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Here's the Secret of Mana remake's spruced up opening movie

Same as it never was.

Square Enix has offered up another look at its forthcoming Secret of Mana remake on PS4, Vita, and PC, this time highlighting its spruced up opening movie.

Gone are the moody, minimalist pixel-art pans of the 1993 Super Nintendo original, replaced by vibrant hand-drawn illustrations. The new introduction also features reworked (and voiced!) narration, which adds a touch of nuance compared to the fine-but-functional original English translation. Here, see for yourself:

Watch on YouTube

And if you're curious to see how that compares to the Super Nintendo version, just skip to the 1:57 mark in the video below.

Watch on YouTube

Square's new Secret of Mana project is a complete overhaul for the classic Japanese action-RPG, most notably switching out the original 16-bit sprite work for more modern (and some might say, less characterful) 3D models. That soundtrack remains something special though, and just as breathtaking in its newly arranged guise.

The remake retains the original game's three-player co-op - although sadly it's local only - and introduces some currently-unspecified gameplay upgrades. "The original system has been reworked in an effort to realise a modern action RPG with improved gameplay", says Square Enix's official word on the matter.

Secret of Mana's remake arrives on PS4, Vita, and PC on February 15th next year.