capabilities included.

  • Macross #10 7 years ago

    Argh damnit i was gonna get a PSP, but Secret of Mana is still in my top 5 fave games ever ever evverrrrr, so if it does only come out on the DS i may well have to cry, or whore myself out down the docks to save money for a DS too. >

  • BradlayLaw #11 7 years ago

    Perhaps the first MMORPG from Square?

    You mean apart from FFXI, the banners of which adorn these very pages?

  • Rahul #12 7 years ago

    There are some facts about Seiken Densetsu's future relevant to the World of Mana patent registration:
    - Nintendo has announced a "new Seiken Densetsu" title in development for Nintendo DS and to be published by Square Enix
    - Brownie Brown was hiring for a new "3d" Seiken Densetsu project on the Square Enix website last year

    From this you can assume several - mainly speculative - conclusions:
    - World of Mana is the new DS game
    - World of Mana is in 3d
    - World of Mana, due to its name, includes some form of online play. Perhaps an extension of Legend of Mana's world management? Certainly cooperative multiplayer.

  • Galvanizer #13 7 years ago

    "Your optimism never fails to amaze me, Galv."

    lol!

    Nintendo is in the worst position of the elite 3 in the industry. However, I have a strong feeling they are gonna blow up just like Apple did with the IPod. Revo's gonna be good. REALLY GOOD!

    I agree with Squenix afterall SQUARE ENIX is pronounced "SQUARE-EN-IX" NOT "SQUARE-E-NIX".

  • Kami #14 7 years ago

    Here's a revolutionary idea...

    Why not release Seiken Densetsu 3 in the west?

  • Genji #15 7 years ago

    I would've been chuffed if they released that one on GBA instead of the other one.